Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers: Chicken Tandoori

Friday, February 1, 2008

Chicken Tandoori

A relative of mine who was stationed in Iraq brought me back this cool-looking spice mixture. The picture does not capture the beauty of this jar of spices. It's like one of those sand-art jars, but all in gorgeous sepia and ochre colors. I had to use it!

So I did a little research. First, I googled Masala Mix, which turned up a really weird and oddly chaste peeping tom site. (I don't usually -- um, ever -- post links to what could be loosely, vaguely, possibly described at exploitative or god, in another universe maybe pornographic, but this one is pretty hilarious in its self-incriminating and innocent lechery. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

Google was not helping. Enter Madhur Jaffrey. Good old Madhur Jaffrey! Her book Step By Step Cooking is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, and she did not disappoint. Her recipe for Tandoori Chicken contained most of the spices in my sand art mix (To be exact: "Turmeric, Corriander, Red Chilly, Cummin, Mix Masala, Leomn, Cloves, Cassia, Black Pepper, Dry Ginger, Cardamom.")

On the advice of Madhur Jaffery, the contents of my fridge, some long-hovering ideas about my ideal plate of Central Asian food, and some other things, this is what I came up with:

Tandoori Chicken
Punjabi Cholle (Chick Peas cooked with Spices and Plum Tomatoes)
Kale, finely chopped and sauteed with a bit of pancetta (not very central Asian, but so good!)
Spicy Condiment of tomatoes, chili, onions and ginger
Brown Basmati Rice

Indian food is notorious for taking hours and days to cook; mine is a vastly simplified version, and didn't. Plus, the chicken marinates for 24 hours, so on dinner night, you just have to put it in the oven, start the rice cooker and deal with the kale and the chickpeas. Not a big deal.

My kids did well with this, even though these are flavors they've never really tried before. They ate some kale and chickpeas, had lots of rice, and both picked at the chicken, which tasted a little weird for them (new flavors for chicken: yogurt, turmeric and coriander). I thought it was a successful dinner, with adults eating all the spicy flavors they wanted, and everybody sitting and dining together. Hey, man, what else do we want out of dinner?

PS next time I will have mango chutney and naan and we will be so extremely happy.

RECIPES
NOTE: if you have an Indian spice mix, you can substitute here for the mixtures I recommend.

Chicken
1 tsp each of: turmeric, garam masala, coriandar, cumin
1/4 tsp each of: cloves, ginger, cayenne, black pepper
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed or minced
Juice from one lemon
2 tsp salt
8 chicken thighs
thin slices of onion
Coriander sprigs

1. Mix spices, yogurt, olive oil, garlic, lemon and salt. Add chicken, and let marinate for 24 hours.
2. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Then turn up heat and put under the broiler for about 10 minutes or until skin is brown and crispy.
Serve with the raw onion and coriander.

Chickpeas and Spicy Condiment
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup ginger, chopped finely
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 plum tomatoes (canned), chopped finely
1 tsp each: coriander, turmeric, cumin, cloves, hot pepper
1 green chili, cut in half
1 can chickpeas, drained

1. Heat olive oil and add onion and ginger. When soft, add tomatoes. Mix and remove half of mixture to a smaller pan. Add chickpeas to the smaller pan and heat, then set aside. Meanwhile, add spices and chili to the original pan and cook down into a soft, spicy relish.

Kale
1 bunch kale
Small amount of fat back, pancetta or bacon (or 2 tbs olive oil)

Strip kale from its stems (Use your hands, and just strip it off).
Chop very finely and rinse.

Heat pork fat or olive oil in pan. Add kale and cover. Cook until dark green and soft. Set aside.

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The Mothership Method

(Or, how to sit down for dinner with your family without completely losing your mind)

It would be great if kids AND parents wanted boiled chicken and baby carrots every night for dinner. But, too bad, we picky parents want spicy, exotic, fun foods, and our kids want, well, sorta lame foods.
Here's the solution: break it down. Serve the dish deconstructed, and let everyone put their own dish together at the table. Sort of like tapas, or smorgasbord, or tacos. Or how in some parts of China you get a bowl of rice, and everything else is in the middle of the table and you take what you want for your own little bowl of rice. That way everyone gets to eat what they want, parents don't have to nag their kids, and kids get to feels some ownership over their meals. Plus, kids get exposed to the look and taste of the foods you hope they will one day love. But it's not just tacos. You'll be amazed at what can be served with the Mothership Method.

Ten Tips to Get Through Dinner Without Having A Nervous Breakdown

1. Accept That Kids Are Picky. No need to freak out on your cooking ability, or look at your kids like there is something wrong with them. It's called "neo-phobia", and it's just how they are, especially from ages 3-6.

2. Serve Meals Broken Down. Even grown-up meals like coconut curry or linguine with clams can be served in their elements, making them more appealing to kids. Grown ups can assemble their own jumble of deliciousness at their own plate while kids take on the pared-down elements.

3. Push if it Works, But Don't Nag If It Doesn't. Some kids are okay with being expected to taste everything on their plate. Others aren't. I think it's okay to push kids -- but not if you're turning dinner into a battlefield.

4. Suggest a Smell. Smelling a new food is easier than tasting it, and can sometimes provide a kid with the information needed to take that scary first bite. But don't confine smelling to new foods. Smell favorites, too, and help them develop their sense of smell by making a game out of it.

5. Don't Ask "Do You Like It?" Instead, try, "What does this remind you of?" or, "Would your cousins like this?" or, "Does this taste salty or sweet?". Asking if they like it or not gives kids too much power and ends the conversation. Besides, we don't care if they like it! We just want them to keep tasting it until it is familiar.

6. Don't Get Frustrated. Imagine being in Taiwan, or Nairobi, or Rome for the first time. Would you eat everything on the local menu? New foods are scary and gross. Our kids need time to learn about the foods that we eat.

7. No SubstitutionsThis is family dinner, not a diner. You, in all your wisdom, have provided foods that are healthy and delicious and appropriate for your children. There is something on the table for them to eat. Period.

8. No Snacks Before Dinner. This can be the hardest with our hectic schedules and hungry kids. But children who come to the table hungry are more likely to eat than cause trouble.

9. Put Peer Pressure To Your Advantage. School children are more likely to accept new foods if the alpha girls in their group accept them. Swap healthy food ideas on playdates.

10. Involve Your Kids In Cooking, Shopping, and Gardening. The more experience kids have handling and preparing a variety of foods, the more likely they are to eventually accept the foods. (But don't get upset if they help you make a complicated wonderful meal, and then refuse to eat it.)