Whole roast chicken cooked in creamy yoghurt, spices and garam masala
The recipe
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Place the chicken on a large plate and using your hands slap the marinade onto the chicken until the skin is fully covered. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. If you want to, you can cover the chicken with a dome made out of foil, but make sure it does not touch the chicken as you’ll lose some of the marinade. Take the chicken out of the fridge an hour before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F/gas 6). Line a deep baking tray with foil and place a wire rack over the tray.
Sit the chicken on the wire rack. The tray will collect all the juices from the chicken as it cooks. Place the tray in the hot oven and roast the chicken for 1 hour 10 minutes. Baste the chicken with the ghee every 20 minutes to make sure the meat is moist.
Once the chicken is cooked through and the juices are running clear, turn off the oven. Take the Dak Bungalow chicken out of the oven, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Carve the chicken and arrange the pieces on a serving platter. Serve with potatoes, sides and chutney.
The story
As the name signifies, this recipe has its influences from Dak Bungalow chicken curry, which was created for guests who frequented the local guest houses (bungalows) during the British Raj. A regional Bengali addition uses mustard oil for a delicious pungent flavour, although I have swapped it for English mustard in this recipe, which gives the required savoury flavour.
