Crispy meaty bite

Crispy chicken has a huge fan following in India. Several brands, both Indian and multinational, are doing brisk business selling crispy chicken served with personal choice of sauces. But how about some home-made meaty crispies? Won’t it be lovely to surprise your loved ones with this most sought after snack on a Sunday evening? Chef Md Enamulla Khan (Ali) of Eden Group of Hotels and Restaurants will tell you how to make lip-smacking finger-licking Crispy Tandoori Fried Chicken with cumin and garlic aioli. The recipe takes time as one has to keep the marinated chicken for at least 24 hours.

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

6 leg pieces
4 thigh pieces
4 each of wings and drumettes
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of red chilli powder
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of red crushed pepper
1 tablespoon of roasted cumin powder
2 tablespoons of roasted coriander powder
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 lemon
2 whole bulbs of garlic
6 inch piece of ginger
10 fresh green chillies
1 tablespoon of red food colour
1 cup of yogurt

Buttermilk batter

1 egg, 2 cups of buttermilk, 1 cup of flour,
1 tablespoon of paprika, 1 tablespoon of
roasted cumin powder
1 tablespoon of roasted coriander powder
1 tablespoon each of
garlic powder and salt

Flour batter

3 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of roasted cumin powder
1 tablespoon of roasted coriander powder
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon of salt

Cumin Garlic Aioli

Mayonnaise — 1 heaping cup
2 cloves of garlic, half cup of cilantro
1 teaspoon of paprika
Half teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon of roasted cumin powder
Juice of half lemon, pinch of salt if needed

Direction

Crispy Tandoori Fried Chicken
In a food chopper, add garlic, ginger, fresh green chillies and chop finely. Then add food colour and yogurt and pulse to make it into a thick red paste.
In a bowl add all the marinating ingredients to the chicken, including the yogurt paste, and let it sit in the fridge overnight (I did it for 48 hours and it was divine!) Prepare a dip and coat station. In one bowl, whisk together all the ingredients of buttermilk batter and set aside.
In a ziploc, add all ingredients of flour batter and shake to mix. Heat the oil up at 310 degrees in a deep pot. (I recommend the use of a deep fry thermometer). Fry the chicken until golden brown and crisp. For dark meat it takes about 15 minutes and for wings it takes about 8 minutes.

Cumin Garlic Aioli
Add garlic to the food processor and chop roughly. Add rest of the ingredients and puree in a thick sauce.
Notes: Make your own cumin and coriander powder. Roast them in a pan until fragrant. When cool down, grind them into powder. Feel free to omit the batter and just grill the chicken. It will be equally delicious!