pakistan

The Ultimate (Faux) Tandoori Chicken

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Tandoori Chicken cooking in a Tandoor


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Excerpt from Wiki:
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” Tandoori chicken is a dish originating in the Indian subcontinent. It is widely popular in South Asia particularly India and Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Western world. It consists of roasted chicken prepared with yogurt and spices. The name comes from the type of cylindrical clay oven, a tandoor, in which the dish is traditionally prepared.
The chicken is marinated in yogurt and seasoned with the spice mixture tandoori masala. Cayenne pepper, red chili powder or Kashmiri red chili powder is used to give it a fiery red hue. A higher amount of turmeric produces an orange color. In milder versions, both red and yellow food coloring are sometimes used to achieve bright colors, but turmeric powder is both mild and brightly colored, as is paprika, a sweet red pepper powder.[5] It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor (clay oven).“

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Excerpt from a previous post  on  ChefsOpinion:
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” Some  of my favorite food-memories are from my time living in Karachi, Pakistan, were my wife Maria and I had many wonderful dinners at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel, the ” Avari Towers, Karachi“.
Sadly, I understand that this restaurant has been converted into a steak restaurant by now ( after all, its been nearly 20 years since Maria and I lived there).
At the time, the roof top was a very exclusive, local-fare only, restaurant, with a tandoori oven right there on the rooftop.
Benazir Bhutto, who a few years later became prime minister of Pakistan, resided in a house just next to our hotel and came to eat at the roof top a few times while we were there, which got Maria excited each time and she actually asked Mrs.Bhutto for an autograph (which she got, despite the incredible security), which made Maria happy and embarrassed me🙂 .
Anyway, as far as the food was concerned, all the restaurants at the  Avari Towers  were in my opinion by far the best and safest places to enjoy a meal in all of  Karachi  and the tandoori dishes at the rooftop topped it all !
I had many a good tandoori dish while traveling in Pakistan and of course in India, but never did I find a good one in Florida in all the years I have resided here. While they might exist, so far they have eluded me.
So, whenever I lust for tasty, well prepared tandoori-style food that rekindles my memories of times past, I usually have to take matters in my own hands. ”
Although I don’t have access to a tandoor, this is as close as you can get to the real thing. “Faux”, maybe – but super delicious, definitely 🙂
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مزےکری  !   maze karein   !   زندگی اچھی ہے  !   

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P.S.
Usually tandoori chicken is cut into cubes and threaded on skewers before cooking. However, sometimes whole or split chicken are cooked, hanging on hooks and wires in the center of the tandoor.
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The Ultimate (Faux) Tandoori Chicken

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The Ultimate (Faux) Tandoori Chicken

The Ultimate (Faux) Tandoori Chicken

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let chicken rest in a warm place at least 15 minutes before cutting into serving sized pieces; serves 4 - 6

let chicken rest in a warm place at least 15 minutes before cutting into serving sized pieces; serves 4 – 6

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures

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Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

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Some  of my favorite food-memories from my time living in Karachi, Pakistan, were the many wonderful dinners Maria and I had at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel, the ” Avari Towers,Karachi“.
Sadly, I understand that this restaurant has been converted into a steak restaurant by now ( after all, its been nearly 20 years since Maria and I lived there).
However, at the time, the roof top was a very exclusive local-fare only restaurant with a tandoori oven right there on the rooftop.
Benazir Bhutto, who a few years later became prime minister of Pakistan, resided in a house just next to our hotel and came to eat at the roof top a few times while we were there, which got Maria excited each time and she actually asked Mrs.Bhutto for an autograph (which she got, despite the incredible security), which made Maria happy and embarrassed me 🙂 .
Anyway, as far as the food was concerned, the restaurants at the Avari were in my opinion by far the best and safest places to enjoy a meal in all of Karachi and the tandoori dishes at the rooftop topped it all !
I had many a good tandoori dish while traveling in Pakistan and of course in India, but never did I find a good one in Florida in all the years I have resided here. While they might exist, so far they have eluded me. So, whenever I lust for tasty, well prepared tandoori-style food that rekindles my memories of times past, I usually have to take matters in my own hands. Such was the case again yesterday, when I prepared these delicious chicken drumsticks.
For the lack of an tandoori oven, I cooked the drumsticks under high heat under the broiler, which resulted in acceptable taste and texture.
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مزےکری  !   maze karein   !   زندگی اچھی ہے  !   
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Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

Tandoori–Style Chicken Thighs With Pickled Onions And Naan

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Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

Tandoori-Style Chicken Tighs With Pickled Onions

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Tandoori-Style Chicken Drumsticks With Pickled Onions And Naan

Tandori-Style Chicken Tighs With Pickled Onions

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Easy does it # 26 – Char Siu Bao

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Dear  Friend’s,
Although most of my followers are culinary professionals, there is also a large segment of followers who are just starting to enjoy cooking on a slightly higher than basic level. I have therefore decided to publish, under the moniker “Easy Does It“,  from time to time some very basic recipe variations of dishes (and even pre-cooked dishes) which otherwise might seem too complicated to some folks. I will break them down to the easiest, most simple instructions, so that those of you who are intimidated by elaborate recipes will be able to prepare these dishes properly, adjusted to your taste and liking, right from the get-go. After all, just because you are not (yet ?) a professional chef should not prevent you from enjoying great food at home. 🙂
Enjoy !
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If only  Char Siu Bao (Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled buns) would be as easily available as our western buns in any restaurant, supermarket, bar and dive ! I would devour them at least once a day, everyday :-).
In the not so distant past, I have made Char Siu Bao many times from scratch. After all, over the years (decades), I was in charge of a few Chinese restaurants and even cooked in one on a daily basis (in Pakistan), so I am lucky enough to know the basics of some delicious Chinese food preparation.
However, with a great international/Asian food market close by, there is no need to do all the work by myself anymore. In fact, some of the prepared, frozen food items such as Baozi , Shumai or many other baked, steamed and boiled dumplings which are available frozen at  “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie are better than what I can get in most of the Chinese restaurants around here. And, as a quick dinner after work or a lazy lunch or just a snack in-between, these frozen marvels are unbeatable for convenience, quality and price. So I suggest that if you want to have another great standby for a rainy day, surprise guests or just a quick “different” meal, put some of these into your freezer and be prepared for anything. 🙂
“Foodtown Supermarket” has many varieties of steamed buns, filled with all kind of fillings, but I always come back to the Char Siu Bao which are my favorites.
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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For more about Foodtown Market click here
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Char Siu Bao

Char Siu Bao

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Char Siu Bao

Char Siu Bao

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Char Siu Bao

Char Siu Bao

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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The Bollywood

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During  the year I was living in Karachi, Pakistan, a large part of the TV programming besides the national programming were Indian music shows and Indian movies of the “Bollywood” Variety, which I came to appreciate and like, so much so that I actually miss it sometimes. So, in honor of the great “Bollywood” shows and movies, I name this sandwich “The Bollywood” 🙂
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Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

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naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

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The Bollywood

The Bollywood

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The Bollywood

The Bollywood

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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” Tandoori Inspired Baked Chicken “

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Many years ago when Maria and I lived in Karachi, Pakistan, we developed a deep passion for Indian and Pakistani Food. The  chicken I made for dinner tonight was not cooked in a tandoori, nor was it seasoned with the “proper” spice blend a cook wood actually use to make a traditional tandoori chicken.
Nevertheless, this dish came out of the oven smelling, tasting  and looking like the best of them  🙂
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All about  Tandoori Chicken

All about  Tandoor

Ingredients :

Chicken,                    Breast and legs, cut in half
yoghurt,
Garlic,                        paste
Ginger,                       grated
Turmeric,
Hot sauce,                 preferably scotch bonnet
Kosher salt,
Butter,                         melted, in a spray bottle
Scallions,                   sliced fine, for garnish
Chili,                           roasted, for garnish

Method :

Cut deep slits into the chicken, about 1/2 inch apart.
Mix all seasonings with the yoghurt, rub onto chicken
and into the cut’s until well covered. Marinate overnight.
Bake in a 410 F oven until done. During baking, spray often
with the melted buter.
To serve, top with roasted chili and sprinkle with scallions

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