Serves 4
1kg skinless chicken pieces (a combination of breast and thigh works well)
2 generous pinches of salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
350ml natural yoghurt
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
2cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
Half a small green chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 tsp garam masala
Freshly cooked rice, to serve
Raita, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve
Fresh coriander sprigs, to serve
1 Place the chicken in a large baking dish. Using a sharp knife, make some deep slashes in it. Sprinkle over the salt and lemon juice and leave it to sit for a few minutes.
2 Put all the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blitz to form a smooth paste. If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop all the ingredients finely and stir together.
3 Pour the yoghurt mixture over the chicken and rub into the slashes. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight. It’s a great dish to make in advance either the night before or the morning of the day you want to eat it.
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4 Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Place the chicken pieces on a large baking sheet, discarding any excess marinade. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve with freshly cooked rice, raita, lime wedges and plenty of fresh coriander.
Extracted from Fermented by Charlotte Pike, published by Kyle Books. Buy from the Times Bookshop for £15.29 (RRP £16.99), free p&p, on 0845 2712134; timesbooks.co.uk