Summer Grilling // Recipes from A Spicy Touch

A Spicy Touch by Noorbanu Nimji and Karen Anderson is one of 49th Shelf's cookbooks of the summer. If you've been craving Indo–East African foods, stop scrolling through those takeout menus and check these recipes out—you'll have and tandoori chicken and spicy spuds on the grill in no time!

Tandoori Chicken Spicy Barbecued Chicken

This succulent dish is a favourite at backyard gatherings in the summer months in Canada. You can get up in the morning and put this chicken in the marinade, then cook that evening but the longer you leave it, the better it will taste (up to 2 to 3 days).

marinate 8 hours to overnight | 45 minute prep time | yields 2–4 servings | gluten-free

• 2 ¼ lbs of chicken pieces (thighs, legs, breasts with slits cut in the meat to allow more marinade to absorb)

for the marinade

• 1 small onion, grated, optional
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp ginger paste
• ½ tsp green chilli paste
• ½ tsp Indian chilli powder
• 2 Tbsp yogurt (full fat or sour cream)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4–6 saffron strands, optional
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp ambli ni chutney

Place the marinade ingredients together in a plastic bag or glass dish and mix together. Add the chicken and marinate overnight or for 6 to 8 hours minimum. Broil or cook on medium-high heat grill.  

Spicy Spuds

This fun way to cook potatoes was invented at Sweden's Scandic Hasselbacken Restaurant but we think it fuses with Indian spicing very nicely. Besides, Noorbanu's favourite food is anything with potatoes. 60 minutes (mostly baking time) | yields 1 potato per person | gluten-free and vegetarian

• 1 large Yukon gold, Russet, Agria, Kennebec or other great baking potato
• 1 Tablespoon ghee or butter (melted), or olive oil, or coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon grilling masala
• Dash salt
• Dash pepper
• Dash paprika

Wash the potato and pat it dry. Set the potato on a cutting board and make crosswise slits with a sharp knife about ¼-inch apart – making sure to stop before you reach the cutting board. You want to leave the bottom of the potato intact and create a fan or accordion effect. Tip: You may find it helpful to position the potato against a flat wooden spoon handle to help your knife stop cutting at the right depth. Preheat the grill or oven to 425°F. Set the potato on a parchment lined baking tray and using a pastry brush, baste the outside of the potato with half of the ghee (or other choice), then sprinkle with the grilling masala and the salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes and then baste with the remaining ghee (or other choice) once the potato wedges have opened. Continue baking until crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside—about 20 minutes more—depending on the size of the potato. Sprinkle with the paprika just before serving. Enjoy drizzled with Cucumber Raita and your favourite grilled meats.

Variations

Garlic Spuds: Add ½ teaspoon of garlic paste to the butter alone or in combination with a teaspoon of chopped fresh herbs.

Chilli Spuds: Baste the potato with 1 teaspoon of sweet chilli sauce at the halfway point of it’s baking.

  *Recipes excerpted from A Spicy Touch by Noorbanu Nimji and Karen Anderson, 2020