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The
heart of Indian barbecue is the tandoor,
a handsome, barrel-shaped oven of fine clay - traditionally
bound with grain husks and animal hair - that recalls
the vessel in which Ali Baba hid out from those
persistent 40 thieves. The cook ignites a charcoal
fire on the floor of the oven and the heat rises
to a searing level midway up, only to cool down
by the time it reaches the top. Everything from
chicken to lamb to fish to bread is slipped into
this versatile chamber, emerging not long after
with an earthy taste and fragrance imparted by the
clay walls. Meats and fish come out moist and tender
thanks to the intense heat and quick cooking.
Alas,
the oven's curvaceous form is usually out of sight,
whether sunk into the earth, as in old-fashioned
Indian homes, or built in stainless steel housing,
the style preferred by Indian restaurants from New
Delhi to London to Berkeley. You can get a peek
at the mouth of one of these countertop tandoors
and its consummate cook at any Indian Restaurant
around the world or at the more modest Indian Restaurant
in your neighborhood, where exhibition kitchens
make watching the action easy. |
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