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 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,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 flavor and color 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. Its 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 chili 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.Its 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 leukemia. 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 flavored 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 480ƒC (900ƒF). 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'
lifestyleTandoori describes a style of food unique to the north
Indian state of Punjab.
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.
About the author:
Sailaja Gudivada is a herbalist,an avid foodie and an
enthusiastic cook.She highlights Indian recipes, ayurvedic
cooking and nutritive value of herbs & spices of India from her
kitchen at
http://indiacuisine.blogspot.com
