Spice work

Chef's CV: Born in Delhi, Jaffrey is a world-renowned expert on Indian food. Her 1982 BBC TV series, Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, made her a household name. Her numerous books include An Invitation To Indian Cookery and Eastern Vegetarian Cookery.

Presentation: This is a beautiful book, full of sumptuous colour pictures of meals, ingredients and cookery techniques. It's a beginner's guide to the cuisine of the east, showing you everything from how to chop a chilli to how to de-vein a prawn - in words and pictures.

Ingredients: Everything from soups, salads and seafood to poultry, noodles and dips. Recipes are from across the East, featuring dishes from India, Vietnam, Korea and Thailand such as Pork and Crab Soup, Fish Braised in Tea, Cauliflower and Carrots With A Coconut Dressing.

Recipe chosen: Tandoori Chicken

Ready, steady, cook: To mark National Curry Day on Tuesday, I picked an Indian dish. I love tandoori chicken and have made it at home using a paste-in-a-jar sauce. But this seemed like the real McCoy, lots of spices, mixed with a blitzed paste of onion, garlic and ginger and a good heap of yoghurt. It was easy peasy. Preferring chicken breast to legs, I used meat alone, cut into generous pieces and marinaded in the sauce overnight.

Taste test: First things first. The smell. As the chicken pieces cooked in the oven, the aromas were mouth-watering. I served the chicken pieces with rice, naan bread and a yoghurt dip made with cucumber, honey and lemon. The entire combination was delicious: the sweetness of the yoghurt sitting very nicely with the spicy (rather than hot) chicken pieces. A real hit.

Verdict? A great book, full of adventurous recipes that I can't wait to try. ****

Tandoori Chicken

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

6 chicken legs, halved

3 chicken breasts, halved

For the marinade:

1 medium onion

6 cloves garlic

4cm (1 in) cube fresh root ginger

3 tbsps lemon juice

225g (8oz) yoghurt

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

tsp ground mace

tsp ground nutmeg

tsp ground cloves

tsp ground cinnamon

- tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

2 tsps salt

tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsps olive or vegetable oil

-1 tsp orange food colouring (optional)

To serve:

1 medium onion

fresh coriander sprigs

lemon wedges

Method:

1. First prepare the marinade. Peel and coarsely chop the onion garlic and ginger. Put them in a blender with the lemon juice and blend to a smooth paste.

2. Transfer to a bowl (large enough to accommodate the chicken). Add the yoghurt, spices, salt, black pepper, oil and food colouring if using. Mix thoroughly.

3. Skin the chicken, legs and breasts. With a sharp knife, make three diagonal slashes on each breast section, going halfway down to the bone. Make two diagonal slashes on each thigh, also halfway to the bone. With the point of a sharp knife, make four or five slits in each drumstick.

4. Add the chicken to the marinade and rub the marinade into the slashes with your fingertips. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning the chicken four or five times while it is marinating.

5. If barbecuing, light your charcoal about one-and-a-half hours before serving, it should take 20-30 minutes to get red hot. Place the barbecue grid on its lowest setting. (Alternatively, preheat the oven to its highest setting.)

6. Peel the onion for the garnish and cut into paper-thin slices, separate the rings and set in a small bowl of iced water, cover and refrigerate.

7. Lift the chicken pieces out of the marinade and place on the barbecue rack (or in a single layer in a large shallow baking tin). Cook for about six to eight minutes on each side, then position the rack further from the heat source. Cook the chicken more slowly for a further 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with the marinade from time to time. (Alternatively bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until just cooked through.)

8. Drain the onion rings and pat dry. Arrange the chicken on a warm, large platter and garnish with the onion rings and coriander sprigs.

Serve with lemon wedges, rice and/or naan bread, and vegetable side dishes or a salad.