Indian Cooking Terms

[Suvir Saran]

Are there any cooking techniques from India that you have mastered?

Any that you want to know about?

Which ones do you employ most when cooking?

[Suvir Saran]

Tadka/Baghar/Chaunka

These words from hindi imply tempering. This process is performed at the beginning of cooking as in meat and vegetable preparations or at the end as in daals and Kadhi. Oil is heated and spices, grains or herbs are added to the oil to extract their essential oils. The oil thus left is seasoned and flavored.

Link to Chaunk thread

[Suvir Saran]

Below is a recipe also on the Pink lentil thread. This will show you how you can use a Tarka in your cooking.

SIMPLE LENTIL DAAL WITH MUSTARD SEEDS AND CURRY LEAVES

This tarka gives the daal a southern Indian taste. Mustard seeds and curry leaves are typical flavorings of that part of India. This tarka uses more chiles than the first two so the daal is quite spicy – fiery hot food is also typical of the cuisine of southern India.

You’ll find curry leaves at Indian grocery stores or on the internet. Buy them in quantity and freeze what you don’t use. Simply use double the quantity of frozen curry leaves as you would use fresh.

DAAL

1 cup dhooli masoor daal (split pink lentils), picked over and, washed and drained

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

3 to 4 cups cold water

TARKA

1/4 cup ghee or canola oil

1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

3 whole, dried red chiles

3 small, hot green chiles, finely chopped, with seeds

6 fresh or 12 frozen curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

3 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 1/2 lime

1. For the daal, wash and drain the lentils. Put the lentils in a large saucepan with the turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils crumble when you touch them, 20 to 30 minutes. Add another cup of water during cooking if needed; the lentils should be covered with water throughout the cooking. When the lentils are cooked, taste for salt and add more if you need to.

2. For the tarka, heat the ghee or oil in a small frying pan or kadai over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook, stirring, until they start to splatter, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they are golden. Add the dried red chiles, the green chiles and curry leaves and cook, stirring, until the chilies are wilted and have some color, about 30 more seconds. Remove the pan from the fire and add the cayenne and a few drops of water to stop the cooking.

3. Transfer the daal to a serving bowl, add half of the cilantro, half of the tarka and all of the lime juice, and stir to blend. Then pour the remaining tarka over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve hot.

[Suvir Saran]

Marination

It is the soaking of food in any seasoned liquid, wine, vinegar or yogurt for the purpose of allowing the essence of that particular liquid to seep into the food. Marination often is also used as a process of tenderizing.

If you look at the Chicken Curry thread, or even the lamb thread, you will find several recipes that use the process of marination.

[Suvir Saran]

Dum

Is the blind baking of a dish. A slow cooking process. It can be done either in a direct or an indirect way. In the direct method, partially cooked food is placed in a vessel which is covered with a lid, sealed with dough and then placed on a slow fire or in an oven. The food cooks in its own steam and retains all the flavors and aroma. You can use an aluminum foil to seal the utensils instead of dough. In the indirect method, food is placed on a perforated plate above boiling water. The vessel is covered and food is allowed to cook on steam. In this method, care should be taken that the water doesn't touch the perforated plate. Recipes like idlis, Indian steamed rice and bean cakes are cooked by indirect steam. You can also use a pressure cooker for indirect steaming.

Certainly you have eaten Dum Aloos in some of the many Indian restaurants you may have frequented.

Banjara, a restaurant in East Village in NYC is serving several Dum dishes.

[Suvir Saran]

Zaika Dena (Seasoning)

This is the step in Indian cooking that is crucial for the over all enjoyment of a dish. Many Indians believe that only a few people are blessed with the understanding of the many subtle ways in which spices and herbs can alter a dish and also change the experience that one will have in a meal. Zaika (taste) comes from the correct mix of masalas. Masalas are any selection or assortment of aromatic dried herbs, spices, seeds and grains used to add to the taste and appearance of food.