It’s like an Indian sub sandwich, hot and spicy with mouth-wateringly tender chicken tikka pieces and fresh veggies on top.

Serves: 4 | Prep. time: 2.5 hours | Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Naan bread

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 egg (optional)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp dry active yeast
• 4 Tbsp milk
• 1 cup warm water

Filling

• 600g chicken thigh
• 2 Tbsp ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Salt, to taste
• 2 cups plain unsweetened yoghurt
• 3 Tbsp mustard oil
• 1 Tbsp Kashmiri red chilli
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 Tbsp kasoori methi
• ½ tsp mint powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• 60g butter, melted

Garnish

• 1 tomato
• 1 cucumber
• A few frisée lettuce leaves
• A few coriander leaves
• Mint chutney, to taste (or alternatively plain yoghurt)

making it happen

Naan bread

1. Sift the flour with salt, pour onto a clean surface and make a ‘crater’ in the middle. 2. Mix the egg, sugar, yeast, milk and 4 Tbsp of warm water. 3. Carefully pour the mixture into the flour crater and cover with the flour from the sides. 4. Let it to stand for 10 to 12 minutes until cracks appear on top, then knead with the remaining water. 5. Make a soft dough, cover with a damp cloth and keep refrigerated until needed.

Chicken tikka filling

1. Wash and pat dry the chicken thigh, then cut into 1.5cm cubes. 2. Marinate with ginger paste, garlic paste, lemon juice and salt, then refrigerate for 2 hours. 3. Hang the yoghurt in a thin muslin cloth to remove the excess water, which will thicken the yoghurt. 4. Put the hung yoghurt in a bowl, add the remaining spices and mix well to make a smooth marinade. 5. Marinate the chicken morsels in the yoghurt marinade and leave them for another 30 minutes in the refrigerator. 6. Heat the oven to 180 °C. 7. Skewer the chicken pieces and cook them in the oven, turning them regularly to brown the meat evenly. 8. While the chicken is cooking, remove the dough from fridge and allow to stand at room temperature. 9. Once the tikka is half-cooked, remove it from the oven and allow to stand for 5 to 8 minutes, allowing the excess moisture to drip off. 10. Baste the chicken with butter and return to the oven to brown.

Serving

1. Divide the dough into golf ball-sized portions and flatten using a rolling pin. 2. Bake in the oven or on a hot plate until the bread becomes fluffy and is cooked through. 3. Dice the tomato and cucumber. Chop the lettuce and coriander leaves. 4. Open the naan bread with a knife and place the prepared chicken tikka inside. 5. Sprinkle some tomato, cucumber, lettuce and coriander on top, drizzle with mint chutney or yoghurt, roll the bread and serve hot.

Chef Vijay Biala

“The food I cook is wholesome and sticks to basics. I started my career at a reputable hotel in Delhi. From there I went to Hong Kong and Singapore and worked as head chef at some of the top restaurants. After this I moved to Sydney and opened my own place, but I fell in love with Christchurch after visiting here and have been with Maharaja for 20 years now.”

Three key ingredients to a tasty dish? Spices, fresh ingredients and love.

What is your favourite guilty pleasure? Definitely a nice gin and tonic after a good day at work.

What is a trend you’re seeing in food? With Indian food I’ve definitely seen a rise in people eating spicy food and trending to vegetarian meals.

Who are your culinary heroes? My mother and mother-in-law.

Read our full conversation with Chef Vijay here.

maharaja.net.nz