Tandoor Truths: Heat, Marinade & Patience
Chef Rajiv Malhotra
Head Chef — North Indian cuisine. Rajiv trained in Lucknow and Hyderabad before bringing tandoor mastery and biryani craft to The Arvin's North Indian kitchen.
The tandoor does not forgive shortcuts. Before a single piece of naan touches its walls, three things must be right — the fire, the marinade, and the patience of the chef who tends both.
Our tandoor runs at roughly 480°C — hot enough to blister naan in ninety seconds and char a seekh kebab while keeping its interior impossibly juicy. Reaching and maintaining that heat takes two hours every morning.
Fire First
We use a blend of charcoal and hardwood. The fire must be fed steadily until the inner walls glow white. Only then do we begin service. A cold tandoor produces doughy bread and grey meat — unacceptable in our kitchen.
“The tandoor doesn't lie. You can hide poor technique in a curry. You cannot hide it in a naan.”
— Chef Rajiv Malhotra
Marinade & Time
Rajiv's three tandoor truths
- 01Yogurt-based marinades need minimum eight hours — overnight for meats
- 02Never crowd the tandoor; heat recovery takes longer than you think
- 03Let rested meat carry over — the tandoor's residual heat finishes the job
Come for our Friday tandoor special — a platter of naan, seekh, malai tikka, and tandoori prawns that showcases what honest fire and honest time can achieve.
