PREP: Mise the recipe ahead of time.

1. Make the corn masala:

• Have ready a wet-dry electric spice grinder or a small blender near the stove.
• Place a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the step 1 coriander seeds. Toast the seeds, shaking the pan often, for about 1 minute. Add the step 1 cumin seeds to the pan and continue shaking until the seeds become fragrant and darken slightly. Don’t allow the seeds to turn brown or scorch.
• Immediately transfer the seeds to the grinder and grind them to a powder.
• Scrape the ground spices into a small container and then stir in the step 1 Kashmiri chile powder or hot paprika, the pepper, and the salt. (Don’t wash the sauté pan or grinder, as you’ll be using them in the following step.)
• If prepping ahead, cool the masala to room temperature and place a tight-fitting lid on the container.

2. Make the tandoori marinade:

• Mince the ginger and garlic.
• Place the sauté pan over medium heat and add the coriander seeds. Toast the seeds, shaking the pan often, for about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds to the pan and continue shaking until the seeds become fragrant and darken slightly. Don’t allow the seeds to turn brown or scorch.
• Immediately transfer the seeds to the grinder or blender, and grind them to a powder.
• Add to the grinder the garam masala, the step 2 Kashmiri chile powder or hot paprika, turmeric, the step 2 minced ginger and garlic, and salt.
• Remove and reserve 1 ½ tsp yogurt from the yogurt container (for the chutney), and then add about 1/3 of the remaining yogurt to the grinder. Grind into a coarse purée.
• Squeeze in the juice from the step 2 lemon, and then add the remaining yogurt and the step 2 water.
• Grind the mixture into a smooth, thick purée. If necessary, add a little more water to release the blades and achieve a smooth consistency.

3. Skin, trim, and marinate the chicken legs or leg quarters:

• If using chicken legs, remove the skin and trim away any visible fat and membrane.  If using chicken leg quarters, remove the backbone. (If necessary, use the link in the lesson section of this post to visit a tutorial.) Then remove the skin and trim away any visible fat and membrane.  Optionally, chop off and discard the knuckles, as shown in the lesson section of this post.
• To optimize marinade penetration, cut deep, diagonal slashes in the chicken flesh about ¾ inch apart.
• Place the chicken legs into a container and then scrape the tandoori marinade over it. Massage the marinade into the chicken flesh.
• Refrigerate for at least 6 hours but preferably for 24 hours. If holding longer than 24 hours, scrape the marinade off of the chicken and refrigerate the marinade separately.

4. Make the chutney:

• Remove any large, tough stems from the cilantro.
• Wash the cilantro by immersing it in cold water, then drain on paper towels and blot dry.
• Reserve 2 sprigs of cilantro for garnishing (in step 12).
• Remove the leaves from the mint sprig stems, and add the leaves to the grinder.
• Chop the onion, then peel and chop the step 4 ginger; add them to the grinder.
• Add the reserved 1 ½ tsp yogurt, the sugar, the step 4 salt, and step 4 water. Grind the mixture to a thick purée, adding a little more water if necessary to release the blades.
• Remove the seeds and veins from the serrano chile, chop it and add some of it to the grinder. Purée the mixture.
• Evaluate the flavor. If necessary correct the balance of salt and sugar. Grind in more serrano chile to achieve the desired hotness level.
• If prepping ahead, scrape the chutney into a container. To hold longer than 24 hours, freeze it.

5. Shuck and par-cook the corn:

• In a large pot, bring enough water to the boil to submerge the corn. Have ready a bowl near the stove.
• Remove the husks and silk from the corn ears.
• Drop the corn ears into the boiling water, recover the boil, and then boil for 5 to 6 minutes depending on the size and maturity of the corn.
• Lift the corn out into the bowl and then place the bowl in the sink under cold running water for about 3 minutes.
• Drain the corn and blot dry on paper towels.
• If prepping ahead, place the corn ears in a plastic bag.

6. Assemble the remaining mise-en-place ingredients.

HOLD: Refrigerate all ingredients except the corn masala up to 4 days. If holding the chicken longer than 24 hours, scrape off the marinade and refrigerate both separately up to 4 days. If holding the chutney longer than 1 day, freeze it. Hold the corn masala at cool room temperature up to 1 week.

COOK! Finish and plate your dinner.

7. If necessary, thaw the chutney:

• Uncover the chutney and leave at room temperature for an hour or so. Alternatively, thaw in a microwave oven on low power for a few seconds at a time. Do not allow the chutney to become hot.

8. Set up a grilling station:

• Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat. (If your charcoal grill doesn’t have a lid, preheat an oven to 300°F.)
• Have ready tongs, a flexible spatula, a heat-proof basting brush, 2 sizzle pans or small sheet trays, 2 sheets of aluminum foil, and an instant-read thermometer.

9. Prepare your ingredient mise-en-place for grilling:

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
• If you’ve not already done so, scrape the marinade off of the chicken legs into a small container.
• On a tray, assemble the corn ears, the chicken, the chicken marinade, and the melted butter.

10. Make the kachumber salad:

• Peel the cucumber. Cut it lengthwise into 6 long wedges, and then use a paring knife to remove the seeds. Cut the wedges into rough ½-inch dice. Place the cucumber dice onto doubled paper towels, roll up the towels, and gently squeeze the roll to remove excess liquid.
• Cut the tomato into rough ½-inch dice and spread out onto doubled paper towels to remove excess liquid.
• Cut the step 10 onion into rough ½-inch dice and place in a bowl, then stir in the cucumber and tomato.
• Squeeze the step 10 lemon over the vegetables and season with black salt or salt. Stir well to combine.
• Before serving, evaluate the flavor and, if necessary, correct the lemon and salt.

11. Grill the naan, corn, and chicken:

• If necessary, brush/scrape the grill grids to remove any residual food particles and/or carbon.
• Brush both sides of the naan breads with butter and place them on the grill. Grill for about 1 minute until grill marks form, then turn over and grill about 40 seconds longer. Wrap in a sheet of aluminum foil and hold in a warm place.
• Brush the corn ears with butter and place them on one side of the grill. Cook, turning often, for about 10 minutes until some of the kernels become golden brown and a few become dark brown. (When browned to your liking, place the sheet of foil on one of the sizzle pans, place the corn ears on it, and wrap with foil to keep warm.)
• Meanwhile, brush the convex, presentation sides of the chicken legs with butter and place them on the other side of the grill. Brush the top sides with a little butter. Cook for about 5 minutes without trying to move them.
• After about 5 minutes the chicken should release itself from the grill grids. If necessary, scrape the grids under the chicken with the flexible spatula to help loosen it. Brush the tops with butter and then turn the chicken legs over. Continue grilling for about 5 minutes longer.
• Transfer the chicken legs to the holding rack above the grilling surface; alternatively, turn off one burner and move the legs to that area of the grill. Turn the heat to medium.
• Mix the remaining butter (and the watery milk solids at the bottom of the container) into the reserved chicken marinade. Coat the top surfaces of the chicken legs with a thick layer of marinade. Close the lid of the grill. (If you’re using a charcoal grill with no lid, transfer the thighs to the sizzle pan and place it in the oven.)
• Finish cooking the chicken legs by grill-roasting them (or in the oven) for about 10 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F. Place the chicken on the sizzle pan and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep it hot and to allow carryover cooking to raise the temperature to 165°F.

12. Plate:

• Place a portion of the kachumber salad in each small dish.
• Place a portion of green chutney in each ramekin or dip dish.
• Unwrap the corn, squeeze the juice from the step 12 lemon over it, and sprinkle it with the corn masala on all sides. Place each ear diagonally across the back left of each warmed dinner plate.
• Place a chicken leg in front of each corn ear, propped against it.
• Arrange the kachumber salad and green chutney dishes on the right front of each plate.
• Cut each naan bread in half, and then plant two naan halves upright behind the corn on each plate.
• Tear the cilantro leaves into bits and scatter them over the corn ears and chicken legs.