| Indian cuisine is all the rage across the nation, and has | | | | Meats most often used for tandoori dishes are beef, |
| been increasing in popularity over the last 10 years or | | | | chicken, and lamb. The meat is usually marinated in |
| so. As fast food-weary Americans stretch their taste | | | | plain yogurt, whose natural acidity lends itself well to |
| bud muscles and seek for healthier alternatives in | | | | tenderizing and whose thickness makes it easy for |
| dining out, it should come as no surprise that Indian | | | | spices to stay on the meat while it is being cooked. |
| restaurants are thriving. Areas of Northern India use a | | | | The meat is rubbed with many different spices: the |
| type of oven called a tandoor to create succulent | | | | choice of spices determines whether the marinade |
| meat dishes to tantalize the senses. Here's a brief | | | | has a rosy or a yellow hue. Some of the spices used |
| overview. | | | | may include ginger, garlic, coriander, cayenne pepper, |
| Italian meats and breads are typically made in a brick | | | | saffron, and a combination of many different exotic |
| oven: Northern India's answer to that is a large clay | | | | and tangy spices called garam masala. |
| oven that is called a tandoor. A tandoor is shaped like | | | | The prepared meat is then slipped onto kabobs and |
| an igloo and its interior is lined with ceramic tiles. When | | | | roasted in the tandoor at extremely high temperatures. |
| a fire is built inside it, the tiles heat up and create an | | | | The meat is seared on the outside and tender and |
| intensely hot environment with temperatures hovering | | | | juicy on the inside. |
| at around 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat only escapes | | | | Certain types of traditional Indian breads are also |
| through the top, which also encourages temperatures | | | | baked on the walls of the tandoor and make an |
| within to stay extra toasty. | | | | excellent accompaniment to the meat dishes. |