Tandoori seasoning
The spice blend built for the tandoor oven, now made easy at home. Smoky, warm, and faintly tangy, it turns a plain chicken thigh into something worth repeating.
What It Is
Tandoori seasoning is modeled after the dry spice pastes used to coat meat before it goes into a tandoor, the clay oven that burns at ferocious heat in South Asian cooking. The blend typically combines cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, ginger, garlic, and garam masala spices into a reddish-orange mix with layers of warmth and a gentle citrus-like bite from dried amchur or other souring agents.
It does the work of several spices at once. That is the whole point. One blend gets you the color, the warmth, and the characteristic smokiness without measuring out six separate jars.
What To Do
Mix two to three teaspoons with plain yogurt or a little oil to make a quick marinade. Coat chicken pieces, shrimp, or cubed paneer, let it sit for at least thirty minutes, then roast in a hot oven, grill, or cook in a cast iron pan until charred at the edges. The higher the heat, the better.
Beyond marinades, stir it into roasted chickpeas, toss it with cauliflower before it goes in the oven, or add a spoonful to a pot of lentil soup for background warmth. Store in a cool, dark spot and use within a year for the best color and flavor.
