Punjabi food is renowned for its dense, rich, and soulful flavours. Although the tandoor has been used for centuries, it was brought into India during the Mughal period and became popular in the late 1940s. Ever since then, it has become an integral part of Punjabi cuisine. The charm of smoky tandoori flavours is the precise combination of colourful spices, long marination, and the fiery heat of the traditional clay oven. Meats, seafood, and vegetables are seared at hot temperatures over red-hot charcoal, imbuing them with a characteristic smoky smell and inescapable flavour. Basting with marinades in the course of cooking also adds to the richness, producing that characteristic strong flavour.
Craving authentic Indian food this festive season? Discover six iconic Dhaba-style dishes that are packed with flavour and perfect for your celebrations.
Boneless morsels of baby chicken marinated with pounded red chillies, coriander seeds, yoghurt, ginger and garlic, skewered and cooked in tandoor. Skewered and cooked in the tandoor, it carries the raw, robust flavours of Punjab’s highways. One bite, and you’re transported to the roadside stalls where food is served with love and laughter.
Tandoor roasted on the bone baby chicken, marinated with red chilli powder, hung curd, mustard oil, home-ground spices and finished in tandoor, tossed in butter and chaat masala. Roasted to perfection in the tandoor, then tossed in butter and finished with a dash of chaat masala, it’s smoky, spicy, tangy, and utterly festive.
Crushed red chilli and yoghurt marinated soft cottage cheese cubes, skewered and finished in tandoor. The smokiness clings to the paneer, while the chilli adds a bold kick to a dish that pleases vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
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Minced cottage cheese and fresh spinach blended with homemade spices and cashew nuts, skewered and cooked in a tandoor. Creamy yet smoky, it’s a festive indulgence with a hint of wholesomeness, perfect for Navratri or Diwali dinners.
Crisp, flaky bread stuffed with spicy potato, onion, cooked in the tandoor. Pair it with a side of chole or even just butter, and you have a festive treat that tastes like home.
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Hot crisp tandoori roti/naan with the smoked flavour of the clay oven – a real treat for any Punjabi meal. They are the perfect partners to gravies like Butter Chicken, Dal Dhaba, or Amritsari Machli, tying every element of the meal together.
Image credits: At Dhaba Estd 1986 Civil Lines
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