The Tandoor

Summers is really on this year and thank GOD for that. Last two summers were so wet; we could go to the beach only once. Well this tear it’s different and I am sure all of you out there in North America, Europe agree with me. We may be playing with Mother Nature but it really is kind to us. Meanwhile The Tandoor continues. One of my friends asked me why I haven’t talked about the Tandoori Chicken as yet. Everybody likes tandoori chicken and I assume just about everybody knows how to cook one. But that does not mean we cannot talk about that here. I mean I make tandoori chicken twice a week at least.

Sometime back we talked about Sushruta and how he describes a dish roasted in Tandoor. Sushruta also mentions another meat preparation called ‘Shulyam’ for which meat has to be soaked in asafetida water and cooked over a gridiron on a smokeless fire. During cooking, a mixture of water and pomegranate juice is sprinkled over the meat.

You will notice all meat dishes whether cooked in Tandoor or not have yogurt, raw papaya or raw mango added before masala. That is because all these are tenderizers. When meat is tenderized properly it requires only short time to cook and Tandoor provides that high heat. Tenderizers have the enzymes that break the meat and thus soak all the flavours of the masala.

Here are some tenderizers one can use. The use of each one differs from dish to dish but the principle remains the same.
Raw pineapple, raw mango, dahi/yogurt, raw papaya, lemon juice, imli (tamarind) pomegranate seeds or juice, mustard seeds all are good tenderizers. You will also find raw figs used as tenderizers in dishes from Middle East. You also get prepared meat tenderizers in the market but they are a pale substitute.

Some European dishes like schnitzels require mechanical tenderizing with wooden or rubber mallet.

Tandoori Chicken
4 chicken legs with thighs
1 cup dahi (yogurt)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic-chili paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp orange food colour
Salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients except chicken in a bowl. Make slits in the chicken legs and add to the marinade. Let stand for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Heat the grill at 350 degrees and baste it with oil. Grill chicken pieces 5 minutes each side or till done. When turning the chicken baste it with the marinade.

Bon Appétit