Sandalwood flavoured tandoori chicken breast

Tandoori chicken is a classic dish enjoyed around the world, and we wanted to include it in our opening menu at The Cinnamon Club. But at the same time, we did not want to serve it ‘straight up’. So we came up with this unique version with sandalwood, common and popular in India to make incense, soap, or face packs but not in cooking. In this version of tandoori chicken, instead of relying on the pungency of fenugreek, we use aromatic ingredients like rose water and sandalwood to bring out an exotic flavour.Preparation time:45 minutesCooking time:20 minutesServes: 4First marinade4 chicken breasts, with the wing bone trimmed1 tsp ginger paste1 tsp garlic paste½ tsp yellow chilli powder¼ tsp turmeric powderJuice of half a lemonSecond marinade4 tbsp Greek yoghurt or full fat yoghurt3 tbsp single cream3 pieces of mace, ground2 pods of green cardamom, ground1 tsp ground sandalwood1 gm saffron, infused in 30 ml of warm milk for 5 minutesFor searing50 ml oil½ tsp shahi jeera or royal cumin*25 gm gram flour½ tsp rose water½ tsp kewra or screw pine water1) Mix the chicken breasts with all the ingredients for the first marinade and leave aside for 30 minutes.2) Place the chicken in a mixture of all the ingredients for the second marinade, mix well, and leave it for a further 15 minutes.[caption id="attachment_8620" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Sandalwood flavoured tandoori chicken breast. Image courtesy: Random House India. "][/caption]3) Take a deep pan or a thick wok. Heat the oil and add the royal cumin.When they start to splutter, add in the gram flour while stirring on a slow flame, to prevent any lumps. Cook the flour till it turns golden, then add the chicken breast, and sear it till the flour forms a coating.This process will not take more than 5 minutes.4) Remove from heat, sprinkle the rose water and kewra water. Arrange it on a tray and allow it to cool.5) Finish the cooking, when required that is at the time of serving. Heat the chicken in an oven pre-heated to 200°C for 10–12 minutes.*Shahi jeera or royal cumin is a kind of cumin, tiny in shape, more aromatic and sparingly used as it might make the dish bitter. It cannot be used in the same measure as the normal cumin as 1 tsp of cumin = ½ tsp royal cumin. This is very popularly used while making Biryani.Recipe courtesy: Cinnamon Club: Indian Cuisine Reinvented, published by Random House India; priced at Rs 899. For more recipes, get the book authored by Vivek Singh with Abdul Yaseen and Hari Nagaraj.