Saffron Room Journal
Inside the tandoor at 480 degrees
Emeka Nwachukwu lights the oven at three o'clock every day. By seven it is hot enough to blister a naan in ninety seconds.
A one-tonne clay pot
Our tandoor is a clay pot about a metre deep, set in a brick box packed with sand for insulation. Charcoal burns at the bottom. The walls store the heat and give it back slowly, which is why the oven stays steady even when we open it two hundred times a night.
Reading the oven by ear
Emeka does not use a thermometer most nights. He listens. A naan slapped against a wall at the right heat makes a short, dry sound. Too cool and it slides; too hot and it burns before it puffs.
We do keep a probe in the wall for the live board in the dining room. It usually reads between 470 and 490 degrees.
What goes in, and in what order
Breads first, against the upper walls. Kebabs and tikka on long skewers next, standing in the hottest air. Prawns last, because they need just four minutes.
At the end of the night the oven still holds enough heat to slow-roast tomatoes for tomorrow's rasam.
Next step
Taste it for yourself
The dish in this story is on the tasting menu this month.