Tandoor is a clay oven that originally existed in northern parts of India (now Pakistan) and formerly Persia. Tandoori means cooked in a tandoor. The shape is barrel-shaped and it is normally standing height. It is fired with coal and is cast with clay directly on the ground. At its hottest, it can reach up to 450 degrees! Normally, meat and vegetables are marinated and roasted on skewers, naan and roti (everyday bread) is made inside the red-hot wall.
The food becomes extra tender due to the yogurt marinade and the ingredients retain their juicy flavor due to the short cooking time at very high temperatures. You will find many recipes here .
Here is a video from one of my culinary trips to India, where I make naan in a mini tandoor. The dough, which is made from wheat flour, is thrown between the hands and slapped on the inside of the red-hot wall and in less than a minute the bread is ready. A skewer is used to lift it out and put on ghee optionally butter.
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Several people have asked me to sell tandoor here, but I have no plans to. You can actually get pretty good results with a closed grill and stone slab. One of my course participants sent me a picture of his self-made tandoor! It was impressive, so I'm sharing this with other enthusiasts who want it to be completely authentic.
A large pot is filled with clay balls and inside there is a smaller ceramic pot. When it is heated with coal and it is red hot, it becomes hot enough to bake bread on the inside of the pot or grill in the embers. After use, the ash and the rest must be removed, in a traditional tandoor there is a hatch at the bottom which makes cleaning a little easier than in a self-made one. A tip is to use an ash vacuum cleaner!