Indian food is finally having its moment in the U.S., but it has been a love affair for me since the late 1980s, when I was attending college in Chicago. The vibrant sights and smells of Devon Avenue, also known as Little India, and the fiery, complex spicing of the cuisine hooked me from the start.
Over the years, my passion for Indian food has only grown. I've enjoyed it in cities across the U.S. and abroad — from New York City, Washington D.C. and San Francisco to London and even Bozeman, Montana (yep, I said Bozeman, Montana). Despite eating Indian food since the 1980s, I only started cooking it at home in the 2020s. While my stovetop and oven creations were delicious, I knew some dishes required specialized equipment to achieve authenticity.
Tandoori Chicken is one such dish. Arguably the most popular Indian dish (especially in the West), this heavily spiced, red-hued masterpiece originates from Punjab and is traditionally cooked in a cylindrical clay oven called a tandoor. It’s served with soft, fluffy Grilled Yogurt Flatbread — also cooked in the tandoor — to scoop it up, and creamy raita to cool it down.
The clay oven’s charcoal or wood heat source reaches temperatures nearing 900°F to sear the chicken quickly, creating maximum flavor without overcooking. This intense, dry heat is a critical ingredient of tandoori chicken's distinctive characteristics.
And that is where the Hybrid Fire Grill works its magic. I finally achieved results that would make the chefs on Devon Avenue proud!
