Walk past any great Indian restaurant and you notice it before you even sit down – a warm, smoky smell that pulls you straight through the door.
That comes from one place: the tandoor.
Tandoor method has been around for over 5,000 years. Yet the food it produces still stops people mid-bite. The char on the outside. The tenderness inside. The deep, smoky flavour you cannot quite put into words. Once you understand what happens inside that clay oven, every dish on the menu will make a lot more sense.
What Is Tandoor Cooking?
A method of preparing food inside a cylindrical clay oven – called a tandoor – fired by charcoal or wood, at temperatures up to 480°C (900°F). That is nearly three times hotter than a regular home oven.
Food goes in one of two ways:
- Meats and vegetables are threaded onto long metal skewers and lowered inside from the top.
- Breads like naan are pressed directly against the inner clay wall and bake in under two minutes.
Inside, three things happen at the same time – the clay walls radiate steady heat all around the food, the charcoal at the base delivers fierce, direct heat from below, and as marinade drips from the skewers onto the hot coals, it creates smoke that rises back up and coats the food from every side.
No regular oven or grill does all three together. That is exactly why tandoor method produces flavour that is hard to match anywhere else.
How Tandoor Cooking Began: A Brief History
The tandoor has been around far longer than most people realise. Here is how it travelled from ancient clay pits to the restaurant kitchens we know today.
- Archaeologists found clay oven remains and charred animal bones at Harappan sites dating back to around 3,000 BCE – early signs of tandoor method in the Indus Valley.
- During the Mughal period, high-heat fire cooking entered royal kitchens. Emperor Jahangir loved meat prepared this way and had a portable oven built so his cooks could travel with him.
- After the partition of India in 1947, a Punjabi chef named Kundan Lal Gujral moved from Peshawar to Delhi and opened a Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryaganj.
- He placed a tandoor at the centre of his kitchen and marinated chicken in spiced yogurt before cooking it on a skewer – the first time any public restaurant had done this.
- That dish became tandoori chicken. Butter chicken and dal makhani were also born in that same kitchen.
- Gujral took a tradition that had existed for centuries in homes and royal kitchens and made it available to everyday diners on the street.
Best Tandoori Dishes to Order at an Indian Restaurant
These are the best tandoori dishes that show what tandoor cooking is truly capable of – whether you eat meat or not.
- Tandoori Chicken – Whole chicken pieces marinate in spiced yogurt for hours, then go straight onto the skewer. The tandoor chars the outside while every bite stays perfectly juicy inside.
- Seekh Kebab – Minced lamb or chicken is mixed with herbs and spices, shaped onto a flat skewer, and cooked in the tandoor. Crisp outside, soft and flavourful inside.
- Chicken Tikka – Boneless chicken pieces are marinated, skewered, and grilled until tender and lightly charred. This is the dish that became the base for the now-iconic chicken tikka masala. If you are trying tandoori chicken in London for the first time, chicken tikka is the perfect place to start.
- Paneer Tikka – Cottage cheese cubes are coated in a spiced yogurt mix and grilled until the edges char. It picks up smoky flavour beautifully — the best tandoori option for vegetarians.
- Naan – Dough is pressed onto the hot clay wall and baked in under two minutes. Soft, blistered, and lightly smoky – something no regular oven can replicate.
Experience Tandoor Cooking at Delhi Brasserie, London
London has one of the most respected Indian restaurant scenes in the world. At Delhi Brasserie, the tandoor sits at the heart of the kitchen – and every dish reflects that.
Every plate is prepared using a traditional clay tandoor, authentic marinades, and real charcoal heat. Whether you order the seekh kebab, tandoori chicken, or paneer tikka, what arrives at your table carries that combination of sealed juices, spiced crust, and smoky depth that only a genuine tandoor london kitchen can produce.
If you are looking for authentic Indian cuisine in London, this is where to begin. View the full menu at Delhi Brasserie and find your next favourite dish.
Conclusion
The tandoor is one of the oldest cooking tools in the world – and still one of the best. From Harappan clay ovens to Kundan Lal Gujral’s kitchen in Delhi, and now to the finest Indian restaurants across London, this simple cylinder of clay and fire has never stopped producing extraordinary food.
The reason is simple: intense heat, charcoal smoke, clay walls, and a well-made marinade all working together at once. No modern method has fully replaced that.
At Delhi Brasserie, that tradition is kept alive in every dish that comes from the tandoor. Come in, order from the tandoor menu, and taste what five thousand years of cooking history actually feels like.
Book your table at Delhi Brasserie today
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tandoor cooking in simple words?
It means preparing food inside a clay oven fired by charcoal or wood. The oven reaches very high temperatures – up to 480°C – which cooks meat and bread quickly while giving them a distinct smoky, charred flavour.
Why does tandoori food taste smoky?
As the spiced marinade drips from the skewers onto the hot coals below, it instantly turns into smoke. That smoke rises back up inside the oven and is absorbed by the food, which is where the smoky flavour comes from.
What makes tandoori chicken different from grilled chicken?
Tandoori chicken is cooked at a much higher temperature than regular grilled chicken. The intense heat seals the juices inside within seconds, keeping the meat moist. The yogurt marinade also tenderises the chicken and holds the spices in place during cooking.
What are the best tandoori dishes for someone trying it for the first time?
Tandoori chicken and chicken tikka are the best starting points. Both are easy to enjoy, not too spicy, and show exactly what cooking in the tandoor does to flavour and texture. Paneer tikka is the best option for vegetarians.
Where can I try authentic tandoori food in London?
Delhi Brasserie serves authentic tandoori dishes prepared in a traditional clay tandoor. It is one of the most respected spots for Indian cuisine in London and a great place to experience real tandoor cooking.
