Preparing the marinated and spiced roasted chicken dish that is tandoori chicken gets easier when you have the tandoori chicken masala powder ready to use. From how to prepare this masala mix by yourself to the best ones available, read on to know all there is about it.
What Makes Tandoori Masala Red?
Kashmiri red chilies (whole or powder) in the masala mix give the tandoori chicken its fiery red color. This is a popular chili in India for its color rather than taste or spice.
These chilies don’t lend much sharpness to the dish and are often used in powdered form that blends well with most ingredients used in Indian food preparation.
The other ways to get the red color for tandoori chicken are:
- Kashmiri red chili powder
- Different red chili powders
- Food coloring agents
- Beetroot juice (a few tablespoons mixed in the yogurt marination) or beetroot powder
What Does Tandoori Masala Taste Like?
Using Greek yogurt and spiced lemon marinade makes tandoori chicken masala succulently juicy.
Grilled in a clay oven (tandoor) gives it a smoky flavor and a slight kick to it with just the right amount of spice. It has a tapestry of earthy flavors, from ginger and garlic to garam masala.
How to Make Tandoori Chicken Masala Powder?
Roasting your own spices at home and grinding them gives a better flavor and aroma than store-bought Tandoori masala powder. If you’re confused about the difference between a curry and a masala, you’d want to read into curry vs masala.
Here’s a video of how to make tandoori chicken masala powder at home.
Tandoori Chicken Masala Powder Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll require are:
- 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1.5 tbsp cumin seeds or about 1 tbsp of ground cumin
- 1 tbsp mace
- 2 tsp cloves
- 4 small cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp nutmeg powder
- 2 tsp dried garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried ginger powder
- 2-3 tsp chili powder (Kashmiri chili powder)
- 3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 8 green cardamoms
- 2 black cardamoms
- 2 tsp black peppercorns or 2 tsp black pepper powder
Method of Preparation
Once you have all the ingredients, the steps of the tandoori chicken masala powder recipe are as follows:
- Take a broad non-stick pan and put in the green and black cardamom, black peppercorns, coriander and cumin seeds, mace, cloves, and cinnamon. Dry roast on medium heat for about 5-6 minutes with continuous stirring.
- Turn off the flame and add the dried fenugreek leaves. Mix well.
- Let the mixture cool completely.
- Blend it till you get a smooth powder.
- Add nutmeg powder, chili powder, ginger powder, and garlic powder, and mix well.
- Sieve the powder and discard left-over coarse powder. Store in an airtight container and use for marination of chicken pieces as required.
Here’s a very short video showing how the tandoori chicken masala powder is used, and the final dish.
With almost similar ingredients and just a few extra ones, you can also make dal makhani masala powder.
What is the Best Tandoori Masala Brand?
Some good tandoori spice mix brands are available online or in supermarkets to make your cooking task easier and enhance the aroma and flavor of your tandoori dish.
It is essential to know that chicken masala powder and tandoori masala powder are two different spice mixes. Here are some of the best brands online:
Everest Tandoori Chicken Masala
The brand Everest offers a wide range of masala powders, including tandoori chicken masala powder (Available on Amazon.com). This is also the best shahi paneer masala brand, among many other spices.
This spice mix strikes an even balance between the flavoring and aromatic spices, giving the chicken a luscious flavor. Since the blend is used for apply-and-cook-over-the-fire, the flavoring spices don’t dissipate under direct fire and predominate. It’s made from authentic spices sourced from the best farms in India.
Despite being a well-known brand, there aren’t many reviews online supporting the same.
Rani Tandoori Masala
Made with 11 high-quality pure spices blended in harmony, this 100% natural, no preservatives, non-GMO gourmet spice provides an authentic taste to the tandoor dish and has no MSG, salt, or fillers.
Based on popular customer reviews, “This seasoning definitely is a bit on the spicier side” in a good way and is “robust with flavor”. Also, “the Rani tandoori powder is salt-free. You can add as much as you like without fear of it becoming salty”.
Badshah Tandoori Chicken Masala
The brand Badshah offers a wide range of masala powders, including tandoori chicken masala powder (Also available on Amazon.com).
This spice mix takes the taste quotient of your tandoori dish a notch above. It lends an irresistible aroma and flavorful spice of a classic tandoor that you can prepare at home in a jiffy.
Despite being a well-known brand, there aren’t many reviews online supporting the same.
Shan Tandoori Masala
This easy-to-use seasoning and herbs mix, with no preservatives or artificial food color, makes it easy to cook tandoori-style barbecue chicken.
All you need is skinless chicken, lemon juice, and yogurt. Going by the many positive customer reviews, it’s got “Nice unique flavors”, “Holds up well to smoke”, and has been tried on boneless chicken breast and turkey to give satisfying results.
Hands down, this is the best tandoori chicken masala powder online and is popularly purchased by customers repeatedly.
Swad Tandoori Masala
This is a flavorful masala seasoning with natural and fresh ingredients, including garlic, coriander, cumin, and paprika.
There are many positive customer reviews for this tandoori masala: “Authentic flavor. It adds a depth of flavor that could take hours to produce in a pot.”, “This stuff is awesome. I marinate it with skinless chicken thighs overnight and grill it”, and “I coat boneless, skinless chicken thighs with this stuff, grill them up, serve over basmati rice with some raita on the side, and everybody raves.”
How Much Tandoori Masala Powder to Use?
About 1.5 tbsp of tandoori masala powder is used for 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It is mixed with 1.5 tbsp of yogurt and the lemon juice of half a lemon. Salt is added accordingly to the marinate.
What Can I Use Instead of Tandoori Masala Powder?
Some traditional spice blends that you can use as a substitute for tandoori masala powder are:
- Mix of garam masala and cayenne pepper
- Tikka masala powder
- Madras curry powder
- Vindaloo curry powder
- Baharat
- Ras el Hanout
- Berbere
Is Tandoori Masala the Same As Masala?
With regard to the dish, a regular masala does not involve cooking in a clay oven (tandoor) and is devoid of the earthy flavors it imparts.
Both tandoori masala and masala are flavorful spice blends commonly used in Indian dishes. However, they have different ingredients that are used in different ways.
Normal masala is essentially garam masala used to spice up the masala gravy. Tandoori masala is used for marination before cooking in the tandoor oven.
Typically, garam masala, which is added at the end of any dish preparation, imparts earthy flavors and aroma to the dish. It is used in moderation. On the other hand, tandoori masala is used in generous quantities and imparts a tangy taste and red color to the dish.
Can I Use Garam Masala Instead of Tandoori Masala?
While the spices and aromatics used in tandoori masala powder are similar to that of garam masala, the proportion and combinations differ.
You could use garam masala instead of tandoori masala by adding cayenne pepper for heat and paprika for the signature red color, along with ginger and garlic. However, it’s bound to taste slightly different when used for roasting than when used in gravy.
