Even if you don't have to cook during the festive season, simply deciding what to order as the centrepiece for the Christmas table can be a harrowing affair. To us, the X'mas roast makes or breaks the meal. Mess it up and you risk an awkward silence after everyone takes their first un-delicious bite. Or burning shame and annoyance as your know-it-all cousin loudly gives your unfortunate dish of choice a withering critique. But hey, no pressure. So this year, forget the same old traditional turkey (which in our experience is mostly dry and dull when prepped in bulk anyway) and try this spicy tandoori capon. Believe us when we say it was the best store-bought festive bird sent to the 8 DAYS foodie team so far.

Say kay-pern . There's no pretty way to put this, but a capon is a rooster that has been castrated before it reaches sexual maturity. Apparently, the lack of testosterone allows more fat to form on the bird's muscles, which makes its meat more tender and flavourful. Moreover, castration causes the teen male chickens to be less aggressive and also less energetic than other poultry, which helps the meat stay nua (that's soft in Hokkien). A capon is smaller than a regular rooster but larger than an average chicken. Interesting trivia: it was allegedly the bird of choice at the Christmas table for wealthy families in Europe in the early twentieth century, as it was rather expensive back then.​​​​​​​ Back home in Singapore in 2019, Cold Storage supermarket sells raw capons for $11.90 each — meanwhile, a regular fresh large chicken costs about $7.90 there.

Photo: Blog of Blog

Enter one-Michelin-starred Song Of India restaurant’s Tandoori Capon. It arrived at our office looking like an extra-large chicken, lightly charred in spots and coloured in tandoori chook’s trademark orange hue thanks to it being marinated in spices like Kashmiri chilli powder, tandoori garam masala, mustard oil cumin and yogurt overnight, then grilled in the tandoor oven for a smoky hit. One capon feeds four to five people — good for smaller families, and also easier on the wallet for those who don't wish to splurge on a turkey.

It comes with a generous tub of super tasty tomato-based wine sauce that’s like a more refreshing, tangy version of creamy butter chicken gravy, plus piquant house-made raita (a minty yogurt condiment), to cut all that richness. We couldn't stop drenching the bird in the addictive sauce and raita.

We don’t know if it's ’cos the capon was marinated in yogurt, a common ingredient used in Indian cooking to tenderise meat, but its flesh is so moist, supple and soft — even the usually dry breast. It's also more robust and ‘chickeny’ than a regular chook, without being gamey like a regular rooster can be. And it's infinitely tastier than a turkey. The blend of smoke, spice, salt and tang in the sauce and marinade make it quite irresistible (unless you prefer bland food).

Our only complaint? There’s too little of that morel (an atas angmoh mushroom) biryani, which you’ll only find stuffed within the cramped cavity of the capon. The basmati rice is perfectly cooked and still slightly al dente, wonderfully spiced with saffron, morels, and the capon’s savoury juices — impressive since it’s cooked together with the bird in the tandoor oven. But good news: you can get more rice on the side for an extra $25.

There’s Tandoori Turkey Stuffed with Morel Biryani ($136; feeds 6-8 pax) if you’ve got a bigger party. But we haven’t tried the turkey version, so we can’t say if it's as succulent and yummy as the capon. So come on and just order two capons, lah.

Available at Song Of India till 26 December, 2019. 33 Scotts Rd, S228226. For reservations, call 68360055. http://thesongofindia.com/