1 (5 kg/3 lb.) chicken skinned and cut into 4 pieces
Juice of two lemons
4 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 lg. onion, sliced
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. red food coloring
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
150 ml/1/4 pt. natural yogurt

Garnish:

1 lettuce, 1 to 2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 onion sliced into rings
Few wedges of lemon

Make 3 deep cuts in each piece of chicken with a knife. Rub the flesh all over with half the lemon juice. Then rub in the salt. Blend the remaining ingredients to a paste with the remaining lemon juice, using a liquidiser if available. Put the chicken in a baking dish lined with foil. Then pour over the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 12 hours. Roast in a moderate oven for 1 hour. Serve hot on a bed of lettuce leaves, garnished with onion rings and lemon wedges.

(Specially made Tandoori oven is usually about 1 metre/3 h high and is made of clay. Searing temperatures are maintained by a charcoal time at the base of the oven.

Tandoori chicken is India's version of barbecued chicken. It gets its rich russet color from saffron and a few drops of red dye. In India cochineal is used, red food coloring may be substituted. In recent years, there has been a growth in the number of Indian restaurants in the west offering tandoori style food.

One of the secrets of Tandoori chicken in the marinade. The longer the chicken is left in the marinade the more authentic will be the finished dish. It is quite usual for the chicken to be marinated in a cool place or refrigerator for 3 days.

This recipe has been adapted, so that it can be made successfully in a conventional oven.)