Earth, wood, metal and fire -
the four natural elements needed to cook meat, fish, vegetables and
bread, now brought to your home in this beautifully crafted charcoal
burning tandoor oven. Now you can experience that authentic tandoor
taste from a genuine tandoor, hand crafted and made by artizans!
 What
is tandoor cooking?
Many people think that the word tandoor or tikka is red chicken or
lamb that is served in Indian restaurants and takeaways. This is not the
case, please read on...
Tandoor is a method of cooking food in a clay oven at a high
temperature of 400c. The meat is left in a marinade for up to 24 hours
or more.
The food is skewered and then placed vertically in the clay pot where
the intense heat seals all the flavour of the meat and quickly cooks it
in approximately 8 to 10 minutes (conventional grilling, barbecuing or
oven roasting will not achieve the desired result).
Tandoor cooked food is unique and the flavour can only be achieved
using the following methods:Marinade, tenderises and infuses spices into
the meat,Clay, imparts an earthy flavour,Charcoal, imparts an aromatic
flavour,Metal Skewers; conduct the heat, cooking the meat from the
inside.
How does the tandoor oven work?When using charcoal, the tandoor oven
can reach a temperature of approximately 400c. The skewered meat is
inserted upright resting on the side of the pot.
About 60 mm of the skewer is inserted into the red hot charcoal,
which conducts the heat into the centre of the meat, the skewer gets hot
and cooks the meat from inside and the radiating heat from the clay
cooks the meat from outside, sealing in all the goodness and flavour,
it’s a perfect science.With charcoal you have to prepare the oven for a
tandoor session.
It takes time to insert and light the charcoal, takes up to 80
minutes to reach a cooking temperature, it burns hotter, a better
flavour is achieved. The oven, will gradually loose its temperature over
an hour, so after two 10 minute sessions cooking times will be longer,
finally the oven has to be cleaned out ready for the next tandoor
session.
What can the tandoor oven cook?
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Authentic
Tandoor Clay Oven |
Well if it’s edible you can cook it in the tandoor oven!
Here are some ideas:
Cubes of skewered chicken, lamb, beef, pork Cubes of skewered fish,
monk fish, tuna Skewered mince meat kebabs of lamb, beef, pork etc Whole
leg of lamb, big joint of beef, whole chicken Cubes of skewered
vegetables - peppers, onion, mushroom, tomatoes etc Paneer, in between
Vegetables, or tofu, vegetarian meat substitutes. Naan Bread on the
inside clay wall of the oven In fact, Tandoor cooking is not just
limited to using marinades made with yoghourt and Indian spices. You
could also use wine, vinegar, lemon juice, apple juice, orange juice,
herbs like basil, rosemary, tarragon, oregano and crushed garlic.
What gives the meat the flavour?
The flavour comes from a combination of the marinade, the clay, the
charcoal and believe it or not the skewer.
Iron skewers can enhance a better flavour . So earth, iron and fire.
What more can you ask for. It’s perfect. You can achieve this ancient
form of superb cooking in your garden, on your patio, balcony, or roof
top with the tandoor clay oven. |
