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My cookbook: "Tehran to New York"

On the Norouz day of 2020 spring, I finally published my book. The manuscript is titled: "Tehran to New York: A culinary bridge between Persian and Western cultures" and aims at presenting a unique blend of classic and contemporary Persian recipes, as well as samples of Western-style cuisine, offered in a Persian context. It is important to build bridges between cultures, and not walls. This book aims at constructing a bridge between the Persian and Western cultures. The book may be ordered here: https://www.amazon.com/Tehran-New-York-culinary-cultures-ebook/dp/B0861H47GS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tehran+to+new+york&qid=1584810930&sr=8-1  

Pakistani style Chicken Tikka


I first encountered the Pakistani style of Chicken Tikka in the Pakistan day parade of 2016 in New York. Actually, the true narrative would be: I found the parade, when following a divine chicken curry aroma down Madison Ave. Compared to its Indian counterparts, the Pakistani version seemed  yellower and less coated with heavy yogurt marinade (as seen below in the picture from that very day). Presented here, is an attempt to reconstruct the chicken I ate that day. The developed recipe calls for chicken breasts, the natural tenderness of which allows the elimination of yogurt from the marinade. As the oil-based marinade is not heavy and sticky, chicken can be grilled in a pan, without the fear of burning the sticky coating.   



Ingredients:

Marinated chicken (recipe follows)
2 medium white onions, thinly sliced
1 medium ginger root, grated
Marinated chicken:
4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut to kebab portions
1 TSP turmeric
1 TSP Garam Masala
1/2 TSP coriander powder
1 TBSP mild chili powder (or paprika)
1 TBSP garlic, grated
1/3 cup oil
1 Persian lime
1 TSP salt









To make the marinade, toast the garlic, salt, and spices in the oil for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside and let cool. Mix the chicken pieces with the lime juice, and the now-cool oil mixture. Let marinate overnight. The next day mix in the onion slices and ginger.
To grill the kebab use a wide pan, set on medium high heat. Grill the chicken and all the marinade in a single layer until the chicken is cooked and onions are lightly caramelized. In case the pan is not large enough, cook in several batches.
The result was served on corn tortilla, similar to tacos.... Chicken Takko masla maybe?

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