The journey from raw ingredients to finished dish tells a story. At Dhol and Soul, our best indian restaurant in Eindhoven centrum brings traditional cooking methods to life every day. From the clay tandoor running hot throughout service to the slow simmering curries developing depth over hours, Indian food in Eindhoven gets prepared the way it has been for generations. This is how tradition meets the present, and how proper technique creates food worth remembering.

The tandoor: ancient technology that still works best

The clay oven sitting in our kitchen isn’t just for show. The tandoor has been central to Indian cooking for thousands of years because nothing else produces the same results.

Our tandoor reaches temperatures around 480 degrees Celsius. That extreme heat does things regular ovens can’t match. When naan dough hits those hot clay walls, it puffs up instantly. The outside chars while the inside stays soft and pillowy. Those characteristic bubbles and black spots only happen at tandoor temperatures.

The clay material itself matters. It distributes heat differently than metal ovens. Food cooks quickly on the outside while the inside stays moist. Marinades caramelize immediately, creating flavour compounds that lower heat just can’t produce.

For proteins, the tandoor creates that perfect combination of char and juiciness. Chicken tikka gets smoky depth from the charcoal burning below. The marinade, which has been working on the meat for hours, hits high heat and transforms. What comes out tastes completely different from oven baked or grilled chicken.

Throughout service, the tandoor stays active. Breads get made continuously so they arrive warm at tables. Proteins cook to order. The heat never drops because maintaining that temperature is essential to the process.

Marination: where flavor starts hours before cooking

Traditional Indian cooking rarely involves throwing raw ingredients into a pan. Marination happens first, and the waiting time matters.

Yogurt based marinades do double duty. The acidity tenderizes meat while the yogurt creates a coating that protects during high heat cooking. Spices mixed into the yogurt penetrate the meat over hours, creating flavour throughout rather than just on the surface.

Our tandoori chicken marinates overnight. The yogurt, spices, ginger, garlic, and lemon juice need that time to work their way in. Rush it with a 30 minute marination and you get flavoured chicken. Give it proper time and you get chicken that tastes completely different all the way through.

Even vegetarian dishes benefit from marination. Paneer soaks in spiced yogurt before hitting the tandoor. The firm cheese absorbs surrounding flavours while maintaining its structure. Without proper marination time, paneer tikka would just be grilled cheese with spices on top.

This advance preparation is why authentic Indian restaurants can’t operate like fast food. The work starts hours or even a day before service begins.

Slow cooking: building depth one hour at a time

Some dishes simply need time. No shortcut produces the same results as patient cooking.

Dal makhani is the perfect example. Black lentils simmer for hours until they break down and become creamy. The texture changes completely from the beginning to the end of cooking. Butter and cream get added toward the end, enriching everything. The finished dal has body and depth that quick cooked versions never achieve.

Curry bases benefit from long cooking too. Onions need time to caramelize and lose their raw bite. Tomatoes cook down until they stop tasting acidic and start adding sweetness. The spices bloom and mellow, losing any harsh edges.

Biryani involves multiple stages of slow cooking. The meat marinates for hours. Rice parboils to specific doneness. Everything layers together in a sealed pot where steam does the final cooking slowly. Each component gets the time it needs before combining into the finished dish.

This patience extends to small details. Tempering spices in hot oil releases their essential oils. Toasting whole spices before grinding awakens dormant flavours. Resting dough lets gluten relax so breads become tender. None of these steps take long individually but together they add hours to the process.

The ritual of bread making throughout service

Bread at Dhol and Soul isn’t made in batches and kept warm under lamps. It happens continuously throughout the meal service.

Dough gets prepared earlier and rests so it’s ready when orders come in. A bread maker rolls each piece by hand to the right thickness. Too thin and it won’t puff properly. Too thick and it becomes heavy.

The rolled dough gets slapped onto the tandoor wall. This requires skill because timing determines everything. Pull it too early and it’s doughy. Leave it too long and it’s hard. Visual cues and experience tell the bread maker when each piece is ready.

Garlic naan gets brushed with garlic butter the moment it comes out. The heat melts the butter immediately and the garlic aroma releases. That bread reaches your table within seconds of leaving the tandoor, still warm and perfect.

This continuous process means someone is making bread for most of service. It’s labour intensive but the difference between fresh tandoor bread and reheated bread is so significant that there’s no acceptable alternative.

Bringing it all together on your plate

All these traditional methods converge when your meal arrives. The tandoori chicken on your plate spent hours marinating before cooking at extreme heat. The dal accompanying it simmered slowly while flavours developed. The naan arrived fresh from the clay oven moments ago.

Each element got the time and technique it required. Nothing was rushed or shortcut. This is how traditional Indian cooking comes alive, through methods that respect the ingredients and honour generations of knowledge about what works best.