Indian BBQ –Traditional Open Fire

Think of Indian cooking and invariably the American palate recalls the wonderful aroma and taste of a Tandoori-prepared meal. This is an excellent method of cooking, marinating meat over an intense and concentrated fire. Poultry, fish and bread can also be prepared using the Tandoori. Tandoori cooking is recognized as the most flavorful and healthy cuisine, where meats, poultry or fish is skinned and defatted first, marinated for hours in home-made yogurt, ginger, garlic paste and delicate blend of spices, then cooked in a Clay Oven, or Tan-door at 450 F degrees plus temperature, fired with mesquite charcoals . This cooking method is in fact combination of grilling, baking & smoking simultaneously and thus creates a unique Tandoori flavor unmatched by any other technique. The marinade used starts with plain yogurt, which is perfect for marinating meats be-cause it has a natural acidity and it is thick so it holds to the meat well and keeps the herbs and spices in place. Tandoori is marinated or rubbed with a great combination of spices. Tandoori dishes are usually very red (coming from the ground annatto seeds) or very yellow (coming from the saffron), depending on the marinade ingredients. Tandoori is also flavored traditionally with ginger, garlic, coriander powder, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Cooks adjust the heat of the dish by the amount of cayenne pepper use. The spiced meat sits in the thick marinade for several hours to absorb the flavors before grilling. Again, the drink accompaniment of choice is a cool refreshing beer. Serving Tip: Successful restaurants use the Tandoori method as it is visually pleasing as well as creating an intoxicating aroma. The restaurant owner can create an atmosphere of the exotic mixed with the familiar when offering a selection of meals in the Tandoori method. An open area Tandoori or a Tandoori which is clearly visible to the dining public (as well as passers by) is an exciting and mouth watering way of inviting the customer back time and again.