Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori is a meat dish cooked in a large clay pot called the tandoor. The tandoor is heated by charcoal fire giving it a distinctive smokey flavor. When I was visiting Bangalore my first stop at the Mantri Mall would be at the Tandoori Chicken stall at the food court. The chicken was soft and succulent and was spiced perfectly right.
My earliest memories of eating tandoori as a child are at Alpha Cafe located in Andheri West(Mumbai). I also loved the corn soup they served there. Later I was introduced to the yummy chicken delicacies when we moved to Bhopal. The chicken tikka's sold by a hawker near my home would just melt in the mouth. Then I graduated to the Pune's Blue Nile biryani's and the George's chicken dishes. Lately, my fondest memories of street food are from my my vacation when I went out with my mom or my sister on pretense of a evening walk or getting groceries to eat gobi manchurian, chicken kabab's, tikka's lolipops, chaats, bhel and the latest fad- momos.

Earlier this month we were barbecuing with friends and I had taken marinated tandoori chicken. But I forgot to take the photos. Last week I made tandoori again while having lunch with my friend E and here is my recipe.

Ingredients
1 pound chicken pieces (preferably leg pieces skinned and trimmed of all the fat)
2 tablespoon tandoori masala (available at any Indian store)
2 tablespoon thick curd
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon red food color (optional)
1 teaspoon red chili powder
salt for taste

Method
Wash and clean the chicken well and pat it dry. Make small slits with a knife for the marinate to penetrate well inside the chicken. Mix the rest of the ingredients and apply well to the chicken and inside the slits. Marinate for 8-10 hours. Grill the chicken on a charcoal grill or in the oven till well done on all sides. Serve with raita, onion rings and lemon.