Tandoori roast chicken with a delicious coconut and coriander salad

Ed Baines: Tandoori roast chicken with a delicious coconut and coriander salad.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 1 kg whole spring chickens
Oil and melted butter to baste
2tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp salt
1tsp red chilli poweder

Spicy yoghurt marinade
250g thick yoghurt
1tsp garam masala
100ml veg oil
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp red chilli powder
1tsp salt

To serve
1 ½ tsp lime juice
1tsp chaat masala

For the salad
½ fresh coconut, for the shavings
1 bunch coriander
1 red onion, sliced
100g beetroot leaves
1 head frisee lettuce

For the dressings
1tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
Juice 2 limes
2tbsp olive oil
Pinch red chilli powder
Pinch salt
Pinch sugar
Pinch chopped fresh ginger

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Joint the chicken into 4 pieces (2 legs and 2 breasts with wing bones attached). Make 2 or 4 deep incisions in each piece without cutting right through hthe flesh, then place in a shallow dish. Mix the lemon juice with the ginger garlic paste, salt and chilli powder. Spread all over the chicken and set aside to marinade for 5mins

2. Meanwhile mix together the ingredients for the spiced yoghurt marinade. Drain the chicken, coat with the spiced yoghurt marinade and set to marinade for 5mins.

3. Put the chicken on a rack resting in a roasting tray and roast for 25-30mins. Take out of the oven and baste with the butter and oil mixture. Return the chicken to the oven and cook for a further 10mins or until it is cooked. Remove and rest on the rack for 5 mins.

For the salad dressing
1. Mix all the salad ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Toast the cumin seeds in a pan on the hob for 1 min, until crackling and allow to cool lightly before crushing in a pestle and mortar. Return to a mixing bowl and add the rest of the dressing ingredients. Mix together and toss into the salad.

To serve
3. Serve the chicken sprinkled with lime juice and chaat masala, accompanied by the salad. ( we haven’t served any rice with this, the chicken is so good, you’ll easily get through ½ chicken. But if you fancy it, serve with basmati rice on the side).