Tandoori chicken
Chicken Tandoori in Mumbai, India |
| Origin |
| Place of origin |
British India |
| Region or state |
Peshawar, British India |
| Creator(s) |
Kundan Lal Gujral |
| Dish details |
| Main ingredient(s) |
Chicken, yogurt, tandoori masala |
Chicken Tandoori is a roasted Indian chicken delicacy.
Preparation
The chicken is marinated in yogurt and seasoned with tandoori masala. It is moderately hot, but the heat is toned down to a mild taste level in most Western nations. Cayenne pepper, red chili powder or usually kashmiri red chilli powder is used to give it a fiery red hue. A higher amount of Turmeric produces an orange colour. In some modern versions, both red and yellow food colourings are used. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a clay oven (tandoor), but can also be prepared on a traditional grill.
History
Tandoori Chicken, Rasikas Restaurant, Salem, Tamil Nadu
The story of its origins lies with a man named Kundan Lal Gujral, who ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Peshawar before the partition of British India. Trying out new recipes to keep his patrons interested, Gujral tried cooking chicken in tandoors (clay ovens) used by locals until then to cook naans (bread). The tandoors are bell-shaped ovens, set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal reaching temperatures of about 900 degrees. Gujral was able to cook the tender chickens in these ovens making them succulent inside and crispy outside.
Tandoori Chicken, Berkley, Michigan, USA
After the partition in 1947, Punjab was partitioned with the Eastern portion joining India and western Pakistan. Peshawar became part of Pakistan and Gujral found himself one among many Hindu 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. Visiting dignitaries that enjoyed Tandoori Chicken included American Presidents Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, Soviet leaders Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev, the King of Nepal, and the Shah of Iran.
The fame of Tandoori Chicken led to many derivatives like Chicken Tikka (and eventually the Indian dish popularized in Britain Chicken Tikka Masala), commonly found in menus in Indian restaurants all over the world.
Regions
Other than India it is popular in some other parts of South Asia it is eaten as a starter before a meal.
See also
References
External links
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