Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Cooking With A Tandoori Oven

By Amit Patel

Tandoor ovens are most often associated with tandoori chicken, a delicious and traditional Indian food. Often marinated, the chicken and meats cooked in a tandoor oven are known for being crispy on the outside and juicy and succulent on the inside.

The heat of a tandoor is intense, and can reach up to 900 degrees faranheit. This creates a sealed heat that is good at retaining the natural juices and flavors of meats, seafood and Indian naan bread. The tandoor ovens are fired by charcoal, and can get so hot that a chicken is usually cooked in 5 minutes or less.

The Tandoor is a charcoal or gas fired clay oven used for cooking breads or meats, the temperatures reached inside the Tandoor are extremely high, which helps cook very quickly without burning. Preparation is as important as the cooking itself, if not more. The oven contains a flamed bottom, fueled by wood, coal, dung or gas, which produces a very high heat.

Start a fire with charcoal in the bottom of the oven, and when the coals are white hot you are ready to cook seafood, meats, and bread. Some popular items cooked in a tandoori oven are tandoori chicken and the popular naan bread which is customary in India and Pakistan.

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.

Meats are usually cooked on long skewers that are either inserted directly into the oven or cooked over the mouth of the oven. The intense heat sears the meat and seals in juices, making it succulent and tender. The aroma of charcoal smoke, clay and marinade permeates the food, giving it the characteristic tandoori flavour.

Cooking food at a high temperature in a clay pot can be traced back over 2000 years to when the Egyptians were building the pyramids and baking bread for the workers. It is the most simple and fundamental way of cooking, using a clay pot buried in the ground, fired up with wood.

Tandoori food is often considered the culinary pride of the people of India. It is prepared with the greatest of care and the passion for this cooking often translates to irresistable food. You will commonly find delicious dips and sauces, such as yogurt raita sauce and kachoomar salsa.

The most popular dish that is cooked in tandoori ovens is definately tandoori chicken. It is eaten often, both as a main course for dinner and also as a snack. It is a delicious and unique food that everyone should try at least once.

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.

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