Tandoor-meat is one of the most popular dishes in Uzbekistan. There are many variations of the recipe for this dish; they all have their own characteristics. The tandor-meat is prepared in a special oven, the tandoor, and served hot. It is believed that it is in the Kashkadarya region that the best meat in the world is prepared.
What is it?
The dish consists of meat (mainly lamb), branches of juniper and many seasonings. It is best to take a lamb of fat tail breed, such meat has a softer, juicy and fatty consistency.
The history of the emergence of tandor-meat is not exactly known, but the dish is still a favorite of meat products in Uzbekistan. In modern conditions, it can be cooked in a conventional oven, but gourmets do not consider such a tandoor to be completely authentic.
Cooking takes a lot of time, but the result will please you with its taste.
Ingredients
Tandor-meat in Uzbekistan is prepared using the following ingredients:
- Lamb (shoulder or leg);
- 1 tbsp of paprika;
- 1 tbsp of salt;
- Black pepper, zira up to the taste;
- 2 tbsp of juniper per 1 kg of meat.
You can also add hot pepper, garlic, onion and cilantro up to taste.
How to make tandor-meat in a modern way
To make tandor-meat at home, follow the steps below:
- Cut the meat, cook all the necessary spices. To make the meat well saturated with marinade, make small cuts on it.
- Make the marinade. To do this, take seasonings, salt and juniper, and then gently rub the meat with a mixture of spices. Leave it on for several hours to completely soak.
- After the meat is marinated, turn on the oven and put it on a medium level, and down – a stewpan or pan (the fat will drain there). We simply put the meat on the wire rack. If you want, you can put finely chopped vegetables in a stewpan, so you get an extra and very tasty dish – tandoor-shurpa.
- For taste, it is better to put a piece of fat tail on top of the meat, and on the fat tail – juniper branch. Do not pickle chicken before baking.
- Fry the dish for 2 hours, the oven temperature should be between medium and high. If the juniper begins to burn, remove it and continue to bake the meat.
Classic tandor-meat recipe
If you want to cook a dish in the Uzbek tandoor, then follow the first two steps, and then do the following:
- Heat the tandoor so that the walls are almost heated. It usually takes about an hour.
- After some time, remove the fire, but leave the hot coals. We strung pieces of meat on a skewer.
- Lower the lamb in the tandoor, and on top we put several branches of juniper.
- Cover the hole of the tandoor with clay in order to limit air exchange.
- After a few hours, take out the meat, decorate and serve.
You can eat tandor-meat both hot and cold. True connoisseurs of Uzbek cuisine claim that a cold dish tastes much better, but of course you decide.