Souring Agents

[Suvir Saran]

Indian dishes have a very complex flavor profile. The depth of flavoring depends on many different tastes coming out of one dish. One of the basic such flavor is sour and so, many Indian dishes have at least one souring agent in them. It is rare but not uncommon to find dishes with no such agent.

Souring agents play a very important role in Indian cooking for with the addition of the hot, sweet and bitter, sour is a pleasant companion.

Souring agents are more commonly found in the traditional cooking of the Hindus. The few Mogul and Moslem dishes where one easily finds sour ingredients are those that evolved from a rich fusion of the Hindu and Moslem traditions as in the most amazing cuisine of Hyderabad.

[Adam Balic]

I have been using dried limes and dried barberries as souring agent. Both common in Persian cooking. Are these used in Indian cooking?

[Suvir Saran]

I have been using dried limes and dried barberries as souring agent. Both common in Persian cooking. Are these used in Indian cooking?

What are barberries? Dried limes are used by some. Not very often.

[rich]

I enjoy using Tamarind, either the pulp or concentrate - very distinct flavor.

[Aurora]

Indian dishes have a very complex flavor profile.  The depth of flavoring depends on many different tastes coming out of one dish. One of the basic such flavor is sour and so, many Indian dishes have at least one souring agent in them.  It is rare but not uncommon to find dishes with no such agent.

Souring agents play a very important role in Indian cooking for with the addition of the hot, sweet and bitter, sour is a pleasant companion. 

Souring agents are more commonly found in the traditional cooking of the Hindus.  The few Mogul and Moslem dishes where one easily finds sour ingredients are those that evolved from a rich fusion of the Hindu and Moslem traditions as in the most amazing cuisine of Hyderabad.

I often use cider or red wine vinegar, or lemon juice especially when preparing southern dishes.

Chow chow combines all the flavor components you have discussed, and cider vinegar works especially well with the clove. It also balances with the sugar that is added by allowing the mixture to retain its characteristic sweetness without being syrupy.

I use a red-wine vinegar as a final additon to turnip or collard greens. It counteracts the tendacy for the greens to be salty as a result of simmering with smoked pork.

In both cases, I am not necessarily going for a specifically tart bite as much as I am trying to balance the flavors.

[Adam Balic]

I have been using dried limes and dried barberries as souring agent. Both common in Persian cooking. Are these used in Indian cooking?

What are barberries? Dried limes are used by some. Not very often.

Suvir - Barberries are the berries of the Barberry bush ( ), which is a small shrub. The berries themselve are like red coloured dried currants. When you cook with them you gently fry them in butter and this makes them translucent and glow an attractive red colour (they look like rubies at this stage). They don't have that mush taste, but are very sour. As they are so small they are often used in pilaus and other rice dishes to give an attractive appearance to the dish. They are used in a traditional Persian marriage dish (along with something sweet) to symbolize married life - both the sweet and the sour. They were also a very common ingredient in English cooking until the nineteenth century, when they were eradiacted when it was discovered that they haboured the wheat rust funghi.

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir - Barberries are the berries of the Barberry bush ( ), which is a small shrub. The berries themselve are like red coloured dried currants. When you cook with them you gently fry them in butter and this makes them translucent and glow an attractive red colour (they look like rubies at this stage). They don't have that mush taste, but are very sour. As they are so small they are often used in pilaus and other rice dishes to give an attractive appearance to the dish. They are used in a traditional Persian marriage dish (along with something sweet) to symbolize married life - both the sweet and the sour. They were also a very common ingredient in English cooking until the nineteenth century, when they were eradiacted when it was discovered that they haboured the wheat rust funghi.

Thanks Adam.

We do find these berries in India. And unfortunately we do not use them in much of the cooking ones does today. I asked my grandmother, and she remembered them, said she even ate them as a kid, but did not know one would use them in recipes, but can understand why one would want to. She said they are quite tart and otherwise flavorless.

What pretty berries they are.

Where do you find them? Do you get them dry?

[Suvir Saran]

They are used in a traditional Persian marriage dish (along with something sweet) to symbolize married life - both the sweet and the sour.

Wow! Thanks for sharing that detail. Amazing how rich the Persian culture is. Indians have absorbed some of our best traditions from the Persian influence over our past.

I have heard of similar feeding rituals at Indian weddings. Again for the same reason.

But never knew of these berries.

Thanks!

[Suvir Saran]

I enjoy using Tamarind, either the pulp or concentrate - very distinct flavor.

I love Tamarind too.

What brand of concentrate do you use?

What are your favorite recipes (Indian or others) that you make using this?

[Suvir Saran]

In both cases, I am not necessarily going for a specifically tart bite as much as I am trying to balance the flavors.

Exactly what we try and achieve in Indian food as well.

In India we tend to use more Malt Vinegar.

[Suvir Saran]

Does anyone else use Amchoor? I love using Amchoor in some of my lentils and also in a lot of my vegetarian stir-fries.

Amchoor (dried mango powder) is a great Indian ingredient. And a great souring agent. It works amazingly well for dishes where you want to keep the liquid to a minimum.

It is easily found in Indian stores.

[Suvir Saran]

Anaardaana (Pomegranate seeds) is powdered and used in several recipes to add sourness to them.

It is another ingredient used in Indian cooking to make recipes sour.

What are your favorite recipes that use this?

[Adam Balic]

Suvir - I forgot that I am also using pomegrante concentrate/syrup as a souring agent. The use of these souring agents are at the experimental stage for me, it is quite difficult to judge how to use them to there best advantage. I completely ruined a dish the other night by the incorrect use of the pomegrante concentrate.

I buy barberries from a middle-eastern store (also supplies Indian produce), two American dollars will buy you about a pound of dried berries.

[polly]

Pomegranite concentrate can easily ruin a dish when you are not used to it's strength.

It does have a lovely fuity flavour but if you are after sour sour, then the amount of pomegranite you would have to use would probably add too much sweetness aswell.

It's good drizzled over fetta cheese...or with vodka,tonic and mint leaves...or brushed over lamb chops that have been salt and peppered.

(just don't put it on meat before roasting; it burns very quickly in the oven)

I use amchoor, although I haven't had any in the cupboard for a while.

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir - I forgot that I am also using pomegrante concentrate/syrup as a souring agent.

Adam,

I have only ever seen the pomegranate concentrate in bottles and tasted it in certain Middle eastern dishes. It find it more sweet than sour. And also used often for coloring.

I simply used dried seeds that are crushed. They are not sweet and amazingly sour. Most Indian stores will sell them as Anaardana. Try them, they are easy to use and would never make a dish too sweet or dark.

[frankj]

I've used amchur powder. But not enough.

They sell it in quantities that amount to a lifetime supply for me.

[wingding]

Suvir;Kaluystans' stocks dried barberries-I've used them in rice pudding.Tamarind and pomegranate molasses are my favorite souring agents.I'm curious about kokum{mangosteen?],and still have the smoked kodampoli,also called fish tamarind,that I purchased in Cochin-I've used it in fish curries,and had a simple dish of fish and yams cooked with it while in southern India...

[polly]

How lovely-barberries in rice pudding.

I'm going to try that.

We have a Kurdish friend staying with us at the moment and he puts barberries in saffron pilaf. Very pretty.

[Suvir Saran]

Suvir;Kaluystans' stocks dried barberries-I've used them in rice pudding.Tamarind and pomegranate molasses are my favorite souring agents.I'm curious about kokum{mangosteen?],and still have the smoked kodampoli,also called fish tamarind,that I purchased in Cochin-I've used it in fish curries,and had a simple dish of fish and yams cooked with it while in southern India...

Kokum is used in South-Western Indian cooking mostly. Kokum grows on trees and has purple flesh. It will add a purplish color to food and certainly make it sour in taste.

It is a ingredient essential to the famous Sindhi Curry. It is a dish cooked in the Sindhi homes around Bombay and all over. Sindhi Curry has chickpea flour in its base.

When I lived in Bombay, Kokum coolers were very popular. They are tangy and refreshing.

Kokum is found in several of the Fish curries from the Konkan coast, especially Goa.

[Suvir Saran]

How lovely-barberries in rice pudding.

I'm going to try that.

We have a Kurdish friend staying with us at the moment and he puts barberries in saffron pilaf. Very pretty.

Recipe Please!

It sounds amazing...

[Suvir Saran]

smoked kodampoli,also called fish tamarind,that I purchased in Cochin-I've used it in fish curries,and had a simple dish of fish and yams cooked with it while in southern India...

Wingding,

I wish I could help you more with information on Kodampoli. I know it is Fish Tamarind. I also know it is a souring agent used in many curries in Southern India. But I have never cooked with it myself. Sorry!

Where did you get your recipe from? Did you learn it in your travels to India?

[Suvir Saran]

Yogurt is the most popular souring agent in many Northern Indian homes. In fact even in the south, yogurt is now used when souring dishes. Yogurt is extremely healthy. And even more so in Indian homes, since it is made fresh at home and often twice a day.

Indias largely tropical climate makes it easy for chefs to set yogurt with little if any fuss.

Making yogurt from skim milk can be a great way of making a more sour yogurt. Certain Indian dishes call for sour yogurt and Indian chefs have many tricks that they employ to make their otherwise very mild and naturally sweet yogurt turn sour.

[Suvir Saran]

Vinegar is mostly used in certain pickles in the North.

In Southern and western India, one sees more use of Vinegar.

It is part of the Portuguese influence in that region.

Vinegar is commonly used in the cooking of the people of Goa, parts of Karnataka, Kerala and some other Konkan areas. It is also used in many recipes of the Parsee and Jewish communities of India.

In the Konkan region one finds Coconut based Vinegar.

The Parsees of Gujarat and Bombay use Cane Vinegar.

[Suvir Saran]

Lemons and Lime come from India.

For some strange reason, limes are more commonly used in Indian homes. Limes are called Nimbu.

Lime juice is often added to dishes at the very end. This gives the dishes a great finishing taste and also in my opinion, often reduces the heaviness of both spice and fat in a dish. It is also used in Indian cooking to counter the need to salt dishes rather generously, since spices do not always taste good unless enough salt is added.

[Suvir Saran]

Tomatoes came to India with the Portuguese in the 16th century. Today, they are very popular throughout India.

They are prized for their sour taste, color and flavor.

Indian tomatoes are far more acidic than tomatoes we find here. This makes them much more sour and so perfect for use in dishes where that taste is needed. Indians always use very ripe tomatoes and invariably, even the very ripe ones will have a nice amount of sourness.