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Baghar/Tadka/Chonk (Instant seasonings/Tempering)
The goal of this technique is to add flavor to a dish in a flash. Spices and herbs are
added to hot oil/ghee. Hot oil extracts and retains the aroma, essence and flavor of the
spices and herbs. This tempering is done in two ways.
1. As the first step in the cooking process, before adding the rice, vegetables or
lentils.
2. Pouring the tempered oil over dal. Spices and herbs cooked this way retain
and enhance their flavors.
A common recipe for baghar is to add either cumin or mustard seeds in hot oil and let them
sizzle for a few seconds then add a pinch of asafetida and red chili powder.
Uses - Pour over cooked lentils that has already been boiled with ginger
and turmeric, over steamed vegetables and over yogurt raitas and rice.
Also known as tadka or chonk. |
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Balchao
(Pickling)
A Goan specialty, influenced by the Portuguese, where vegetables like eggplant or seafood
like prawns are "pickled" in sugar, vinegar and spices for a day or two before
eating.
Balchao - Prawn Preserve
Ingredients:
8 oz or 1/4 Kg prawns (shelled).
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. peppercorns
10 kashmiri chilies
vinegar to taste
1 tsp. ground turmeric 2 cups oil
4 medium onions, minced
handful of curry leaves
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
3 heads of garlic, finely chopped
4 green chilies, seeded and chopped
salt to taste
Preparation Method:
1.Grind together the cumin, peppercorns and chilies with the vinegar. Mix in the turmeric.
2.Fry the onions in the oil until all the water has gone.
3.Add the prawns, masala, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and green chilies.
4.Simmer for 10 minutes or so. |
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Bhunao (Curry)
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This is Indian curry cooking.
Oil is added to a wok or pan. To this chopped onion and cumin are added. After the onions
are browned then the desired herbs, spices are added (tomatoes may also be added). Small
quantities of water, yogurt, and stock are introduced to the pan if and when the
ingredients start to stick. After the oil separates from the mixture, the main ingredient
(meat or vegetable) is added and cooked |
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Dhuanaar (Smoke Seasoning)
Glowing charcoal is placed in a small pot, which is ten put in a bigger pot.
Cooked meats, are placed around this. Dry spices and ghee are poured on top
of the coals and a lid is quickly placed over the larger pot. This meats imbibe the fresh
smoke taste of ghee and cumin. Very popular in the cold months of North India
especially in the dessert areas. |
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Do-Piaza (Cooking with Onions)
There are 2 theories for the origin of this method.
1. Akbar the Great - India's great Mughal ruler liked to surround himself with
the most talented people. He called them his 9 Gems. Mullah Do-Piaza, the legendary
cook was one of them. He created a style of his own and items cooked in this style are
called Do Piazza.
2. The other is cooking with 2 (Do) Onions (piaz).
Potatoes and meats are cooked generally with 2 onions, yogurt and spices. Tomatoes
are generally not added in this method of cooking. |
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Dum (Steaming)
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This process reflects the ingenuity of the Indian
chefs. They virtually created a baking oven and a pressure cooker with very simple
ideas. Food was partially cooked before hand. They then put this in a pot and
sealed the cover with atta (dough) to capture the moisture within the food as it cooked
tenderly and slowly over a charcoal fire. Coals was also placed on the lid to ensure even
cooking. |
They then added their main ingredients like rice or vegetables or meats or all
three with spices, herbs, seasonings, saffron, tomato and let the food continue to cook in
its own steam. The entire dish retained all its flavor and aroma and the slow
cooking created perfect foods fit for their emperors and kings and rajahas.
The Indian Biryani is one of the most popular dum dishes. Dum means, "to
steam". Below is a recipe I make when I entertain.
Dum
Aloo
Ingredients
12 oz baby potatoes, boiled in salted water and peeled
4 small onions
4 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
3 green chilies, finely chopped
5 large flakes garlic
1" piece ginger
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
seeds of 2 Cardamom
salt to taste
oil for frying
Preparation: Deep fry the potatoes till golden brown. Grind the
onions, ginger, green chilies, cinnamon, cloves, Cardamom seeds and 1 bay leaf(grind the
dry ingredients first, to get a smooth paste). Heat the oil in a pan. Add half the cumin
seeds. Then add ground onion paste. Fry well (7 to 10 minutes). Add all the powdered
masalas, tomatoes and cook till pulpy. Add the beaten yogurt. Add the potatoes and 3/4 cup
1 cup water. Cover with a tight lid and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes. Add if needed.
Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot |
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Handi
Handi is an Indian pot that has a bottom like a wok and then has a narrow opening on the
top. Slow cooking in steam or in seasoned moist flavorings are its special attributes. The
cooking is done in a thick bottom pan so that the food does not stick or burn; the lid
helps retain the aroma and flavor. Both bhunao and dum are aspects of Handi
cooking. |
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Kadhai (Round bottomed pan)
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This is a wok. Usually the kadhai, in which the food is cooked,
is placed directly on the table, where everyone eats out of it. Kadhai cooking is quick
and no water is used in this style of cooking. The main ingredients cook in the natural
juices released by the tomatoes and meat in the dish, which is constantly stirred until
cooked. The main aspect of this cooking is that the sides get seared and this
wonderful flavor is scraped and added to the taste of the dish.. |
Kadhai
Chicken
Ingredients:
Whole Chicken 1 no.
Medium Tomatoes 8-10 nos.
Coriander leaves 2 tbsp.
Medium onions 2 nos.
Garlic paste 2 tbsp.
Ginger, finely chopped 2 tbsp.
Dry red chilies 6-8 nos.
Chopped green chilies 8 nos.
Red chili powder 1 tsp.
Whole Coriander (dhania) 1 tbsp.
Garam masala powder 1 tsp.
Coriander powder (dhania powder) 1tsp.
Whole Garam masala 1 tsp.
Oil 2 tbsp.
Salt As per taste
Preparation Method:
1. Skin and cut the chicken into pieces.
2. Take whole dhania, dry red chilies and pound together.
3. Slice the onions.
4. In a Kadhai take oil, add Whole Garam Masala, garlic, whole dhania, green chilies and
red chilies mixture. Add onions. Fry till onions are golden brown.
5. Put in tomatoes, ginger, dhania powder and red chili powder.
6. Add some water. Cover and let it cook. Once the gravy is reduced put in the chicken
pieces, salt and coriander leaves.
7. Mix well, sprinkle the Garam Masala Powder. Cover and cook for 8-10 min on low flame.
8. Serve hot. |
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Talna (Frying)
In Indian cooking frying, when it is called for, is done in a wok or kadhai. The
round bottom uses less oil and cooks the food evenly. Many times ghee is used as this fat
can be used over and over again and does not go rancid due to its high smoke point.
Another good frying oil is peanut oil. |
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Tandoori
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Tandoori cooking is one of the highlights of Indian cuisine. The
Indian tandoor is a clay oven that reaches very high temperatures of about 550 F. It
resembles a rounded bee-hive. Tandoori is a hotter and quicker form of cooking than the
western barbecue. |
It is used to make naan breads, kebabs, tandoori meats and stuffed rotis
and paranthas.
A traditional tandoori oven has to be seasoned. A paste is made of spinach
and applied to the inner surface and left to dry. A paste of mustard oil, buttermilk,
jaggery and salt is applied over the spinach. A small fire is lit and the temperature
allowed to rise gradually until the emulsion peels away from the walls of the tandoor.
Repeat for a few times. A brine solution is sprinkled on the inner walls to
facilitate the sticking of breads like naans to the sides. To know if the oven temperature
is optimum, try and stick a naan to the sides, if it falls off, the oven is not hot
enough. Meats and Paneer are marinated, the kebabs are seasoned with herbs and spices.
They are also basted with ghee to withstand the drying of meats which happens at such high
temperatures. Meats, Kebabs and Naan come out perfect in a Tandoor.
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Tawa
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Being a true Indian I cannot
be separated from my tawa for too long. I crave for rotis and chappatis everyday and
cannot go without them for more than 3 days. A tawa is a round, thick iron griddle,
it is also slightly concave in the center. It is used when very high temperatures are
needed and is mostly used for Indian unleavened breads called chappati or rotis. It is
also used for cooking some unique dishes which require fast cooking with the outer rim is
used to keep the dish warm. Popular in street food especially Pau-Bhaji is a typical tawa
dish and needs to be constantly stirred to avoid burning, and is served straight out of
the tawa and eaten immediately on sour dough bread. |
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©
1990 to 2001 - Kavita Mehta. All Rights Reserved.
Kavita has been giving classes on Indian Cuisine in Minneapolis for the
past 10 years. She now shares her work on her website for all to enjoy. |
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