After telling you everything we know about Garam masala and Za’atar, we return to the load with a new mixture of spices with which to add an extra flavor to your recipes. Its about Tandoori masala, from India and Pakistan.
This mixture of spices is the one that has been traditionally used in the dishes that were cooked in the tandoor oven (tandur or tannour), hence its name. It is a cylindrical oven made of clay (or metal, the most modern) used to cook food with charcoal. It reaches very high temperatures, being able to reach 480º C.
Tandoori masala could therefore be translated as tandoor oven mix. Many dishes in Indian cuisine are given the “Tandoori surname” for being seasoned with this mixture of spices, for the cooking method used, or for both. One of the best known is tandoori chicken.
Where can you buy Tandoori masala
Contrary to what happens with Garam Masala or Za’atar, it is difficult to find ready-to-use Tandoori masala on large surfaces. The best option is to go to Indian goods stores of food or establishments specialized in spices.
You may be lucky enough to find it in supermarkets in Spanish tourist towns, which usually stock up on products for foreigners. Another alternative is, if you are lucky enough to travel to its place of origin, get it. However, if you want to cook with Tandoori masala, our recommendation is that you make your own mix.
Our Tandoori masala recipe
The list of spices that make up the Tandoori masala, as well as their proportions, vary according to the area or the person (you already know: each teacher has his booklet) to prepare it. We will tell you what our recipe is and it is up to you to follow it to the letter or vary to taste or according to the spices you have on hand.
Preparing this mix of spices consists, quite simply, of that: mixing the specified amounts of spices and voila. For this they have to be ground, so if this is not the case, we pass them through a mortar or spice grinder previously.
Although this is a very spice mix low spiceIf you don’t like it, you can use only sweet paprika and / or do without the cayenne. Other spices that can be used are: fenugreek, bay leaf, fennel, turmeric, ground celery, nutmeg, dried onion or salt among other spices.
In what dishes can we use the Tandoori masala
Perhaps the most popular recipe is tandoori chicken. This is made by smearing chicken pieces in a mixture of yogurt and Tandoori masala and then slowly roasting in the tandoor oven. The result is a light chicken, very tender (especially if we let it marinate in the mixture for a few hours), tasty and aromatic.
However, Tandoori masala can be used with fish and other meats, including vegetables (cauliflower, zucchini, okra, etc.), legumes or tofu (the latter is very tasty). It is very common to string the pieces of the chosen food and grill them in skewer format.
Can be added to sauces, hot or cold. The yogurt sauce and the classic mayonnaise with a little Tandoori masala are especially good. It can also be added to the rice cooking water or sprinkled once ready, as with pasta dishes, salads, etc.
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