Tandoori Chicken With Carrot Lime Salad

Tonight's recipe is once again quite easy, so long as you have all the ingredients. I am borrowing the bulk of it from Gourmet Magazine -- which if you haven't checked it out, you should! It is less calorie-conscious than pubs like Cooking Light, but the recipes and the insight are brilliant ... and hey, you really should be eating FOOD. Substance is more important than the minutia of nutrients.

This dish comes from India, for anyone who is wondering. A Tandoor is a type of oven; and, while a toaster oven, convection oven, regular oven or grill with suffice with this recipe, I wanted you to know where the name of the dish is derived from.

INGREDIENTS

For spice paste

• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 small fresh red or green chile such as serrano or cayenne
• 1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh gingerroot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

For meat

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
• 1 small red onion
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

For carrot salad

• 2-3 carrots, peeled
  
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
  
• 1/4 cup lime juice
  

For drink

• 2 beers, OR
• vodka, cranberry juice and lime

... okay, for starters, fix a drink ... either crack that first beer, or fix a vodka and cranberry (in a tall glass, pour two shots vodka over ice, cranberry juice to taste, and lime wedge, squeezed in). Put on some music. Now, we're ready to start ....

Make spice paste:
Mince garlic with salt and mash to a paste. Wearing protective gloves, mince chile (including seeds for a spicier paste) and in a bowl stir together with garlic paste and remaining spice paste ingredients. PLEASE, use wood!!!!!

Make 3 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep in each chicken breast and rub spice paste into cuts and all over chicken. Marinate chicken, covered, 30 minutes at cool room temperature.

Halve onion through root end. Thinly slice one onion half, separating layers, and in a small bowl soak onion slices in ice water to cover while broiling chicken. Stash other half for another day.

Then ....

- Preheat broiler and line broiler pan with foil.

- Arrange chicken without crowding on rack of broiler pan. Brush chicken with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and broil about 3 inches from heat 8 minutes. Drain onions and spread on top of chicken.

- While that cooks, finely shred carrots in a food processor, and put in bowl. Add lime juice and cilantro, tossing to coat. Chill until game time.

- Then, it should be about time to turn chicken over and brush with remaining teaspoon vegetable oil. Broil chicken until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 6-8 minutes more.

Depending on your oven, chicken may take more time to finish, you will just need to keep an eye on it, checking the insides through the slits you made ...

- When finished, plate chicken with some of the onions atop for garnish, carrot salad on the side, and a generous dollop of fresh, plain yogurt. Make another drink ..... and eat :)

Tonight's music: The Hot Rock by Sleater-Kinny, Parade by Prince and the Revolution, and Around The World In A Day by Prince and the Revolution.

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