An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [14]
TAMARIND PASTE The tamarind is a kind of bean, which grows on large trees. For commercial use it is peeled, seeded, and pressed into a lump. Indians use its paste to add a special kind of tartness to their foods. Lump tamarind is available in Indian and Middle Eastern specialty stores in America. These stores also sell a bottled tamarind paste, but this is often extremely fermented. To make your own tamarind paste, break or pull a golf-ball-sized piece from the lump tamarind and soak it in ¾ cup hot water for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Use a small, nonmetallic cup or bowl. Press pulp through a strainer and reserve. (You may need to add extra water to the strainer in order to dislodge all the pulp.) Discard whatever is left in the strainer. Covered tamarind pulp can be stored several days in the refrigerator. Lump tamarind should be wrapped in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. It will last for months.
TURMERIC This spice is really a boiled-down root which is available in small lumps in India but only in its ground form in America. It is this yellow spice which gives coloring to a lot of our foods. It burns easily, so care should be taken when cooking with it.
VARK These are extremely fine, delicate sheets of real silver (or gold) foil, used for garnishing. (They are eaten.) When you buy them, generally each sheet is between 2 layers of tissue paper. You cannot lift a sheet by picking it up with your hand: it will disintegrate or fly away. Remove one layer of tissue paper carefully, leaving the vark on the other sheet. Slide your hand under the paper and invert the vark on the food. Garnish thinly, as you should not really be able to taste the vark. The effect is prettier when the vark lies on the food in an unbroken sheet, but it’s all right if it disintegrates slightly. Vark is available only at Indian specialty stores. Since it can tarnish, like any real silver, it should be stored in a dark, airtight container.
Kitchen utensils and other equipment
Here is a list of some utensils which are found only in Indian kitchens.
CHIMTA These flat, smooth-edged, long tongs are used for everything from picking up live coals to turning over bread.
KARHAI This is a utensil for deep frying. Like the Chinese wok, it is curved at the bottom and very wide at the top, rather like a half-moon. It can be made of cast iron, aluminum, stainless steel, or brass.
KATORI Small bowl made out of gold, silver, stainless steel, or aluminum, used to serve individual portions of meat, vegetables, and dals. Often several filled katoris are arranged on a thali and the thali is then placed before the diner.
MUTKA Round pot of half-baked clay used for storing water and excellent for making “water pickles.”
PARAAT This is a large, wide-rimmed brass tray, used for kneading bread. It is also used as a serving tray at weddings.
SIL BATTA The North Indian grinding stone comes in 2 sections. The sil, or larger stone, is about a foot long, 9 inches wide, and 2 inches high. It is pockmarked with tiny, shallow ridges. Food is placed on this larger stone for grinding. The grinding is done by the batta, the second, smaller, half-moon-shaped stone, which is about 6 inches long and 1½ inches thick. (N.B. The sizes and shapes of Indian grinding stones vary in the different states.)
TANDOOR A large clay oven utilizing coal or wood as fuel and used for baking chicken, fish, meat, lentils, and breads. Very popular in the Punjab.
TAVA This is a slightly curved, cast-iron griddle, useful for making breads and patties.
THALI OR THAL Gold, silver, brass, or aluminum tray used both for serving and as a plate. The Bohris of Gujarat place a large thal on a stool and use it as a table.
SOUPS
Mulligatawny soup
White soup (safed sarvo)
Dal soup
Potato soup
Cold yogurt soup
APPETIZERS
Khatte aloo (sour potatoes)
Vegetable pakoris
Pappadums, or papars
Seekh