Tandoori Cuisine

Tandoori Cuisine for the International Palate

2021-01-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

Tandoori is India’s best known export, a cuisine that suits the international palate comfortably, since it is largely meat-based, lightly spiced, and easy to both cook and serve. So named because the food is cooked in a tandoor (large coal-fired oven), it is easily adaptable to the oven, the electrical grill or the microwave.
Tandoori is similar to the western barbecue, but with more delicate flavours and with marinades which enhance the flavour of the principle ingredient. The process of cooking is fast and efficient, and it is only the preparation that may take a while. Tandoori food may be served as starters, or may form a part of the main course, eaten with roomali roti, and mint chutney.Indian food is usually eaten without starters, soups or courses, though in restaurants it is presented in this manner for less familiar diners.
The main meal is eaten with either rice or roti, and includes at least one dal, a selection of vegetarian servings, a meat, chicken or fish, a sampling of chutneys and pickles, and yoghurt. Papads are served with almost any Indian meal. But, depending on the region these may be served after, during or before an Indian meal. No wonder Indian food continues to surprise its serving and style almost as variable as its thousands of recipes.

Popular Dishes and Recipes

2020-01-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

Click on the dishes below for their recipes (Ingredients and Cooking Instructions)

1. Chicken Tikka
2. Tandoori Chicken
3. Seekh Kabab
4. Boti Kabab
5. Tandoori Mushrooms

Tandoori Mushrooms

2008-02-11T09:52:00.001-08:00

Ingredients :

300 gms - Mushrooms, cut into half
½ cup - Milk
½ tsp - Cornflour
½ tsp-
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp - Oil
Salt to taste
4 nos - Red chillies
4 nos - Garlic
Cloves
1 no - Ginger 1 inch piece
2 tsp - Corriander Powder
1 tsp -
Cumin Powder

Cooking Instructions :

- Wash the mushrooms thoroughly. Drain and keep aside.
- Dissolve the cornflour in the milk and keep aside.
- Heat the oil in a pan, add the prepared chilli-garlic paste and kasuri methi and sauté for one minute
- Add cornflour-milk mixture and salt and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes
- Coat the mushrooms with this mixture and marinate for 30 mins.
- Put mushrooms in a skewer and bake in tandoor. Serve hot

Boti Kabab

2008-01-02T07:00:00.001-08:00

Ingredients :

1 No - Boned Leg of lamb
2 cloves - Chopped Garlic
2 tbsp - Chopped Coriander Leaves
2 tbsp - Lemon Juice
4 tbsp -
Curd
1/2 tsp -
Turmeric
Salt to taste
2 tbsp - Oil
6 nos - Green Cardamoms
1 no -
Cinnamon Stick
3 nos - Dried Red Chilly
1 tbsp - Coriander Seeds

Cooking Instructions :

- Grind the green cardamoms, cinnamon, red chili and coriander seeds into a fine mix. Keep aside.
- Wash the meat and dry it. Prick all over with a sharp knife and cut into 1 ½ inch cubes.
- Put the garlic, coriander leaves, lemon juice and yogurt into a liquidiser or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the salt, turmeric and the ground ingredients.
- Put the meat into a bowl and add the liquidised ingredients.
- Mix throughly, cover and leave to marinate for 6-8 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).
- Preheat grill to high. Line the grill pan with a piece of aluminium foil (this will reflect heat and also keep your grill pan clean).
- Thread meat onto skewers leaving about ¼-inch gap between each piece.
- Mix any remaining marinade with the oil and keep aside.
- Place the skewers on the prepared grill and pan and grill the kababs for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the skewers over and grill for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium. Brush the kababs with the oil/marinade mixture and grill for 6-8 minutes.
- Turn the skewers over and brush the kababs with the remaining oil/marinade mixture. Grill for a further 6-8 minutes.
- Garnish with thinly sliced onion rings, crisp lettuce leaves and wedges of cucumber.

Seekh Kabab

2008-01-02T06:59:00.004-08:00

Ingredients :

1 Kg - Lean Meat of the Leg of Sheep or Goat
2 nos - Eggs
1 tsp - Black Cardamom Seeds
1/2 tsp -
Cinnamon Powder
1/2 tsp - Ginger Powder
1/2 tsp -
Aniseed Powder
1/2 tsp - Red Chili Powder
1/2 tsp -
Caraway Seeds
Salt to taste
1 no - Medium chopped Onion
5 cloves - Chopped Garlic
1 tsp - Dry Mint Leaves
1/2 cup - Oil

Cooking Instructions :

- Crush the cardamom seeds
- Cut the meat into small pieces and then chop together fine.
- While chopping, add the white and yolk of the eggs, chopped onion and garlic, all the other spices, salt and a tbsp of clarified butter.
- Go on mixing and side by side chopping, till a homogenous well blended mince is formed.
- Mount the minced meat on as many iron Skewers as may be needed.
- Then roast the 'kababs' on live wood-charcoals, placed in a rectangular iron open fire box, or in an earthen oven or an electric oven.
- The skewers should be turned often, so that the 'kababs' roast evenly on all sides, to a dark brown colour.

Chicken Tikka

2008-01-02T06:59:00.001-08:00

Ingredients :

1 No - Boneless Chicken Breast
1 tsp - Crushed Ginger
2 cloves - Crushed Garlic
3 tbsp - Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp -
Turmeric
1 tsp - Chili Powder
1/4 tsp - Curry Powder
1/2 tsp - Salt
1 tbsp - Oil
2/3 cup - Plain Curd
1/4 tsp -
Garam Masala
1/4 tsp - Coriander
1/4 tsp - Corn Starch

Cooking Insrtuctions :

- Cut the chicken into cubes
- Mix all of the ingredients together. Let the chicken marinate for 3-4 hours.
- When it's ready to go, heat up the grill and grill the chicken on skewers.
- While they're grilling, take 1/2 cup of the marinade and put it in a small saute pan.
- Before heating it, mix in 1/4 tsp corn starch.
- Heat the sauce until it thickens and then let it bubble for a while. Set that aside until the chicken is done.

Tandoori Chicken

2008-01-02T06:57:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

4 nos - Chicken Drumsticks
4 nos - Chicken Thighs
1 no - Diced onion
2 tbsp - Crushed Ginger
5 cloves - Crushed Garlic
3 cups - Plain
Curd
1/4 cup - Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp -
Turmeric
1 tsp - Chili Powder
1 tsp -
Cumin Powder
1/4 tsp - Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp - Ground Cloves
2 tsp - Salt
1 tbsp - Oil
1/4 tsp -
Garam Masala
1/4 tsp - Coriander
1/4 tsp - Corn Starch

Cooking Instructions :

- Remove skin from chicken parts. Make deep slashes in the meat with a sharp knife.
- Mix all of the ingredients together to form a marinade. Blend it thoroughly and then pour into a leak-proof plastic bag.
- Add the chicken pieces, squeeze air from the bag, and seal. Knead the bag to rub the marinade into the slashes. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 12 - 24 hours, turns the bag occasionally.
- To cook, lift the pieces from the mariande and wipe off the excess
- Grill/broil with a hot flame for about 5 minutes per side to seal in juices, then continue to cook over a lower flame until the meat is cooked through
- Garnish with side of lettuce, sliced onion rings and lemon