Topic: Glasgow chicken chaat

[Sverige]

I'm reading the Glasgow curry ebook by Alex Wilkie and was surprised by the chicken chaat recipe - there's no chaat masala! How can you make chicken chaat without chaat masala? Makes no sense. The only spices are Garam masala and tandoori paste. Wonder if it's a typo?

It's a bit like making poppadoms without using any poppadoms.

[Naga]

This has been mentioned previously. The chicken chaat sold by T/As etc local to me has always looked like tandoori chicken.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,8535.msg75495.html#msg75495

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,8935.msg80020.html#msg80020

[Peripatetic Phil]

I'm reading the Glasgow curry ebook by Alex Wilkie and was surprised by the chicken chaat recipe - there's no chaat masala! How can you make chicken chaat without chaat masala?

Well, if the question is a serious one, by using the spices that make up a chaat masala but individually -- amchoor, cumin, coriander, ginger, black salt, black pepper, hing and ground chillies.

The only spices are Garam masala and tandoori paste.

Now that's another matter entirely, but without a copy of Alex's e-book I cannot be sure that his "garam masala" does not incude some or all of the classic chaat masala ingredients.

** Phil.

[Secret Santa]

This has been mentioned previously. The chicken chaat sold by T/As etc local to me has always looked like tandoori chicken.

The ingredient list certainly screams tandoori chicken doesn't it?

chicken drum sticks (possibly consider wings too?)
Pataks Tandoori Paste
Garlic/Ginger Paste
Garam Masala
Chilli Powder
Salt
Yoghurt
Deep Orange food colour
juice of Lemon

I think it's just one more Scottish BIR oddity.

[ELW]

Hi Sverige
This is definitely what you'll find in many Glasgow t/a's & a lot of restaurants also. Not everywhere though. I've only ever seen chaat masala in small boxes which would make it expensive for a spice mix. Probably the reason right there.

The ingredient list certainly screams tandoori chicken doesn't it?

Like blades tikka  ? :

Regards

ELW

[Secret Santa]

The ingredient list certainly screams tandoori chicken doesn't it?

Like blades tikka   :

No idea what you're trying to say there ELW?

[DalPuri]

The first time I tried chicken chaat was in Wales about 15 years ago.
Comprising of very small pieces of tikka in a dry red sauce.
Up here in glasgow, its a chicken drumstick flavoured with tandoori masala powder.

[Secret Santa]

Up here in glasgow, its a chicken drumstick flavoured with tandoori masala powder.

So what differentiates it from actual tandoori chicken then, such as might be served as a starter? The recipe ingredients from Alex's book I gave above would certainly produce a tandoori chicken flavour.

[DalPuri]

Maybe they make a big batch of tandoori, separate the drumsticks and sprinkle with powder to distinguish between the two? I don't know, but the tangy chaat flavours are Definitely from tandoori masala powder.

I could be wrong and its a basic tandoori marinade sprinkled with chaat masala powder. Either or, but its more than just tandoori paste.

[Secret Santa]

I could be wrong and its a basic tandoori marinade sprinkled with chaat masala powder. Either or, but its more than just tandoori paste.

Ah, now we're getting somewhere!

So, in fact, it is probably standard tandoori chicken but, as you say, sprinkled with chaat masala. Now that would be tasty.

So I can only assume Alex's version has failed to include the chaat dusting and hence the confusion (well, I was confused). 

In summary then there are two confusions. The first being that the Scottish (Glasgow?) version is not strictly chicken chaat as that has authentic origins and is chicken in a chaat flavoured sauce.  The second being that Alex's version has left out what must be the critical part of the Glasgow Chaat, that is the chaat masala!