Indian fried chicken
I’ve made no secret of my love of fried chicken, but instead of going down the classic Southern fried route, I want to show you something a little healthier, that's shallow fried.
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 150g/5½oz Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3cm/¼in fresh root ginger, grated
- 5 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground turneric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- pinch allspice
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 8 chicken thigh fillets
For the flour coating
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú plain flour
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú rice flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp chilli powder
To cook
- 100ml/3½fl oz vegetable oil
- 1 green chilli, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- handful fresh (or dried if you can't find) curry leaves
- lemon wedges, to serve
- green salad, to serve
Method
For the marinade, mix together the yoghurt, vinegar, ginger, garlic, spices and salt in a bowl, add the chicken, coat and leave to marinade, covered, in the fridge for 1 - 3 hours.
For the flour coating, mix together the flours and seasoning. Toss the chicken thighs in the flour mixture, one at a time, and place on a plate.
Add the oil to a large frying pan or wok and heat on a medium heat. Add the chilli, garlic and curry leaves and cook for 3 - 5 minutes, until the leaves start to crisp and the garlic goes golden-brown. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. This will really flavour the oil.
Lay the chicken in the oil and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through and are golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle over the chilli, garlic and curry leaves and serve with lemon wedges and a massive green salad. I make one with Little Gems, spring onions and mint.