tandoori chicken wings with raita

How to make tandoori chicken wings with raita recipe

Serves 4, Total cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons tandoori paste
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
75 ml (3 fl oz) natural yogurt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
8–12 chicken wings, about 750 g (1½ lb) total weight
Raita
150 g (5 oz) cucumber
200 ml (7 fl oz) natural yogurt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
To serve
½ iceberg lettuce, shredded
4–8 poppadums

Method:
Mix the tandoori paste, cumin seeds, yogurt and lemon juice in a large, shallow dish. Make 2–3 shallow cuts in each chicken wing and place in the dish. Use your fingers to coat the chicken wings thoroughly with the tandoori yogurt.

Arrange the wings in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven, 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7, for 20–25 minutes until slightly charred and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the chicken is pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, make the raita. Halve the piece of cucumber lengthways and use a spoon to remove the seeds. Coarsely grate the flesh and place in the middle of a clean tea towel, then bring up the edges and twist the cucumber in the tea towel over a sink to squeeze out the excess moisture.

Place the cucumber in a bowl, add the yogurt, lemon juice and ground cumin, then season to taste and chill until the chicken is cooked. Serve the cooked chicken wings with the shredded lettuce, chilled raita and crisp poppadums.

For tandoori chicken pittas:
Mix 1 tablespoon tandoori paste in a bowl with 150 ml (¼ pint) natural yogurt, 1 tablespoon chopped mint, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and plenty of salt and pepper.

Fold in 300 g (10 oz) diced ready-cooked chicken and stir thoroughly to coat, then spoon into 4 large, warmed wholemeal pitta breads. Add some shredded blettuce and serve immediately. Total cooking time 10 minutes.

tandoori chicken wings with raita