Tamarind Ghee Roasted Chicken

I hope we had you at the title. Tamarind Ghee Roasted Chicken. So you guys get a savory something in this blog after a long time, Yay! This is an offering from the not-so-active-in-blogosphere-but-extremely-active-in-the-kitchen husband. Being the person he is, it is very difficult to get him to sit down and write a post. The nagging (a nice word for threatening in this case) paid off when he finally did it. Apparently this recipe is worthy of it. and i agree. A delish and a very very different chicken dish, it blew all of our socks off. People who know me well enough know my proximity for all flavors tangy bordering on sour. So tamarind used right is a magic word. and ghee. how can you go wrong with ghee? Couple this Mangalorean delicacy with some steaming hot rice and curd, and man, do you have a winner. Thanks Nisha for sharing! :) Recipe adapted with changes from here.
P.S: A confession: i'm not overjoyed about the pics and i have come to the conclusion that i'm a mere mortal made of weaker stuff. i don't have the resilience to resist the smell of ghee and tamarind wafting around to  gather my senses and focus on clicking pictures. So there, i said it. now, enjoy! :D

For Marination:
Chicken - Half a Kilo (cut into big pieces)
Lemon juice - from 1 lemon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Yogurt - 4 tablespoons
Salt - to taste

Ingredients:
Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tablespoons
Dry red chillis - 2
Peppercorns - 1 teaspoon
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Garlic-pods - 10, peeled
Tamarind paste - 1/2 teaspoon diluted in 2 tablespoons water
Curry Leaves
Coriander leaves to garnish
Ghee - 5 tablespoons

How you go about it:

To begin with marinate the chicken with lime juice, turmeric and curd and keep aside for an hour minimum. The more the better.

In the mean time, dry roast the red chillies, peppercorns, cumin powder, coriander powder and fenugreek seeds for a couple of minutes until the aroma starts to hit you. Once its cooled, add the tamarind paste and garlic pods and grind into a fine paste.

Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pan and cook the marinated chicken until 3/4th done. Now drain the chicken and its juices into another bowl and into the same pan add 3 tablespoons of ghee and sputter some curry leaves and cook the paste until the oil begins to separate. The smell is heavenly, so keep an eye on the pan and make sure it does not burn.

Now add the chicken and the stock into the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the water is all drained and the chicken is completely cooked. I wouldn't mind if the chicken begins to stick to the bottom of the pans bit. Scraping that masala off the pan has to be the most delicious part of the dish. Garnish with coriander and serve.

Relish with steamed rice and yogurt! - that's my favorite combination.

P.S: I'm assuming you wont need to be reminded about licking the bowl.