India

This will not be my first blog post about India. I went a few years back, thanks to some generous friends. It was mind-boggling. I went to Calcutta and Puri - both completely different and both completely unforgettable. I have some pix to share - oh boy, do I have pix. But enough. I also have a great recipe for marinade for chicken that I use over and over again. The Boyf claims it's the best chicken marinade ever.

Indian Chicken Marinade (adapted from Madhur Jaffrey)

1 tbs. paprika

1 tbs. fine black pepper (I omit this for the boyf, who is NOT a hothead)

1 tbs. store-bought garam masala

Dash cayenne

1 1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. cumin

3 tbs. veg. oil

2 tbs. plain yogurt (I use Fage Greek 0%)

2 tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 tbs. honey

3 cloves crushed garlic

That's it. Other things I have added, but which are not necessary are (you can add these by 1/8 tsp. increments if you desire): white pepper, smoked paprika, dried basil, liquid smoke, kolonji seeds, dried onions, garlic salt, crushed red pepper flakes and turmeric.

This works very nicely on 4 large chicken breasts. And, again, you can get small quantities of spices in your local health food store if you don't have any spices. Marinade for a day or for an hour, it does not really matter. I use my BBQ grill for this chicken, but I'm sure it would work in a saucepan as well.