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1
Combine the salt and lemon juice and rub thoroughly over the chicken cubes, then leave uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes so the salt and acid work into the flesh rather than sitting on its surface alone. You will see the flesh turn slightly opaque and feel marginally firmer to the touch — that is what you are waiting for, not the clock.
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2
Pat every cube completely dry with kitchen paper, removing all extracted liquid, so the second marinade meets bare, tacky flesh rather than a diluting film of moisture. The surface must feel dry and slightly tacky, not wet — this is where the spices will grip and stay.
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3
Combine the strained yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, kasuri methi, oil, and salt into a uniform, deeply coloured paste, then add the dried chicken cubes and turn to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours — overnight is better, because the spices move from the surface into the flesh and the raw edge of ginger and garlic softens into the meat. When you take the bowl out, the coating should be vivid red-orange and dry against the flesh, not pooled at the bottom.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Heat a cast-iron pan or broiler to the maximum possible temperature — the equivalent of the tandoor's 400–500 °C — because only fierce, immediate heat will blister and char the coating before the inside overcooks and dries out. Shake any excess marinade from the cubes, place them onto the surface without crowding, and watch for the first char spots within 60–90 seconds of contact; if 3 minutes pass with no char, the temperature is insufficient, so remove the chicken, raise the heat further, and begin again. Turn the cubes once the underside is char-spotted and cook the second side until matching marks appear and the juices run clear.
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5
Rest for 2 minutes off the heat. The cubes should yield to gentle pressure with no raw resistance at the centre, and the spice crust should be set and dry to the touch, not tacky.