7 Tandoori Dishes Beyond Chicken You Must Try   

Tandoori, one of the most beloved categories of dishes originating from India is a true culinary marvel. The food items that are marinated and roasted in a tandoor, an oven that is cylindrical and made up of clay, are usually known as tandoori dishes and include everything from bread to meat. Tandoori can also be prepared in a standard oven, rotisserie, or over hot charcoal. 

Tandoori dishes play a huge role in Indian cuisine providing plenty of options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The tandoori dishes have a list of menus that proceeds with meat, vegetables, roti, naan, laccha paratha, missi roti, laffa, and tandoori kulcha. Interestingly, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads from 2500 BC. In this process, the smoke and heat cook the food with the heating elements of tandoor such as internal charcoal or wood fire. The dishes placed in the skewers are routinely kept lit for extended periods. Let’s see highly-flavoured variants of tandoori dishes other than iconic chicken tandoori that you must try

Tandoori Mushroom Tikka: 

Tandoori Mushroom Tikka is a go-to option for vegetarian lovers. This earthy delight is marinated with the tandoori masala which is made up of yogurt and spices while letting the dish absorb the smokiness of the tandoor. This is the best vegetarian dish that enhances the distinctive musty flavour of the mushroom with a savoury, damp, brothy rich taste sensation. This dish is an enriched, unique, and exotic twist to the vegetarian menu.  

Also Read: 6 Easy And Delicious Tandoori Snacks One Can Make At Home

Tandoori Gobi: 

This dish is cauliflower florets kissed and coated by spices and is a transforming masterpiece in the culinary world. The Tandoori Gobi is a dish where the cauliflower bloom is marinated with yoghurt and a blend of spices. The heat imparting from the tandoor creates a smoky rich flavour to the gobi and the marinate mixes with the gobi creating a delightful dish with heightened flavour. This spicy and flavourful exhibits that warm and aromatic flavour making it a more succulent, juicy, and smoky dish. 

Tandoori Quail: 

Tandoori Quail is a small bird dish that is gamier in taste than the tandoori chicken. The quails are more tender and exceedingly flavourful than chicken. The taste of this dish is a mix between chicken and duck. This nutritional-rich plump meat is marinated with a blend of yoghurt, spices, and herbs that adds an aromatic and distinctive taste to the dish. The unique flavour of quail meshes with the tandoor’s heat to give a nuanced, appetizing, and exquisite taste to the culinary world. This is a feast for the food enthusiasts who seek adventures in the dishes.  

Tandoori Fish Tikka: 

This is a fantastic seafood delectable where the boneless fish is marinated with yoghurt and a blend of spices and grilled in the tandoor. The chunks of the fish have an exotic taste when it is cooked in the charcoal tandoor. The infusion of the smoke in the masala and the flesh of the fish makes a mouth-watering combination. The tandoori in the oceanic realm is a must-try for its distinctive taste that’s rich in taste, flavours, and proteins. This is a great option for pescatarians who want tandoori with a subtle, umami, and buttery taste.  

Tandoori Lamb Chops: 

The tandoori lamb chops are a significant dish for their meatiness with melt-in-the-mouth texture when it’s grilled in the tandoor. The palate-pleasing meat is immersed in the marination that is made up of yoghurt and a medley of spices. The chopped marinated meat is placed in the skewers, and slow cooking in the sweltering heat makes the dish into a juicy, tender, and flavourful carnivorous delight. The tandoor infuses the smokiness with the tandoori masala and the meat while imparting an exquisite symphony of flavours to the dish.  

Tandoori Paneer:

The dish is made up of ingredients such as Indian cottage cheese, yoghurt, blends of spices, and herbs that are marinated together and placed in the skewers. It is then grilled in the tandoor where an array of paneer is charred with smoky flavour. The slow cooking of the paneer in the tandoor lets the flavour settle deeply resulting in an aromatic and succulent dish.

Tandoori Naan:

Naan is loved by many food lovers beyond borders for its irresistible taste and its unique preparation process. It is one of the quintessential Indian breads in the Indian cuisine. Made from the traditional tandoor clay oven, this unleavened flatbread is the epitome of the most loved staple. The dough is made from a blend of flour, baking soda, and yoghurt, and is left to fermentation. Resulting in a soft and chewy texture, it is slapped onto the inner walls of the tandoor The smoky flavour that’s infused in the naan is a signature dish that goes seamlessly with a myriad of gravy, curries, stir-fry, etc.

These must-try dishes of tandoori are a testament to the culinary tapestry that speaks for itself other than tandoori chicken. The taste, flavour, and blend of spices make it a great option for starters or main dishes in Indian cuisine.