Indian Curry
Indian curry is
over 5,000 years old and the term 'curry' which is an English word is
derived from the South Indian Tamil word 'kaikaari' or its shortened
version 'kari' meaning vegetables cooked in spices.
Basically Indian
curry is a gravy dish or a stew like dish with spices and seasonings
and flavoured with hot and sour tastes. Today, curry has
become the symbolic British word for Indian dishes that could be eaten
with rice or rotis.
Authentic
Indian Curry
Authentic Indian
curry, one of the world's fasted growing ethnic food trends, combines
flavours, textures and pungency which are unique. Each region of India
has its own distinctive style of seasoning while preparing a curry and
a common factor in all the regional styles of cooking curry is
marination and slow cooking which ensures the flavour and colour of
herbs and spices to meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables.
1. Spices: are
derived from plants and are aromatic dried bark, roots, buds, seeds,
berries or fruits. When spices are heated the aroma and flavour is
released. It’s advisable not to store spices in glass jars as
they will lose their aroma and potency before the expiry date. Store in
air-tight containers.
2. Curry : the
authentic Indian curry often combines the following spices, coriander,
turmeric, fenugreek, cloves, ginger, red and black pepper as well as
other spices. One of the popular spice blends used in Indian curries is
called "Garam Masala".
3. Bhuna: bhuna is
a Hindi term for cooking the various spices (Masala) in hot oil to
release the natural oils and flavours of the spices and remove the raw
taste. It literally means 'fry in oil' and most important
process in cooking a perfect Indian curry.
4. Tadka/Bargar:
bargar is a Hindi term for the process of frying whole spices is and is
a technique used for the same reasons as Bhuna, to cook out the raw
taste from the spices. The oil used should be hot and the spices added
whole. It is important to take care to not burn the spices.
The spices are cooked the moment they colour and start to float do not
let them blacken. This process can be very quick especially with the
small spices like cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
5. Masala: means
mixture of spices sauteed in oil or ghee. Perhaps the most famous and
varied is Garam masala, a major spice blend of Indian cookery where
each home has its own spice blends. It is often added towards the end
of the recipe, almost like a garnish.
6. Curry Powder: is
made with many spice blends. Quite a few dishes in western countries
like America and U.K call for curry powder which basically consists of
turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, five spice
powder (cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, bay leaf and cumin), with red
chilli powder. You can mix your own curry powder according to
your tastes or buy it ready made at your grocery store. The
use of curry powder is minimal in India and most are unaware of curry
powder.
7. Turmeric: called
'haldi' in Hindi is a deep yellow powder obtained from grinding a dried
plant root. It’s known for its colour and earthy
flavour in many Indian and Asian dishes. Turmeric has
anti-oxidant properties and is widely known for its digestive
properties and to fight against leukaemia.
8. Cumin: called
'jeera' in Hindi is a spice with a huge variety of culinary uses. It's
a very important element in Indian and ayurvedic cooking.
Indian curries and dry vegetables are mostly flavoured with whole cumin
seeds. Cumin is considered to have digestive properties and is also
considered to have cooling properties.
9. Tandoori:
describes a style of food unique to the north Indian state of Punjab. A
tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in northern India and Pakistan
in which food is cooked over a hot charcoal fire. Temperatures in a
tandoor can approach 480�C (900�F). It is not uncommon for tandoor
ovens to remain lit for long periods of time to maintain the high
cooking temperature. Tandoori chicken is marinated before cooking and
despite an intense dry heat, the oven produces succulent moist meat
with the famous red spicy seasoning on the outside.
10. Authentic
Indian cooking : calls for the use of a number spices, many in small
quantities as per the recipe requirement and added at particular
intervals throughout the recipe, rather than in one go as a paste or
curry powder. This process is difficult and time-consuming
art to master in today's 'time-poor' lifestyle. Tandoori
describes a style of food unique to the north Indian state of Punjab.
Using
Fresh Spices In Your Indian Curry
Much of making
curry is knowing what spices blend well and experimenting. After you've
made a couple of different curries, it's hard to go wrong, Get some
good fresh
spices and a coffee grinder, dry
roast the spices and grind them to make your own curries. There is no
substitute for this authentic
way of making a typical Indian curry.
