Name: Spicy Roast Chicken in Banana Leaves
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 2 kg (4 lb 8 oz) chicken; 4 cm (1½ inch) piece of ginger, roughly chopped; 3 tablespoons ground almonds; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 large onions, roughly chopped; 1 tablespoon oil; 4 tablespoons chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves; 3-4 young banana leaves; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 coriander (cilantro) roots, chopped; 2 teaspoons garam masala; ½ teaspoon chilli powder; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Food of India

By Priya Wickramasinghe

Published 2005

About

In this recipe, the chicken is wrapped in banana leaves before it is roasted. This creates a distinctive aroma and flavour. Enclosing it in banana leaves also keeps the chicken moist and succulent while it cooks. For a special occasion, serve it with plain pulao.

Ingredients

2 kg (4 lb 8 oz) chicken
3

Method

Trim off any excess fat from the chicken. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels and prick all over with a skewer so the marinade can penetrate the flesh. Rub the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt all over the skin and inside the cavity of the chicken.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based