INTRODUCTION
Al faham is the Arabian barbecued chicken, grilled over coal or in an oven. It is famous in India, especially in Kerala. The special spice powder used for preparing Al faham enhances the flavour of the chicken which is further added to by the smoky flavour. It can be prepared at home with the available spices. The only hard part of preparing Al faham is lighting the coal. Other than that, it is very simple and mouthwatering. Al faham can be taken with Kuboos, porotta, chappathi etc. Toum, mayonnaise etc. is taken as a side dish with Al faham.
 |
| AL FAHAM CHICKEN |
Ingredients
Shallots - 1 handful
Garlic - 2 bulbs
Chicken - 1200-1300 g
Ginger - 1 small piece
Capsicum - 1 small piece
Curd - 3-4 tbsp
Chicken stock - 2 cubes
Pepper powder - ½ tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Al faham spice powder
Coriander seeds - 4 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Kashmiri red chilli - 5-10 nos
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom
Preparation of Al faham spice powder
Roast the Kashmiri chilli, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Roast the Kashmiri chilli separately. It will not get roasted with the other ingredients.
Make a fine powder of the roasted mix. This will have the aroma of the spices and will give a special taste to the Al Faham chicken. This is the special spice powder for Al Faham chicken.
Preparation of marinade
Make a fine paste of shallots, garlic, ginger, coriander leaves, mint leaves, capsicum, curd and one cube of chicken stock. The capsicum will provide a unique taste to the chicken. Add 3-4 tbsp of the spice powder to the paste. Keep aside the extra spice powder. Add pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Add some lemon juice and one more cube of chicken stock. Mix well. You can also use ginger powder, garlic powder, paprika powder, onion powder, mint leaf powder etc. instead of ginger, garlic and capsicum paste we prepared.
Preparation of the chicken
Use small chicken and chicken pieces with thighs and legs. Wash the chicken well. Crush the chicken pieces using a pestle. This will soften and flatten the meat. This will help the chicken to absorb the marinade well. Wash the chicken again. Wipe the water from it. Make striped on the chicken using a knife. This will help the chicken absorb the marinade more. For meaty pieces, cut them open and make the stripes on them. This will make the chicken juicy. Ensure that the chicken is not fully cut open. Marinate the chicken with the marinade. Cover the marinated chicken with a cling wrap and freeze the marinated chicken for at least 2 hours. Or you can refrigerate it for a longer period.
Grilling the chicken
Add a layer of husk to the wooden stove. Place a newspaper over it. Add charcoal over the newspaper. I used 2 kg of charcoal. You can use coconut shells to maintain the heat for a long time. Light the stove.
Spread some oil on the grill. This will prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill. Place the marinated chicken on the grill. Blow air into the stove to burn the coal. Place the grill over the flame. The approximate time for grilling the chicken is 15-20 minutes. After 5-10 minutes, flip the grill. Flip the grill 2-3 times at different intervals. Pour some coconut oil on top. The chicken Al faham is ready. I served it with Kuboos and Garlic toum.
