Lahori chicken

1. 1

   To make the yoghurt, place a few layers of kitchen paper in a sieve, pour in the yoghurt and place over a bowl. Place in the fridge overnight. Once strained, set aside the strained yoghurt and the whey.

2. 2

   To make the marinated chicken, mix together all of the ingredients, except the chicken, in a bowl. Rub this mixture into the chicken, making sure it is evenly coated, and marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   To make the lahori marinade, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Rub onto the chicken, coating it evenly again. Leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 4 hours.

4. 4

   To make the kebab masala, grind the fenugreek, mint and black salt into a coarse powder. Mix in the remaining spices and set aside in an airtight container. Set aside the butter.

5. 5

   To make the yoghurt whey sauce, bring the yoghurt whey, cream, cashew nuts, cardamom and crushed ginger to a rapid boil in a saucepan. Cook until the cashew nuts are soft enough to mash - this should take around 5 minutes over a high heat. Remove the cardamom pods and transfer the remaining sauce to a blender. Blend for 5 minutes at the highest speed and adjust, if needed, with hot water until the texture is the consistency of double cream. Season with salt and set aside.

6. 6

   The chicken is best cooked on a barbecue so light the coals in good time. Once the coals are at temperature, skewer the chicken and place on the barbecue with the skin-side of the chicken facing up. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the marinade has charred to a speckled, deep brown colour. Turn the chicken over and baste with a little ghee or melted butter. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes. Alternatively, cook the chicken under a grill set to maximum until well charred, turning halfway through.

7. 7

   Test that the chicken is cooked by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast - it should read at least 70C to confirm it is cooked through. Remove from the heat, baste again with ghee or butter, and leave to rest in a warm place for a few minutes before carving each breast into three or four slices.

8. 8

   Heat up the yoghurt whey sauce and add the chopped ginger, coriander stalks and green chilli. Melt the butter in a separate saucepan, remove from the heat and add the kebab masala mixture. Place the chicken on warm plates. Pour over the yoghurt whey sauce and finish with a couple of generous tablespoons of the kebab masala butter. Serve immediately.

1 serving ≈ 300 g

Nutrition values are estimates. - means data is unavailable.