A few weeks back, when the temperature dropped down a lot in this sunny California area, we felt the need to grill some chicken. Surely the aroma of charcoal was missing but then there were other flavors that worked beautifully, balancing each other and creating a perfect meal. Preparing the malai chicken tikka and assembling it to a taco lunch was so easy and fuss free that it didn’t even interrupt our lazy Sunday mood.
Malai chicken tikka is little bit different than the usual chicken tikka, which is more readily available in Indian restaurants. Malai means cream and hence, a mix of cream and yogurt is used in the marinade, which makes it more luscious. The orange hue is from saffron that not only contributes to the vibrant shade but also enhances the earthy flavor. Just remember not to go overboard with saffron, as it will make the dish bitter. A tiny pinch goes a long way. An ideal accompaniment to any Indian grilled dish is the very famous cooling mint-cilantro yogurt chutney. It’s bright in color, mildly spicy from green chili and fresh mint adds that much-needed refreshing taste. The best thing is that it comes together instantly in a blender with no effort at all.
Instead of taking the traditional route, we wrapped the tikkas in multi grain tacos, topped it with a simple onion tomato salad and dolloped just enough yogurt chutney on top for that smack. Snuggled in the couch, with a movie on, feet tightly covered and a hot plate of malai chicken tikka tacos to fill our bellies. The lazy Sunday lunch couldn’t get any better.
