Indian Tandoori Chicken

2 lbs chicken, cut into pieces
1 t salt
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t freshly grated ginger root
2 t garam masala
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t yellow food coloringf
1 t red food coloring
2 t finely chopped cilantro

1) Remove skin from chicken pieces, and cut slits into them lengthwise. Place in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and lemon juice. Set aside 20 minutes.
2) In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Mix until smooth. Stir in food coloring. Spread yogurt mixture over chicken, cover, and refrigerate 6-24 hours (the longer the better).
3) Grill on medium high heat, garnish with cilantro.

Indian Saag

1/2 cup butter
2 t cumin seed
1 green chile pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T ground turmeric
1 lb chopped fresh mustard greens
1 lb chopped fresh spinach
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t salt

1) In a large skillet, melt butter and cook and stir cumin seed, chile pepper, garlic, and turmeric until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2) Stir in chopped mustard greens and spinach a little at a time, adding tougher parts first. Continue to add greens, cook and stir until all greens are added and all are thoroughly wilted. Stir in cumin, coriander, and salt. Cover; reduce heat and simmer until greens are tender, about 10 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the greens moist.

Review:

I really didn’t care for this meal on the whole. I think the combination was a good concept, but I don’t think it tasted all the great. The chicken was hot pink thanks to the food coloring, and although the taste was fine, it wasn’t the most visually appealing. The saag was too bitter, so I guess I found out I don’t care for mustard greens. At least it was a good thing to try and test my skills.