Indian
Indian cuisine
The basics
You don’t need to invest in new equipment, expensive ingredients and spend hours pounding spices, but a few kitchen essentials will take the grind out of cooking:
• Karhai or wok: a deep, concave pan which uses far less oil than a flat-bottomed saucepan. The oil sits in a small pool at the bottom of the karahi or wok, rather than spreading itself thinly over a wide-based pan. In short, it’s healthier to cook with.
• Micro plane graters: make light work of grating ginger and onions, and are well worth the investment.
• Sturdy spice grinder: although a mortar and pestle or grinding stone is the traditional tool for pounding spices, a small spice grinder is invaluable for getting things done in a jiffy. A good quality coffee grinder does the trick. To get rid of any strong spice aromas, place a cube of day-old bread in the grinder and process – it absorbs any strong, spicy aromas.
Getting started with spices
Spices are to Indian cooking what stocks are to making western dishes. It’s best to buy them in small quantities, preferably from Asian grocers rather than supermarkets – the quality is much better and the spices are a sight fresher. Buy whole spices when you can, they have a longer shelf life, keeping for 3-4 months in a tightly lidded jar. They also freeze well in an airtight bag. Once ground they lose their flavour within weeks. Although most supermarkets stock Asian spices, you’ll get fresher, better quality ingredients from an Asian grocery store.
It’s best to steer clear of buying ground spices. Chances are, that by the time you open the packet, they’ll be past their best. It’s okay to buy chilli powder and ground turmeric though – grinding these ones can be quite strenuous.
Take care when buying whole cumin seeds – most supermarkets sell it ready-toasted, which is a real downer because they tend to scorch when tossed into hot oil. Asian stores will sell plain cumin – so you’re free to toast, fry or grind it from scratch.
Many whole spices don’t have much of an aroma, but when dropped into hot oil, or toasted on a griddle, they take on an appealing aromatic character – nutty-tasting cumin seeds, pungent chillies and lemony cardamom seeds are but a few notables in an Indian cook’s spice box.
Most families have a favourite recipe for garam masala. Some cooks even have four different garam masalas on the go at the same time: pounded mace and cardamom seeds for biryani, and a mix of fennel seeds, nigella seeds and fenugreek seeds for pickles, are just two signature spice blends.
At first glance the sheer number of spices can be daunting, but the good news is that for everyday cooking, half a dozen spices should set you up. Start with cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, turmeric powder, mustard seeds, and chilli powder or dried red chillies. Other useful spices include cinnamon, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, nutmeg and mace, nigella seeds, black peppercorns and saffron.
You don’t need to invest in new equipment, expensive ingredients and spend hours pounding spices, but a few kitchen essentials will take the grind out of cooking:
• Karhai or wok: a deep, concave pan which uses far less oil than a flat-bottomed saucepan. The oil sits in a small pool at the bottom of the karahi or wok, rather than spreading itself thinly over a wide-based pan. In short, it’s healthier to cook with.
• Micro plane graters: make light work of grating ginger and onions, and are well worth the investment.
• Sturdy spice grinder: although a mortar and pestle or grinding stone is the traditional tool for pounding spices, a small spice grinder is invaluable for getting things done in a jiffy. A good quality coffee grinder does the trick. To get rid of any strong spice aromas, place a cube of day-old bread in the grinder and process – it absorbs any strong, spicy aromas.
Getting started with spices
Spices are to Indian cooking what stocks are to making western dishes. It’s best to buy them in small quantities, preferably from Asian grocers rather than supermarkets – the quality is much better and the spices are a sight fresher. Buy whole spices when you can, they have a longer shelf life, keeping for 3-4 months in a tightly lidded jar. They also freeze well in an airtight bag. Once ground they lose their flavour within weeks. Although most supermarkets stock Asian spices, you’ll get fresher, better quality ingredients from an Asian grocery store.
It’s best to steer clear of buying ground spices. Chances are, that by the time you open the packet, they’ll be past their best. It’s okay to buy chilli powder and ground turmeric though – grinding these ones can be quite strenuous.
Take care when buying whole cumin seeds – most supermarkets sell it ready-toasted, which is a real downer because they tend to scorch when tossed into hot oil. Asian stores will sell plain cumin – so you’re free to toast, fry or grind it from scratch.
Many whole spices don’t have much of an aroma, but when dropped into hot oil, or toasted on a griddle, they take on an appealing aromatic character – nutty-tasting cumin seeds, pungent chillies and lemony cardamom seeds are but a few notables in an Indian cook’s spice box.
Most families have a favourite recipe for garam masala. Some cooks even have four different garam masalas on the go at the same time: pounded mace and cardamom seeds for biryani, and a mix of fennel seeds, nigella seeds and fenugreek seeds for pickles, are just two signature spice blends.
At first glance the sheer number of spices can be daunting, but the good news is that for everyday cooking, half a dozen spices should set you up. Start with cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, turmeric powder, mustard seeds, and chilli powder or dried red chillies. Other useful spices include cinnamon, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, nutmeg and mace, nigella seeds, black peppercorns and saffron.
