Your own personal home tandoor

Keywords:	Tandoor ¦ Indian cuisine ¦ Kitchenware
Translations:	Español
Feedback:	79 comments - leave yours!

Text-only version printed fromhttp://FXcuisine.com/default.asp?Display=2

How I got a real tandoor in my kitchen and how you can have one too.

When lit up, my tandoor is a beast. It sucks all air from the kitchen and spits enormous amount of foul smelling, intensely hot air up the hole. The only way this works is with a window wide open and all three overhead ventilation units turned on full power lest it suffocates everyone in the kitchen. The casing itself becomes quite hot. But the real fun begins when you have to put your entire forearm right in the dragon's open mouth to stick a slippery, soft, unbaked naan on the walls. Pray that it sticks, otherwise you'll need to fish it out the bottom. I've had some naans become like volcanic earth after only a few minutes in the tandoor's belly.

The whole baking and grilling ceremony is great fun to the guests but I don't allow them around me while I'm feeding the monster, so high is the adrenaline. If you think I'm making this up you go and try yourself.

This is by far my most baroque and extravagant kitchen appliance and definitely the focal point of FX's indoor kitchen.

I had been cooking Indian food for a few years and eaten in many fine Indian restaurants when it dwelved on me that I would never get great results unless I got a tandoor.

Not such a common appliance
Modern Indian households do not usually have a tandoor and neither does a surprising number of Indian restaurants. A real tandoor is indispensable to bake the most tasty Indian breads as well as any 'tandoori' and most 'tikka' dishes. There is just no other kitchen appliance, save for a volcano, that can provide the 500°F necessary to do the job. You can try all you want in an oven, the results will never taste nearly half as good.

Shopping for the beast
Researching on the web I found a couple companies who made tandoors to western standards, meaning they could be fitted in a kitchen with no health or fire hazards. The most promising producer was in Australia and their tandoors were too big to fit in my kitchen. Charcoal was out of bounds for both practical and regulatory considerations. The only electric tandoor, sold to professional kitchen onboard cruise ships, was too big. I had to go for gas and preferably from some company in the UK that would agree to ship to Switzerland for a reasonable price and satisfy EU security standards. The Clay Oven Company Ltd did just that, and they had a smaller-sized tandoor that would sort of fit in my kitchen. The thing sells for about £800, transportation included, and it comes with a wonderful selection of seekhs, including a pair of bread seekhs. As you can see from the picture, it looks like a professional kitchen equipment, meaning it's rather ugly but very resistant, all clad in stainless steel.

I bake and grill all sort of food in my tandoor, vegeterian included:

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79 Comments

#1
Comment by Tom W

How do you keep the items on the skewers from slipping down into the coals?Tom

#2
Answered by fx

Good question Tom! Traditionally you stick a potato, apple or onion at the bottom of the skewer, then discard it when cooked. I found that screwable rotisserie hooks did as good a job without waste. And sometimes it fails and everything drops down at the bottom and you have loads of smoke!

#3
Comment by parshu.narayanan

Uncle Francois! The place for the tandoor is the backyard in most Punjabi Indian homes. living in a Punjabi-dominated city like Delhi we have one too, but non-veg food grosses out my Tamil Brahmin wife so i just do paneer tikkas and veggies. (I am leaving posts like bird-droppings all over your site only because I am enjoying all the entries. And you write very good English for a European.)

#4
Comment by parshu.narayanan

The word Tandoor if ur interested comes from Arabic tannur, and its insides were traditionally coated with baked Camel dung ( Middle east,central Asia) or cow dung( India) -I kid you not, in fact Madras had a Cowdung tennis court which set better than clay courts. The first recorded Indian reference to it is by the famous indo-muslim 14-cent. poet Amir Khusro ( his Hindi lullabys are still sung today) who spoke of eating "Tannuri" bread

#5
Comment by James

Have asked Clay Oven Company for a quote. What do you fire your Tandoor on? 'Town' gas, or bottled? Great recipes BTW. Looking forward to (eventually) trying them here!

#6
Answered by fx

James, my tandoor operates on natural gas, the one that comes through gas mains. Town gas is, I believe, a gas that used to be manufactured from animal refuse. It had a bad smell and is no longer used. But they do make their tandoors with both natural and bottled gas. I wish you fun with your new tandoor!

#7
Comment by Heather

Hi! I lived for two years in Switzerland with my Swiss husband in Gland and Morges. It caught my eye when you mentioned Lake Geneva in one of your articles. Looking forward to more great articles and recipe finds from your website... Thanks!!!

#8
Comment by Mike O'Connor

The article is a hoot (very delightful, that is) and so are you.

#9
Comment by Henriette

You are really one of the most serious food enthusiasts I have encountered. I thought I was a bit over the top, but, wow, I give in to the master. And the gadgets....where do you put them, when you don't use them? The Alps?

#10
Comment by Mohit Kumar

What you need for home use is available at www.tandooriq.co.uk and that is probably the best way to get the most authentic tandoori food.

#11
Answered by fx

Most authentic? Your products are certainly attractive, but are you sure authenticity is the best argument? I assume you don't use horse hair in your clay, right? Anyway, good luck to you and thanks for visiting.

#12
Comment by AMIT CHAWDHARY

hi,this is really a wonderful blog,waiting for a long time to see this ,gud effort.....i have some information for u to add in ur tandoor section if u like it.Originally the term “Tandoor” was coined by the early Indians. “Tandoor” derives from “Kund”,which is an oval shaped vessel made of loam. The “Kund” stores the heat perfectly. First used forwater or weed storage, or simply to obtain a ritual fire, people then tried to bake bread an pieces ofpastry through pressing it on the inner wall. The result was magnificent. The procedure of cookingwith this oven was further developed through decades. A marinade of acidulated, thick milk andspinach with spices is plastered on the inner wall, which gives the particular meal cooked in thisoven it’s special flavour and arome. To this day on that’s the way how food is traditionally cookedin India.

#13
Answered by fx

Thank you for your valuable historic comments on the tandoor. I regret mine is gas-fired and cement but alas unless you live in India most tandoors are like this nowadays. But the best tandoor is made of clay and charcoal fired.

#14
Comment by frans

Thanks for your wonderful site. Since you have a tandoori oven have you ever heard of a Ceramic oven the 2 brands I have is a bigreenegg.com and Primogrill.com. They are fantastic ovens especially for low and slow cooking and grilling as well. You can bake bread in them smoke cook you name it. my email is: vandepas@hotmail.com. Thank you Frans.

#15
Comment by Singh

I bought a tandoor for my home about 5 years ago(have loads of recipes if anyones intrested) and its been such a huge hit with my friends that I ended up supplying 12 to them over the years.Having been asked by friends of friends to supply them as well I decided when I was last in India to go and meet up with the chap I was buying them from in Ludhiana Panjab and secured a batch from him,they are LPG(can be converted to mains gas) fired domestic tandoors they weigh about 20kg and are roughly a metre square finished in hammered copper they look very cool and contemporary and have a quality build,they come with all the accesories seekhs,bread gaddi,bread skewers etc.The most impressive aspect is that they reach operating temperature in 10 mins! Anyone who has a tandoor will realise this is extraordinary.Anyway most of the batch are pre-sold but I was wondering how much demand there may be for them,if its substantial I suppose I could order more and perhaps sell them through ebay...any thoughts? P.S. I am London(UK)based

#16
Answered by fx

Mr Singh, thank you for your message. If you have a picture of your own tandoor I'll find a way of displaying it here. Maybe other readers will want one too!

#17
Comment by raj

A few technical questions - hope you can answer them. Firstly, after researching tandoors and owning a clay one, I discovered that ceramic liners and not clay are better conductors and outlast the tandoors with the clay liners. What is your opinion? Secondly, why is the shape of the liner in an oval form and not just straight down like the shape of the exterior (round or square)? Finally, should I be using the thicker skewers for whole a chicken or lamb? Thanks.

#18
Answered by fx

Raj, I agree that clay liners are not durable. Indian chefs change them every 12 or 18 months. Ceramic liner I have never seen but I have cement in mine and it works fine. I believe the shape of the inside tandoor walls is curved because most are made out of clay pots and modern tandoors try to copy the design of old ones. Did somebody investigate the best shape, I am not sure but clearly it has the advantage of keeping the heat inside and not having the lid take the full brow of whatever you burn below. Otherwise it might become really to hot for the kitchen. As for the seekhs/skewers, you need them thick enough to withstand the weight of your chicken without bending. That's it!

#19
Comment by raj

Thanks for your response it will certainly help me to decide on the type of tandoor to purchase and maybe even construct one. The FX site is a valuable source for information and knowledge - keep up the good work. Thanks again.

#20
Comment by Singh

Sure thing Francois,how can I forward you the pic's?

#21
Answered by fx

Mr Singh, please send them to fx@fxcuisine.com

#22
Comment by Raghu bhagirath

I saw your article over tandoor and really liked it very much but my question is where can I purchase it and how much does it cost I am in Nederland. I am myself a cook and want to have one in my home also so that I can enjoy with my family whenever I like. Regards, Raghu

#23
Answered by fx

Raghu, there is a British company called The Clay Oven Company that ships European-standards all over Europe. Just look them up on Google and they'll send your tandoor by truck.

#24
Comment by Andrew

Hello,
Good article.
I know what you mean about food cooked in a tandoor.

#25
Comment by Janet

Hi !

I bought a Tandoor from Jumbo International, Mumbai.

I think they are the Best Tandoori Suppliers on Earth.

The Taste of their Oven is so authentic and Natural, that as if I am staying in India.

I request to refer these People's Site having relevant information.

Janet.
France

#26
Comment by rocky

I have made one gas tandoor from oil drum but i am not satisfied. Insulation and everything is ok but on the side I have big side hole to take the burner pipe out for gas connection to the gas cylender. This hole is always open. When I try to make naan rotis, front side cooks well with the flame but back side is always uncooked (kacchi). Also, when I put the lid on, inside it turns totally black. Maybe, this is from air coming thru open side hole. I am using LPG to fire this tandoor. Do I need to close this side opening while heating the tandoor and cooking. please advise.

#27
Comment by naz

where di i by a tandoor for home use a clay one thanks

#28
Answered by fx

Rocky, making your own gas-powered tandoor sounds like a very dangerous project to me. Have you thought about buying one? Some people make tandoors out of clay and bricks but they power it with charcoal and operate it outside. I really recommend you renounce trying this without proper instructions. At best you might burn yourself. Sorry not to be able to help.

#29
Comment by Jan

Your article says the tandoor reaches 500F, but regular home ovens do that. Do you perhaps mean 500C (over 900F) ?

Anyway, I love the pictures on your blog... thanks for the great site!

#30
Answered by fx

Jan, you are right but my tandoor's is excessively modest on what he shows on his temperature dial. When I turn it on, after 5 minutes it reaches 300 Celsius, but I never found another temperature gauge that would exceed this temperature. Thanks!

#31
Comment by Jacob

where can I buy one?. Who is the maufacturer?. Please give me the contact information.
thanks,
Jacob

#32
Answered by fx

Look for the Clay Oven Company in London, they have a website.

#33
Comment by Dolce

Inspiring!
I am beginning my Tandoor by building a clay liner with non-toxic grog clay. My question is this: should I fire the liner? I've seen both baked and unbaked clay liners for sale from India, and I wonder which is better.

#34
Answered by fx

Dolce, I never built a tandoor although this is a fun project, and couldn´t answer you. Sorry!

#35
Comment by Liza

Dear François-Xavier,

I love cooking and my sister send me the link to your web-site. I just wanted to say what a pleasure it is to look at what you do: it looks beautiful and just about all the recepies are on my to do list now!
Thank you!

#36
Answered by fx

Liza, how sweet of your sister to send you the link to my site. Glad you liked it and hope to see you back here!

#37
Comment by lm

What kind of hood/exhaust do you use? Is it similar to one used over gas range?

FX's answer→ LM I have three regular hoods on top but I could use a big commercial hood when the tandoor is in operation.

#39
Comment by Wes

How does one get the bread attached to the inside of the tandoor without burning your hands? I know the charcoal or gas would not have a lid, but can an electric one have a lid to keep more heat inside?

FX's answer→ Wes, you need to press the bread against the tandoor's surface using a glove or a cushion. All tandoors have a lid, only in some kitchens if they are really busy they take the lid off during service.

#41
Comment by Pamela

Hi- I found only 1 contradiction on your site. The Google add which suggests "How to lose 42 lbs. in ...." Very cute considering there are so many great, rich & hearty recipes. I am 50% swiss and live in Austin, Texas. Yes, I LOVE hot chipotles & Tex- mex too... It's also nice to add some hot cayenne pepper on melted raqulet.

FX's answer→ Pamela, I think google guesses what we all might want to shop for in 2009 - a diet!

#43
Comment by Hasnain

Hi,

I have a clay oven, but the problem is that whenever I make tandoori naans. The naans do get cooked but when I remove the naan from the tandoor it has a fine layer of clay at the bottom of the naan where it was in contact with the tandoor. Was wondering if there is a way I can prep. the tandoor so that it doesnt happen ?? Any feedback will be great. Thanks in advance.

FX's answer→ Hasnain, first I recommend you either reduce the wetting of the naans when you place them in the tandoor, or make a drier dough. Second, if this doesn't work, you might want to look into seasoning your tandoor's inner surface with spinach leaves and milk or another such mixture. Please consider that even in restaurants I get little clay particles on the back of naans from time to time - this can happen!

#45
Comment by Shane

Hello: I have been looking for instructions on how to build a Tandoor. It is not easy as most instructions use a pre-made liner. I have made clay ovens in the traditional Quebecoise style with great results. It seems that the shape of clay ovens are quite specific and it has to do with radiating heat most efficiently. As for the problem of clay particles, a potter friend suggested getting your oven quite hot (over a period of time) and then either throwing or placeing a dish of sea salt in the oven and plugging it up. This causes the oven to become slightly glazed on the inside which seems to help.

If anyone has ever built their own tandoor and knows the method including specific shapes and dimentions I would really like to know.

I am a professional Chef and would like to say that this site is really well done!!

FX's answer→ Shane, I think you can buy commercial tandoors as well, perhaps you might call a local supplier up and ask him how it's made. Good luck with your project!

#47
Comment by Colleen

Hello,
My husband makes and sells traditional Clay Tandoor ovens.
He also make a thing called the Yard Oven. It is a modular unit that also comes with a Pizza top ( so it also make woodfired pizzas. We love our Tandoor. We live in Austalia and make all the Tandoor ovens for Indian restaurants in Sydney.

FX's answer→ Thanks Colleen.

#49
Comment by Michael

#47Comment by Colleenon: 03/01/2010
Hello,
My husband makes and sells traditional Clay Tandoor ovens.
He also make a thing called the Yard Oven. It is a modular unit that also comes with a Pizza top ( so it also make woodfired pizzas. We love our Tandoor. We live in Austalia and make all the Tandoor ovens for Indian restaurants in Sydney.
FX's answer→ Thanks Colleen.
Can you email me how to contact you and your husband I wish to purchase one. I am in Adelaide watersportsdude@hotmail.com

#50
Comment by Mike

Re: Comment by Colleen 3/1/10
Hi, interesting article, thankyou. I built a traditional masonry oven last year and am now planning on a Tandoor. Would be interested in contacting Colleen's husband re the design, specifically about purchasing the oven body. My email is mikeb12@our.net.au
Thanks, Mike

#51
Comment by syed

I am trying to built my own ceramic tandoor you save char/feul and keep it hot for longer time if any body can give me helping hand or idea ? thanks by the way i lives in pittsburgh pa U S A.God bless us all.

#52
Comment by Tai

Hi I am in Australia, you mention that yyou found a company over here that could help my desire to have a Tandoor! Do you remember who they were? It would save costly shipping from the UK :-)
Love your work!
Tai

FX's answer→ You need to look for electrical tandoors for the maritime industry, I think they are the only one to make it, just search for it online.

#54
Comment by Shoukat Ali

Hello, Fantastic article - Quick question if I may. Sounds like a tandoori oven can be put as an appliance into the kitchen without too much bother. Is a canopy/extraction unit essential, or should I be looing to put the tandoor into the garage?
What is the startup times for the oven. Having looked around, these can take up to an hour to fire and warm up, is this correct?

Regards,
Ali.

FX's answer→ Yes about an hour to get the temperature exactly right is correct. You absolutely need to have a very strong ventilation and an arrival of fresh air near the tandoor, otherwise this beast will suck any oxygen out of your house.

#56
Comment by Mr Singh

Hi FX,

I sent you an email back in 2008 regarding my domestic gas tandoor and my plans to supply them in the UK and Europe. I did send you a pic..assume you got it but not to worry its a long time ago. Anyway it turned out the gas tandoor was going to be difficult to introduce into Europe for a number of technical and bureaucratic reasons.

Of course people can buy a restaurant tandoor like your's. It is the type I grew up(I hail from a Panjabi catering family)but what I have been looking for is something that work's better in a domestic environment. Even the small clay/metal tandoors from india that can be bought in the UK, weigh around 80Kg still take over an hour to come to temperature, only holding that temperature for 30-45 minutes and have the inherent fragility issues that you get with a clay liner.

Now for the reason I have contacted you again. There was a brilliant domestic tandoor that was launched in the UK back in 1998. It was made of cast aluminium, weighed 15kg, could be broken down in one movement and would fit in the boot of a car, it would get to perfect cooking temperature in 30 mins and once up to temperature it would hold the right cooking temperature for up to one hour on a single load of charcoal!

Having grown up around tandoors and tandoori chefs I assure you that the clay add's nothing to the flavour of food cooked in the tandoor. The food produced by this cast aluminium tandoor is as good as any I have tasted from any tandoor be that here in the UK or in Panjab.

The tandoor got rave reviews(even sold in Harrods!) but a lack of promotion and issues amongst the patent holders meant it went out of production and became unavailable around 2004/05... I spent a good few years trying to track down whoever owned the patent and to try and find out why it wasn't being produced anymore.

Now to the point..I have managed to agree a deal with the patent holder's and a mould is being made in China as we speak. Unfortunately it took us a long time to find the right factory because we had very specific wants and standards. After being out of the market for so long this would be essentially a new product launch and we had to make sure the quality would be as we wanted it.

That delay has meant that we will be very late in the summer (end Aug/Sept) for delivery which isn't perfect but just the way it is. I doubt we will be able to convince everyone but Tandoori cooking is a lot less temperature sensitive than normal BBQ and I do it all year round.

What I wanted to do FX, if you would be kind enough to accommodate me is send you a unit, when I have received them, to gain your honest objective opinion.

Of course it would be a gift and all I ask is that you review it as you find it and if possible post your findings on your site. I am so confident that you will like the unit that I would like you to post your review warts and all. Would this be acceptable to you?

You being a tandoori fan and owning a restaurant quality tandoor yourself seem to me to be a great choice of reviewer.

For those that are interested the unit was known as the Nipoori tandoor and retailed at the time for £150..I am doing my best to keep the price as close to this as possible.

Kind Regards

Zak

#57
Comment by BDS

Mr Singh - have you decided to go ahead and market your gas-powered tandoor oven because I would be interested in buying one. Please advise the best way to get in touch and get hold of one - thank you

FX's answer→ I am not Mr Singh.

#59
Comment by Phil

Hi.

I would very much be interested in buying a Nipoori Tandoor. I have been looking for one for ages! Do let me know when it becomes available again!

Phil.

FX's answer→ Phil I am not a tandoor retailer, sorry I can't help!

#61
Comment by shantihhh/mary-anne

Will this new Tandoor be available in the US (California)? BTW a wonderful Tandoor book is available by the late Ranjit Rai, "Tandoor". His earlier book, Curry, Curry, Curry is an amazing source of the old style recipes.

FX's answer→ Yes of course I got his book before the tandoor, a really impressive treatise it is!

#63
Comment by kay

FX, great site. wondering if you could help me. I'm currently looking for a clay oven for indoor use. I've called various retaielrs however can't seem to find any oevns suitable for indoor use.
Thanks a lot!

#64
Comment by Nash

Hi Guys,

I am from Goa, India residing in Toronto and will be going to Goa/Mumbai in December. Was planning in getting a Tangoor Clay Liner to build my own backyard-home tandoor to be able to once again enjoy the KADDAK Tandoori Roties straight form the oven.

But this post about the cast Alliminium Tanddor seems very interesting. Somebody (FX/ZAK) is trying to market this? Andi I think he is based in UK? First of all I am interesting in buying one for myself, and if it is good (no clay particles in the roties and tasts as good as a clay Tandoor) the probably I could even help in marketing these in Ontario/Toront area.

FX/ZAK, Pls Email asap. nash.carol@rogers.com and nash.lobo@rbcdexia.com

Regards

Nash

#65
Comment by nick moger

Hi Guys - Great site. As an ex-pat living on the gulf coast of Mississippi, we are starved for our native Indian food ;). We are looking to build a tandoor in our back yard and are having difficulties finding reasonbly priced tandoor (just the clay pot). Any suggestions?

#66
Comment by Andrew

I love tandoori food - I will definitely get myself a tandoor oven having read your article

FX's answer→ Good luck then.

#68
Comment by Dean

Great site Fx! I live in Austrailia and recently purchased a home tandoor oven form a company called Tandoor Living based out of Melbourne(www.tandoorliving.com.au). The guys their were real helpful and I got it delivered in 3 days. I have used the oven heaps and have made the best tandoori chicken ever. I have also used it to cook roast pork and it produced the best crackiling I have had in a long time. It seems like tandoor ovens can be used to cook just about anything. I look forward to reading more posts on tandoori cooking etc.

#69
Comment by Michael

How do you position the seekh in the tandoor? The greatest heat is at the bottom of the tandoor which cooks faster than the top of the seekh. I keep burning the bottom piece.

I have been researching this for a while. Your Website is very helpful. Keep up the good work.

Michael
Santa Barbara California

#70
Comment by melissa

Hi Michael,

This is a common question people ask. You first need to make sure the tandoor has had time to fully heat up - say 30-40 minutes. This will help the heat distribute more evenly. You can also try and cook the food with the tandoor lid partially on to help maintain heat at the top of the tandoor. Importantly, you can use a heat shield at the bottom of the seekh to stop the last piece of food burning. We recommend using a piece of potato or onion. You can also use a piece of foil. Further detail on using tandoors can be found on the "Tandoor Living" website (www.tandoorliving.com.au). Hope this helps!

#71
Comment by hadji kareem

we a country of tandoor(IRAQ) and the real name of tandooor is tanoor from the light insteade of gate and many thank for your great information .

#72
Comment by Niraj Gupta

I have constructed a tandoor using basic things like a large size flower planter, play sand, and metal trash can. This has come out very good. I have had two parties at my house and this is the main focus of all the guests when I start to feed the "Beast". The Nan and chicken tikka came out professional quality. Spent way much less $$ than commercially available tandoors.
I am glad I built it and looking forward to enjoying the authentic tandoori Nans and other tandoori dishes.

#73
Comment by Montu

Does any one know what type of clay is used in a tandoor ? I am in Sydney and to know if the clay can be purchased here. What do you think about using a Terracotta pot ?

#74
Comment by Amit

I got an indoor tandoor for myself - they are the first people to make an indoor certified tandoor for the US market. Love it - can run on mains gas and has the option of connecting a BBQ Cylinder too.

Placed it on my Patio - has auto ignition and flame control. Cooks more than 5 naan breads at one go. I had it from www.hometandoor.com

Maybe this helps other people who want one - i was looking for something like this for ages.

#75
Comment by Shibu Jacob

Good one!Fx? OK,it would be a bit far fetched to know of any suppliers in Sydney? I did a search but most new ones cost like $640-800 and that's a lot to spend on a tandoor! Wonder if I can get any mini ones? Lemme know if you have any leads. Informative blog!
cheers

FX's answer→ I think you can make your own tandoor for little expense, some people explain it on Youtube

#77
Comment by Natalie

Glad to have found this article because your article on home made naans, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading, was making me wonder about how you were able to get a tandoor installed in your home!!! Thanks for answering the question!

My understanding is that most Indian/middle eastern homes don't have it in the kitchen but rather somewhere outside on the grounds. I admire your dedication to enjoying authentic food experiences!

FX's answer→ Thanks Natalie, now I have altogether bigger and even less common cooking equipment!

#79
Comment by Tim

I have a Homdoor tandoor oven which are made in the US (I live in Dallas TX, via Sydney NSW). The unit is a few years old now, but the great design of them is they sell a ring burner that can be fitted to the oven with no modification. 20 seconds is all it takes to convert from charcoal to gas.

Just picked up a copy of Flatbreads & Flavors (1995) by Jeffery Alford and Naomi Duguid, which I will try a few recipes from.

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