![]() Chicken tandoori in Mumbai, India | |
Alternative names | None [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] |
---|---|
Course | Appetizer or main course |
Region or state | India,Pakistan |
Associated cuisine | Pakistan,Indian Punjabi |
Main ingredients | Chicken, dahi (yogurt), honey, tandoori masala |
Variations | Tandoori paneer, fish tandoori |
Tandoori chicken is a dish made from chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and roasted in a tandoor , a cylindrical clay oven. The dish is now popular worldwide. The modern form of the dish was popularized by the Moti Mahal restaurant in New Delhi, India in the late 1940s.
Chicken roasted in tandoor-like ovens is documented in the Harappan civilization of the Bronze Age of Indian subcontinent, as early as 3000 BC. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Much later, the Sushruta Samhita records meat being cooked in an oven (kandu) after being seasoned with black mustard (rai) powder and fragrant spices.
Tandoori chicken as a dish originated in the Punjab before the independence of partition of India. [16] [17] In the late 1940s, tandoori chicken was popularised at Moti Mahal in the locality of Daryaganj [18] [19] in New Delhi by Kundan Lal Jaggi, Kundan Lal Gujral and Thakur Das Magu, who were Punjabi Hindu migrants from Peshawar [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] as well as the founders of the Moti Mahal restaurant. [1] [2] [3] [4] [23] They used to work at a small eatery called Moti Mahal, owned by a man named Mokha Singh Lamba in Peshawar, British India, from the 1920s to 1947. [5] [6] [25]
Tandoori chicken was popularized in post-independence India by Moti Mahal, Daryaganj in Delhi [26] [27] when it was served to the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. [28] There, tandoori chicken became a standard offering at official banquets. [28]
In the United States, tandoori chicken began appearing on menus by the 1960s. Jacqueline Kennedy was reported to have eaten "chicken tandoori" on a flight from Rome to Bombay in 1962. [29] A recipe for tandoori chicken was printed in the Los Angeles Times in 1963, for "the hostess in search of a fresh idea for a party dinner"; [30] a similar recipe was featured in the same newspaper in 1964. [31]
Raw chicken parts are skinned then marinated in a mixture of dahi (yogurt) and tandoori masala , a spice blend. They are seasoned and colored with cayenne pepper, red chili powder, or Kashmiri red chili powder as well as turmeric or food coloring. [lower-alpha 1]
The marinated chicken is placed on skewers and cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor oven, which is heated with charcoal or wood, which adds to the smoky flavour. The dish can also be cooked in a standard oven, using a spit or rotisserie, or over hot charcoal. [32]
There are also tandoori recipes for whole chicken, some of which are cooked in a tandoor and others over charcoal. These include Chirga (Roasted whole chicken); Tandoori Murgh (Roast whole chicken with almonds); Murgh Kabab Seekhi (Whole stuffed chicken on the spit); Kookarh Tandoori (Steamed chicken on spit); Tandoori Murgh Massaledarh (Whole spiced chicken on spit); and Murghi Bhogar (Chicken in the Bhogar style). [33]
Tandoori chicken can be eaten as a starter or appetizer, or as a main course, often served with naan flatbread. [34] It is also used as the base of numerous cream-based curries, such as butter chicken. [35]
The fame of tandoori chicken led to many derivatives, such as chicken tikka (and eventually the Indian dish popularized in Britain, chicken tikka masala ), commonly found in menus in Indian restaurants all over the world. [36] Nearly all derivatives of tandoori chicken begin with a yogurt and citrus-based marinade. [37] [38]
Chicken tikka masala is a dish consisting of roasted marinated chicken chunks in a spiced sauce. The sauce is usually creamy and orange-coloured. The dish was created by cooks from South Asia living in Great Britain and is offered at restaurants around the world.
Pakistani cuisine can be characterized as a blend of regional cooking styles and flavours from across South, Central and Western Asia. Pakistani cuisine is influenced by Persian, Indian, and Arab cuisine. The cuisine of Pakistan also maintains certain Mughal influences within its recipes and cooking techniques. Pakistan's ethnic and cultural diversity, diverse climates, geographical environments, and availability of different produce lead to diverse regional cuisines.
Punjabi cuisine is a culinary style originating in the Punjab, a region in the northern part of South Asia, which is now divided in an Indian part to the east and a Pakistani part to the west. This cuisine has a rich tradition of many distinct and local ways of cooking.
Butter chicken, traditionally known as murgh makhani, is an Indian dish originating in Delhi. It is a type of curry made from chicken with a spiced tomato and butter (makhan) sauce. Its sauce is known for its rich texture. It is similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses a tomato paste.
A dhaba is a roadside restaurant in the Indian subcontinent. They are on highways, generally serve local cuisine, and also serve as truck stops. They are most commonly found next to petrol stations, and most are open 24 hours a day.
Chicken tikka is a chicken dish popularised in the Indian subcontinent popular in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. It is traditionally small pieces of boneless chicken baked using skewers on a brazier called angeethi or over charcoal after marinating in Indian spices and dahi (yogurt)—essentially a boneless version of tandoori chicken. The word tikka is a Persian word, meaning "bits" or "pieces". It is also a chicken dish served in Punjabi cuisine. The Kashmiri version of the dish, however, is grilled over red-hot coals, and does not always contain boneless pieces. The pieces are brushed with ghee at intervals to increase its flavour, while being continuously fanned. It is typically eaten with green coriander and tamarind chutney served with onion rings and lemon, or used in preparing an authentic chicken tikka masala.
Mattar paneer, also known as matar paneer, muttar paneer, and mutter paneer, is a modern restaurant-style and vegetarian punjabi dish consisting of peas and paneer in a tomato-based sauce, spiced with garam masala.
Tandoori masala or tandoori sauce is a mixture of spices specifically for use with a tandoor, or clay oven, in traditional cooking in the Indian subcontinent. The specific spices vary somewhat from one region to another but typically include: garam masala, garlic, ginger, onion, cayenne pepper, and sometimes other spices and additives. The spices are often ground together with a pestle and mortar.
Dal makhani is a dish originating in Punjab region. A relatively modern variation of traditional lentil dishes, it is made with urad dal and other pulses, and includes butter and cream.
Awadhi cuisine is a cuisine native to the Awadh region in Northern India and Southern Nepal. The cooking patterns of Lucknow are similar to those of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern India and western India with the cuisine comprising both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The Awadh region has been influenced by Mughal cooking techniques, and the cuisine of Lucknow bears similarities to those of Central Asia, Kashmir, Punjab and Hyderabad. The city is also known for its Nawabi foods.
Lahori cuisine refers to the food and cuisine of the city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. It is a part of regional Punjabi cuisine. Lahore is a city with an extremely rich food culture. People from Lahore are famous all over the country for their love for food. The city offers a vast variety of options when it comes to gastronomy. In recent times, the style of food has achieved popularity in a number of different countries, because of its palatable and milder taste, mainly through the Pakistani diaspora.
Moti Mahal is a restaurant chain founded in Delhi, India. Founded after the partition of India in 1947, the Moti Mahal in Delhi was founded by Kundan Lal Gujral, Kundan Lal Jaggi and Thakur Das Magu as one of the first restaurants to introduce Punjabi cuisine and North Indian cuisine to the rest of the world such as tandoori chicken, paneer makhani, dal makhani, and butter chicken.
A tandoor is a large vase-shaped oven, usually made of clay. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads, such as roti and naan, as well as to roast meat. The tandoor is predominantly used in Western Asian, Central Asian, South Asian, and Horn of African cuisines.
Paneer tikka or Paneer Soola or Chhena Soola is an Indian dish made from chunks of paneer/ chhena marinated in spices and grilled in a tandoor. It is a vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka and other meat dishes. It is a popular dish that is widely available in India and countries with an Indian diaspora.
Punjabi tandoori cooking comes from the clay oven known as the tandoor. According to Macveigh [2008] the Punjab tandoor originated in the local region. It is a clay oven and is traditionally used to cook Punjabi cuisine, from the Punjab region in Pakistan and northwestern India. It is traditional to have tandoors in courtyards of homes in the Punjab to make roti, naan and tandoori chicken. In rural Punjab, it is also traditional to have communal tandoors.
Paneer makhani is an Indian dish of paneer, originating in New Delhi, in which the gravy is prepared usually with butter (makhan), tomatoes and cashews. Spices such as red chili powder and garam masala are also used to prepare this gravy.
Kundan Lal Jaggi, was an Indian chef and restaurateur based in New Delhi. Kundan Lal Jaggi is the inventor of butter chicken, and dal makhani, paneer makhani and the founder of the Moti Mahal restaurant along with his partners Kundan Lal Gujral and Thakur Das Magu in 1947 in Daryaganj, Delhi.
Kundan Lal Gujral was an Indian chef and restaurateur based in New Delhi. He invented several Indian dishes which have since become popular worldwide, including Butter chicken, Paneer makhani, Tandoori chicken and Dal makhani. He was the founder of the restaurant chain Moti Mahal Delux.
Monish Gujral is an Indian Columnist, Restaurateur, Chef, Author, and Food blogger, and talk show host. He is the chairman of Moti Mahal. He is a Member managing Committee, NRAI- National restaurant committee of India. He is the countries foremost food- writers and has bee columnist with leading newspapers- HT City, The Hindu and at present he is the columnist with the new Indian express. He is the first Indian chef invited to the legendary institute the cordon bleu in Paris to demonstrate Indian culinary. He has hosted many cookeries shows on television for NDTV and Doordarshan. Recently He hosted T.V serial called "Health Mange More" on FOOD FOOD channel.
Curry, a spicy South Asian-derived dish, is a popular meal in the United Kingdom. Curry recipes have been printed in Britain since 1747, when Hannah Glasse gave a recipe for a chicken curry. In the 19th century, many more recipes appeared in the popular cookbooks of the time. Curries in Britain are widely described using Indian terms, such as korma for a mild sauce with almond and coconut, Madras for a hot, slightly sour sauce, and pasanda for a mild sauce with cream and coconut milk. One type of curry, chicken tikka masala has become widespread enough to be described as the national dish of the United Kingdom.
After the partition in 1947, Punjab was partitioned with the Eastern portion joining India and the Western, Pakistan. Peshawar became part of Pakistan and Gujral found himself one among many refugees fleeing the rioting and upheaval by moving to India. He moved his restaurant to Delhi in a place called Daryagunj. The Tandoori chicken at Moti Mahal so impressed the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru that he made it a regular at official banquets.
After the partition in 1947, Punjab was partitioned with the Eastern portion joining India and the Western, Pakistan. Peshawar became part of Pakistan and Gujral found himself one among many refugees fleeing the rioting and upheaval by moving to India. He moved his restaurant to Delhi in a place called Daryaganj. The Tandoori chicken at Moti Mahal so impressed the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru that he made it a regular at official banquets.
But, do you know what ingredients are used in making this yummy dish, or who invented it? The credit goes to Kundan Lal Gujral, a Punjabi. He invented the recipe of Tandoori chicken at his restaurant Moti Mahal Delux in Delhi.
A pearl among connoisseurs of true blue north western frontier province cuisine, it (Delhi) prides itself as the inventor of the tandoori chicken.
As a new immigrant community poured in from across the new border, new tastes and techniques gained ground. Tandoori became the food of Delhi.