For centuries, cooks in india have prepared bread and meat in tandoor ovens. By placing dough on the sides of these extremely hot pits, a flat, light and airy bread called nan can be cooked very quickly.
Likewise, by skewering chicken or other meats and placing it above the coals on the bottom of the pit (not unlike what Americans call barbecue), the tandoor can produce very tender, flavorful meat.
Three years ago, Balbir Darar brought this traditional Indian cooking to Murfreesboro.
Located on Memorial Boulevard and named after the tandoor oven, The Clay Pit offers a buffet as well as Indian-inspired specialty dishes Darar brought to the U.S. from the Punjab region of northern India.
Local resident Scott Russell, who eats at The Clay Pit about once a week, said he loves the food, but also enjoys the chance to learn about Indian culture, religion and art while dining there.
“You get the whole experience,” he said.
While he describes the food as “exotic,” he said it’s nothing to be afraid of.
“A lot of Americans really like it,” said Russell, an associate pastor at River Oaks Community Church.
While many perceive Indian cooking as very spicy, that’s not really the case at the Clay Pit, one first-time customer said.
Daniel Watkins said the food was not as spicy as he anticipated, as he sampled various items from the lunch buffet.
“It’s spicy enough, but more subtle than I thought,” he said.
His dining partner, Jonathan Lodge, said the vegetable curry, made with mixed vegetables dipped in graham flour, cooked in yogurt and seasoned with Indian spices, was probably his favorite dish he tried that day.
Perhaps the restaurant’s signature dish is the chicken tikka masala, chicken first cooked in the tandoor and then, after the bones and removed, cooked in a sauce with tomatoes, garlic, ginger and other spices. Overall, the food is quite healthy, Darar said, adding the chicken is skinless.
In addition to chicken and vegetable dishes, the buffet also has rice, lentils, tabouli and other salads and, for dessert, rice pudding and a kind of doughnut in sweet syrup.
As soon as you pile your plate with the flavorful Indian cuisine, the cooks make sure you have some nan, available in plain, garlic or onion.
The vegetable samosa, a turnover stuffed with potatoes and green peas, is another big hit with diners. Sitting on a sauce made from tamerin, the sweet sauce really compliments the lightly-fried treat.
If you’re lucky, the buffet will include lamb, goat, gyro or shish kabobs. Going during dinner hours will increase the likelihood of finding these items, but if it’s not there, The Clay Pit offers an extensive menu for those who like freedom of choice when ordering. The menu includes nearly 50 entrees featuring meats, vegetables and seafood cooked and seasoned in various ways.
“Many like to order from a menu,” said Darar, who owned and operated three Indian restaurants in California before coming to Middle Tennessee.
Steve Korous sometimes orders shish kabobs or other items from the Clay Pit menu, but like the majority of customers, usually goes for the value and variety of the buffet.
“I like that it’s all you can eat,” he said.
He brought his wife, Sue, to the restaurant shortly after it opened.
“At first, Sue didn’t want to try it,” Darar said. “But I gave her a samosa and she was hooked.”
Now the Korous couple eats at the Clay Pit regularly, sometimes four times a week.
“It’s our favorite place,” Sue said.
