Tandoori Chicken gets its name from being cooked in a tandoor, a clay oven used for high-heat grilling of meats and flatbreads. The word tandoori is the adjective meaning “pertaining to the tandoor” and is used to describe a dish cooked in a tandoor. Meats grilled in the dry and high heat of a tandoor are usually marinated, baked crisp on the outside and tender inside.

Fired by charcoal, the sides of a tandoor can reach 900 degrees, creating a sealed heat that allows breads, seafood, and meats cooked in it to retain their natural juices and flavors. Meats cooked in the tall, rather cylindrical tandoor are usually skewered and thrust into the oven’s heat, which is so intense that it cooks a chicken half in less than 5 minutes.

The tandoori oven has become very popular as it cooks very quickly without burning. The oven is often fueled with wood, coal or gas. All of these mediums produce a scorching heat which is ideal for cooking breads or meats. Preparing the tandoori oven is just as important as the cooking itself.

When using charcoal in your tandoori oven it is very similar to a traditional grill. When the coals become a bed of hot embers you are ready to start cooking. Cook meats like tandoori chicken, or try making the popular naan bread, which is a staple in India.

A brine solution is sprinkled on the inner walls to facilitate the sticking of breads like naans to the sides. To know if the oven temperature is optimum, try and stick a naan to the sides, if it falls off, the oven is not hot enough. There is an opening at bottom for wood and air while the top is open and is used for adding wood as well as for sticking the bread.

The food is permeated with an aroma of marinade, clay and charcoal smoke, and the scent is intoxicating. The meat is often cooked on long skewers that can be inserted directly into the oven. Cooking in a tandoori oven will produce very succulent and tender meat, as the cooking process is optimum for sealing in all the flavors and juices.

It comes as no surprise that the tandoor oven cooking method goes back 2000 years. In ancient Egypt bread was cooked at extremely high temperatures in a clay pot. When things work and they are an ideal measure, chances are they wont just go away. The evolution of cooking with tandoor ovens spans 2000 years and it won’t be going away anytime soon.

Tandoori food in many ways is the soul food of India, and is best when eaten in the traditional style, with the fingers. A cool yogurt raita sauce is nice for dipping, as is Indian kachoomar salsa. In India great pride is taken in the cooking of these very popular foods.

Tandoori chicken is a popular part of Indian cuisine. It can be served as either a main dish or as an appetizer. It is a unique food to the Indian culture and when tried for the first time it is often loved. You can often find tandoori chicken at Indian restaurants that cook with tandoors.

Tandoori meals are surprisingly very easy to prepare. They look very impressive on the table, yet they are often cooked in 1/3 of the time as traditional meals. On top of that, tandoori food is also low in calories! A healthy and delicious alternative that should not be overlooked.

When preparing food with a Tandoori oven, it is good to know you are using authentic cookware. Check out Ron Levy’s website, where you can find authentic Tandoor ovens that can help you with all your Indian cooking needs.

Tags : clay tandoors, Cooking, food, food preparation, Indian cooking, tandoori chicken, tandoori ovens
Categories : Cooking, Cooking Appliances