Chicken Tangdi Kabab

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! You know how when you’re little, and you go to attend functions and parties in hotels, all you care about is the food? It doesn't matter if it’s a wedding or a reception or even a birthday; forget who the party is for, the most important person in the room is the waiter and all you’re interested in is, ‘Where is the waiter with those appetizers?!’. Heck, forget when I was little, I still look for the waiter with the appetizers within the first 7 seconds of entering a party venue!

I remember, years ago, when I was a little ankle-biter, my sister and I would go with my parents for weddings and parties and I would absolutely gorge on the hors d'oeuvres. Now of course, since these were (sometimes upscale) family events, maintaining the façade of being civilized was essential, so while I could surreptitiously follow different waiters around helping myself to food, it seemed rather ungentlemanly to be picking up more than 2 pieces of food at a time. But I was young and greedy and so I devised a clever little plan! (Clever for a 9 or 10 year old anyway!) My sister was about 5 at the time and didn't really have an appetite, but she was so adorable with her big eyes and shock of golden curls that passing waiters would stop and ask her very politely if she wanted anything to eat to which she would shake her head and direct them to me (always had my back, that one!). One day I figured, ‘Why not cash in on her cuteness?’, and so I instructed her to take the food anyway and then slip it me once the waiter had left. I must say she took to the plan rather well and even today, years and years later, we still run the take-the-food-and-give-it-to-me play. The only downside is, she has a slightly larger appetite now and shares my love for prawns so I still have to follow the waiters around!

Actually, come to think of it, lately, she’s gone to sitting back and making me run around fetching food and drinks for her. It's possible that she's trying to make up for all the years of starter stealing. I may have to pay closer attention to be doubly sure.

Today’s recipe is a very popular Indian appetizer that I have chased on several occasions in several functions and it is one of my absolute favourites. The best part is, it’s dead simple!

For my Chicken Tangdi Kabab, you will need the following:

Chicken legs	1 kg
Thick yoghurt	3 dollops
Ginger garlic paste	2-3 tsp
Red chilli powder	3-4 tsp
Dhaniya (coriander) powder	2-3 tsp
Garam masala	1 tsp
Salt	to taste

Prep:

1. Wash the chicken legs.
2. Toss the chicken legs in a bowl.
3. Gloop on the yoghurt.
4. Spoon in the ginger garlic paste.
5. Sprinkle in the red chilli powder.
6. Sprinkle in the dhaniya powder.
7. Sprinkle in the garam masala.
8. Add salt to taste.
9. Mix until the chicken is well coated with the (now red) yoghurt.
10. Cover the bowl up with saran wrap.
11. Stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.
2. Grab an oven tray.
3. Cover the bottom of the tray with greaseproof paper.
4. Bring out your marinated chicken legs.
5. Pop the marinated chicken legs on the tray, each a few cm. apart.
6. Stick the tray into the oven for 10-15 minutes.
7. When the chicken gets the tell-tale black crust on the edges, take the tray out and turn the legs over. (At this point, pull a little piece off to see if it’s cooked on the inside.)
8. Stick the tray back into the oven for another 5-8 minutes.
9. Turn the oven off.
10. Serve with a sprinkling of coriander and a squeeze of lime. (Sliced onions are a bonus!)
11. Stuff face.
12. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: To ensure that your marinade has the oomph you want, you can mix the ingredients separately as you do a taste test and then drop the chicken in. Also, if you want to cheat, you can get the ready made masala to marinade the chicken in instead. But that’s no fun, is it?

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!