Indian Cuisine in Sofia: What is Chicken Tandoori?
„Didn't you want a recipe?! Here’s tandoori in Lyulin conditions… This is chicken that is smeared with „masala“ in yogurt with lemon and" cat Red pepper (hot) is also roasted in a tandoor in India. A deep pot dug into the ground… Have a nice day.
The oils can now also be found in Sofia, otherwise it's just the two of us missing from it.“ 
– This is how our cheerful conversation begins with my friend Bistra Rushkova, known for her culinary delights among relatives near and far, like-minded people, and lovers of exotic cuisine... In response to my constant „nagging“ about when she would give me a recipe for some Indian culinary masterpiece.
She lived in India many years ago. Afterward, her family brought their culinary skills to Bulgaria. But that's not what's important; what's important is that her „food“ is always accompanied by an interesting story, or several.
Quite a few daredevils visited India today. And they even risked eating its rich and varied dishes…
And back then, this was exotic, especially since there were no spices or information about recipes in Bulgaria. We just knew they ate spicy food with a lot of aromas. We knew about garlic and onions, and they have been revered for millennia in our lands... In that regard, we are similar, but the fact that they use them in astronomical quantities is another matter.
Where can I find authentic Indian spices?
When asked where to find their aromatic spices, I was business-like directed: „Go down Simeon Street and you'll find an Iraqi spice shop. Inside: a bag of tandoor masala!„
The funniest thing is that I don't eat spicy food, I would never go to India, I don't even go to Indian restaurants, but I immediately looked up her favorite „Moti Mahal“ in Delhi online. Which she has told me about more than once…
Moti Mahal today
I came across videos of visiting famous master chefs... even from Europe. This means it has maintained its reputation as a sophisticated place with authentic Indian cuisine for over 40 years.
Memories from the „Moti Mahal“ restaurant in Delhi
„Always,„ Bistra continued: “Moti Mahal restaurant has always been a sacred place for me. They only serve chicken and fish tandoori.".
Tandoori is made ONLY from chicken and fish, which soak in the mixture for a full 24 hours before being skewered, five or six at a time, onto skewers. These skewers, also five or six at a time, are then placed at the bottom of a tandoor, a furnace where coke burns.
They are covered with a lid that only the cook, the one responsible for naan, can open. The naan is a bread slightly thicker than a pancake. The naan sticks to the upper edges of the tandoor on the inside to bake.“
Suddenly, a memory strikes: „Dad is taking a Bulgarian delegation, led by some luminaries from the Politburo, to dinner. And we were there, admiring how they ate tandoori. At that time, there were only five Bulgarian families in India, and the ambassador and the trade representative would attend these „events“.".
By the way, tandoori is eaten only ... with your hands.
They also gave cutlery, but (the Indians) looked at it askance.
My grace, as a young child, was a favorite in the kitchen and would drag the most distinguished guests to see what preparations were underway.
The chef lifts the lid of a huge pot, revealing a thick red sauce and protruding chicken legs, and one of the guests exclaims that he thought everyone in India was vegetarian.
You asked me what my favorite meatless dish is, and I answered „tandoori.“.
Oh, leave it... This isn't an adventure, it's a fact.
Kashmir Tour: Life in a War Zone and Houseboats
“Otherwise, going to Kashmir was an adventure.„ - “opens a parenthesis" with a memory, but immediately replies:
– My memories won't do you any good. The world is digital now. You can „dive“ into the net and see everything. How do you explain to people that the road to Kashmir followed the relief of the valleys? Quite literally.
Laced with so many rivers and streams that clearly some smart head had decided it wasn't worth the trouble to build bridges and crossings, and to just pave it straight with asphalt in a straight line. They dry up in the summer, and presto: a straight road. A little up and down, but go with it.
Back then, Kashmir was a war zone, and the road was only as wide as a military truck. There were slight expansions where you had to pull over and wait if a military convoy was coming. That's the kind of thing it was.
Otherwise, Srinagar is incredibly beautiful; there's even a temple where The trout is a sacred animal. and Mom barely managed to stop Dad from jumping right into the pool.
“I haven't had any exotic adventures.„ - Everything up to this point was exotic for me... Narrated in the typical “Bistrin„ style... “You don't say! From there? I told you - it's a military zone! They barely let us go." - This was in response to my request for some black and white photos. So, I'll leave the winding paths of the picturesque road in the gorge of the Kashmir region to the reader's imagination. In my knowledge, it's known for its beautiful cashmere scarves... But that's another story.
Kashmir was once a turbulent region, the size of a medium European country. Likened to Paradise. Perhaps that's why there were so many appetites.
The magic of the floating houses on Lake Dal
„Ah yes, many things can be written about Kashmir. For example, about the houseboats...
They are actually mini-hotels built on something like a pontoon, and there are hundreds of them anchored in the middle of the Dal Lake.
They have 3-4 double rooms, each with its own toilet and bath, dining room, and living room. Plus a “captain” - remaining from the English conquerors - a butler, who takes care of everything: from cleaning and tidying up, to serving food and entertaining guests.
Houseboats are a true work of art. Entirely carved from wood, furnished with unique furniture, and decorated with hand-embroidered curtains and tablecloths.
This phenomenon arose thanks to the strict local laws that have existed since time immemorial, prohibiting outsiders from owning land in Kashmir. But in the 19th century, the cunning English devised these floating homes to relax peacefully on the lake. After the empire began to withdraw from India in the mid-last century, they sold, gifted, or bequeathed the houseboats to the Kashmiris, who had only been taking care of them until then.
Each residence is reached by a beautiful wooden gondola, similar to Venetian ones, called „shikara“ in the local language.
To stroll with such a boat on the waters of the lake, which is a small town, and to enjoy the view (houseboats, a lakeside promenade with hotels, and the Himalayas in the background like a picturesque wallpaper) is a magical feeling. Out of reality, something like a chimera, a dream, a mirage…“
After recalling the source of the Ganges – PHOTO – but this is not Kashmir. The glacier, the “Cow's Mouth“ – from here the Ganges „melts.“.
Only and exclusively there thrive: magnificent flowers in a unique nature park. Endemic species, which are likely hunted for meat.“
The Glacier, “Cow's Mouth"
The source of the Ganges
Ganges River
But let's get back to the tandurito... ☺
Tandoori Chicken: A „Lyulin“ Cuisine Recipe
Quickly whip up the recipe as if it were Lyulin cuisine with Bulgarianized ingredients:
- 12 cloves of garlic;
- Chapter 1 Onion;
- 1 tsp ginger;
- 3 tablespoons of yogurt – honestly, I was surprised here because, as a layman, I didn't know they made yogurt. I knew the cow was a sacred animal, and not eaten, but I didn't know they used its milk, and fermented it... I thought it was our patent.
- 1 tbsp curry;
- 1 lemon;
- 2 tbsp vinegar;
- 2 tsp chili;
- ½ tsp coriander;
- 1 tsp cumin;
- 1 ½ tsp salt;
- 1 chicken.
How to prepare
Mix all ingredients except the chicken. You can blend them in a food processor after grating the garlic and onions. Add everything else and mix well.
Carefully rub the chicken all over and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 1 day.
Place a few pieces of butter/masala on top and bake at 190 C for about 40 minutes, preferably in a deep dish like a Pyrex dish, until the chicken has a nice crust and is fully cooked.
Serve with Indian naan bread, pre-cooked basmati rice, and pickled pearl onions. If pickled onions are unavailable, grill round slices of red onion on a grill or grill pan and drizzle with lemon juice. (According to the original recipe, the rice is prepared with a pinch of saffron pre-soaked in a little warm water.).
You can use any parts of the chicken, but it turns out best whole – this keeps the meat juicy. From Bistra's story, it became clear that chicken legs were sticking out of the tandur mixture...
What is in Tandoori masala spice blend?
The spice blend - Tandoori masala - where would we be without it?
To avoid product positioning by brand, we will only mention the scents present in the sachet:
Tandoori masala is a spice blend specifically for use in a tandoor, or clay oven, in traditional North Indian and Afghan cuisine.
It is usually made with garlic powder (Lasun), ginger (Adrak), cloves (Lavang), nutmeg (Jaiphal), cumin (Jeera), ground coriander (Dhania), ground fenugreek (Methi), cinnamon (Tajj/Dalchini), ground black pepper (Kalimirchi), ground cardamom (Elaichi).
All these ingredients are finely ground and sifted.
Tandoori masala is a versatile blend, as it can give a „tandoori“ flavor to dishes even when cooked in a pan. As is clear from the preparations above, a shallow pan will also work...
Just to add for the readers' information, genuine tandoori masala is yellowish in color because no food coloring is added. If it's bright red, it contains food coloring... If it's slightly reddish, that's from added chili.
Tandoori masala has a distinctive aroma. It's very fragrant and spicy. The taste is slightly hot, salty, and sour, with a predominant flavor of cumin and coriander.
And if you've gotten all the necessary ingredients without a coke-fired oven and managed to "Bulgarianize" the products – roll up your sleeves! Afterward, share with us not virtual impressions, but the mood of the table. And one more thing – an oven, a tandoor, can now be found in Bulgaria, according to Bistra, for 850 leva, and some fans of Indian films with financial means have acquired one.
I just didn't get what drink goes with this Tandoori Masala delicacy?!
„P.S. The drink is similar to ayran. They used to make yogurt in clay pots. That's how things were... adds Chef Master Bistra, as it's now trendy to call good chefs.
Enjoy your meal. Bon appétit!
