I’m always very keen to be as authentic as possible in the kitchen. Sticking to the original recipe and traditional methods generally gets the best results, but it’s not always possible to do. Well what do you expect me to do, I don’t have a clay oven?

Traditional spices, ghee butter and a traditional tandoori oven all help, but we can still manage to make something at home that’s close to authentic and very tasty. Like our butter chicken, this ideally needs at least a few hours marinating time, except overall this is even easier and quicker to make. Get the BBQ out if you think it’s not too late in the year, or you can use the grill in your oven. Just don’t forget the skewers.

Chicken tikka (serves 4)

What you’ll need

4 free range chicken breasts chopped (generous bite-size)
300g yoghurt
1 lemon, juice and rind
2 crushed cloves of garlic
4 spring onions finely chopped
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
(ghee butter for basting optional)
pitta bread, salad and lemon wedges to serve

How to cook it

Mix together all ingredients, except the chicken, into a non-metallic bowl and then add the chicken and mix well. Cover with cling film and marinade in the fridge overnight, or for at least a couple of hours, stirring once or twice at different stages.

Once out of the fridge, thread the marinated chicken pieces onto the skewers, cook under a medium grill or over a barbecue for 15-20 minutes. Turn often and baste with marinade or ghee butter. Serve up with pitta bread, a simple salad and a wedge of lemon or two.

The wine match

Okay, it’s spicy, but it’s not blow-your-head-off spicy. A New World Pinot Noir will show this tikka who’s boss, and with a mighty 20% off Australia for the months of September and October, it’s gotta come from the land down under. We’ll go west, like the Pet Shop Boys, to Fonty’s Pool, for a highly-rated single vineyard Pemberton Pinot Noir.

Fabulous stuff, but if you’re looking for a versatile white, the ever-reliable Gewurztraminer can always handle a bit of spice. The Blanck Gewurztraminer gets the nod from me. Pretty high-end stuff from Alsace, but life’s too short to drink boring wine.