The Indian Vegan Kitchen_ More Than 150 Quick and Healthy Homestyle Recipes - Madhu Gadia [7]
By now you may already know that Indian cooking is more than curry, and definitely takes more than curry powder. Getting the right texture, color, and consistency can depend on using the right technique.
Don’t let these methods of cooking intimidate you; they are just new to you. Once you prepare a few of these dishes, you will see a pattern and find Indian cooking a breeze. It’s like cooking pasta—one pasta and five sauces equals five dishes.
Remember, if something does not come out perfect or to your liking the first time, hopefully it’ll still be good. Make notes in your recipes as to what you might do differently next time.
Preparing Food for Cooking: This may seem like common knowledge, but the way you prepare ingredients has a direct impact on flavor of the finished dish. Whether the onion is finely chopped, coarsely chopped, or ground will all affect the consistency of the curry sauce. Follow the instructions as given.
Measuring Ingredients: Even novice cooks know that a slight variation in quantity can make a difference between a good product and an okay product. Although Indian cooking is very forgiving (unlike baking), measuring and using the ingredients as listed in recipes is imperative to the end results. For all practical purposes, measure to a level cup or spoon.
To reduce the guesswork in quantity, even ingredients such as onion are listed in a measuring cup versus a medium or small onion. These days, the sizes of onions can be one inch or four inches.
Substituting Ingredients: If you do not have an ingredient—especially spices—and are not sure about the substitution, leave it out. You are more likely to get an acceptable product without the ingredient than with an alternate. Spices are potent; a little bit goes a long way and more is not better.
The Cooking Temperature: Since Indian cooking uses the stovetop 99 percent of the time, mastering the heat is fundamental to great cooking. From start to finish, you may need to adjust the cooking temperature of your dish. You may start out heating the pan on high heat for seasoning, then reducing the heat to simmer, and then bumping up the heat again to reduce the sauce to a desired consistency.
Whether you cook with gas or electric doesn’t matter; electric stoves just take longer to heat up and cool down. You need to understand and accommodate to your stove.
Seasoning (Chounk): Yes, you’ve heard it before—Indian cooking is all about spices. But more than that, it’s about how you season it. Chounk is the most common way to season Indian food. Oil or ghee is heated until it is very hot and a slight film develops over the oil, near smoking point. Spices like cumin or mustard seeds are dropped into the hot oil and cooked for only a few seconds until the seeds begin to brown, pop, or change color. This seasoned oil is the chounk. One may add the hot, seasoned oil to the food or add the food to the seasoned oil. The chounk enhances the flavor of the spices and the food.
Roasting (Bhun-na): Roasting or browning of spices and food brings out the taste and flavor of the dish. The food or spices may be dry-roasted or roasted in hot oil. Roasting can affect the finished dish’s taste and texture. I remember my mother saying the more you bhuno it, the better the flavor.
Simmering: Simmering means cooking food in a liquid that cooks on low heat. In Indian cooking, food is often simmered, closer to a low boil, on medium or low heat, and it may or may not have much liquid in it. For example, vegetables may be cooked on low heat, simmering in its own juices.
Preparing Sauce (Rasa): Most Indian sauces are thickened and flavored by spices, garlic, onion, yogurt (if using), or tomatoes. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid of the pan, increase the heat, and allow the liquid to evaporate to the desired consistency. Thickening also concentrates the flavor and enhances the taste of the dish.
Deep-Fat Frying: Indian food