Lahori Chargha
The Lahori weekend feast bird: a whole chicken slashed, marinated in spiced yogurt for hours, steamed until tender then deep-fried until the skin crackles. Eaten with raita, naan and a tomato-onion salad.
Overview
A whole chicken is slashed to the bone and rubbed with a yogurt-based marinade thick with chaat masala, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste and a splash of vinegar. After at least 4 hours in the fridge, the bird is steamed over a deep tray of water for 30 minutes to cook through. Once dried briefly, it's deep-fried in hot oil until the skin shatters and the flesh stays juicy. The two-stage cook is the signature; only a deep-fry could leave a Lahori chargha undercooked at the bone, only a steam could give it the colour.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 whole chicken (about 1 ½ kg)
- 2 teaspoons salt (for rubbing)
- 1 lemon (juice)
Marinade
- 200 g natural yogurt (thick; strained if loose)
- 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon Chaat Masala
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 tablespoon gram flour (besan; for thickening and the flavour)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- A few drops of orange (or red food colouring, traditional but optional)
To cook
- 2 litres vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
To serve
- Mint-yogurt raita
- Sliced red onion
- Lemon wedges
- Naan (or roti)
Method
Stage 1 - Score and salt
- Pat the chicken dry inside and out.
- Cut deep slashes into the breast, thighs and drumsticks down to the bone (this lets the marinade and steam reach the inside).
- Rub the chicken with salt and lemon juice; rest for 10 minutes.
Stage 2 - Toast the gram flour
- Heat a small dry pan over medium-low heat.
- Toast the gram flour for 2 minutes, stirring, until pale gold and nutty-smelling.
- Cool.
Stage 3 - Marinate
- Combine all the marinade ingredients (including the toasted besan) in a large bowl.
- Whisk to a smooth red-orange paste.
- Rub the marinade thoroughly over the chicken, working it into the slashes and the cavity.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Stage 4 - Steam
- Bring the chicken to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.
- Place a steaming rack in a wide pot over 5 cm of water.
- Set the chicken on the rack, breast up.
- Cover tightly and steam over medium heat for 30 minutes (the chicken should be cooked through; a thigh should read 75°C).
- Lift the chicken out and rest on a tray for 15 minutes to dry the surface (a wet bird spits in hot oil).
Stage 5 - Deep-fry
- Heat the oil in a large deep pot or wok to 180°C.
- Carefully lower the chicken into the oil (it should be just submerged; if not, baste with hot oil as it cooks).
- Fry for 6-8 minutes, turning once with two long forks, until the skin is deep mahogany red and crackling.
- Lift onto a rack to drain.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Rest the chicken for 5 minutes.
- Place on a board for the table.
- Serve with raita, sliced onion, lemon wedges and warm naan.
Notes
- Steam first, fry second: Frying alone gives a crisp outside and raw inside. Steaming first guarantees the meat is cooked; the fry is for colour and crunch.
- Dry the surface: Steaming wets the skin. The 15-minute rest dries it; lowering a wet bird into hot oil is dangerous and the skin won't crisp.
- Don't overcrowd: One whole chicken per pot. Two at once drops the oil temperature and the skin softens.
Storage
- Best the day it's fried.
- Leftover meat refrigerates 2 days; reheats in a hot oven (the skin re-crisps).
More like this
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