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shape Clay Pots/ Ovens in stock |
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The
Kumhaar Touch
Since ages
the people who mastered
the art of moulding clay
to make it as a cooking
medium are known as the
Kumhaar's. These artisans
turn clay into an oven
with their hands without
using any machines. |
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Material
Used - Material
used is plastic clay
(without sand) mixed
with munj (a kind of
grass).
Modeling
Method of making Tandoors
Step I: Once
the clay is ready for
use, slabs about 120-150
mm wide, 500-600 mm
long and 20-30 mm thick,
are made. Some dry clay
is sieved on to these
and then they are rolled
into cylinders. These
cylinders are then unrolled
into a sort of semi-circle.
Two or three such unrolled
cylinders are molded
together into a circle.
This circle forms the
base of the clay oven.
Step II: After
the base is made, the
uppermost part of this
ring is pinched at intervals
to create little notches.
It is then left to dry
overnight so that it
becomes hard and ready
to receive the weight
of the next ring.
Step III: When
the clay has dried to
the correct hardness,
another ring is fused
on top of this ring.
This smooth and wet
clay ring fits on top
of the earlier ring,
especially where the
notches have been pinched.
This is designed to
give the clay oven firmness
and stability. Subsequent
sections are then added
until the required height
is attained.
Step IV: This
involves the shaping
of the last section
on top, widely known
in the international
segment as 'The Mouth'
which is turned in wards
by hand and shaped like
the upper part of a
pitcher. A lot of buyers
overseas have asked
me weather a turning
machine "like those
in wood working' is
used to make these mouths.
Step V: The last
step before the clay
pots are dired in the
open air is to lock
the rim around the mouth
with a tensile steel
belt using the tensioning
mechanism. To further
increase the strength
of the clay pot specially
made jute wrapping is
applied on the outside.
This helps in the wear
and tear of the clay
pot while packing or
fitting.
The clay oven is now
complete but it is still
not a complete Tandoor
till it is fitted in
the earth or a metal
container or even in
a counter at a restaurant
& treated by the
head chef 'Tandooria'
A
Peshawar refinement
Although
Persians can claim the
design of the tandoor,
19th century cooks in
the northwest Indian
city of Peshawar (now
in Pakistan) are responsible
for its legendary versatility.
They came up with the
idea of using the tandoor
for cooking meats, fabricating
thin metal spikes for
holding the food.
That brainstorm
proved simple and practical:
Small whole chickens
and chunks of lamb,
marinated in a spice-laced
(but not chile-hot)
yogurt mixture and brushed
with ghee (clarified
butter), are threaded
onto long iron skewers.
They are then lowered
into the tandoor, with
the pointed ends resting
in the glowing coals
and the tops leaning
against the oven's neck.
Every now and again
the skewers are pulled
out, the foods are brushed
with a little ghee and/or
marinade, and then the
skewers are returned
to the tandoor. This
inspired technique yields
a flavor bonus: The
food absorbs both the
subtle earthy scent
naturally released by
the clay and the wisps
of fragrant smoke created
by errant drops of marinade
falling onto white-hot
coals.
Expanding
menu
An order
of tandoori murg (chicken)
and nan, accompanied
by lemon or lime wedges,
onion slices and achar
(pickles) and/or chutney,
is still arguably the
most popular tandoori
meal, with boti kebab
(lamb cubes) a close
second. But the clay
oven repertoire, both
in India and in its
culinary outposts, has
expanded considerably
since those early days.
Seekh kabob (minced
lamb or chicken), bara
kabob (strips of lamb
loin) and tikka kabob
(lamb, fish or chicken
chunks) regularly show
up on tandoori menus.
Fish tandoori,
in particular, is an
innovation that tradition-bound
tandoori cooks turn
up their noses at, declaring
it a radical - and unacceptable
- departure. Not surprisingly,
it was created by coastal
cooks to satisfy the
seaside palates of Bombay
and Calcutta. |
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| Clay
Moulding |
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Clay
Pot availability
The
clay pot for export
to Indian restaurants
and Indian food
loving people
is a little different
than the ovens
available off
the shelf from
places in north
India.
This
export worthy
oven is especially
made country specific
keeping in mind
the climatic conditions
& cooking
habits.
A
clay pot being
exported to the
United States
will be different
form the one being
sold to United
Arab Emirates. |
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These
clay pots are available
in standard sizes and
custom sizes according
to the need of the customer.
The
standard sizes range
from an 8 inches mouth
to a 22 inches mouth
with diameter of 12
inches to 44 inches
in different heights.
Proprietary
packing systems to ensure
safe delivery of these
bare clay pots ensure
break free delivery
by sea or air anywhere
in the world. |
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