Tandoori: Cooked in a tandoor, a deep, charcoal- or gas-fired clay oven that reaches very high heat. Tandoori chicken is bone-in pieces marinated in yogurt, lemon, ginger-garlic and spices (the red color is mostly Kashmiri chili or food coloring), skewered and roasted until charred. Naan is slapped onto the same oven's walls. On this menu as: The Tandoor Affair · Tandoori Shrimps · Tandoori Chicken.
Tikka: Boneless cubes marinated and grilled on skewers in the tandoor. Chicken tikka is the yogurt-and-spice version; malai tikka is marinated in cream and cheese for a mild, silky result; hariyali is a green marinade of mint, cilantro and spinach; paneer tikka is the vegetarian standard, often with peppers and onion on the skewer. On this menu as: Chicken Tikka · Chicken Breast Tikka · Habanero Chicken Tikka.
Garam masala: "Masala" simply means a spice blend, or the sauce built on one. Garam masala ("warm blend") is the finishing mix of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin, black pepper and other whole spices toasted and ground, added at the end of cooking for aroma rather than heat. Every region and household has its own proportions. On this menu as: Masala Fries · Masala Onion Rings · Chicken Tikka Masala.
Naan: A leavened, teardrop-shaped bread slapped onto the wall of the tandoor, blistered and brushed with butter or ghee. Garlic, butter and cheese naan are standard; keema naan is stuffed with spiced mince, peshwari with coconut and dried fruit. Kulcha is the flakier, often stuffed (potato, onion, paneer) Punjabi relative. On this menu as: The Bread Affair — Naan · Plain or Butter Naan · Garlic Naan.
Biryani: Long-grain basmati layered with marinated meat, fried onions, saffron and whole spices and cooked "dum", sealed under a lid so the rice steams in the meat's juices. Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata (with a potato and egg), Malabar and Sindh each have their own. Served with raita and often a thin gravy (salan). Pulao is the simpler, single-pot cousin. On this menu as: The Amalgamation Affair — Rice & Biryanis · Vegetable Biryani · Chicken Biryani.
Paneer: Fresh, unaged cheese made by curdling hot milk with lemon or vinegar and pressing the curds into a firm block. It does not melt, so it can be grilled (tikka), fried, or simmered in gravies, and it is the standard vegetarian protein on North Indian menus. On this menu as: Paneer Tikka · Paneer Tikka Salad · Saag Paneer.

How these dishes compare

Tikkatypically $15 across 366 menus
Biryanitypically $16 across 345 menus
Daltypically $11.99 across 344 menus
Naantypically $3.99 across 337 menus
Samosatypically $6.99 across 337 menus
Butter chicken (murgh makhani)typically $16 across 318 menus
Tandooritypically $11.97 across 316 menus
Roti, chapati & parathatypically $4 across 313 menus

Spice Affair on our other sites

menuzrrestaurant menus of every cuisine

Spice Affair

Menu

The Crush

Infatuation

The Tandoor Affair

The Green Garden Affair — Soups & Salads

The Curry Affair — Non-Vegetarian Curries

The Veggie Affair — Vegetarian Delights

The Amalgamation Affair — Rice & Biryanis

The Bread Affair — Naan

A Dessert Affair

The Affair Begins — Specialty Drinks

Pair With

How these dishes compare

Spice Affair on our other sites

More restaurants nearby