Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients:

12 Chicken drumsticks and/or breast pieces (skin removed)

1 cup plain yoghurt or 2 cups Buttermilk

1 1/2 tbsp. red chilli powder

1 tbsp. ginger powder

2 tbsp. coriander powder

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. cumin powder

1/2 tbsp. garam masala

Meat tenderiser (optional)

2 tbsp. salt (use less if tenderiser contains salt)

Directions :
-Prick the chicken pieces with a fork all over.
-Apply the tenderiser to the chicken pieces and let it stand for an hour or so.
The marinade: Take a wide and deep bowl about 12 2 inches wide and deep enough to hold all the chicken pieces.
-Add the yoghurt plus one-cup water or the buttermilk with no water into the bowl.
-Add all the spices from nos. 3 through 8 into the bowl and stir to form a homogeneous mixture.
-Now add the chicken pieces into the mixture, so that they are all covered with the paste/mixture.
-Cover the bowl with a lid and let it stand for 6 hours.
-If you plan to marinade for 12-15 hours, put it in the refrigerator.
-The more time it is marinated, the better it will absorb the spices and the tastier it will be.
-When you are ready to grill the chicken, apply melted butter to the the chicken pieces with a brush or spoon all over and you are ready to grill the chicken on the barbecue in the normal fashion.
-Turn over the chicken pieces when they look brownish red in colour or darker if you prefer it well done.
-Slice finely onion into rings, add some salt and lemon juice to it, to be served as a salad with the tandoori chicken.
-Lemon juice sprinkled on the cooked pieces also adds to the flavour, if you wish.