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.
Kundan Lal Gujral revolutionized tandoori cooking, and the creation of the tandoori masala spice blend is attributed to him. Like many spices, there is also the influence of a colonial legacy present within the rise of tandoori masala as Kundan Lal was a Hindu Punjabi living in West Punjab, before the Partition of India, who ended up moving to Delhi, India in a time where communal violence rose after the Partition of India in 1947. While working in a restaurant in Peshawar in the 1920s, Kundan Lal experimented with the tandoor that was traditionally used for baking naan. In a stroke of genius, he was the first to cook chicken in the tandoor, and the spice blend he made and used for cooking the chicken in this manner became known as tandoori masala. In Delhi, Kundan Lal opened a restaurant called Moti Mahal, which is where dishes he created using tandoori masala reached national fame with politicians such as Jawaharlal Nehru favoring the taste and global fame as the restaurant became a global chain. Indian restaurants around the world pay homage to tandoori masala in their menus as tandoori chicken and butter chicken are highly popular staple features. [1]
Tandoori masala is used extensively with dishes such as tandoori chicken. In this dish, the chicken is covered with a mixture of plain yogurt and tandoori masala. The chicken is then roasted in the tandoor on high heat; when prepared in this fashion the chicken has a pink-colored exterior and a savory flavor.
Other chicken dishes, in addition to tandoori chicken, use this masala, such as tikka or butter chicken, most of them Punjabi dishes. Meat other than chicken can be used, as can paneer ( paneer tikka ).
If freshly prepared, the masala can be stored in airtight jars for up to two months. The spice blend is also readily available at larger supermarkets and specialty Asian stores, with varying tastes depending on the brand.
Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to the Indian subcontinent. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruits.
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 popularised by cooks from India 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.
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.
A dhaba is a roadside restaurant in the Indian subcontinent, primarily across Pakistan and northern India. 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.
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.
Tikka is a dish consisting of pieces of meat or vegetarian alternatives, with its origins tracing back to the ancient Babylon. The term 'tikka' was given in the mughal era. It is made by marinating the pieces in spices and yogurt, and cooking them in a tandoor. Tikka is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent and also in the United Kingdom.
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.
Muhajir cuisine refers to the food and culinary style of the Muhajir people in Pakistan, the descendants of Muslim migrants from India who migrated to Pakistan following the partition of India. Most Muhajirs have traditionally been based in Karachi, hence the city being known for Muhajir tastes in its cuisine. This cuisine has a rich tradition of many distinct and local ways of cooking. Muhajirs clung to their old established habits and tastes, including a numberless variety of dishes and beverages.
Punjabi tandoori cooking was born out of 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.
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