Alternative names | Chicken Tandoori[1][2][3][4] [5][6][7][8][9] |
---|---|
Course | Appetizer or main course |
Region or state | India[6][7][8] [10][11][12] |
Associated cuisine | Indian, Punjabi |
Main ingredients | Chicken, dahi (yogurt), honey, tandoori masala |
Variations | Tandoori paneer, fish tandoori |
Tandoori chicken is a dish made from chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and roasted in a tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven. The dish is now popular worldwide. The modern form of the dish was popularized by the Moti Mahal restaurant in New Delhi, India in the late 1940s.
After the partition in 1947, Punjab was partitioned with the Eastern portion joining India and the Western, Pakistan. Peshawar became part of Pakistan and Gujral found himself one among many refugees fleeing the rioting and upheaval by moving to India. He moved his restaurant to Delhi in a place called Daryagunj. 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.
After the partition in 1947, Punjab was partitioned with the Eastern portion joining India and the Western, Pakistan. Peshawar became part of Pakistan and Gujral found himself one among many 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.
But, do you know what ingredients are used in making this yummy dish, or who invented it? The credit goes to Kundan Lal Gujral, a Punjabi. He invented the recipe of Tandoori chicken at his restaurant Moti Mahal Delux in Delhi.
A pearl among connoisseurs of true blue north western frontier province cuisine, it (Delhi) prides itself as the inventor of the tandoori chicken.
As a new immigrant community poured in from across the new border, new tastes and techniques gained ground. Tandoori became the food of Delhi.