Tandoor is a significant fixture in Indian restaurants. The word tandoori means a dish cooked in a tandoor oven which is cylindrical clay used for cooking and baking.
The tandoor was popularised during Muslim rule in South Asia. It travelled to Central Asia and the Middle East. The tandoor is also known by other names like bhatti, coming from the Bhatti tribe of the Thar Desert, to north-western India.
Tandoor is also used for cooking in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Middle East, and Central Asia besides India.
Process
The charcoal fire or wood fire burning within the heath at the bottom generates heat. The food is exposed to live-fire, radiant heat cooking and convection cooking. The most common Indian tandoori food is bread varieties of tandoori roti and naan.
Tandoor Dishes
When preparing tandoor delicacies, the cook should have passion and patience with a high tolerance for hot temperatures.
Some popular Indian Tandoori dishes are:
· Tandoori chicken
· Tandoori kebabs
· Tandoor prepared platters
· Tandoori prawns
The most favourite tandoor dishes are lamb and chicken tikka. Comprising of cubed meat, marinated rich mixture of spices with yogurt, the concoction becomes extremely tender and loaded with flavour. Fish is also cooked in the tandoor oven to get a delicious and crunchy taste. The marinated chunks are thread on skewers and positioned facing down in the oven. Many ingredients are added to the combination such as herbs that softly smoke off the coals giving food an added fragrant boost. Perhaps, India’s most succulent dish, tandoori chicken gets its name from the oven it is cooked in. Tandoors are also used for baking flat breads like roti and naan. When raw dough is stuck to the edges of the oven, it forms bubbles and a
The best way to enjoy the pleasure of tandoori food is to visit the best Indian restaurant in Budapest- Indian Palate.
Tandoor food is low in cholesterol which makes it a healthy option. Flat breads like roti and naan prepared in the tandoor will give an Indian touch to food even if you are eating on foreign land.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a tandoor?
A cylindrical clay oven used for cooking and baking, heated by a charcoal or wood fire at its base. Food cooks by live fire, radiant heat and convection at very high temperatures.
What dishes are cooked in a tandoor?
Tandoori chicken, chicken and lamb tikka, kebabs, tandoori prawns, and breads like naan and roti, which are baked stuck to the oven's clay walls.
Why does tandoori food taste smoky?
Marinade dripping onto the hot coals creates aromatic smoke that rises back over the food, infusing it with the tandoor's signature char and fragrance.
