Awara-Style Chicken Tikka over Coals
Awara has adapted a recipe so that you can make this delicious dish over the coals at home (or under the grill if you don’t have a braai)!
27/09/2022
Cape Town’s Awara restaurant specialises in fusion-style, gourmet Asian grills, spanning Indian, Korean, Thai, Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Their popular Chicken Tikka is extremely flavourful, with a kick of spice. It is usually cooked inside a traditional tandoor clay oven, but Awara has kindly adapted their recipe so that you can make this delicious dish over the coals at home (or under the grill if you don’t have a braai)!
YOU WILL NEED:
500g Boneless chicken, cubed
80g Kashmiri red chilli powder
50g Jeera (cumin) powder
100g Kasoori methi (fenugreek) powder
30g Ginger & garlic paste
200g Double thick plain yoghurt
200ml Lemon juice
100ml Mustard oil
Seasoning to taste
HERE'S HOW:
In a bowl, rub ginger & garlic paste onto chicken. Add salt to taste, half the chilli powder, all the lemon juice and mix. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a different bowl, mix the yoghurt, more salt and the rest of the chilli powder. Add jeera, kasoori methi and mustard oil and stir. Add the chicken and mix well.
Place chicken pieces onto skewers and grill on a barbeque or braai until the chicken is cooked through but tender.
Serve
immediately.
See our recipe for "Sweet and Savoury Cheesecake" to make for your next braai.
weber
Set Up the Perfect Braai for Any Occasion
When the weather is warm, any day is braai day and it is when the whole family or friends can get together to enjoy a truly South African feast. When setting up the braai, you will want to ensure to get the coals to the best possible temperature and we offer a few tips to help you.
- Meats are best cooked when they are at room temperature. Take out of the refrigerator in advance.
- Did you know that you can tenderise meat beforehand by soaking it in sunflower oil or olive oil? The absorbed oil softens the meat for a succulent steak. Dab the prepared meats before cooking to remove excess oil.
- Make sure the braai grill is clean before you start the fire. I like to rub the cleaned surface with a raw onion or sprigs of rosemary to add a little bit of extra flavour.
- Only use dry wood for your braai to ensure the fire burns quickly and you wait less time for the coals to be ready to cook on. A great tip is to pour a few drops of citronella essential oil on the wood before lighting to keep mosquitoes at bay. You will know when the fire is ready to cook on if you can hold your hand about 10 cm above the grill for 8 to 10 seconds comfortably.
- When the coals are ready, keep most in the centre of the braai but spread the rest around the outside. This way, once the meat is almost cooked you can move it to the outside to finish cooking and keep warm. This also helps to keep the meat moist.
- In the event that a flare-up occurs due to fats being released from the meat, move the fatty meats to the outside where the coals are cooler and the fat can drip out and then put them back in the centre.
- Remember to allow time for the meats to rest before serving. This process completes the cooking process.
Looking to buy a braai. See our article on "Buying a Braai". If you need any tips for cleaning your braai, pop on over to our article "How to Clean a Hibachi,Braai or Gas Grill".