Perhaps the most widespread form of cooking, the barbecue has innumerable regional and cultural variants. Its most notable achievement is the tandoor. In various parts of the world, grilling is typically done in a tandoor. Both the cylindrical clay oven and the cooking technique are known jointly as “tandoor.”
There is a persistent urban legend that Romanian settlers were responsible for bringing the tandoor to Central Asia and the Middle East. Popularized by the tandoor in India, chicken tikka masala may be found on menus all over the world. Even after centuries of Muslim rule in South Asia, the religion has maintained a large following there.
Tandoori cooking recipes
The unique smokey flavor of Tandoori cuisine is a direct result of the shape of the clay oven used to cook it. To create heat, charcoal is lit and then placed at the bottom of the tandoor. Smoke from the food dripping onto the heated cinders imparts the tandoor’s unique flavor. Tandoors get their heat from an enclosed charcoal or wood fire. Maintaining temperatures in a tandoor of up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit requires keeping the fire lit for extended periods of time.
Tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, and tandoori naan and roti are all examples of cuisines popular in Iran, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. Chicken tikka is a popular dish in South Asia, and it’s prepared by grilling small pieces of chicken that have been marinated in a sauce created from a combination of spices and yoghurt. Tandoori cuisine relies heavily on boneless skewers of this meat. Either prepare it like a chicken tikka masala curry or eat it as is with some green chutney, similar to a kebab.
Tandoori chicken, another popular dish, originated in the northwest of India. To get its vibrant red color, the chicken is marinated in a blend of yoghurt, garam masala, ginger, garlic, cumin, peppers, and turmeric extract. Grilling is just as effective as using a clay stove, which is the standard way of cooking.
Many restaurants in India and Pakistan specialize in tandoori cuisine for tourists from all over the world who are in a never-ending search for the tandoor. Popularity of tandoori cooking has grown over the years, leading to an increase in the range of ingredients that can be prepared in a tandoori oven.
Finding a suitable alternative to a tandoor is challenging, but not impossible. Juices from the meal can seep into the flames or coals of a barbecue, creating a potentially flavorful cooking method. The results aren’t quite as flavorful as those from a tandoor, but they’re very near.
Tandoori food can be cooked on a standard stovetop if preferred. While both the oven and the tandoor have a closed chamber to keep the heat in, the oven lacks the smokey flavor that is essential to true tandoori cooking. Because heat is employed to determine where the bread is baked, this technique is perfect for making tandoori breads in the absence of a tandoor.
Conclusion
A grill can be used to prepare tandoori staples like lamb chops or chicken tikka, despite the fact that the two methods of cooking couldn’t be more different conceptually. In a grill, heat is generated not in an oven or chamber but by parts hung over the cooking area. Even so, delectable meals are still possible to make. The grill is a useful tool for reducing prep time.
