Tandoori Grill

If you are looking for delicious, hot, smoky food, then you won’t go far wrong by choosing a tandoori grill to meet your needs. However, many people commonly misunderstand what tandoori means and assume that it is just another way to describe food that originates from India. To help you understand, we have put together an overview of what makes food ‘tandoori’.

Where Did the Tandoor Oven Originate?

The most crucial part of tandoori food is that it is cooked in a tandoor oven. These ovens have a fire in the base and a single hole opening at the top where food is put in to cook.

The word Tandoor comes from the word tinūru, which can be translated to mean mud fire, helping us to understand how the original tandoor ovens were made. These days you can get tandoors that made traditionally with clay, or there are more modern, stainless steel version that may tandoori grill restaurants use.

What Gives Tandoori Food Its Recognisable Taste?

As tandoori food is mostly red in colour, many people want to understand the flavour combinations that make it so delicious. Each tandoori grill takeaway will have its own secret spice blend, but it will use the following as base ingredients:

  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Ginger
  • Garam masala

Because every chef will mix these ingredients in different ways, you can expect the heat profile to be different at different restaurants. Still, the traditional tandoori flavour will be delicious no matter where you eat!

What Foods Get Cooked In a Tandoor?

The tandoor oven is dry, and so you would not expect to cook sauces or curries inside it. Instead, the main foods that are prepared in this oven include bread, meat, and fish. The meat and fish are diced and then built up on a skewer that will sit inside the oven, resting in the fire at the base; these skewers are then removed when cooked, and the meat or fish is either served dry with rice, or it is covered in a sauce first.

Bread is cooked on the tandoor wall, giving it the heat it needs to puff up whilst retaining deliciously chewy texture. Naan bread, flatbreads and more can all be cooked in a tandoor, and they are then used to accompany a range of dishes, including curry.

What Dishes Would I Know That Are Tandoori?

If you are wondering if there is one particular dish that is associated with tandoori cuisine, then it is probably tandoori chicken and sheekh kebabs, dishes that are well-loved all over the world. However, any type of meat of fish can be loaded with that unique tandoori taste, giving you the ultimate choice in what to eat when you choose a tandoori takeaway.

Enjoy What’s On Offer At the Chipstead Tandoori

If you want authentic tandoori food, then the Chipstead Tandoori is an obvious choice. With an expansive menu, dedicated chefs and outstanding customer service, you can be sure that the whole family will enjoy every meal you buy. Get yours ordered now!