Coriander Chicken Tikka and Turmeric Rice

This dish, while the picture did not make it look like much, was actually fantastic and LOADED with yummy Indian spicy flavors. We paired this with an Oloroso sherry, as the recipe came from a cookbook called "The Perfect Marriage: The Art of Matching Food & Sherry Wines from Jerez". A lot of big league chefs got together and threw in a few recipes each. This one is from Vicky Bhogal. The nuttiness of the sherry brought out some interesting notes from the chicken, for certain. We put it over Turmeric Rice, which has never let us down.

CHICKEN

4 green chiles
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 large handfuls cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons garam masala
6 cloves garlic
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon natural set yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
450 g chicken breast fillets, boneless

Place all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a blender or grinder and whiz to a thick paste. Massage the chicken with the paste, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 150C/375F. Shake off any excess marinade and place the chicken on a baking tray. Roast for 30 minutes, turning over halfway through. Serve immediately or eat cold.

RICE

2 cups basmati rice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves
1 bay leaf
4 cardamom pods
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt, plus enough to season to taste at the end

Put the rice in a bowl and wash well in several changes of water. Drain and leave in a strainer set over a bowl.

Put the oil in a heavy saucepan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cloves, bay leaf, cardamom pods and cinnamon. Stir once or twice and put in the garlic. As soon as the garlic turns medium brown, put in the rice, turmeric and salt. Stir gently for a minute. Now put in 2 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn the heat down very, very low, and cook for 25 minutes. Season to taste before serving.