Tandoori Chicken is a glorious dish and perfect to serve at any dinner party. This recipe, originally one of Athul Kochar’s recipes, is really great for this time of the year because a lot can be done the day before and the chicken just gets better if it’s allowed to marinate overnight. Legend has it that a restaurateur by the name of Kundan Lal Gujral, who ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Peshawar was trying out new recipes one day to keep his patrons happy and decided to try to cook his chickens in the nearby tandoors (clay ovens that were used by the locals to cook their naan bread.  The chicken was extraordinarily tender and

succulent but really crispy on the outside – eventually the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, tasted it and he liked it so much that he ensured that it was regularly served at official banquets.  Tandoors are bell-shaped wood or charcoal fired ovens that are placed inside the earth – they can easily reach temperatures of about 450 C.

Ingredients For the first marinade

• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, from a jar (or cursh together fresh garlic and ginger to form a paste)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt

For the chicken

• 4 chicken breasts on the bone, skin removed, scored with 3 or 4 incisions
• melted butter and oil, for basting
• 1½ tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp chaat masala (a mixture of dried spices and chillies, available from Asian grocers)
• 4 naan bread, to serve
• salt to taste

For the second marinade

• 250 g  thick plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 100 ml  vegetable oil
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• pinch of edible red colouring (optional)
• 1 tsp salt

For the black lentil sauce

• 200 g black lentils
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 whole green chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (see above)
• ½ green chilli, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp each red chilli powder, ground coriander, ground turmeric, garam masala and fenugreek leaf powder
• 30g  butter
• 2 tbsp single cream
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• salt

For the herb pulao

• 15 g butter
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 100 g onion, sliced
• 2.5 cm cinnamon stick
• 2 black cardamoms, crushed
• 1 blade mace
• 500 g  basmati rice, washed and soaked for 10-20 minutes
• 1 tsp salt
• 3-4 tbsp puréed spinach, coriander and mint
• 2 tbsp mascarpone or double cream

For the rocket and mango salad

• 25 g baby rocket leaves
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cut into julienne
• 1 green (unripe) mango, cut into julienne
• A little vinaigrette made with oil and lime juice

Method

• Mix together the ingredients for the first marinade, rub all over the chicken breasts and then leave in the fridge for 20 minutes so that the juices can drain.
• Mix the ingredients for the second marinade and add the chicken and turn to coat, then leave in a cool place for 2-3 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the black lentil sauce by putting the lentils, 2 tbsp of the oil, the ginger, the  garlic and the whole chillies in a saucepan and cover with water.
• Bring to the boil but turn down the heat to simmer gently until the lentils are cooked to a soft texture and the liquid has reduced – now discard the garlic and chillies.
• Prepare the seasoning for the lentil sauce by sautéing the cumin seeds, the  ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chilli in the remaining oil until soft, stirring in the tomato paste followed by all the ground spices.
• Add the cooked lentils to the seasoning and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Add the butter, the cream and the coriander with salt to taste – blend all this with a hand blender and then set aside and reheat for serving.
• To make the pulao, heat the butter and oil in a saucepan and fry the onions with the cinnamon, cardamom and mace until golden brown.
• Add the drained rice, salt and 1 litre of water and bring this to the boil and cover the pot tightly, cooking  until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
• Add the spinach, the  herb purée and mascarpone or cream just before serving.
• Preheat the oven to 200 C.
• While the rice is cooking, thread the chicken breasts onto skewers and put them on a non-stick baking tray to cook in the oven for 2 minutes.
• Reduce the oven heat to 160 C and cook for another 15 minutes.
• Baste the chicken breasts with the butter-oil mixture, cooking for another 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked right through – in other words, the juices will run clear.
• Remove from the oven, baste the chicken again and sprinkle with the lime juice and chaat masala.
• Keep hot.
• Toss all the ingredients together for the salad.
• To serve, ladle the sauce onto four plates and spread out to cover.
• Place a large spoonful of herb pulao in the centre of each plate, set a tandoori chicken breast on the rice and garnish with the rocket and mango salad.
• Serve the naan on the side