What is Tandoor and why should Americans care about it?

What is Tandoor and why should Americans care about it?

According to many people's belief, “Tandoori” is a recipe but in reality, it is the process of cooking. The tandoor is used to prepare recipes made of meat. The meat is marinated with yogurt and spices and then cooked over intense heat inside a tandoor.

Tandoor plays a vital role in cooking tandoori recipes. It is a very large clay pit that holds slow-burning fire created by burnt charcoal woods. You will be able to see small windows at the bottom of the tandoor which is made to let the oxygen in to regulate the amount of heat generated in the clay pit.

Some historian believes that Tandoors were 5000 years old which belong to the Indus valley civilization of India. Not only in India but these clay ovens were used in Asia and Egypt also. However, the present-day Tandoors were brought to India by the Mughal rulers. It is said that whenever Jahangir traveled somewhere his cooks carried the portable tandoor with them. Thus, we can say that the portable tandoor was an invention of Jahangir's reign.

Latter “Guru Nanak dev” founder of the Sikh community influenced the people of Punjab to use Tandoor to abolish casteism. He urged every Sikh to make a common tandoor which he called Sanjha Chula. From that period the process of cooking in Tandoor became prevalent in Indian society.

Popular Tandoori dishes that you must try :

Tandoori Chicken – It is a Smokey and Spicy Chicken recipe that will definitely love. It is prepared by grilling the marinated chicken in tandoor. The Marinated chicken is coated with yogurt, lemon juices, oil, ginger-garlic paste, cumin, and coriander powder, which is seasoned with garam masala, salt, and pepper. It has a vibrant and fiery color which makes it more appetizing.

Seekh Kebab – You will surely forget the flipping burgers and hot dogs if you will taste once the juicy and soft seekh Kebabs. It was traditionally in tandoor with the help of skewer grilled. They can be enjoyed as a BBQ evening.  It is served with crunchy salad and raita. It is made with minced meat, spices, lemon juice, and garnished with cilantro.

Chicken Tikka – This popular recipe is traditionally made by baking boneless chicken on skewers after marination with spices and yogurt. The word tikka means pieces. Because it is made with small pieces of chicken that is why it is named chicken tikka. The chicken is marinated overnight and then brushed with ghee and finally grilled in tandoors which are served hot with coriander and tamarind sauce with onion rings and lemons.

Maybe you are wondering that “were Tandoor made for only meat-lover”? But it is not true. There are many luscious veg tandoor recipes available on the Tandoori dishes list such as –

Paneer Tikka – This is one of the most popular and iconic North Indian recipes. These are juicy chunks of cottage cheese marinated with yogurt and juicy chunks of cottage cheese marinated with yogurt and spices and grilled over tandoor. It provides you a yummy Smokey flavor. Moreover, onion rings, bell peppers, and tomatoes were screwed in between the paneer chunks to make them more delectable.

Tandoori Naan – Either its Shahi Paneer or chicken Korma, your plate will remain incomplete with this spicy bread. It is the most popular bread of Indian cuisine for a Shahi Dawat. This is a flatbread having a very soft texture. The tandoori naan is made by mixing yeast, yogurt, baking powder, baking salt, sugar, nigella seeds, chopped cilantro, and garlic with plain flour. Then it is doughed and baked in a tandoor at an extremely high temperature for a couple of minutes.

Tandoori Veg Kebabs – Well this is specially made for your  diet. These are served as a delicious snack or starter at Indian parties. It is made with veggies like carrot, beans, capsicum, peas, cabbage, potatoes, and Indian spices, we can say it is a vegetarian version of seekh kebab. All the veggies are boiled, mashed, and mix with spices, then shaped on a skewer to grill on tandoor. You must try it to satisfy your craving for kebabs.

Why Americans must try Tandoori once?

After so much discussion on Tandoori recipes. I am sure that you already got this question answer. But if you don’t get it till now. Let me tell you it’s an Indian version of your Barbecue with more flavors and a variety of ingredients which make all these recipes popular throughout the world restaurant. And probably you even don’t know how many health benefits a tandoori dish can provide you. These recipes are mostly oil free and cooked well in burning fire. There is no loss of any nutrients; also they are low in calories.

So, what are you waiting for? You can now easily prepare some amazing and delicious recipes at home instantly. Visit Alcoeats to get your hands on the best Indian spices to make your recipe super-yummy. Start shopping now and get a magical taste in your home-cooked recipes.

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