As any restaurateur will tell you, political violence is never good for business. New borders established between India and Pakistan, circa 1947, had riled some locals, and the area was fast becoming a dangerous place to inspire appetites. One proprietor in the area decided he'd had enough. Among the items he packed for his trip east was a large, open-topped clay oven.

The move would end up leaving an indelible mark on Indian cuisine.

That clay oven was a tandoor. While a common sight in Northwest India at the time, it was long forgotten in Delhi and most of the rest of India. The new restaurant, called Moti Mahal, re-introduced the oven and tandoori cuisine to the mainstream and became a sensation.

The tandoor is really a marvel of cooking. Its clay walls are encased in brick insulation or earth (when it is underground). This insulation keeps the oven from losing heat, and the temperature can get white-hot inside (700 to 800 degrees F.) A bed of charcoal rests on the bottom of the oven, with a small hole to draw air (natural chimney).

A tandoor is used primarily for meat, which is placed on a skewer and lowered into the oven through its open top. The meat is prepared in one of three ways: whole and marinated (chicken, fish, or leg of lamb), cubed and marinated (boti kebobs or tikkas), or ground with spices and molded onto the skewer (sheek or seekh kebobs). Unleavened bread, such as naan, is cooked by being stuck to the interior wall of the oven, where it stays until done (only a few seconds or so).

The Mesquite Charcoal Fired Tandoor imparts a delicious, deep smoky-roast flavor to the food. While the flavor of the clay is a key element, so are the various marinades used in clay-oven dishes. Tandoori marinades are yogurt-based spice combinations, including garam masala, cumin, mace, and nutmeg. This cooking method ensures that the meats and bread do not turn dry after cooked but remain moist and succulent. The reddish-orange tint of meat cooked in a tandoori can be achieved with a little food coloring in the marinade. Compare this to cooking using natural gas, where the meats and the bread tend to be on the dry side and do not come out moist and succulent.

The early history of the tandoor is a bit of a mystery. Side-entry clay ovens used for baking bread first appeared in ancient Egypt and along the Indus River in what is now Pakistan, where they were called tandoors. Sometime after the decline of that Indus River civilization (1000 B.C.), clay ovens lost their side entry and became open-topped tandoors. Because they were used traditionally for bread, they survived predominantly in the cooler, wheat-growing regions.

While it is debatable where and when the tandoor was invented, royal cooks perfected it during the reign of the Mogul dynasty on the subcontinent (8th-century to 18th-century AD). To satisfy the royalty for whom they cooked, chefs began to use different meats and spices in the tandoor. Rich dishes were in demand, and yogurt began to figure prominently in their marinades. The food produced from these kitchens became the tandoori style we know today.

When the Mughali dynasty fell in the 18th Century, however, the tandoor almost followed. It remained in scattered use in kitchens in the northwest until 1947, the year of the Pakistan-India partition. The resulting violence along the border convinced the aforementioned restaurateur to move east to Delhi. The rest is history.

Of course, most people do not own tandoors. But you can still achieve a semblance of tandoori flavor with a grill or an oven. Remember that the marinade gives the meat much of its flavor. As for breads, they can be prepared on a griddle.

 
Many of you must have heard of the popular bright red "Tandoori Chicken." It is India's version of barbecued chicken and, being one of the most popular delicacies stemming from the North of India, it has undergone years of perfection. Tandoori chicken, when served, should be accompanied by freshly cut onions and wedges of fresh lime.

Indian tandoori cooking is one of the most tantalizing ways to barbecue. Indian barbecue is an easy way to start your journey into Indian cooking. For those of you who venture there, you will bring a new twist to your back yard barbecues.   
 

Recognize this red tandoori chicken? Yes, that's the one you get at most Indian restaurants. It is one of the most widely ordered and vastly popular dishes in Indian restaurants today! 

Most marinades used in Indian barbecue are yogurt or lime based. Many of the recipes require overnight marination for the right amount of tenderization and flavor to come through. Some of the cooking can be done ahead of time. And then, all that is needed is a few minutes of grilling on the grill. It is one of the best ways to turn your simple backyard entertaining into an exotic affair.

Tandoori cooking does not use much oil or ghee and therefore can be used when pursuing a low calorie diet. 

A tandoor is a clay oven, with rounded sides, standing about 5 feet high, with charcoal in the bottom as the heat source. It is obviously not a practical cooking medium to install in your home. Many have tried to build and install a tandoor in their back yard.

The tandoor oven relies on the natural cooking medium, charcoal. The intense heat inside, created by the hot coals, cooks the meat, seafood or chicken pieces very quickly. The food becomes crispy on the outside while remaining juicy inside. 

The food is first marinated either in dry spices or a spice and yogurt mixture and is then threaded onto very long metal skewers and lowered into the oven. Naan, and Indian flat bread, is also cooked in a tandoor oven by pressing the dough onto the inside walls.

It is impossible to create the exact flavor and texture of tandoori foods without a tandoor oven, however, you can use a gas or a coal barbecue grill to make many recipes. Use a hooded charcoal grill with a few drops of liquid smoke to get a wonderful flavor to your meats. Or, you could build your own...

OLD OIL DRUM
CEMENT
SAND
FIRE CEMENT OR CLAY
HINGE
WHEELS
PAINT

STAGE ONE: The first stage is to find an old oil drum and cut off the top. The main consideration to take into account when choosing the drum size is to consider how small the interior will be once you have lined both the sides and bottom of the drum with cement. If the drum is too small, when you place your chickens into the drum they will be too close to the hot coals and burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside. The size of the drum needs to be tall enough to allow you to suspend your chickens about one foot from the hot coals. After selecting a suitably-sized drum burn out any oily residue that may be remaining inside. Once you have a clean container, you are ready to put the casters on. We recommend putting wheels on because of the amount of cement involved; it can get heavy.

STAGE TWO: Cut a hole in the side of the drum about 3 inches from the bottom. This is to allow the ashes to be removed, and also for ventilation of the charcoals. The metal that is removed from the side can then be attached with the hinges allowing you the ability to control the flow of air to the charcoal.

STAGE THREE: Once all the preparations are in place, you are ready for the cement. Apply general-purpose cement mixed with broken glass for heat retention. These first layers are applied gradually building up a lining to the container. You will have to apply very little to start with to ensure the cement sticks to the sides. Once you have a thin film of hardened cement firmly stuck to the sides you can apply larger amounts. You should not have to lie the drum on its side. Providing you apply the concrete in thin layers, allowing time for them to harden before applying the next layer, you will have no problems with the concrete sticking to the sides of the drum.

STAGE FOUR: The next stage is to apply the fire resistant clay (or fire cement). This should be applied with a little more care so you end up with a good finish that you will be able to stick your nan dough to. Now depending on the size of the oil drum you started with, you should still have a hole large enough to place the charcoal and your skewers loaded with your favorite marinated chicken into. You can place your karahi or pan over the entrance to the tandoor and cook your favorite vegetable masala at the same time as cooking your tandoori chicken.

STAGE FIVE: Finally, apply paint, and you have the best BBQ in town. One last tip: place a screwed-up ball of chicken wire at the bottom of the tandoor and then place your charcoal on top of the wire. This allows for a better airflow through the hole in the side of the tandoor and up through the wire and over the coals and creates a very hot tandoor oven.