Diana Chan cooks tandoori chicken with mint yoghurt sauce

By
Diana Chan
July 16, 2018
Photo: Greg Briggs

July takes me to India. Mumbai truly is a city that doesn’t sleep. If I could sum up Mumbai in one word, it would have to be electrifying. The food is sensory overload. I spent two hours in a spice shop and got lost in the textile market.

Photo: Janaka Rodrigue \ food styling: Emma Rosen
Photo: Janaka Rodrigue. Food styling: Emma Rosen

I am very honoured to have been asked to design the menu for the first ever wine-on-tap restaurant – Wine Villa – in the heart of Juhu beach, at the newly refurbished Horizon Hotel, which will open at the end of July. One of the recipes I’ve curated for Wine Villa villa is a modern version of tandoori chicken with mint yoghurt and picked onions. This dish will ignite all the senses.

The slight hint of spice from the chicken paired with the cool mint yoghurt makes this a dinner party favourite. Pair with a crisp and buttery chardonnay.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Tandoori chicken

  • 4 chicken thighs (boneless)
  • Marinade
  • 1 tbsp mustard oil
  • 1 large lemon
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 20g ginger, grated
  • 200ml Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin seeds, crushed
  • 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves

Method

  • Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl.
  • Add the chicken thighs and coat with the marinade. Leave in the fridge covered overnight.
  • Heat the oven to 180C. Cook the chicken for 30-35 minutes until cooked through. The chicken should be slightly charred. For more char, hot grill for a few minutes.
  • Slice chicken into 2cm pieces and set aside.

Pickled onions

  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 red onions, thinly sliced into rings of 2mm thickness

Method

  • Mix the sugar, vinegar and water in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves.
  • Add the red onions and let it pickle in the fridge for a day.

Mint yoghurt sauce

  • 1 handful of fresh mint leaves
  • 250g Greek yoghurt
  • Pinch of salt
  • Juice of ½ a lime

Method

  • Pound fresh mint leaves in a mortar and pestle until you get a smooth paste. Add salt and a few drops of water to achieve the right consistency.
  • Mix the mint paste with the yoghurt, pinch of salt and lime juice. Set aside until ready to serve, with plain or garlic naan.
  • Garnish
  • 2 radishes, cut into 2mm thick medallions
  • 1 cucumber, sliced into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
  • Seed from ½ a pomegranate. 

 

Have a good feed at Diana Chan’s eatery Chanteen. Instagram: @diana.chan.au 

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