How a Delhi restaurant introduced the art of tandoor cooking in India

+When Kundan Lal Gujral relocated from Peshawar to Delhi following Partition in 1947, it was not merely an idea for a restaurant that he brought along. He brought along with him a culinary heritage that would revolutionize the eating habits of the entire country. His restaurant, Moti Mahal, became historically famous for popularising tandoor cooking in India.

How Tandoor cooking in India became famous through Moti Mahal’s Delhi kitchen

The tandoor itself had undergone centuries of historical development before it gained popularity throughout India. Clay ovens were used by the inhabitants of the Indus Valley Civilization for baking flatbread. In the subsequent period of the Mughal Empire, meat cooked in the tandoor was popular among people. Emperor Jehangir enjoyed the taste of food from the tandoor and even recommended carrying portable tandoors while on military travels.

Tandoors also became a key component in the lives of Punjabi communities through the custom of sanjha chulha or collective use of ovens for preparing and sharing food. It was only after Partition that the tandoor found a place in Delhi.

Moti Mahal in Peshawar was founded by Kundan Lal Gujral in 1920. Following the event of Partition, when he had to move from his restaurant, he settled in Delhi and did not give up on his passion for cooking. With a companion, he established another Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, which was also the inception of tandoor cooking in India.

Kundan Lal experimented with cooking chicken on a traditional clay oven with firewood and coal in the famous Moti Mahal, which led to tandoori chicken coming into existence. Tandoori chicken has a tasty and smoky flavour characterised by the spices and the charred symbols. Another food introduced along with tandoori chicken was tandoori roti, which is a thick flour bread made in the same clay oven.

Moti Mahal’s popularity resulted in Tandoori cuisine being recognized as an exquisite form of cooking in India. Many prominent people, such as world leaders and prime ministers of India, visited the restaurant to taste its authentic food.

With time, Tandoor cooking in India was no longer limited to the streets of Delhi and restaurants. Many chefs around the nation used the method, but they introduced some spices that were unique to them. In modern times, Tandoor cooking in India is an embodiment of the resilience and ingenuity of Punjabis and the ability of food to transport history across boundaries.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.