Many the world over have had unique culinary experiences by indulging in Indian cuisine. One of the famous finger-licking good Indian dishes that is loved by the masses is the tandoori. However, more often than not, whenever people relish the dish, they always seem to have a different experience when it comes to the taste and flavor. The inconsistency of the dish raises a curiosity among the food lovers. It often prompts them to find the reasons behind the different flavors associated with the tandoori dishes.  

What Is Tandoori

Tandoori denotes a cooking methodology that involves the use of a tandoor. A barrel-shaped clay oven that utilizes charcoal or wood to function. The tandoor is known for giving the tandoori dishes their smokey and unique flavor. Some of the dishes that are prepared in the tandoor include chicken, naan, and kebabs, to mention but a few. The cooking methodology of the tandoori dishes includes marination of the dishes to add flavor, adding a blend of spice to season, and cooking at very high temperatures to get the signature char and juicy interior they are known to have. 

Reasons Why Indian Tandoori Doesn’t Taste The Same

Let’s dive into some of the reasons why tandoori dishes have an inconsistent taste:

• Spice blends and marination – One of the reasons why tandoori dishes have a unique taste each time you visit a new restaurant is because restaurants tend to make spice blends of their own. Therefore, each restaurant has a unique way of making spice blends for their tandoori dishes, which then results in a different taste. Not only that, the time they take to marinate the dishes also plays a major role in impacting the taste. Some restaurants tend to marinate for a longer period, while others do it for a short duration. 
• Cooking method – India is very diverse, and there are different methods of cooking Indian dishes. Some prefer to use the traditional tandoor oven, which cooks the food faster and gives it the signature smoky flavor that is difficult to imitate with any other method of cooking. Home ovens can also be used to make tandoor. However, the taste is unmatched compared to that of the tandoor. On the other hand, some prefer BBQs and Broiler to make the tandoori, which also gives the tandoori dishes a different flavor. Therefore, the cooking methodology impacts the flavor to a large extent.
• Other factors – India is a diverse country, and every region has a different approach when it comes to tandoori preparation, characterized by the use of different spices and techniques, which explains why Indian tandoori has regional variations. Moreover, the quality and freshness of the ingredients affect the disease outcome. Cooking skills can also influence the outcome of the dish, as there is a difference between the dish prepared by a novice and a seasoned cook.

It can be quite challenging for restaurants and even people at home to replicate tandoori dish flavors the same as there are different factors that influence the outcome of the dish, which include different spice blends, use of the tandoor oven, and so on. Taste of India is one of those restaurants that will allow you to experience some of the best tandoori dishes, as they don’t compromise when it comes to preparing Indian dishes. They have also managed to add flair to the cuisine by turning them from classic to modern fusions.