I feel somewhat of a fraud writing this entry, solely due to me making this dish – albeit – bar one new side, and writing about it in the past. However, I have received requests for it so therefore I will endeavor to please my audience.
This Sunday roast, and my LatestSupper, I named, Tandoori Chicken sandwich. The concept behind is the fusion of classic Indian cuisine and the North American innovation of the German burger meal. A sort of Madhur Jaffery meets Colonel Sanders!
Let me firstly describe the base components. A piece of chicken breast cooked in the Tandoori style is laid on a bed of rocket & tomatoes inside a soft Wholemeal bap. A spicy onion Bhaji is placed on top of the chicken, then Mango purée is spooned over the Bhaji and the bap Taj is placed over this sandwich fusion. Served with airfried salad potatoes with their skins-on, makes for sweet mini baked potatoes.
As the entire dish is homemade & is prepared to be in-tune with the SW diet, I will spilt the recipes into the base components of
- Chicken
- Bhaji
- Bap
- Puree
- Potatoes
Starting with the spices, there is no need to find or mix a complex list of authentic Indian spices to get a flavour you recognize. Most supermarkets as well as Indian delis have ready made curry, tikka, and tandoori mixes available quite cheaply. Buy a pot of what tickles your taste buds. Add depending upon the amount of chicken – 1-2 tbsp of spice mix in a bowl with 2-3tbsp of fat-free yogurt. I prefer Greek style. Combine the spices and yogurts then add the chicken pieces ensuring each piece is covered completely. Rest in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes then cook at 180C for 25-30 minutes until slight charring and probing confirms the middle is cooked
The Bhaji is one of the easiest dishes to make, although some recipes seem off putting. Start with a medium white & red onion. I prefer the sharpness of white and the sweetness of red. Peel and chop finely (I use a manual pull processor). Place the onions in a bowl, with 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1tsp of your favourite curry powder, 2tsp of ground coriander, 2 tbsp of coriander leaf, salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp baking powder and if you prefer, a green chili deseeded, and thinly sliced. Add 60g of Garam flour, and introduced a couple of tbsp of water, mixing the ingredients into a thick batter that coats all the onions. Spoon out onto a tray lined with parchment and give a liberal spraying with 1-cal oil. Baked in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 200C until the outside has browned and charred slightly.
Taking a Mango, carefully slice around the stone and remove the flesh from the skin. Add 125ml of Quark, 2 tbsp of Lemon juice, 1 tsp Ginger, 1 tsp Cumin, 1/4 tsp mild Chilli powder, 1/2 dessert apple, & 4 Tbsp of Tomato purée into the bowl of a food processor and blitz. If the mix is a little dry add a few drops of water. Mango purée is 3 SYNs per 100g. You will not be using more than 1 Tbsp so I SYNed this at 1/2.
The Wholemeal bap isn’t really rocket science but has taken me nigh on 3 years to perfect. There is some subtly in the ingredients but its the method and baking which yields the best outcome. Taking 500g of Wholemeal Bread flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp Salt, and 1 Tbsp of Fast Acting Yeast, place in the bowl of your mixer. Make sure the sugar/salt are at opposite sides from the yeast. Run the hot water tap & when the water is at its hottest, fill a measuring jug with 400ml of tepid water (you’re not going to use it all). Place the dough hook on the mixer and begin with the slowest speed. Gradually and evenly around the circumference, add about 320ml of water. As the dough begins to form, increase the speed of the mixer. Once the dough is sticky and has clung to the hook, switch off and place in an oiled dish, cover with clingfilm and allow to rise for at least an hour but 2 is better. When the dough has doubled in size, knock back by either kneading by hand or returning to the mixer for a few minutes. Weighting the dough, make balls of approximately 60g and place on a lined baking tray. Allow space for further rising. Cover and allow to prove for the 2nd time for another hour. When risen bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20-25 minutes ONLY. You want a soft crust with that hollow sound when tapped.
The potatoes are the least problematically of this meal. Open the bag, wsash, dry, place in the air fryer, salt, pepper, a few squirts of 1-cal oil & set the temperature to 200C & the timer to 30 minutes, press start – lol – that is it!
Is this KFC? Well if the ‘K’ stands for Kumar or Karachi, then heck, why not! All I know is, with the sun out, and wanting something filling but not excessive, something tasty & different, but not a burger, then my Tandoori Chicken Sandwich with my own creation, Mango purée – hit all the points.
Enjoy!
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Tags: Alternative, Authentic, Bhaji, Chicken, curry, Different, Easy, Fast, Holmemade, Indian, Low SYN, Mango, Purée, Roast, Sandwich, Slimming World, Tasty, Wholemeal bap