GOOD COOKING : A Cure for the Barbecue Blahs

Every year, just as summer comes to a close, the usual barbecue fare seems to lose its luster and I crave something different in the grilled food department. Something that is unusual, exotic--and light.

Chef Sudhir Sedh, executive chef of Bukhara Restaurant in New York, has come up with the perfect solution. He has converted the recipes for the restaurant’s tandoori dishes, which are normally cooked in large clay ovens, for use on an American-style barbecue. The result is appealing summer food that is lusty, rustic and fresh-tasting.

These barbecue dishes lend themselves to casual entertaining. The chicken is skinned, trimmed of all visible fat, marinated in garlic and ginger-flavored yogurt and then grilled. The tandoori “salad” is made of skewered, grilled vegetables. The baked potato is topped with browned butter and garlic, and garnished with chopped cilantro. A simple dessert of fruit sherbet accompanied by a bowl of chilled grapes is a refreshing conclusion to the meal. Chilled beer, light or full-bodied, is the beverage of choice.

One final practical note: Typically, Bukhara guests are invited to dig into the food with their fingers; forks and knives are available only on request. That’s all well and good for the skewered foods and the chicken but it’s not recommended for the potato.

This is a very tasty barbecued chicken. It is easy to pull the skin off the chicken parts with your fingers and trim the visible fat with a sharp knife. Because the chicken and marinade are almost fat-free, there’s no flare-up during grilling. The best way to mince this quantity of ginger and garlic is in the food processor: peel both garlic and ginger and then cut the ginger into 1/4 -inch slices. Then, with the processor running, drop them one by one through the feed tube and process until fully minced.

TANDOORI MURGH BUKHARA

(Barbecued Chicken)

2 cups plain low-fat yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger root

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skinned and trimmed of visible fat

Combine yogurt, ginger, garlic, lime juice, turmeric, chili powder, salt and garam masala in large plastic food bag.

Wash chicken and dry well with paper towels. Place in marinade bag and rotate pieces until completely coated with marinade. Seal bag next to chicken and place in refrigerator, allow to marinate four to 12 hours. Turn bag occasionally to evenly distribute marinade.

Remove chicken from marinade and reserve marinade. Place chicken pieces on grill rack over hot coals. Cook, turning occasionally and brushing generously with reserved marinade, until juices run clear when meat is pierced with knife, about 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Garam masala, a blend of many dry-roasted, ground spices, is available in gourmet shops and Indian markets.

The marinade gives these colorful skewered vegetables great flavor; they are grilled only until heated through and lightly seared, still crunchy in texture. Bukhara garnishes each skewer with pineapple, an optional touch.

SALAD-E-KHAS

(Tandoori “Salad”)

2 large green peppers

1 large sweet red pepper

1 large yellow pepper

2 medium onions (about 7 ounces), peeled

8 cherry tomatoes, trimmed

8 medium mushrooms

1/3 cup oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon white vinegar

3 tablespoons chat masala

Red chili powder

Cut peppers and onions into roughly 1 1/4-inch squares, reserving odd pieces for another use. Place vegetable squares, tomatoes and mushrooms in plastic food bag.

Combine oil, lemon juice, vinegar, chat masala and chili powder in cup measure and mix well. Add to vegetables in plastic bag. Mix well. Seal bag next to vegetables. Let vegetables marinate at room temperature 2 to 3 hours.

Divide vegetables evenly and attractively among 4 long skewers, placing 1 piece onion between each pepper. Reserve marinade.

Place skewers on grill rack over hot coals. Cook, turning once and brushing few times with reserved marinade, until heated through, about 8 minutes. Do not overcook, otherwise tomatoes will become mushy. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings .

Note: Chat masala, a complicated spice-salt blend, is available at gourmet shops and Indian markets.

A wonderful garlicky variation on a baked potato.

BAKED POTATOES WITH BROWN BUTTER, GARLIC AND CILANTRO

4 large baking potatoes

Oil

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Wash potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Rub surfaces with oil. Wrap each in foil.

Place potatoes around edge of barbecue, not over hot coals but where it’s very hot. Cook about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender, turning often to avoid burning.

Brown butter in small skillet over high heat, tipping skillet to brown evenly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in garlic. Slash each potato and drizzle with garlic butter. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.