Uniting Food and Culture with Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Tandoori chicken is a popular chicken dish relished in different parts of the world today. While it originated in India, it has accumulated fans in almost every part of the globe. Anyone who has tasted the chicken is likely to get addicted to it for the rest of the life. Traditionally cooked in a tandoor, what makes the dish unique is its smoky flavour. Today, it is a very popular and most commercially available dish throughout the world and served at almost all non-vegetarian restaurants. The spicy marinade, the smoky flavour, and use of yoghurt make this dish as interesting and distinctive as possible.
Tandoori Chicken Recipe | Image Resource : shutterstock.com
The History of Tandoori Chicken Recipe
According to eminent historians, the Harappan civilization was well familiar with many recipes similar to tandoori chicken. The earliest evidence of the fact dates back to around 3000 BCE, as the archaeologists have found ovens and remains of chicken bones at Harappan sites. Harappan oven structures are very similar to the tandoors that are used today.
As far as Indian origin of Tandoori chicken is concerned, it is said to be in Punjab before the partition in the Peshawar area of Pakistan. Historians believe that Kundan Lal Gujral from Peshawar first introduced the recipe. When he shifted to Delhi after partition, he invented the recipe and served it to the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Owing to its popularity and favouritism, the tandoori chicken recipe appeared on menus of the United States restaurants during the 1960s.
Historically speaking, there is a lot more to the Tandoori chicken dish, which is a sign of cultural integration. Thanks to its rich history and worldwide popularity, it has become one of the most-loved dishes ever.
The use of essential key ingredients like yoghurt, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and spices very much remain the same in all variations of the dish. The preparing and cooking time are important factors and can vary depending on the recipe. Time is vital in the recipe too, as if the chicken is cooked for a more extended time, it gets dry, and if undercooked, the chicken may end up raw. Whatever the recipe, the aim is to get tender and soft chicken that is rich with the aromas of spices. The chicken pieces coated with spicy marinade develops a distinct flavour when it is cooked in extremely hot tandoors where the temperatures can reach as high as 480°C.
Today, the culinary art of making tandoori chicken has evolved and become more successful. While the traditional way of preparing tandoori chicken has remained the same, the taste can be varied because of the use for certain spices. The growing popularity and increasing demand of the dish only testifies that the recipe of tandoori chicken is here to stay. It is a kind of food that brings communities together, as people tend to bind over food regardless of their nationality. Tandoori chicken is one of the few recipes that has become immensely popular not just in India and Pakistan, but all across the world.