Whew, it’s the holidays. The last two days have been relaxing and a big break from waking up early. The business of the school year was filled with some challenging and some fun days. I’m looking to relaxing days, hikes, and a little bit of traveling. Most of all, I’m looking forward to doing some impromptu stuff with the family. Summer in Cali is quite intense. The last week has been hot. Our grill, all cleaned up, is ready to work for us.
Tamarind is quite commonly used in India in many forms. There’s the tamarind rice, tamarind chutney, tamarind rasam(soup), tamarind curry, and many more. There was a tamarind tree in our yard growing up. In fact, you could find a lot of trees down the street. The edible portion was the pulp in the pod surrounding the seeds. The more mature the pod, the sweeter the flesh. The citrusy freshness enhances so many dishes. A cooling drink with tamarind paste is a common one, loved by many. My cousins and I were fond of mixing it with sugar, making popsicles and sucking, squinting our eyes. We collected the seeds to play games with it, traditional games that are all forgotten now.
This is a dish adapted from a chicken curry which has a tamarind base. It is perfect for grilling and is full of flavor. It bursts with intensely subtle spices. The best thing is that you can make the sauce and refrigerate it. You can then use it any time you grill chicken. Hope you get to try this out. It’s simply amazing, if I say so myself.
Have a beautiful week my friends!
- 10 large Chicken thighs
- 10-15 pearl onions
- ½ cup thick full fat yogurt
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ cup thick tamarind pulp or 2 tsp tamarind paste mixed in with ½ cup water(NOT BOTH)
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp meethi or fenugreek seeds
- 10-12 whole red chillies(or accordingly)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste(optional)
- ⅓ cup tomato ketchup(I used Maggie hot and sweet sauce)
- 1 tsp salt(or accordingly)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- In a large mixing bowl, add yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, turmeric, oil and salt. Mix well and add the chicken to it . Let it marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Overnight is best.
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees Farenhiet for 20 minutes or preheat your grill. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes or grill the chicken until it's 80-90 percent done. Add the pearl onion when the chicken is half done. Take it out , cover and keep aside.
- Soak a lemon size hard tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes and squeeze to take out ½ cup pulp from a block of tamarind. You could use tamarind concentrate , mix 2 tsp with ½ cup of hot water.
- Toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, meethi/fenugreek seeds, and whole red chillies on low heat until you smell the spices. Do not burn the spices. Turn off the heat and add the sesame seeds to the pan which is still hot and stir for a minute or two. Grind everything along with the tamarind pulp to a very smooth paste. Don't add any water.
- In a heavy bottomed pan, add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, let it get hot and then the tamarind masala paste. Add ⅓ cup of tomato ketchup or your favorite sweet and spicy tomato sauce.
- Add the chicken to it and let it cook uncovered, dry down until all the sauce sticks to the chicken. You can cook this over a grill(use a cast iron pan) which will take a bit longer. Both works perfect. Cook till dry and Serve it with some chopped cilantro and a drizzle of lemon juice.
You can grill the chicken or bake it in an oven, works perfect both ways.
If you do not have a grill or an oven, roast the chicken on a a cast iron pan and dunk it in the sauce and cook, but you will lose that charred flavor that baking at high temperatures give.
This is a delicious recipe Asha, and the Tamarind Masala sauce is very very interesting. Besides chicken, can we use this sauce with pork or fish as well? Beautiful food styling and photos too as always!! 🙂 Panos & Mirella
Thanks so much. The pork I’m sure will work fabulously, not too sure for fish. But we could use a little bit of sauce and smother the thick white fish and grill, it would be lovely for sure.
That marinade and sauce…fantastic! I must give this a try as soon as I get all the spices.
Thanks Angie. It’s something we could make ahead, so it would be easier just to dunk the meat the cook.
Tamarind is one of my favorite sweet tart flavors, but I certainly don’t use it enough! Going to have to think of something to make with that tamarind masala sauce…sounds so tasty!
Thanks Joanne. It’s absolutely an amazing flavor to add.
Oh my, Asha – this looks mouthwatering! I love that tamarind flavored sauce! What a treat this chicken is to ALL one’s senses!
Thank you Sashi, this one’s a well loved dish. xx
I see dried tamarind pods in my Latin market, but don’t know how to deal with them in that form. Is it as simple as re-hydrating and blending into a paste? GREG
It’s quite simple, soak in hot water for 15 minutes, mush it with your hand and drain the thick pulp. You don’t need to use a blender. Get the ones without the seeds, a lot easier.
I am drooling. I love a flavorful chicken recipe. I love that you offer baking directions too for those of us who don’t have regular access to a grill. This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Love all your Instagram pics too 🙂
xx Yasmin
http://banglesandbungalows.com
This chicken looks delicious! I love tamarind, I think it’s a South Indian thing 🙂 One of my favourite dishes with imli is something my family makes, it could be the rasam but they call it “khatta” Goodness, that stuff is great, especially on khicidi.
I love any dish that has tamarind in it! Just such a terrific flavor. This looks amazing — thanks so much.
This looks like such a flavorful treat. Thanl you for sharing. I love adding imli to my meals and this is such a great idea!
That tamarind masala sauce is calling my name. I have to make it asap!
Goodness me Ash! Does your family ever eat out? I would never eat anywhere else if I lived near you:-) A gorgeous chicken dish with amazing complexity of flavour. I’ll bookmark this too like your other recipes!
I couldn’t take my eyes off that chicken pieces. They look terrific Asha!! Need a platter of those 🙂
Goodness – there just might be too much deliciousness here! : ) This chicken looks so amazing. Love the marinade, the sauce, and the final product! I’m only familiar with tamarind as in for pad thai. I need to get educated. Thus far, I sometimes marinade chicken in yogurt, tandoori spices, and lemon juice before broiling. I think it’s time for me to stretch the horizon a bit.
I love tamarind, my Telugu friend adds it to a lot of her dishes, I’ve never thought of adding it to a chicken bake. YUM! Your photos are inspiring.
Yes, In general south Indians add a lot of tamarind to their dishes. It’s so so good. Try it out. Thanks for your supportive words always. Hugs
I love this kind of chicken, asian flavour with some spice 🙂
This looks so delicious
I’m vegetarian as you know Asha but sometimes I will eat chicken at home, and only at home! (I’m a crazy little girl I know!!!) I make a tamarind version (because I love tamarind so much) but that is usually grilled. I love yours and I am definitely going to try it soon. <3