For the tandoori roast chicken:
1 (4 to 5 pound) free-range or organic chicken
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt per pound of chicken
4 to 5 teaspoons tandoori spice mix (1 teaspoon per pound of chicken)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Chicken stock, as needed
For the masala bread salad:
4 to 5 cups bread cubes (from 1 loaf of day-old bread)
1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
10 to 12 fresh curry leaves (See Recipe Note)
1 small onion, finely diced
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt to taste
Fresh salad leaves, to serve
Dry-brine the chicken 2 days ahead of when you plan to cook. Place the chicken in a shallow roasting dish and pat dry. Mix together the salt, tandoori spice mix and lemon zest. Rub the chicken all over with this mixture. Gently loosen the skin and rub a little mixture under the skin as well. Be generous with the plumper parts of the chicken, like the thighs and breast. Cover the chicken loosely with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.
After 24 hours, baste the chicken with any liquid that has been released. Cover and place back in the fridge for an another 12 hours. Twelve hours before you plan to roast, baste the chicken again and place back into the fridge — but this time leave the chicken uncovered. Leaving the chicken uncovered will dry out the skin, giving you extra crispy roast chicken.
When ready to roast, take the chicken out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature on the counter. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475°F. Place a heavy roasting pan in the oven to heat along with the oven.
Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and set it on top of the stove. Immediately, place the chicken inside, breast side up. The chicken should sizzle and spit on contact. Put the pan back into the oven and roast for 30 minutes, until you can see the skin browning beautifully.
Take the chicken out of the oven, carefully flip it over so that it's breast-side down, and put it back in the oven. Immediately, turn the oven temperature down to 400°F. Roast the chicken for another 30 minutes. Take it out and flip it again, back to breast-side up, and roast until the chicken juices run clear and the chicken registers 165°F in the meat of the thigh, another 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. If chicken is browning too much, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
Take the chicken out of the roasting pan, cover loosely with foil, and let it rest for at least 10 mi