Indian Cuisine

120 flashcards by MentisLibrary

India by region and by technique: tempering, bhuna and dum, the spices and masalas and what each one does, dals, breads, rice and biryani, north and south Indian classics, Bengali, Goan, Gujarati and Parsi dishes, sweets, and how a thali is eaten.

A cook finishes a pot of dal by pouring sizzling spiced ghee over it. What is that step called?
A tadka: whole spices bloomed in hot fat and poured into a dish, either to start it or to finish it. It is also called chhonk, baghar or phoron depending on the region.
What does it mean when a recipe says the oil separates?
It is the sign that a masala base of onion, ginger, garlic, tomato and ground spices has cooked far enough: the water has gone and fat pools at the edges. Until then the dish tastes raw.
What does bhuna mean?
To fry a masala in fat over sustained heat, stirring, until it darkens, tightens and loses its raw smell. It is the stage most home cooks cut short.
Which technique seals a pot so the food cooks in its own trapped steam?
Dum: the pot is sealed, traditionally with a rope of dough around the lid, and cooked slowly so nothing escapes.
When do whole spices go in, and when do ground ones?
Whole spices go into hot fat at the start, where they need time to release their oils. Ground spices go in later and burn within seconds, so they are usually added with a little liquid.
Why are spices dry roasted before grinding?
Gentle dry heat drives off moisture and develops aroma compounds, so the ground spice is far more fragrant and keeps its punch longer.
How do you keep yogurt from splitting in a hot curry?
Whisk it smooth, temper it with a little of the hot liquid, add it off or on very low heat, and stir constantly until it is incorporated. A spoon of besan whisked in also stabilizes it.
Why is idli and dosa batter fermented?
Ground rice and urad dal left overnight ferment on their own wild organisms, which sours the batter, lightens it with gas, and makes the grains more digestible.
What does urad dal contribute to a dosa batter?
Both the fermentation and the structure: its proteins and mucilage trap gas, which is why a batter of rice alone will not rise or hold together.
How do you make ghee?
Simmer butter until the water boils off and the milk solids sink and toast to a nutty brown, then strain off the clear golden fat.
How is paneer made and why does it not melt?
Milk is curdled with lemon juice or vinegar, drained and pressed. The acid sets the casein into a network that heat cannot loosen, so it browns and firms instead of melting.
Tandoor
A deep clay oven fired to very high heat, in which breads are slapped onto the wall and marinated meats are lowered on long skewers.
Why is meat marinated in yogurt?
Yogurt's acid and enzymes tenderize the surface, its fat carries spice flavor into the meat, and its coating clings through the fierce heat of a tandoor.
What is asafoetida and how must it be used?
A dried resin with a sharp sulfurous smell that turns savory and onion-like once cooked in fat. Raw, it is unpleasant; bloomed, it does the work of onion and garlic.
What is the difference between fenugreek seed and kasoori methi?
Methi dana are the hard bitter seeds, used sparingly at the start. Kasoori methi are dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled in at the end for their aroma.
Are curry leaves related to curry powder?
No, they are unrelated. Curry leaves are the fresh aromatic leaves of a small tree, with a citrusy resinous smell that is released by frying.
What is the difference between green and black cardamom?
Green cardamom is sweet and floral and belongs in both sweets and gravies. Black cardamom is large, smoke-dried and camphorous, and belongs only in savory cooking.
What is garam masala and when is it added?
A finishing blend of warming spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, cumin and coriander. It goes in near the end, because heat drives off exactly what it is there for.
Which seasoning gives chaat its sour, sulfurous tang?
Chaat masala, built on amchur and kala namak with cumin and chile, and sprinkled on at the end rather than cooked.
Which spice adds sourness to a dry dish without adding liquid?
Amchur. Green mango is dried and ground into a pale sour powder, so it sharpens a dish without loosening it.
Kala namak
Black salt: a salt with a strong sulfurous, egg-like aroma and a pinkish grey color, used as a seasoning rather than as plain salt.
Name the five spices of panch phoron.
Fenugreek, nigella, cumin, black mustard and fennel, in roughly equal parts. They go in whole rather than ground.
Which Indian seed tastes strongly of thyme, and why?
Ajwain, or carom seed, small and ridged. Its flavor comes from thymol, the same aromatic compound that gives thyme its smell.
Why is Kashmiri chile used?
For deep red color with only moderate heat, so a dish can look fiery and still be eaten by everyone at the table.
Is curry powder used in Indian cooking?
No. It is a British commercial blend. Indian kitchens use regional and dish-specific mixtures such as garam masala, sambar powder, goda masala and Chettinad masala, and often grind them fresh.
Sambar powder
A southern blend built on roasted coriander, dried chile and lentils, with fenugreek, curry leaves and asafoetida, ground into a powder specifically for sambar.
How does goda masala differ from garam masala?
A Maharashtrian blend, darker and sweeter than garam masala, with coconut, sesame and stone flower alongside the usual warming spices.
What makes Chettinad cooking distinctive?
Heavy use of black pepper, fennel, star anise and stone flower with roasted coconut, giving dishes that are aromatic and peppery rather than simply chile hot.
What is saffron used for in Indian cooking?
Color and aroma in rich dishes and sweets. It is soaked in warm milk first so the color spreads evenly.
What are the main dals and how do they differ?
Toor is earthy and everyday, chana holds its shape and tastes nutty, moong is light and quick, urad is rich and glutinous, and masoor is the fastest and softest of all.