Simple recipes to ace the tikka at home

Our heart swells with pride to find Indian dishes feature on global lists When travel and food platform Taste Atlas released their 50 best street food picks we spotted the Indian flag on the catalogue four fabulous times The tiny flag symbol highlighted dishes such as tikka dosa chhole bhature and Amritsari kulcha With tikka opening the series for homebaked spices chef consultant Reetu Uday Kugaji shares the 101 to making a mean chicken tikka at homeCook to perfection1 Patdrying the chicken before marinating it is an important step The process will help you get rid of excess moisture Marination makes the meat tender enhances the flavours of the dish and also acts as a natural preservativeMethi malai tikka2 Use boneless and skinless chicken thighs Avoid using chicken breasts as they tend to become chewy3 For the OG chicken tikka recipe follow a tworound marination process The first round makes the chicken pieces juicier It ensures that on grilling the pieces donrsquot turn up dry The second round imparts flavour to the dish So if you want tender tikkas donrsquot go for shortcuts 4 Never use chemical preservatives and colours in a tikka recipe Even foodgrade colours should be avoided Insteaduse deggi mirch or Kashmiri red chilli powder5 Make sure that the marinade is not watery A runny marinade wonrsquot coat well around the meat chunks The curd that goes into the marinade can be placed in a foodgrade unbleached muslin cloth Tie the cloth tightly and hang it for two to three hours The curd will acquire a creamy texture which will combine well with the chicken pieces6 Let the chicken rest overnight so that it remains tender and aromatic Use a glass bowl mdash and no steel ceramic or metalware mdash to store it in the fridge7 To make every bite succulent drizzle cooking oil over the skewered meat Basting the chicken with mustard oil keeps it moist8 Use metal skewers for the tikka as they quickly absorb heat and let the chicken cook evenly on the inside In case you are using bamboo skewers remember to soak them in water for 30 minutesOtherwise they might get burnt in the process of grilling the tikkaMurg aamras tikkaPreparation time 25 minutesMarination time Cover the bowl with cling wrap and marinate overnight or at least for four hours in a refrigeratorOven temperature 415FGrill time 20 minutesServes FourReetu Uday KugajiIngredientsgtgt 500 gm boneless chicken thigh without skin cut into twoinch piecesFor the marinadegtgt 150 ml alphonso mango pureegtgt 14 tbsp ginger pastegtgt 14 tbsp garlic pastegtgt 12 tsp organic honeygtgt 14 gm broiled saffron strandsgtgt 1 tsp fresh basil leavesgtgt 14 tsp grated lemon zestgtgt 1 tsp almond paste blanched and peeledgtgt 12 cup hung curdgtgt 12 tsp cinnamon powdergtgt 12 tsp mace powdergtgt Salt to tastegtgt 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for basting the chicken piecesFor the garnishgtgt 1 tsp chopped fresh mint leavesgtgt 1 tsp lemon juiceMethodClean and wash the chicken pieces thoroughly Now patdry the pieces using a paper kitchen towel to remove excess moisture in them Take a big glass bowl and mix the ingredients with the chicken pieces Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight Take the bowl out of the refrigerator 25 minutes ahead of the grilling process Preheat the oven at 415F in grill mode for 10 minutes Layer an aluminium foil sheet atop a baking sheet String the chicken pieces to the skewer rods Place the sheets with the skewers on the top rack of the oven for 10 minutes After some time drizzle the remaining marinade along with some virgin olive oil over the chicken pieces Once done turn the skewer rods over and cook for another 10 minutes Serve the tikkas hot after garnishing the dish with mint leaves and lemon juice It goes well with a mintcorianderyogurt dipThe Guidersquos top 4 picksgtgt BademiyaAt Botawala Building Horniman Circle FortCall 22655657gtgt Lamba Restaurant and BarAt 1516 Chhadva Apartments Sion ChemburCall 25222878gtgt Kakori HouseAt Lady Jamshedji Road MahimCall 9322390269gtgt Pritam da DhabaAt 1 Swami Ganjivandas Marg Dadar EastCall 43449999