Tandoori

Tandoori. The name evokes exotic images of brilliantly colored diaphanous silks, gold and silver filigree, rubies and diamonds. Dancing girls, elephants and flying carpets.

But if you know what tandoori really means, it would make you sniff the air for the wonderful aromas of baked bread and barbecued chicken. The tandoor, an oven in which an entire category of foods originating in the North West frontier of India (now in Pakistan) are cooked, is probably one of the oldest ovens known to man. However, versions of the 4,000-year-old tandoor have traveled throughout the Near East, Middle East and North Africa.

The tandoor is a free-standing (or sometimes built-in) clay pit about five feet deep. The concentration of heat circulating in its cavity (the opening is about 1 1/2 feet) requires foods to cook vertically, or against the red-hot sides of the oven, which may explain the invention of long skewers and the creation of kebabs. Meat, fish or poultry is marinated and threaded on long metal skewers that are then plunged vertically into the pit where they sear to tender perfection.

Baking bread in the tandoor is hardly child’s play. An expert tandoori chef pats dough out into an oval and slaps it onto the red-hot sides of the oven with his bare hands. And that is how it has been done for thousands of years.

Tandoori, although ancient, has become associated with a category of so-called mughalai (meaning Muslim) dishes originating in the area where Islamic influence made its greatest effect in a country where the most of the population is vegetarian. Meat dishes such as curries, kebabs, biryanis (concoctions of rice, saffron and lamb), stews, as well as tandoori dishes are typical of the mughalai style. However, even in non-vegetarian households, meat is used as a supplement to a meal--not as the main feature--a luxury reserved for festive occasions.

Vegetarian dishes developed for the tandoori over the centuries might call for squares of the white Indian cheese (paneer) or fish to cook on skewers.

To see a tandoori at work, we visited the India festival of science at the California Museum of Science and Industry Armory Building, where a full-fledged Indian restaurant serving tandoori dishes has been added. The restaurant, operated by the Bombay Palace restaurant, an Indian restaurant chain, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The festival, which continues through Jan. 15, also includes cultural performances of native dance and music, hand-loom weaving, embroidery, gemstone cutting, solapith work, wood carving, bronze casting and marble inlay demonstrations along with exhibits on technological achievements of India.

Meals at the Museum Restaurant

There, Chef Prem Nath and assistants from the Bombay Palace in Beverly Hills prepare wonderful bubbled naan bread and tikka (barbecued chicken appetizers) and roasted eggplant (bartha) in a glassed-enclosed tandoori kitchen. The enclosure prevents food odors from permeating the halls and valuable fabrics on exhibit. Meals at the museum restaurant are $5.95 to $6.95.

If you are wondering if tandoori can be prepared at home, the answer, happily, is “yes.” Tandoori is a great dish for parties since much of the preparation can be done ahead. Asha Anand, the festival coordinator for the Museum of Science and Industry, came to The Los Angeles Times’ Test Kitchen to show how easily tandoori chicken and bread can be prepared in a home oven.

“The result is not exactly as it would be from a clay oven, but some can hardly tell at all,” she said.

The choice of chicken cuts to use is up to the cook. For parties, Anand uses chicken breasts and thighs. The chicken marinates in a spiced yogurt mixture including a chili spice blend known as deghi mirch , which provides hotness, flavor and color to tandoori meats. This blend and other Indian spices can be purchased at most Middle Eastern or Indian grocery stores.

The marinating takes several hours or, preferably, can be done overnight. The chicken is then baked at highest oven heat until tender. And tender it will be.

Starting off a tandoori meal is usually tikka, an appetizer made by skewering yogurt-marinated cubed chicken or filets of chicken and cooking them as you would tandoori chicken.

The naan , which is brushed with a yogurt-and-poppy seed mixture before baking, is one of dozens of breads made in tandoori ovens. The bread is puffy, light and airy, and dries rather quickly, so it is best eaten fresh from the oven. It, too, is easily adapted for the home oven. Highest possible heat on the oven and close watching are required.

Anand put together a complete tandoori menu.

For a tandoori meal, start with tikka, the skewered chicken-cube appetizer. Tikka is usually dipped in chutney of various types. Anand shared a recipe for chutney made with cilantro and mint leaves.

The Tandoori Chicken is accompanied by vegetable dishes commonly served with a North Indian tandoori meal.

In one recipe, spinach is tossed with a white cheese called paneer, usually made at home. Commercially produced paneer is not available in local markets. However, feta cheese is a suitable substitute. A cauliflower-and-potato dish spiced with chili powder, ginger, cumin and turmeric also is a popular side dish for Tandoori Chicken.

Yogurt is an essential part of any meal. It is used as a topping for the vegetables or eaten by itself to freshen the palate periodically.

Dessert and Indian tea are musts and are fairly easy to prepare for an authentic touch.

Gulab Jamun is a fried milk-and-flour dessert, which is also served during Diwali, the festival of lights similar to Christmas, which, this year, will be Sunday.

Diwali celebrates the victory of the god Rama over Rawna, the demon of the jungle, and Rama’s return to his kingdom after a 14-year banishment. Families pray in the morning, visit friends and exchange sweets, such as Gulab Jamun , barfi, a diamond-shaped pudding lined with silver leaf and rasgula, a round sweet much like Gulab Jamun .

Oil lamps and candles are lit throughout the home and doors and windows are left open to allow Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, to enter and bless the household.

In this country, the Gulab Jamun can be made with a shortcut ingredient--biscuit mix--because of its proximity in texture and taste to the flour blend found in India. The fried balls can be dusted with powdered sugar, soaked in syrup or eaten plain, which is not generally done by Indians. They can be a highly nutritious dessert to keep in mind for after-school snacks for children or coffee-hour dessert. Their high milk content, in the form of dry and whole milk, make the sweet an excellent source of protein and calcium.

Indian tea is made by boiling water seasoned with cardamom pods and adding tea bags.

The meal should be fairly manageable, with much of it prepared ahead of time.

TANDOORI MENU Chicken Tikkas

Chutney

Tandoori Chicken

Naan (Indian Bread)

Palak Paneer (Spinach and Cheese)

Aloo Ghobi (Cauliflower and Potato)

Yogurt

Papadam (Wafers)

Gulab Jamun (Fried Milk Balls)

Papadams, which are bread wafers, are sometimes available in frozen or packaged form at some Middle Eastern or Indian grocery stores.

TANDOORI CHICKEN

4 pounds breasts and thighs

1/2 cup yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons oil

Salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder (deghi mirch)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 red onion, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1 sprig parsley

Place chicken pieces in shallow pan. Combine yogurt, lemon juice, oil, salt, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, onion, tomato, lemon and parsley. Blend well. Pour over chicken pieces and turn to coat well with marinade. Cover and let marinate in refrigerate overnight.

Place chicken pieces in single layer on baking pan, shaking off excess marinade. Bake or broil 35 to 40 minutes, turning once. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

CHICKEN TIKKAS

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts and fillets

2 to 3 tablespoons yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (deghi mirch)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Salt

2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Cut boneless chicken into cubes and place in bowl. Combine yogurt, lemon juice, chili powder, garlic powder, ginger and season to taste with salt. Pour over chicken. Turn chicken to coat well with marinade.

Place on baking pan, shaking off excess marinade. Bake or broil 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, basting with melted butter to keep moist. Makes 12 appetizer servings.

NAAN

(Tandoori Bread)

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon sugar

Dash salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

Dash baking soda

Water

1/2 cup yogurt

1 teaspoon black caraway seeds (kalunji)

1 teaspoon white poppy seeds (khas khas)

Mix flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Make well in center. Slightly mix eggs, milk and soda in small bowl. Pour into well. Mix in flour, adding about 1/3 cup water as needed to make soft dough. Knead until dough is soft and pliable.

Pinch off 8 equal pieces of dough. Roll out onto floured board. Continue with other pieces of dough. Place on baking sheet. Blend together yogurt, black caraway seeds and white poppy seeds . Brush over dough. Place in middle rack of oven and bake at 500 degrees or broil 5 minutes. Makes 8 loafs.

PALAK PANEER

(Spinach and Cheese

1 onion, chopped

1 (1-inch) piece ginger root, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Oil

2 pounds spinach, cleaned and chopped

1/2 feta cheese, cubed

Saute onion, ginger root and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil until onion is tender. Add spinach and cook over low heat about 20 to 30 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile heat about 1/4 cup oil in another skillet and add cheese cubes. Cook until lightly browned on all sides. Remove from skillet and drain. Toss with spinach mixture. Makes about 8 servings.

ALOO GOBHI

(Cauliflower and Potatoes)

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon turmeric

1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerets

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

Salt

Saute onion in oil until tender. Add cumin seeds, chili powder, ginger and turmeric. Add cauliflower and potatoes. Season to taste with salt. Cook, covered, over low heat until vegetables are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Makes about 8 servings.

CHUTNEY

1 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup chopped mint leaves

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 green chile, seed removed

1/2 onion, chopped

Place cilantro, mint leaves, lemon juice, vinegar, chile pepper and onion in blender container. Puree until coarsely ground. Makes XXX.

Note: Use as dip for meat.

INDIAN TEA

2 cups water

2 cardamom pods

2 tea bags (any kind)

1/2 cup milk

Combine water and cardamom pods. Bring to boil. Add tea bags and milk. Bring to boil again. Remove quickly from heat and serve at once. Makes 4 servings.

GULAB JAMUN

4 cups nonfat dry milk

2 cups biscuit mix

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 cups whole milk

Oil for deep frying

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups water

2 cardamom pods

Dash rose water, optional

Mix dry milk with biscuit mix. Melt butter and stir into dry milk mixture. Add whole milk and stir to make soft dough. Let stand 5 minutes to firm up. With heavily oiled hands, form 1 teaspoon dough into small balls and drop into deep hot oil heated to 375 degrees. Fry until dark brown in color, 1 to 2 minutes, turning to brown evenly on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

To make syrup, combine sugar, water, cardamom pods and rose water. Bring to boil. Cook and stir occasionally, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, discard cardomom pods and pour over cooled milk balls. Let stand 20 minutes before serving. Makes 6 dozen balls.

PILAF

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 cup long-grain rice

Dash saffron threads

2 cups chicken broth or water

1/2 cup fresh peas or frozen

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

Melt butter in saucepan. Add rice and saffron threads. Saute until rice becomes translucent. Add chicken broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add peas and carrots. Steam over very low heat 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until rice and vegetables are tender. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Pilaf may be doubles.