Tandoori Chicken

This is taken from the Kodai Alumni news. With the recipe is this comment: In India "Tandoori" means food cooked in an earthen cylindrical coalfueled oven. You may need to substitute a grill for the tandoor, or use a gas or electric oven (but it will lose most of its flavor without the tandoor). Also, marinade the chicken for at least six hours, ideally for 12 hours.

Ingredients:

• 12 chicken drumsticks and/or breast pieces (skin removed)
• 1 C plain yoghurt (preferably) or 2 C buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp ginger powder, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tbsp garam masala powder
• meat tenderizer (optional)
• 2 tbsp salt (use less if tenderizer contains salt)
• (*If you like it hot and spicy, add 1 tbsp extra of all spices)

Instructions:

1. With a fork prick the chicken pieces all over. Apply tenderizer to chicken pieces and let stand for an hour or so.
2. For the marinade:In a wide deep bowl, deep enough to hold all the chicken pieces, add theyoghurt (or buttermilk) plus one cup water.
3. Add all the spices and stir to form a homogeneous mixture.
4. Next add the chicken pieces to the mixture, covering completely with the paste/mixture.
5. Let chicken and mixture stand in covered bowl for 6 hours. (If you plan to marinade chicken for 12-15 hours, put it in the refrigerator. The longer it marinates, the better; it will absorb the spices and the tastier it will be.)
6. When you are ready to grill the chicken, apply melted butter all over to chicken pieces with a brush or spoon and grill chicken in your normal fashion. Turn over chicken pieces once they turn brownish-red and grill remaining sides.
7. Sprinkle salt and lemon juice over chicken, and serve with finely sliced onion and lemon rings. I hope you enjoy this recipe, a favorite of the Moghul emperors of India!