Ingredients of Indian Cooking # 4 – Turmeric

Turmeric whole and powder

The ingredients used in Indian cooking are exotic and turmeric is one such spice which not only adds the immensely appetizing yellow color to the Indian foods, but also acts as a disinfectant and stabilizer for the stomach.

Turmeric could be easily identified as the very “Indian” color. Known as Curcuma Longa, it’s a part of the ginger family. People of the Indian sub-continent are well-aware of turmeric, since it has been in use from ancient days in India, not only for its edibility and medicinal properties, but also for its use as a color for dyeing clothes. Cooking without turmeric is considered incomplete in many parts of  India, as without it one will surely miss the color and taste of the “Indian” food.

Popularly known as Indian saffron, Turmeric is found in the parts of South-Asia and grows well in temperature ranging between 20 – 30 degrees Celsius,  with a significant amount of rainfall. The usage of turmeric increased in the middle ages, since it started getting used as a substitute to the comparatively extremely expensive saffron. Even though it’s one of the major cooking ingredients in almost all the Asian recipes,  the Western countries too are increasingly adopting it in their cuisine, due to its medicinal value.

Fresh Turmeric Root

Turmeric consists of an active component Curcumin, which is a very powerful substance that’s responsible for its strong yellow color and the pungent flavor., as well as its medicinal benefits. Talking about its medicinal benefits, the turmeric root is the most important, as it’s very useful to shed that extra amount of fat and cholesterol from your body. Curcumin has antioxidant, antibacterial and stomach comforting effects. This is one of the major reasons why many Indian households consume turmeric with milk at least once a day. Various scientific studies have established that one can derive added advantages from turmeric; e.g. researchers found turmeric as a cancer prevention herb. Majority of the doctors now recommend  using this herb for preventing cancer and to act as a cover for those who might tend to have cancer.

Unknown fact: Usage of turmeric with cauliflower can prevent prostate cancer.

Turmeric is also used as an antiseptic for cuts and burns, healing of wounds and re-moisturizing skin. Usually a glass of warm milk with turmeric reduces pains of the muscles and bones immensely. It is also used for detoxifying liver and proves very helpful in preventing breast and prostate cancer. Turmeric also reduces the risk of leukemia and is believed to be a natural treatment for arthritis.

Fresh Turmeric Root is eaten raw or with jaggery in many parts of India, especially during winter, to keep oneself warm, keep one’s stomach free from ailments and increase appetite. In its grounded paste form, it’s used on face and arms to improve complexion of skin and keep it free from common skin ailments. As a result it’s a must-have ingredient for grooming the bride and the groom, and is also a symbolic custom of many Hindu weddings.

Turmeric is a tasty herb that enhances the flavor and aroma of your food by providing solace to your stomach. For all types of Indian recipes turmeric is used in its powdered form. For every Indian vegetarian, use of turmeric is a must, since the Curries – a major food for a majority of Indian natives – find the maximum usage of turmeric.  In terms of non-vegetarian food, the usage of this spice is not limited. With its pungent smell and strong flavor Turmeric kills the odor of the raw flesh like chicken, mutton and beef, giving the dish an enhanced taste and aromatic flavor.

In Eastern parts of India, the usage of turmeric has been prevalent for a long period, and the principles of its proper usage have been passed down through the ages by our ancestors. The usage is almost uniform across all dishes prepared with potatoes. For meat and fish preparations, turmeric is preferred as the basic ingredient and always used it to its best effect.

As one moves more towards the north of the country, one can witness the extensive usage of turmeric as the taste of North Indian cuisine is very rich, and turmeric adds that rich aroma to any type of cuisine. Turmeric is also used in pickles, soups, milk, ice creams, bakery & desserts.

Being a part of the ginger family, turmeric tastes  bitter; but its flavor and yellow color could add a whole new dimension to your recipes all the time, and proves medicinally beneficial too. You could keep eating whatever you want, but make sure it’s cooked with turmeric.

Therefore, the next time you’re prepared to cook something, add that little dash of color to your recipe with turmeric. The looks of your recipe and its nutritional values will never be the same again!

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How to enhance taste of Chholar Daler Bora

"Chholar Daler Bora"

Lentil Fritters are one of the most-loved fried-snacks in most parts of India and many other parts of the world. However, the Indian spices make them so different in taste that you keep on asking for more.

In a previous post I talked of relishing Masoor Dal with steaming white rice and crispy “daler bora” – or red lentil soup with crispy Lentil fritters. Let’s talk about preparing these little taste-bombs!

There are many types of lentils which could be used to cook lentil fritters – Red Lentils, Yellow/tan Lentils, Brown/Spanish pardina, green lentils, etc. However the tastiest and most appetizing of all for a Bengali household is the “Chholar Daler Bora” or the “Bengal Gram Fritters”. Further, if you mix a generous proportion of Bengal gram with another Lentil, it will definitely give you a different taste altogether!

Cholar Dal

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup chholar/chana dal (Bengal Gram)
2. 1 grated onion
3. Salt as per taste.
4. ½ tsp red chilli powder
5. ¼ tsp of turmeric
6. 2-3 green chillies finely chopped into tiny pieces.
7. 1 cup Mustard Oil – depends on the depth of your frying pan.

Preparation :

• Soak the Chholar Dal overnight to make them soft, and then make a thick paste of this the next day.
• To ensure an enhanced metallic taste, use the traditional way of hand-grinding by using the traditional “sil batta” or “Shil Nora” made of stone. This restricts the dal getting too-finely grinded, contributing greatly to keep its taste intact.
  
  

  cholar dal bataa or lentil paste

• Now mix the dal paste with the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl. Initially you’ll find it difficult to mix the paste together due to its dryness. So add little amount (1 TBSP) of water to mix them finely by hand. Even after adding water and mixing it’s bound to dry up a little; Add little more water again to mix, and repeat the process for a while. This will make your bora fluffy, soak less oil and make them taste better
• Add the chopped green chillies and grated onion.
•  Once ready with the finely-mixed paste (judged by finding the paste dry but full of moisture) prepare for frying.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan till you see fine smoke coming out of the oil
• Next, instantly drop small dumplings of this paste into the pan. Deep fry first in low to medium heat and then adjust the flame from medium to high.
• You will see that “daler bora” are changing colors slowly to fully brown. Once you see a reddish brown color, take them off from the pan and keep them aside.
• Your Chholar daler bora is now ready to serve

Very simple yet very tasty and easy to cook, enjoy your “chholar daler bora” hot with tomato ketchup or any other forms of chutney on any fine evening – or with hot steaming rice and masoor dal during lunch or dinner.

The crispy chholar daler bora tastes better compared to the various kinds of potato chips, on any rainy day and even as snacks.

So try this recipe at your home. Am confident that it will be a hit with your spouse, children and friends in equal measure.

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How to get your chickens right!

Out of all the meat / poultry-based food, preparation of Chicken is amazingly flexible and varied techniques could be employed while cooking. However, preparation of a chicken recipe starts right from the stage of buying the chicken, and goes through many levels, to keep its texture and enhance its taste.

Get your chickens right!

This post is dedicated to the  few simple steps of choosing, marinating, spicing and sautéing processes, to get the best out of your chicken recipes.

Choosing the chicken

First you need to check the different types and varieties of chicken options available in the market before preparing to cook. This step can place you in a better place ahead of the other chicken chefs. Chicken – especially the boneless skin free chicken-chest – tastes better and offers a better surface if marinated properly prior cooking. Further, the age and weight of the chicken is also important while choosing a better variety. Younger / tender chicken is soft and gets cooked faster, while a matured chicken needs slower preparation to make it softer. Therefore for the best results, it’s essential to know which variety of chicken you need to buy.

Marinating the chicken  

Marinating of any meat of fish is essentially intended to make sure that the spices and other condiments go deeper into the flesh while cooking. Different methods of marinating, using an acid, like vinegar, yoghurt, lemon juice, etc. brings out different but unique flavors of chicken. In addition to the acid used, you need to add some oil and basic ingredients like salt, turmeric, chili powder, pepper, and in some cases the paste of onion, garlic, coriander leaves, green chillies and / or any other exotic or aromatic ingredients in the marinade.

Marinating makes your job easier in the later stages of cooking. This process adds moisture to the meat and makes it softer, juicier and brings out / enhances the specific flavors as per your requirements. For best results, follow these guidelines:

1. Soak the chicken in salty water (3 tbsp.of salt to 4 cups of water) for an hour.
2. Reduce oil in the marinade for more flavors. Best marinade is the combination of half oil and half acid (vinegar, yoghurt, lime juice)
3. The marinating time shouldn’t exceed a specific period. Otherwise if marinated for too long, the acid can break the chicken flesh fiber, making it taste like finer minced meat.
4. Usage of yoghurt (dahi) is the best way to marinate any meat. Add the required salt, turmeric & chili powder to the mixture of yoghurt & raw chicken while marinating.

Stay healthy by limiting the usage of oil in your recipes. Limit the usage of oil to the minimum for cooking your chicken. The marinated chicken contains a healthy amount of yoghurt, which, together with the chicken’s own fat, is more than enough to cook the chicken.

Spicing the chicken

The combination of spices is the most crucial part of rendering flavor to a chicken recipe. The right amount of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, pepper and most importantly the salt used for marinating will infuse the perfect flavor and taste into the chicken. Anything more or less than the recommended dosage changes the taste of the completed recipe. Salt can be used as per taste even while cooking, but the amount of turmeric shouldn’t exceed your requirements – otherwise it can mess up the entire recipe. Too much red chilli powder or pepper might subdue the subtle flavor of the chicken, while the adverse combinations of 3Cs of spices – clove, cinnamon and cardamom – might make the chicken taste too aromatic, thus again subduing its real flavor.

Sautéing the chicken

Sautéing process was covered in another post before. However, sautéing the chicken needs special care, since unlike vegetables, it is preferably not cut down to smaller pieces. Sauté in oil or butter for 2-3 minutes, along the 3Cs of spices, before mixing any other ingredients. This technique will result in better flavor and richer aroma. Next add the other ingredients as necessitated by the recipe, to the chicken and continue to sauté for more 6-7 minutes over medium-high heat. Always use a non-sticky skillet while doing this, and sauté the chicken thoroughly from the bottom to get its intense flavor.

Hence these are a few basics which you must get right before cooking any chicken recipe of your choice. Follow these steps to prepare a healthier, juicier, softer and flavor-filled chicken recipe at home, and your friends will ask for much more than ever!.

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Why Indian Cooking is my Hobby

 

My culinary adventures as a hobby started off as an experiment in my home kitchen. After gathering working knowledge from the lessons I took from my mother, one fine Sunday morning, I popped into the kitchen. I wanted to try my newly acquired skill and cook something for Sunday lunch – which was a sort of a challenge!

After a very nervous beginning, I went on with it and started getting the rich aroma of fresh spices and the spicy flavor, which stayed on my hands. At this point I became more and more confident that my first recipe was well on its way to the dining table! It was therefore a mini success achieved from an innate desire to re-create my mother’s magic for a Sunday lunch!

What’s so great about Indian cooking?

Indian food is all about its herbs, spices and their rich aroma, which are very hard to find in western food in general. Indian food is very easy to cook and this is one vital reason that makes Indian cooking attractive and hassle-free for any newbie!

Indian cuisine differs across the country’s myriad cultures flourishing across its regions and locations. It also varies seasonally, depending on which fruits or vegetables are available at the time. Therefore, not only the spices but the various seasonal fruits and vegetables do add that extra flavor to, and liking for Indian food. The ingredients and the seasonal variances are thus the exotic life-force of Indian food.

My attraction towards Indian cooking was also founded on its inborn simplicity. You can literally play with the spices and ingredients and cook a different Indian dish every time; or even by treating each spice a little differently, you can create a completely different taste of the same recipe, which stays on the tip of your tongue! Further, I also came to understand that while some of the ingredients are common for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations, some others are unique to each type of preparation.

Therefore, the lessons from my mother, the experimentation with the ingredients and an understanding of the role of each of the ingredients and spices, made me discover my zeal and aroused my urge to dive deeper in taking Indian cooking as a hobby.

This blog is all about these personal experiences of a simple individual who wanted to live his hobby of cooking. I can gladly add that if you have an enthusiasm to create and enjoy new food regularly, then cooking as a creative art is something which will always bring a broad smile on the faces – of yours as well as your loved ones!