Chicken ala Hadi Hantam

When Hadi was throwing together the seasonings for the chicken when it was his turn to cook, I had more than a few misgivings. Hadi always tends to go just a bit over in his cooking. Why add salt OR chicken stock, when you can add both? That kind of thing. So I was particularly surprised on how this turned out, although admittedly, the ingredient list is shorter than his usual...

What you need:
Large chicken thighs (are the best to use, but feel free to use whichever piece you want)
Turmeric
Chicken stock (powdered or liquid, doesn't matter. Not granules though, unless they're dissolved)
Garam masala
Ground black pepper
-everything according to taste, of course

What you do:

1. Mix the seasonings in a medium bowl. Rub it into the chicken.
2. Marinate the chicken in the seasoning for at least an hour. Hadi missed this step out, but I think it would be a good idea.
3. Roast the chicken for about 40 minutes in an oven heated to 180 C, or until the juices run clear.

And that's it! Only three steps, typical of a roast chicken recipe. Hadi actually wanted to call it Hadi's Special Chicken, but there's been way too many dishes with that name, to tell you the truth. Almost everything he wants to call it Hadi's Special Something. In the end, we compromised on having his name in it. Hadi Hantam Chicken? Haha, gives a very different impression.

But anyway, I was a bit doubtful when he used the black pepper, instead of chilli powder, for instance. And when he put in the garam masala, I was openly skeptical. But lo and behold! It actually turned out well. Really really really well. I liked it a lot. Well, it was quite salty, since he went overboard with the chicken stock. But the garam masala blended in nicely with the turmeric, something I never would have thought of. But I never use garam masala anyway... oh well...

It actually gave me a vague reminder of the chicken from CA Mohd back home, though the chicken there is much more flavoursome and soooo much more tender. But the basic flavours were there, so its not a bad start. I heard that for Indian style chicken, you first marinate it in the spices, then fry it with the spices COATED around the chicken briefly, then you roast it some more. Sounds troublesome, but if its worth it... Well, its something to keep in mind, anyway :D

Quote of the day: Never eat more than you can lift