You've heard of steam chicken, you've also heard of roast chicken.
Well, today's recipe is a combination of these two wonderful cooking techniques.
Steaming and roasting, and very rightly or very aptly called -
'Steam Roast Chicken.' Let's begin.
You've asked me several times in the past -
- How to get your chicken juicy and tender while roasting?
Now, there are several tricks, you can soak it in buttermilk,
you can marinate it and keep it refrigerated overnight,
or marinate it and keep it on the tabletop for 20-30 mins.
While this technique is an age old technique called Brining
and for that it's very simple
The first foremost ingredient is Water.
Now, this is actually a solution of Salt, Water and Vinegar.
Well, internationally they also add in some sugar, completely optional.
But, like I always say, the choice is completely yours.
It does not sweeten the chicken but it just ensures
that it gets wonderfully flavoured from within.
To this, I'm going to add in Salt.
For every litre of water, you add in a tablespoon of Salt.
And to this, I'm also going to add in regular synthetic Vinegar.
Nothing exotic.
Stir this well.
And ensure that the salt completely dissolves before the addition of chicken.
The salt has dissolved in the Brin solution.
Time to place our Whole Chicken which has gashes,
now this is also again very important so that the Brin gets straight within.
Rest this - turn this once twice over.
And it's also important to take chicken of a certain size.
Now what I prefer is taking a chicken which is not more than a kilo.
Now what happens is when you actually peel it, you clean it,
and you then wash it and then when finally it's ready
the yielded weight should be somewhere around 700-750 gms.
Now that makes a wonderfully small chicken which is tender and juicy,
even while getting roasted,
and steaming of course, will take it to a complete another level.
Let's keep this aside.
And while this chicken is actualy getting brined, I'm going to make the spice mix.
Let's start doing that.
For the paste, first things first,
I'm going to add in some peeled and roughly cut Ginger.
Into this, peeled and washed Garlic.
Let's follow this up with Coriander leaves.
And along with this, some fresh Green Chillies.
Again, you can choose the spice level to your preference.
Let's grind this into a smooth paste.
Our ginger, garlic, green chilli and coriander paste is done and ready.
Let's move on to making the marination for the chicken.
And for this, of course, the first ingredient is this paste -
- which goes straight in a deep bowl.
To this, I'm going to add in Curd.
Now, this is not hung curd, or anything like that
this is just curd which is whisked nicely.
To this, I'm going to add in some powder spices.
Lemon juice and Salt, of course.
The first thing is Garam Masala.
Followed by Roasted Cumin Powder.
Chaat Masala.
Coriander powder, Roasted Corianders.
Red Chilli powder.
Now, this is red chilli that will give you colour and not spice
which again is very important for this recipe,
because the spice predominately in this recipe comes from the Green Chillies.
Just to bring in that balance of colour a touch of Turmeric.
Well marination-wise also if you see it's very different,
from a classic tandoori chicken well
primarily the ingredients of course, remain the same,
We are in the same structure, but nevertheless, it's still very different.
Lemon juice. Fresh lemon.
Very important again for this recipe.
Do not actually get mixed up with the quantity of salt used while making the Brin
Because the Brin is going to get washed.
When I say the Brin is going to get washed? The chicken is going to get washed,
also, it's going to get patted dry before adding it into the marination.
So remember these tricks are little-little but very important.
Last but not the least, Oil. Now, in this case, I'm using Refined Oil.
and not mustard oil, which again makes it different from the tandoori chicken.
Now the oil is not too much the oil is just very little
and this is so that the chicken stays nice and moist and juicy
even from the outside, while getting steam roasted.
Let's mix all of this together.
And that's where you have the marination of the chicken done and ready.
The chicken has been pulled out of the Brin solution.
Washed under running cold water, and then it's important to pat this dry.
Also, if you see the colour of the chicken has become whiter from the pinkish
colour that it had, now it's become a shade white
which means the chicken is ready to jump into the marination.
Let's add this in, and while the chicken has gone in,
I'm also going to throw in the offals.
When I say offals, I mean the liver and the gizzard.
Very important again and possibly also one of the juiciest and tastiest part
of the chicken.
Let's run the entire marinade,
or marinarde,
onto the chicken.
Ensure that it goes into every gash of the chicken as well
The best part about this kind of marination or this kind of brining is
is that it does not require extra marination time
because the chicken has already been brinned.
Time to transfer this in a cooker vessel.
And into the cavity of the chicken,
I'm literally stuffing this with the liver and the gizzards.
Let's add in the spoonful of the marination onto the chicken.
And this now is ready to be steam roasted.
Now steam roasting as a process again is very unique
Now, in this case, please note, in this case I'm going to use a pressure cooker.
Now we all have a stand.
which is like an apparatus which is used generally for pressure cooking.
I'm going to place this right at the bottom of the pressure cooker.
And on top of this I'm going to add in Water.
Now the pertinent question here is, How much water while steam roasting?
Now, again like I said, very very important.
The height of the stand is the level of the water.
If the water evaporates while steam roasting,
the bottom of the chicken yes, would get burnt,
but you would also damage the bottom of the pressure cooker.
Do not blame me after that.
because reiterating the height of the stand,
is equal to the level of the water in this recipe.
Next step, I'm going to place this chicken which is now marinated.
Onto this, and light the flame.
The next step is to lock the lid of the pressure cooker.
And another very important step is to remove the whistle.
Again, like I'm saying again, very very very important step because we are not
here to boil the chicken under pressure, we are here to steam roast it.
Very unique so the whistle very importantly needs to be kept away.
Now this way on medium to high flame
This is going to continue cooking for 40-45 mins.
Blindfolded - Do not touch it, do not stir it, do not open it, nothing.
45 mins, medium to high flame and then we'll see you back.
It's been 40 mins and the chicken has wonderfully steam roasted.
With this, off goes the flame.
And now is the time for this to settle down.
The steam has to subside and that will take around 10-15 mins.
Let's wait and watch.
The steam has settled down.
And this ladies and gentleman, is the ultimate moment of truth.
'Steam Roasted Chicken.'
Isn't that beautiful?
Now, if you kind of just come a little closer and have a look,
This also has a wonderful roast gravy
which can go perfectly well with the 'Steam Roast Chicken.'
Finally, this is a step which is completely optional
and this is some Chopped Coriander.
With this, our unusual 'Steam Roast Chicken' is done and ready.
and like I said, it is very different yet very aptly named.
On that note, don't forget to stay tuned,
for some quick, simple and easy recipes to 'Get Curried.'
And this is the Bombay Chef, Varun Inamdar, signing off.