Tandoori Vs. Dum Styles Of Cooking

Cooking is an art; cooking techniques enhance dishes, flavours and textures. Indian cuisine employs diverse techniques, including stir-frying, tempering, slow-simmering, boiling, frying, and roasting, each of which adds distinct textures and tastes to dishes. Everyone loves the dishes prepared by these cooking methods, but there is a lot of difference between these two.

Tandoori cooking started in northern India. It uses a traditional clay oven known as a tandoor. This method is also known as the high-heat cooking method. The marinated vegetables, meats and breads, like naan, are prepared easily with spices and heat. It's famous for its smoky flavour and aromatic appeal.

 Dum cooking, popular for  Awadhi cuisine from Uttar Pradesh, has a more gradual and patient approach. Ingredients are gently cooked in their juices in a sealed pot (handi), generally sealed with dough. Hot coals are placed on the lid of the handi, which helps in even heat distribution. This process enhances natural flavours and textures, resulting in delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes like Dum Biryani, Dum Aloo and many more. 

 Tandoori Cooking

Tandoori cooking comes from the northern regions of India. A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven heated with charcoal or wood. This high-heat cooking usually exceeds 500–600 °C. The temperature is ideal for meats, vegetables, and bread, imparting them with a smoky flavour and a smoky exterior.

The process starts with marinating the main ingredients, like chicken, lamb, or paneer, in a mixture prepared with curd and spices. The main spices used are cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala, which help dishes taste spicy. The marinated pieces are pierced through skewers and placed inside the tandoor until they cook completely and release a smoky aroma.

Famous dishes prepared using this cooking method are tandoori chicken, tandoori paneer tikka, tandoori naan, tandoori fish tikka and more.

Dum Cooking

The term "dum" refers to the process of sealing the pot with dough to trap steam inside, creating a controlled environment where ingredients gently simmer in their own juices. Topped with hot coals, it leads to proper cooking.  This cooking technique is done with patience. The key to achieving this method is cooking slowly.  Dum cooking involves cooking food in its juices, where the lid of a heavy-bottomed pot (handi) or vessel is sealed with dough. Originating from the Awadhi cuisine of Uttar Pradesh, this technique allows ingredients to cook slowly over low heat, enhancing their natural flavours and textures. Dum cooking is famously used to prepare dishes like biryani, dum aloo, dum gosht and more.

Differences Between The Cooking Techniques

The primary difference between tandoori and dum cooking lies in their cooking methods and resulting flavours. Tandoori cooking uses high, direct heat to quickly cook food, resulting in a smoky flavour and smoky exterior. Dum cooking relies on slow, indirect heat to gently cook ingredients in their juices, enhancing their natural flavours and textures.

Also Read- 7 Vegetarian Tandoori Recipes That Will Transform Your Cooking!

Cooking Tips

If you are planning to prepare some dishes using any of these cooking methods, make sure to keep these simple tips in mind. When using a tandoor, ensure the meats are properly marinated. The temperature inside the pot is controlled, and the levels are controlled to avoid burning. While preparing dishes in handi, always layer ingredients carefully in the handi to cook evenly. This helps in the correct infusion of flavours and the pot should be sealed nicely to avoid any leaks.