Shahid Afridi, get your Batting on with some BBQ Chicken Tikkas

Lovely day today in Melbourne, nice and sunny, perfect for a barbeque.  YES!  And by barbeque I mean really macho-man style with great pakistani barbeque dishes to give you strength and stamina...in fact, more than enough for a batsman to last more than 50 overs in an ODI! 

I'm posting this recipe for BBQ chicken tikkas today because frankly, I am concerned about my lovely lads on the Pakistan team.  That first ODI a couple of days ago was what we in North America call a Gong Show.  124 runs all out in less than 50 overs is a bit heartbreaking.  Did my lovely lads eat a proper meal the day before?  Honestly, the way they played made me think they ate nothing but New Zealand ice cream for their dinner and breakfast.  Now, New Zealand ice cream is the best in the entire world, but for goodness' sake, it is not the breakfast of champions, nor is it suitable for an athlete's supper.  With ice cream, you get 10 minutes of energy, followed by 1 hour of exhaustion, and 1 day of a belly ache if you eat too much.  Shameful!

Shahid Afridi, I hope you get this advice in time for tomorrow's ODI.  Get your big bad awesome self back into fighting form and get your batting on with some BBQ chicken tikkas for lunch and dinner.  Your adoring public demands it, and we want to see you and the chaps Gul-doze and Boom Boom those kiwis into oblivion!

A Previous Merciless Gul-dozing

BBQ Chicken Tikkas

Ingredients:

4 whole chicken legs (drumstick, thigh and back), skin removed
5 -7 cloves of garlic, crushed into a paste
5 cm piece of ginger, crushed into a paste
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice (don't use the stuff that comes in the plastic bottles, it tastes metallic)
2 tablespoons of paprika or home-made mild lal mirch (I'll show you tomorrow how to make it, very easy)
1 teaspoon lal mirch
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
salt

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 black peppercorns
1 star anise

First of all, dry roast and grind the cuminseeds, peppercorns and star anise.  Set aside.
Score the chicken 3 or 4 times, cutting quite deeply.
Mix the lemon/lime juice, garlic and ginger pastes, powdered spices, salt, and ground spices together.
Pour over the chicken, and rub the mixture all over the chicken, making sure you get it into the scored parts as well.
Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours.

Now if you have very thick and sturdy skewers, put the chicken on the skewers.  If not, no worries, the chicken can go directly on a grill.

Ok, make sure your BBQ is set on medium heat, and cook those tikkas about 20 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn them.  There can be some slightly charred edges.  Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through before serving.

Serve with mint chutney or tamarind chutney (recipe to come) fresh roti, home-made pita bread, naan from a tandoori bakery; or if you're close to Dandenong in Australia, eat with fresh naan from Safar Bakery.

Right, let's make sure our favourite macho guys get some good BBQ chicken tikkas in them by tomorrow!  And let's make sure we, the BBQ bunch, continue making great food and making people happy.

Have a good one!

Happy Cricket, Happy BBQ, Happy Bashing!