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A Few Simple Techniques

The heart and soul of Indian cooking is mastering the unique and imaginative use of spices, seasonings, and flavorings and learning the nitty-gritty of Indian cooking techniques. You will already be familiar with many of those techniques from your own everyday cooking. The main ones are steaming (dum), tempering (tarhka), roasting (bhunnana), frying (talna), and sautéing (bhunao). Other common techniques are roasting and grinding spices; browning onions, garlic, and meats; and handling sauces. Each of these methods, or a combination of two or three or even all, may be necessary to prepare an Indian dish. They are not hard to master, but it’s important to understand the basic principles of each.

BROWNING Most Indian recipes require browning onions by frying them over medium-high heat. Evenly browned onions are more flavorful and give sauces the desired rich, deep reddish-brown color. The same goes for garlic—the flavor of garlic is quite amazing if it is fried in oil until it turns golden brown. For the best flavor and color, meat is also browned. Browning also sears the meat, which makes it juicy. I like to brown marinated meat before combining it with other ingredients. If I am cooking a larger quantity, I brown a few pieces of meat at a time in hot oil and set them aside. I then add the browned meat and all the cooking juices back into the pan with the other ingredients and let it finish cooking in the sauce.

DEEP-FRYING (TALNA) Talna refers to deep-frying, Indian style. Generally, Indian cooks use a kadhai—a deep pan with a rounded bottom similar to a wok. Unlike a deep-fat fryer, the size and shape of the kadhai does not allow large quantities of food to be fried at one time. The result is even frying. When deep-frying, oil should be heated to between 325° and 350°F (160° and 180°C). This temperature is crucial—if the oil is too hot, the outside of food will brown very quickly, leaving the insides uncooked; and if the oil is not hot enough, the foods will absorb the oil and become greasy. When frying, do not crowd the pan; fry the food in batches if necessary. Use a slotted spatula or spoon when removing fried food from the oil and hold each piece against the edge of the pan for a few seconds to allow excess oil to drain back into the pan. Place fried foods on a tray lined with paper towels to drain. If you intend to reuse the oil, turn off the heat as soon as you’re finished frying and let the oil cool completely. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the oil into an airtight container. Store the oil at room temperature.

ROASTING (BHUNNANA) Traditionally in Indian cooking, roasting is done in a charcoal-fired tandoor (clay oven), which gives a unique flavor to roasted meats, breads, and vegetables. The juices of the meats drip onto the charcoal which sizzles and creates smoke that gives the food its unique flavor. For home cooking, an open charcoal grill is good substitute when cooking meat kebabs, vegetables, and paneer (cheese), though the flavor is milder than that achieved in a tandoor. An oven can be used to make breads and to roast marinated meats and vegetables. A good example that showcases the roasting technique is Tandoori Spiced Roasted Chicken (page 98).

ROASTING AND GRINDING OF SPICES Roasting is the key to bringing out the flavor of spices. Roasting spices removes the raw smell typical of untreated spices and intensifies their flavors by heating up essential oils. All you need is a small, heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron works great). No oil is used when roasting spices. Whole spices are put in a dry skillet and roasted over medium heat until they turn a shade or two darker and become aromatic. The spices are then immediately removed from the hot skillet to avoid over-roasting. In my kitchen, I generally buy spices whole and then grind them myself as needed. Because spices retain their flavor and aroma much longer when left whole than when ground, grinding roasted spices in small batches is the ideal way to use them and imparts the greatest possible flavor to dishes. Traditionally in Indian kitchens, spices are ground on heavy grinding stones or with a mortar and pestle. To save time, I use a spice grinder, though a coffee grinder works equally well.

SAUTÉING (BHUNAO) Unlike classic French sautéing, Indian sautéing, or bhunao, is a combination of sautéing, stir-frying, and light stewing. It is the process of cooking over medium to high heat, adding small quantities of liquid, such as water or tomato purée, and stirring constantly to prevent the ingredients from sticking. Almost every Indian recipe needs bhunao at some stage, and some at more than one stage. Generally, ingredients like onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and spices require bhunao. The purpose of this technique is to extract the flavor of each of the ingredients in combination with spices, as well as to ensure that the masala (spice mix) is fully cooked before adding the main ingredient. Sometimes a main ingredient such as poultry, meats, or vegetables may also require bhunao. The process of making masala is complete only when the fat leaves the masala—very critical step in Indian cooking. Traditionally a kadhai is used for this technique. I find that a heavy-bottomed saucepan or another deep-sided pan, such as a braiser or Dutch oven, works just as well. Recipes such as Curried Chicken Meatball (page 100), Easy Lamb Curry (page 101) and Chicken Tikka Masala (page 97) are good examples of this technique.

STEAMING (DUM) Dum cooking has been described as the “maturing of a dish.” In this technique, food is very slowly cooked in its own steam. Traditionally, the lid was sealed to the cooking vessel with a flour-and-water paste to make sure moisture was trapped within. The vessel was slightly buried in hot coals and, to ensure the food was evenly surrounded by heat, some hot coals were placed on the lid. Today, the modern oven provides even heat. The dish is first cooked on a stove top and then well-sealed and placed in the oven to continue to cook in its own steam. The advantage of dum cooking is that since the vapors cannot escape, the food retains all its delicate flavor and aroma. One of the most common and popular dishes prepared using this technique is the famous rice dish, called biriyani.

TEMPERING (TARHKA) This technique is unique to Indian cooking. Oil is heated until very hot and a mixture of whole spices with or without chopped garlic and ginger is added. Hot oil has an extraordinary ability to extract and retain the essence, aroma, and the flavor of spices and herbs. This process is performed either at the beginning of cooking or after the dish is finished. If done after a dish is cooked, the prepared tempering is poured sizzling hot over the dish to add a burst of flavor (this technique is sometimes done when preparing dals). The seasonings that are most commonly used for tempering include cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, fennel seeds, dried red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves as well as chopped up ginger, garlic, and fresh or dried curry leaves. The ingredients are usually added in rapid succession, rarely together. The purpose of adding tempering ingredients sequentially is to ensure that each ingredient is fully cooked, and thus its flavor fully extracted into the oil before the next ingredient is added. This method also allows for longer-cooking ingredients or spices to be added first, and shorter-cooking ingredients or spices last, to prevent their burning. The crackling of the spices or a change in their color indicates that the process is complete, unless fresh herbs and vegetables are also being used. A few of the many recipes in this book that use this technique of tempering are South Indian Cabbage Slaw (page 33), Green Pea Relish (page 30), South Indian Lentils and Vegetables (page 56), Coconut Rice (page 112) and Lemon Rice with Peanuts (page 114).