Mock Tandoori Chicken

1 whole roasting chicken

8 oz. tofu-based sour cream substitute OR if kashrut/lactose is not important, 8 oz. plain yogurt

2 Tbsp honey

2 tsp chunky rooster sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg or ground allspice

1/2 tsp onion powder

generous pinch salt

juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)

Tandoori is Indian-style chicken, roasted in an earthenware oven and marinated with yogurt and spices. This is a substitute for those of us with kosher or dairy-intolerance problems and/or without an earthenware oven that can get up to 650F.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Mix together sour cream substitute or yogurt, honey, chunky rooster sauce, garlic powder, ginger, cumin, nutmeg or allspice, onion powder, salt, mint (if desired and not outrageously expensive) and juice from 1/2 lemon. Set aside.

Put the chicken in a glass roasting pan or cast-iron skillet. When oven is up to temp put it in and set timer to 45 minutes. As the timer gets close to zero, check the sauce and adjust saltiness and tartness as desired.

Baste the chicken liberally with the sauce, put back in the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. Repeat twice more (so the chicken is basted at 45, 55, and 65 minutes). Remove after 75 minutes (1-1/4 hour) and baste once more. Allow the bird to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the remaining sauce as a condiment.

Paprikash-ish

Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash. 


1 chicken cut up
2 onions, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, halved (quartered if they're large)
2 T paprika
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt
olive oil
2 c stock or bouillon
2 T BBQ sauce
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
2 bell peppers, sliced thin
8 oz sour cream
juice of 1/2 lime


Put a large pot on medium high heat. Brown chicken pieces in a little olive oil, 3-4 minutes each side. Do in batches, if necessary to avoid crowding the pan. Remove and set aside. (It will still be mostly raw, so beware cross-contamination!)


Reduce heat to low. Add onions and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Cook until softened. Add mushrooms, paprika, and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes or so until the mushrooms give up their liquid.


Put the chicken back in the pot, add stock and BBQ sauce. Cover and stew for 45 minutes.


Make a roux: Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the flour and cook gently for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is blond in color and smells rich and nutty.


Once the chicken is completely cooked and tender, add the roux and simmer a few more minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the bell pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Add a splash of lime juice immediately before serving.


Makes a huge double-buttload that you can serve over rice and eat on all week.