Tandoori Cooking - without the Tandoor :: Food-Drink.WebWorlds-One.com ::

The use of a tandoor oven is very important in traditional North Indian cooking, and many breads and dishes were designed especially for these clay ovens. This includes many famous Punjabi and North Indian foods: paratha, naan, kulcha, roti, and other exiting breads; and tandoori lamb chops, chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, seekh kabab, tandoori prawns, reshmi kabab, and a variety of other dishes. Only a few of us these days, however, are lucky enough to have our own tandoor. This article will look at a few alternatives we can use to cook tandoori-style foods.

Tandoori food has a distinctive smoky flavour that is produced because of the clay oven’s design. Heat in a tandoor is generated from lit coals at the base of the oven (which has a similar shape to a pot-belly stove). As the food inside it cooks, its juices drop down onto these hot coals, producing deliciously flavoured smoke that is the signature of the tandoor.

Naturally, it is difficult to find an exact equivalent of a tandoor, but we have a few options. Barbecues can be pretty good, especially where cooking can be done over a grill that lets food juices run onto the burners or coals. The effect isn't quite that of the tandoor, but the resulting flavour is a fair approximation.

You could choose a conventional oven to cook 'tandoori' dishes. The similarity here is that both the oven and the tandoor have an enclosed space where heat is trapped, but the former does not produce the trademark smoky flavouring of real tandoori food. This method is the best alternative for cooking tandoori breads (naan, roti, kulcha etc), when a tandoor is not available because the bread is surrounded by heat.

A grill can be used when cooking food like lamb chops or chicken tikka even though the concept of grill cooking is really the reverse of tandoori cooking. A grill does not have an enclosed space and food is heated by elements from above. Nevertheless, tasty food can still be achieved. The grill is good for quick cooking (ie when the barbecue is not an option).

Overall, the most suitable alternative to a tandoor is a coal-fueled barbecue when you wish to do some North Indian style cooking. Even so, tandoors are far easier to buy in the West lately, so if tandoori-style food regularly graces your menu, it may well be worth making the investment.

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About The Author

Laliey trained as a chef in India before moving to Australia to study.
You can find more of Laliey's articles, along with cooking demonstrations, recipes and tips, online at Laliey's Cooking With Gusto! Ezine

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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Tandoori Turkey.

If You Have Never Had Turkey Cooked In This Indian Way Then You Have Never Really Had Turkey.
By Chris Jacob.

Today we bring you a way to cook a turkey that will absolutely blow your mind, the Tandoori Turkey.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup plain yoghurt, 1/2 cup lemon juice (2 lemons), 3 tsp. garlic paste, 1 tsp. ginger paste, 2 tsp. chili powder, 2 tsp. coriander powder, 2 tsp. cumin powder, 2 tsp. salt, A few drops of orange and red food colouring to get the traditional red tandoori colour, 1 turkey around 8-10 lbs (a smaller turkey will be more flavourful)

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Remove the neck and giblets from the body cavity, rinse under cold running water.

3. Place the rinsed turkey breast-side down in a big bowl. Rub mixture over and inside the turkey. Keep overnight in the refrigerator to marinate.

4. Preheat the oven to 325F. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour, then turn and continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165F. when inserted into the largest section of thigh, avoiding the bone.

5. Baste the turkey once every hour with one-half to three-fourths cup of chicken stock mixed with half a stick of melted butter, or any other basting liquid of your choice.

6. Cook an 8 to 12 lbs for 2 3/4 to 3 hrs. The cooking times are guidelines only. Use a food thermometer to determine safe 'doneness'.

Extra Secret Tip: You can add small red potatoes and baby carrots all around the turkey when roasting. Add a few dollops of butter and a a dash of pepper to them. They turn out fabulous when the turkey is done.

BON APÉTIT.....

Chris Jacob is a connoisseur of fine foods and wine and believes that the world should have access to all the great flavours of the world and that is why he has revealed secrets at Gourmet Indian Recipes that no one else is willing to tell.
from: Gourmet Indian Recipes - Tandoori Turkey

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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