Mankind has invented not so many ways of processing foods for cooking. Even less are the “appliances” involved in cooking. We are not talking about appliances that facilitate the work of the cook, but about the most important thing in the kitchen - the stove. Most of its old versions have approximately the same structure, whether it be a fireplace or a Russian stove. And here the tandoor stands somewhat apart. What is it, Asian people are well aware. Recently, however, he quietly begins to "sneak" into the economy of purebred Europeans.
Tandoor: what is it?
This type of furnace has been used for centuries in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Mongolia, and even Japan. Let it be called “tanur” among Tajiks, “tone” among Georgians, and “tonir” among Armenians, all the same, most people are more familiar with the “name” of the tandoor. What is it, many people know except from books and films, but sometimes people who are far from Asian open spaces have happened to feast on the dishes prepared in it.
In earlier times, like any other oven, tandoor was used not only for cooking, but also for heating. Now he has only one functional purpose. Moreover, cooking in it became so popular that the industry began to produce electric tandoor, and of various sizes, design and mobility - from portable cottage to stationary, intended for restaurants. Pleasure, of course, is not cheap - a compact small stove costs about 60 thousand rubles - but people are always ready to pay for the pleasure.
Authenticity connoisseurs can buy a real clay Uzbek tandoor: they are brought to Moscow from sunny Uzbekistan in sufficient quantities. Its cost, however, is not much different from the price of electric.
Secrets of the Right Tandoor
The masters do not reveal all the secrets of making a jug-like stove to anyone - they are inherited and carefully preserved. This is probably why clay tandoor cannot be done on its own - the material will crack from temperature. There are two well-known secrets:
- The clay from which the Uzbek tandoor is made is carefully sifted - almost more carefully than flour for a capricious dough. This is done so that the walls are not only smooth, but also of the same density. So the heat will be distributed evenly on the stove, the walls will not crack, and the food will cook on all sides at the same time.
- Combed sheep or goat hair is added to the clay. It reinforces the material, and after firing, when the wool burns out, a kind of pore remains inside the walls. They contribute to uniform heating and proper humidity during cooking. It is thanks to these pores that the tandoor cakes are soft, but with the right golden crust.
However, even if you observe these subtleties, it is unlikely that your clay tandoor will last long. If at all, it will withstand at least the first warm-up. And it’s not a fact that dishes from it will delight you - you still don’t know all the secrets.
Benefits of Tandoor
Why is this oven so consistently gaining popularity? The fact is that cooking in the tandoor, first of all, somewhat resembles the oven. That is, no harmful and undesirable substances are formed in tandoor food. You can say diet cooking, even if the kebab is fried.
The second plus is that tandoor dishes are cooked very quickly. The products are affected not so much by coals as by heat from the walls. As a result, juicy and flavorful meat will be ready in a quarter of an hour, fish in ten minutes, and vegetables in five.
It is also important that you do not need to follow the cooking. Shish kebab is hung vertically, the heat comes from all sides - neither turning over, nor sprinkling, nor somehow “conjuring” is required. So everyone who has installed a tandoor, reviews leave only enthusiastic.
Terms of use
Whatever tandoor you buy - electric or clay - the first ignition should be carried out carefully, raising the temperature in it gradually and using only dry firewood in the case of the clay version. They are laid no more than two-thirds of the tandoor. The oven should warm up from half an hour to an hour.
Before sending products to it, be sure to make sure that no burnt logs remain in the tandoor. The resulting coals should be evenly distributed along the bottom (on or under the grate).
Having used the oven a couple of times, it needs to be warmed up again, since the heat has already subsided a little. Moreover, the second portion will take longer to prepare.
The tandoor should cool naturally. Watering is not permissible!
Never place the stove in enclosed spaces or close to flammable objects such as gas cylinders or a garage.
It is better to keep children away from the working tandoor - its walls are very hot, and the baby can get serious burns.
Necessary materials and preparation
Since, as we have already explained, it is not possible to build such a miracle furnace from clay on our own, there is nothing left to do but make a tandoor from brick. This is even slightly easier than folding an ordinary stove. Similar materials will be required: refractory bricks, sand with clay, grate (grates) and cement under the foundation. First you have to make a drawing, choose a place and calculate the right amount of building materials.
Foundation for tandoor
If possible, it is better to choose a sandy place for the furnace - this is the least moist soil, which dries quickly after rains. In the absence of sandstones on the site, a shallow round foundation pit breaks out under the foundation, the bottom is leveled and wakes up with sand. The site is rammed and the foundation is made: laid out with brick or poured with concrete (cement). When a brick tandoor is laid out, the reviews are most positive when using a reinforced concrete slab. However, this increases the price of the furnace, and additional troubles appear on its even laying.
The construction of the tandoor
When the foundation is ready and dried (if required), a drawing of the future tandoor is applied on it, and the laying of its walls begins. On the circumference, the first row of bricks is laid on the end and fastened with mortar. For reliability, the row can be fixed with wire before drying. Asbestos pipe is used as a blower - it is inserted in the second row of bricks. It would be wiser to immediately carry out the inner coating of the tandoor - for example, with fireclay mortar, but the clay will go. If you do this after the construction, you will greatly add to the difficulties. Grates are mounted on the second row of bricks. In total, you will need four rows in height.
Closing up
In a lined and dried oven, all joints are sealed from the outside. For this, a solution of cement with clay is used. So that the brick does not “suck” water from the clay, it is necessary to moisten it sometimes when coating it. After this layer has dried, a second one is applied - from clay mixed with straw. It will act in some way as a reinforcing and insulating wall. After two or three days, the tandoor is covered with a third layer - the composition is the same as for the second. If it rains during the outdoor decoration and its drying, the stove should be covered with polyethylene. Basically, your stove is ready. It remains to make a lid for it: it is possible from an iron sheet with a handle, it is possible from a boiler of a suitable size - for which you have enough imagination. Stands are made to load products, the stove is burned for the first time - and is ready at least for daily use. If you wish, in order to make the tandoor outwardly more attractive, you can impose it on a natural stone. In this case, before the first burn through, you will have to wait until the lining dries.
Earthen tandoor
It is considered even more convenient to use, since there is no danger of getting burned, and it is more convenient to lower the stand with the same skewers into it. The principle of laying it out does not change much, just the excavation digs to a depth of three quarters of the height of the furnace. The pipe for the blower is taken longer and brought out. Exterior decoration will require only a "cap" left on top.
Leg of lamb
Inexperienced users who have not yet accumulated their recipes can cook the meat in tandoor in this way: take a leg of lamb, rub it with olive oil mixed with sea salt and fresh herbs - rosemary, cilantro, parsley, stuff with garlic plates and soak for ten hours in plastic bag. At the right time, warm the tandoor and hang the lamb for fifty minutes on the furnace guide.
Tandoor nan
This is the name of the real Uzbek cakes from the tandoor. The dough is prepared from six glasses of flour, one and a half - salted water, and yeast. When it settles down and becomes magnificent, with hands, without a rolling pin, it stretches into rather large layers and is baked in a heated tandoor. Do not be discouraged if for the first time the tortilla does not want to stick to the wall - it still needs a certain dexterity and skill.
No matter what you cook, in the tandoor they turn out more fragrant and tender. Even beef will never be stiff and cook much faster than on a regular stove. So if you have a summer house or a country house, do not hesitate - buy or put the tandoor yourself. What is it and how to use it, we told you. Envy of friends and neighbors will be ensured for sure after the first preparation in it.