Skewer & savour
When the weather is brighter, dust off the barbecue and prep Maunika Gowardhan’s punchy skewers for friends
Spiced chicken skewers with pickling spices (achari murgh tikka)
Achari murgh tikka has always been a family favourite. I first ate it as a young girl when our family visited Khyber at Fort in Mumbai, where it always feels like a special evening and the food is delicious. The achari spice mix includes fennel, cumin, mustard and nigella seeds, all coarsely crushed, but the secret is definitely using mustard oil. I recommend keeping a small bottle in your storecupboard.
■ Serves 4
640g boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp butter, plus extra melted
2 tbsp chickpea (gram) flour
1 tbsp mustard oil
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
½ lime, juiced, to garnish
FOR THE MARINADE
6 garlic cloves
5cm piece ginger
1 tsp mild chilli powder
½ lime, juiced
FOR THE SPICE MIX
1½ tsp fennel seeds
1½ tsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
YOU WILL NEED
wooden skewers soaked in cold water
for 30 mins
1 To make the marinade, whizz the garlic and ginger with a splash of water in a blender to a smooth paste. Tip into a large mixing bowl with the chilli powder and lime juice, then add the chicken. Mix and marinate for 20 mins. 2 Meanwhile, heat a small, dry frying pan over a medium heat. Put all the spice mix ingredients in the pan and toast for 2 mins, shaking the pan a few times. Transfer the toasted spices to a small bowl and set aside to cool. Using the same pan, melt the 2 tbsp butter over a medium heat, then add the chickpea flour, stirring well to get rid of any lumps, for about 2-3 mins. Once cool, grind the toasted spices to a coarse powder using a pestle and mortar. Add the toasted spice mix to the chicken along with the roasted chickpea flour mixture, mustard oil, yogurt and some salt. Marinate in the fridge for 2 hrs, or overnight.
3 Heat the grill to a medium-high heat. Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire rack over the tray. Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked wooden skewers and place on the wire rack. Put the tray under the grill and cook for 16-18 mins, turning halfway through cooking and basting with the extra melted butter, until the chicken is lightly charred around the edges and cooked through. Take the chicken off the skewers and serve on a large platter with the lime juice squeezed over. Serve with roti, pickled chillies and green chutney.
Salmon tikka skewers (haraa bharaa fish tikka)
As a firm oily fish, salmon soaks up all the goodness of spices well. This green marinade is unlike any other. The original recipe was shared by Sunaina Khatri, who I met during my visit
