Before using your tandoor for the first time, you need to prepare the clay interior by sealing and treating it. This is an easy process that will preserve the life of your tandoor and it only needs to be done once.
What you'll need:
Tandoor oil (supplied with your tandoor)
A sponge
Some gloves
Charcoal
1. Treat the clay with tandoor oil
Dip your sponge into the tandoor oil.
Apply a light coat to the clay interior of the tandoor.
Using a smooth circular motion, cover the base and move upwards.
Once the entire tandoor has been coated, leave it to be absorbed into the clay for a minimum of 4 hours, ideally 24 hours.
2. The first burn
Add a small amount of charcoal to the tandoor at the opposite side of the vent.
With the vent door shut, set the charcoal alight.
Leave the lid open and allow to burn. The clay will begin to display soot, this is part of the natural burn process.
3. Begin cooking
Prepare your food and thread onto skewers.
To protect the clay at the base, drop in a couple of potatoes. These can serve as a rest for the skewers to sit in while the food cooks.
Control heat through the vent on the side allowing the flow of oxygen to stoke the flames.