I do love Indian food as Neeta (see post on Neeta’s treats) can attest as we have quickly managed to polish off most of the chutneys and acchaars that she has made for us.  However, I do believe that it is one of those cuisines that is best prepared by cooks for whom it is the native food.  No matter how much I try, my versions of curries, biryanis, and chutneys never taste quite as good as those I have been served by women who absorbed the methods of the cooks in their childhood kitchens – whether the cook was mom, grandma, aunties, or the servant-cook.

Through the years I have cadged recipes from Julie Sahni, Madhur Jaffrey, and  Yamuna Devi (among others) and made them my own.  Many years ago I even produced a tomato chutney with and for the marvelous actress, Barbara Barry.  I’ve made naan, roti, parantha, and puri in my home oven and on the grill.  I’ve bottled chutneys of all types and made curry-flavored sauces and vinaigrettes but this past weekend I attempted the choicest dish of all –  a classic tandoori chicken in our covered grill.

A tandoor is a traditional Indian (and other southeast Asian) clay oven that uses wood or charcoal as its heat source.  Temperatures in the oven are maintained at 450ºF to 500ºF. which is hard to do in a charcoal-fired metal grill when the grillmaster (namely my dear husband) insisted on opening it constantly to check the state of the roasting chicken.  However, we did a pretty good job and turned out what I think was one of the most delicious roasted chickens of my long-time cooking career.  It may not have looked quite as glorious as a tandoor-burnished traditional one, but it sure tasted great.  Just a hint of the spices permeated the extremely tender, moist meat.  I do recommend that you try it – I believe that my fake tandoori chicken will become your go-to dinner party dish.

In the past when I prepared this dish, I cut the chicken into pieces and made the classic slits in the skin to absorb the marinade.  This time I simply marinated the whole chicken in the yogurt-spice mixture for almost 24 hours.  A longer marinade might have turned the chicken mushy but this amount of time seemed perfect.  If you want the chicken to be really orange-brown, you can brush it with orange food coloring before putting it in the marinade – I did not do this and I think the end result was as colorful as necessary.

The chicken can be eaten warm or at room temperature – on its own or with any type of chutney or relish or raita.  We had Neeta’s achaars and I made some quinoa- stuffed poblano chiles to go along the side.

2½ cups plain whole yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 to ½ hot red chile, seeded and chopped

¾ cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon turmeric

One 3½ to 4 pound roasting chicken, preferably free-range and antibiotic-free

Combine the yogurt and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process to just combine.  Add the chile, onion, ginger, and garlic and process to blend.  Add the paprika, garam masala, and turmeric and process until almost smooth.

Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add the yogurt mixture, seal, and toss to cover well.  Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinade for 24 hours, turning the bag from time to time to insure that all of the chicken is tenderized by the marinade.

When ready to roast, make a very hot large charcoal fire on one side of a covered grill – you will want the temperature to reach 500ºF before you add the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and turn it so that excess marinade drips out of the cavity.  Place the chicken on the far opposite side of the grill.  Cover and begin roasting, turning the chicken occasionally to insure that it is cooking evenly.  Add charcoal as necessary to maintain the hot fire.  It should take about 2 hours for the chicken to be perfectly cooked throughout.

Remove from the grill and let rest for about 15 minutes before cutting into pieces.