Barbecued Imli Chicken With Harissa Recipe
Rohit Ghai’s imli (tamarind) chicken recipe celebrates the natural pairing of sweetness, smokiness and tang. The tamarind and jaggery in the glaze provide plenty of sweet zing, which caramelises wonderfully over the coals as it cooks.
- 8 poussin breasts, ideally on the bone
- 15g of ginger and garlic paste
- 10g of garam masala
- 5g of Kashmiri chilli powder
- 5g of lemon juice
- pea shoots, to serve (optional)
- pickled red chillies, finely sliced, to serve (optional)
- edible flowers, to serve (optional)
- 200g of dried red chillies, soaked in cold water overnight
- 10 garlic cloves
- 30ml of malt vinegar
- 2g of cloves
- 20g of cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- 10g of ground coriander
- 40g of soya yoghurt
- 100g of tamarind pulp
- 60g of jaggery
- 20g of balsamic glaze
- 10g of brown sugar
- 10g of garam masala
- 5g of Kashmiri chilli powder
- 5g of ginger, finely grated
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 5g of mint, finely chopped
- vegetable oil, for cooking
- 10g of garlic, finely sliced
- 1 pinch of ground turmeric
- 100g of green papaya, (unripe), julienned
- 5ml of white vinegar
- 10g of caster sugar
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
- 3 green chillies
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 100g of blanched peanuts, toasted
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- Put the poussin in a large bowl and add the ginger and garlic paste, garam masala, chilli powder, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix well until evenly coated, then cover and keep in the fridge for 4 hours
- For the harissa, drain the chillies and add to a blender with the garlic, vinegar, cloves, cumin and coriander. Blitz to a paste, season with salt, then transfer to a small saucepan. Cook gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly, then leave to cool before stirring in the soya yoghurt. Transfer to a squeezy bottle
- For the glaze, place all the ingredients in a bowl with a pinch of salt and mix well. Set aside
- For the papaya salad, heat a dash of oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the turmeric and cook for 1 more minute. Add the papaya, vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and cook for around 5 minutes, until the papaya has softened but retains its crunch. Season with black pepper and set aside to cool
- For the peanut thecha, heat a dash of oil to a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the whole chillies and peeled garlic cloves and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the chillies are blistered and the garlic is slightly softened. Add the cumin, stir for 30 seconds, then leave the mixture to cool
- Once cool, place in a spice grinder or food processor with the peanuts, kashmiri chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Blitz to a semi-coarse texture, then gently heat the mixture in a dry pan to dry it out slightly. Set aside
- Set up a barbecue for direct grilling. Once the coals are glowing white, grill the marinated poussin breasts for 1 minute on each side. Start liberally brushing the glaze over the poussin and cook for another 2-3 minutes (the cooking time may differ if you’re using larger cuts of chicken)
- Serve the chicken with dots of the harissa and the papaya salad alongside. Garnish with a sprinkling of peanut thecha and the pea shoots, pickled chillies and edible flowers (if using)
Served with a punchy harissa, crunchy papaya salad and a scattering of peanut thecha, it’s a wonderful dish that looks impressive but is easily made in advance. Note: You can easily swap out the poussin for regular chicken breasts if you like – just make sure you alter the cooking time accordingly.
The accompaniments are also entirely optional; the star here is the chicken, which will still be wonderful even if just served with basmati rice. Put the poussin in a large bowl and add the ginger and garlic paste, garam masala, chilli powder, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix well until evenly coated, then cover and keep in the fridge for 4 hours
For the harissa, drain the chillies and add to a blender with the garlic, vinegar, cloves, cumin and coriander. Blitz to a paste, season with salt, then transfer to a small saucepan.
Cook gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly, then leave to cool before stirring in the soya yoghurt. Transfer to a squeezy bottle
For the glaze, place all the ingredients in a bowl with a pinch of salt and mix well. Set aside
For the papaya salad, heat a dash of oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the turmeric and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the papaya, vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and cook for around 5 minutes, until the papaya has softened but retains its crunch. Season with black pepper and set aside to cool
For the peanut thecha, heat a dash of oil to a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the whole chillies and peeled garlic cloves and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the chillies are blistered and the garlic is slightly softened. Add the cumin, stir for 30 seconds, then leave the mixture to cool
Once cool, place in a spice grinder or food processor with the peanuts, kashmiri chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Blitz to a semi-coarse texture, then gently heat the mixture in a dry pan to dry it out slightly.
Set aside Set up a barbecue for direct grilling.
Once the coals are glowing white, grill the marinated poussin breasts for 1 minute on each side. Start liberally brushing the glaze over the poussin and cook for another 2-3 minutes (the cooking time may differ if you’re using larger cuts of chicken) Serve the chicken with dots of the harissa and the papaya salad alongside.
Garnish with a sprinkling of peanut thecha and the pea shoots, pickled chillies and edible flowers (if using)
