Kali Mirch Murgh Tikka

Tikkas are little bites of meat or vegetables soaking in marinade, cooked in a tandoor with spices. Basted with melted butter while cooking the pieces get their charred edges giving it the rustic feel & sense of traditional charcoal cooking in India.

All too often on a late night out with friends the norm would be to visit a kebab house or street stalls churning out platefuls of kebabs, soft rotis, paneer dishes, parathas and variants of offal cooked in spices. All served with lassi, chilled refreshing fruit juices & sometimes even thums up. The stalls used to be chaotic with little place to sit so we’d always wait outside, place the order and eat on the go. I can assure you nothing beats a late night (3am!) snack fix like buttery melted cheese parathas, rotis, chicken/ lamb kebabs cooked in lashings of thick marinade all washed down with chilled fizzy thums up.

Food is very much part of the culture in Indian communities and kebab/ tikkas are also eaten with drinks to begin a meal (or even as a snack). Skewered, grilled, baked, fried meat chunks with flavours of fresh and powdered spices served with chutneys and dipping sauces is always a winner. A sprinkling of Indian chaat masala (a mix of spices; sour mango powder, cumin & black salt) before serving and some onion rings make a drool worthy addition.

There are many varieties of tikkas on offer and Kali Mirch Murgh is one such chicken dish that simple & easy to cook at home. Traditionally cooked in black pepper; it’s the coarse texture of the peppercorns that infuse the succulent pieces of chicken. I have added white pepper to enhance not just the heat but also the peppery flavour. Make sure to grind them quite coarse, as they cling on to the chicken pieces lending a bout of spice warmth with every bite. My recipe uses hung yoghurt which has been strained in a muslin. The marinade should be thick and creamy to coat the chicken. You can swap this for Greek yoghurt or Lebnah if you prefer.