Traditional Indian barbecue started a long time ago during the rule of the "mogul" empire in India. Being one of the very popular delicacies Indian barbecue has survived many years of perfection. Try this recipe for your next BBQ.

India's version of barbecued chicken is the world famous, bright red "Tandoori chicken". Tenderized in a yogurt marinade, seasoned with ginger, garlic and a few spices, it gets its red color from saffron and red food color. The traditional Indian clay oven is called the "Tandoor".

One Chicken whole (approximately 3 lbs.)
1 ½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Red chili powder
4 -6 tablespoons Lemon juice
1/4 cup, melted Butter for basting

For the marinade
6 -8 Tablespoons Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Heavy cream
3 teaspoons Ginger paste
3 teaspoons Garlic Paste
Quick Tip: Use ready-to-use ginger and garlic paste, now available in your neighborhood grocery store.
1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 -2 teaspoons Garam masala (Curry Powder can also be used)
½ a teaspoon Saffron (optional if unavailable)
Red and Orange color few drops each

Clean the chicken. Remove the skin. Quick Tip: Skinning the chicken becomes very easy when you use a kitchen towel to pull the skin apart. And make deep incisions to the bone with a knife, (approximately 2 to 3 inches apart on the entire chicken). Make a paste of the salt, red chili powder and lemon juice and rub over the chicken evenly. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Please wash your hands thoroughly.

Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Rub this marinade over the chicken. Keep aside for 4 hours. The more you keep it for marinating the better. We suggest that you marinate the chicken the night before.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the chicken, breasts down, on a shallow roasting pan. Quick Tip: Always line the pan with a heavy foil to collect the drippings, so that cleaning is a breeze. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove. Baste the chicken with the melted butter and the marinade drippings that have accumulated in the pan.

Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting the chicken for another 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and baste with butter. At this point you have pre-cooked your Tandoori Chicken. Refrigerate and take it to your BBQ the next day.

Grill on a hot open grill for another 10 minutes till golden brown. Grilling on an outdoor grill will add flavor and give perfection to the recipe; although you may serve the Tandoori Murgh without the grilling. Serve with freshly cut lemon wedges, Onion Salad, Mint Chutney and Naan.

Britain's most popular national dish is now chicken tikka masala, an entrée of oven-roasted chicken in a creamy tomato sauce widely served in Indian restaurants,

6 Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs / Breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Red chili powder
4 to 6 Tablespoons Lemon juice
1 table spoon Butter for basting

For the marinade
6 to 8 Tablespoons Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Heavy cream (optional)
2 Teaspoons Ginger paste
2 Teaspoons Garlic Paste
1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 to 2 teaspoons Garam masala / Curry Powder
1/4th teaspoon Saffron (optional)
Red and Orange food color a few drops each

Make deep incisions in the chicken with a knife, approximately 2 to 3 inches apart. Make a paste of the salt, red chili powder and lemon juice and rub over the chicken evenly. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Wash hands immediately. Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Rub the chicken with this mixture. Keep aside for 20 minutes to an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Skewer the chicken on a skewer. Keep a tray underneath to collect the drippings. Bake in the oven for 20 to 35 minutes. Remove the chicken and baste with butter. Grill on a hot grill for another 10 minutes till golden brown. This step is optional, but will definitely flavor the dish.

For the gravy
2 Tomatoes chopped fine.
1 medium onions chopped fine.
1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
2 Tablespoons Oil
1/2 tsp. Cumin pwd
1/2 tsp. Coriander pwd
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 th cup of milk

Heat the oil, when hot add the ginger garlic paste and sauté till golden brown. Add the onions; sauté till golden brown in color on medium high. It is the caramelization of the onions that brings the rich soft aroma and flavor to the dish. Add the tomatoes and keep sautéing till the oil starts to separate. This should take another 5-8 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander powders. Sauté for a few seconds. Now add the cooked chicken pieces. Sauté for a few more minutes. Tired of sautéing…That‘s the trick to make your recipe turn out great. So don’t quit now. Add the salt and sugar, increase the heat and slowly stir in the milk, stirring constantly. Let the chicken simmer on low for another 5-9 minutes. Garnish with Chopped cilantro leaves and fried cashews. Serve on a bed of plain rice. Enjoy with lemon wedges and raw "red onion rings" soaked in vinegar and the mint chutney.

This delectable Kashmiri dish, Rogan Josh is mutton cooked with the most intensely hot and sweet fragrant spices. Rogan Josh is one of the best-known meat curries and is a great favorite in restaurants. It means 'red lamb'.

2 Tblspns, peeled, coarsely chopped fresh ginger
8 cloves, peeled Garlic
4 tbsp & about 1 cup Water
10 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 lbs Lamb with bones cubed
10 pods Cardamom
2 Bay leaves
6 whole Cloves
10 whole Peppercorns
1 inch Cinnamon stick
4 large Onions finely chopped
1 tsp Ground coriander
2 tsp Ground cumin
4 tsp Red Chili powder
2 tsps Degchi mirchi (this red chili powder is used to give a red color to the recipe)
Salt to taste
6 tbsp Yogurt
1/4th tsp Garam masala
Freshly ground black pepper

Blend the ginger, garlic and 4 tablespoons water into a smooth paste. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot over a medium-high flame. Brown the meat cubes in several batches and set aside.

Put the cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon into the same hot oil. Stir once and wait until the cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on a light brown color. This just takes a few seconds. Now put in the onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onions turn a golden-brown color. Put in the ginger-garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, red chili powder, degchi mirchi and the salt. Stir and fry for another 30 seconds. Add the fried meat cubes and juices. Stir for 30 seconds.

Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt. Stir and fry for about 30 seconds or until the yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time in the same way. Stir and fry for another 3-4 minutes.

Now add 1 cup of water and bring the contents of the pot to the boil, scraping in all the browned spices on the sides and bottom of the pot. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour, or until the meat is tender. Every 10 minutes or so, give the meat a good stir.

When the meat is tender, take the lid off, turn the heat up to medium, and boil off some of the liquid. You should end up with tender meat in a thick, reddish-brown sauce. Sprinkle the Garam masala and black pepper over the meat before you serve and mix them in.

You may use cod, tilapia or any other white fish that you like. This recipe turns out very light and flaky. It can be a great appetizer if the fish is cut into smaller pieces. I have tried this with salmon too but I prefer any white fish. Try orange roughy, or even silver seabass.

6 Raw fish filets. You can use any fish you like

For the Marinade
Salt according to taste
2-3 tsp lemon juice or 2 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tsp garlic paste
1tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp turmeric

For frying
1/2 cup rice flour 1/2 cup channa flour
Salt according to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder
Garnish
1 tabsp chopped coriander leaves
A dash of lemon or lime juice

Coat the fish with the marinate and leave for 20 minutes. Then dip in the fillets one at a time in the above mixture, coat well and deep fry until light golden brown. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and a dash of lemon/lime juice. Enjoy hot.

Tip: On a toasted Panini and make an open faced sandwich. Lay fried fish (de boned). Add thinly sliced red onion and chopped coriander leaves for extra flavor. Add a dash of lemon juice before serving. Enjoy hot. You can use any fish you like. Also Panko is a good alternative to rice flour and channa flour.

'Biryani' is a rice dish from the Indian Subcontinent made from a mixture of spices, basmati rice, meat/vegetables and yogurt. There are many kind of biryanis and each kind has a uniqueness about it. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from East India to West India, there are different varieties of the dish. It can be considered a casserole dish, as the ingredients are ideally cooked together in the final phase and is time-consuming to prepare. Pre-mixed biryani spices from different commercial names are easily available in markets these days, which reduces the preparation time though the taste differs considerably.

The spices and condiments used in biryani are what primarily contribute to the taste; these are generally cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander and mint leaves, apart from ghee, ginger, onions, garlic and yogurt. The premium varieties include saffron. For a non-vegetarian biryani, the main ingredient that accompanies the spices is the meat or chicken, domestic goat, lamb or sometimes beef, though vegetable biryani varieties are also popular. The dish is usually served with raita.

Though there are several methods of preparing biryani, the Hyderabad Biryani is by far the most popular version. The vegetarian version might have some textured vegetable protein based protein balls to present the impression of a meat-based dish for vegetarians. The difference between biryani and pulav is that while biryani may be made by cooking the items together, pulav is used to denote a dish where the rice is cooked separately from the other ingredients.

Meat - 1 KG Boneless
Basmati Rice - 1/2kg
Onion - 2 Big
Lime Juice - 1/4 Cup
Curd - 500 GM
Ginger Garlic Paste - 4-6 Tsp.
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 Tsp.
Green Chili - 4-6 grind into fine past
Shazeera - A Pinch of Shazeera
Clove - 1-2
Cinnamon - 1-2
Cardamom - 2-3
Coriander Leaves - A bunch finely chopped
Mint leaves - 8-10 sticks - Plucked only leaves
Saffron - 2 pinch of saffron, immerse in water
Saffron color - A pinch of color liquefied with water
Ghee - 2 Tsp.
Oil - 2 Cup oil
Salt - To taste

Cut the meat into 4" square pieces and wash it. Add ginger garlic paste to the washed meat and Marinate it for 1 hour. While marinating you cut the onions thinly lengthwise and Fry the onions in the oil on low flame till it becomes golden brown. Now remove the golden brown onions from the oil and spread it on the plate, when it cool then crush it with your hand. Now add the curd 3/4 part of crushed fried onion, Red chili powder, Green chili paste, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Shazeera, Clove, Coriander leaves, Mint leaves and saffron water, salt to taste and remaining part of the oil into this marinated meat and leave for one hour.

After one hour take basmati rice and washed and now pour water into the rice as you cook it and add salt one tea spoon, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Shazeera, Clove, Coriander leave, mint leave, Green chili 2 cut into length wise. Now put on flame but when rice starts cooking when the rice becomes half cooked. Then remove it flame. Drain out the water completely. Now spread this half cooked rice on the marinated meat. Upon the rice layer you spread lime juice, saffron color and ghee and remaining part of the crushed onion.

Now cover the utensil with lid tightly. Keep it on a very low flame. After 1/2 hour exactly take it out from the flame. Now the Hyderabadi Biryani is ready to eat.

Naan is a white flour Indian flat bread. It is one of the most loved Indian breads. A trip to an Indian restaurant usually involves the ordering of some kind of Naan. It is traditionally made in a brick and clay tandoor oven. Traditionally served as an accompaniment with an Indian curry, Naans can also be used to wrap seasoned grilled meats, seafood, or vegetables. A naan should be served hot and eaten immediately or else it tends to get chewy. Here is an easy Naan recipe.

4 cups All purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1/4th teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 Egg, beaten
6 Tablespoons plain Yogurt (room temperature)
3 Tablespoons Butter or ghee, melted
About 1 Cup of lukewarm milk
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the beaten egg, yogurt and 2 tablespoons of the butter or ghee. Gradually stir in enough milk to make a soft dough. Knead well. Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm place for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Knead dough on a floured surface for 2 or 3 minutes until smooth. Divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then into ovals about 6 to 8 inches long. Grease a baking sheet with oil. Brush both the sides of the rolled out Naan with oil. Sprinkle one side with poppy seeds. Place it (poppy seed side up) on the baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes until puffy and lightly golden brown. The bread puffs slightly, lightly browns on the sides.

NAAN - made with yeast
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. active dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
Vegetable oil for the bowl
3 to 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
Flour for dusting
1 tsp. nigella (black onion) seeds

Put the yeast in the 1/2 cup of water and stir. Mix the water and buttermilk in a big bowl and stir in the yeast mixture. Add the salt and adding about 1 cup of dough and mix well stirring in the same direction! Once the dough has come together knead into a soft dough. As you knead, add the remaining flour by keeping your work surface well dusted rather than by adding it directly to the dough. The dough will pick up as much flour as necessary as you knead. Knead in the same direction as this develops long strands of gluten, needed for the soft yet chewy texture of the naan. Keep covered overnight in a fresh bowl which has been lined with vegetable oil. Next day, punch the risen dough and knead with the unsalted butter. Knead until soft and supple. Cut into 5-7 pieces or balls. Stretch the dough with your hands into a long Naan shape.

Place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven. Pre-heat the oven at 500 degrees. Make sure that it has preheated for at least an hour. Slightly sprinkle the pizza stone with flour. Place your naan on the stone and bake until the breads have puffs which are golden brown and the bottoms are slightly crusty. Enjoy it hot plain or with your favorite Indian curry.

Go to any Indian restaurant and you will find this one on their menu. This well loved and most popular snack is very easy to make. Enjoy this anytime. Makes a great after school snack and great appetizer. Served in many movie theatres in India during the "intermission" in the concession stands.

For the Pastry
1 1/2 cups all purpose Flour
1/4th cup oil
1/8th cup water
Salt 1 teaspoon
Red Chili powder 1/4 th teaspoon

For the filling
4 medium Potatoes, boiled and mashed coarsely
1/2 cup green Peas, cooked
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Pepper
Salt to taste or 1 teaspoon
1/4 tsp Red chili powder
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder or Amchur
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
3 Tablespoons Oil
1/2 Cumin seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
1 finely chopped Green Chili
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Oil for frying

First make the filling. Heat oil and season it with cumin seeds, Asafoetida or "Hing" and finely chopped green chilies. Then add the mashed potatoes and the peas. Now put in all the masalas like the garam masala, pepper, red chili powder, dry mango powder and cumin powder. Mix well and let it cook for 5-6 minutes covered. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Then remove and keep aside. Let it cool. Now make the pastry. Mix the flour, water, oil, salt and red chili powder to make a stiff dough. Keep aside.

To put the Samosa together Cut the pastry dough into 4 equal parts. Take a piece of one of the 4 parts the pastry dough. Roll it out into a round about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Cut it in two parts (like semi-circle). Moisten the straight edge with a finger dipped in water. then take one semi circle and fold it in a shape of cone.

Stuff about a tablespoon of the potatoes-peas mixture in that cone and seal the top edge with a drop of water on your finger and press the edges together. Make all the Samosas this way. Keep both the samosa and dough covered with a towel. Heat oil and deep fry the Samosas. Fry 4 to 5 at a time for about 2 to 3 minutes turning once after 1 minute or Fry the samosa to a rich golden brown. Makes 8 samosas. Serve hot with Tamarind chutney or Mint Chutney.

1 pound or 6 medium Carrots, scrapped and grated
4 cups Milk, whole or 2%
3/4 th cup Heavy cream
3/4th cup Sugar
6 tablespoons Almonds, ground
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder
3 tablespoons Pistachio nuts, coarsely crushed
3 tablespoons Ghee, (optional)
Put the grated carrots, milk and heavy cream into a deep, large, heavy saucepan. Bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture has reduced to about half its original volume and is thick enough to coat a spoon heavily.

Stir in the sugar and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the almonds and the ghee and stir for a few minutes more. The "halwa "is done when the mixture is thick enough to draw from the sides and bottom of the pan in a solid mass.

Remove the pan and stir in the cardamom. Remove the "halwa" into a decorative serving dish. Decorate the top with the crushed pistachio nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.