Secrets to a wonderful North Indian style curry

The curry made in every part of India has a significantly distinct taste.  The procedure involved in the preparation of a curry also varies from one region to another.  The highly popular North Indian style curry has  few tricks that are simple to master, yet crucial to the classic North Indian style curry.  So missing out on those steps could significantly alter the taste of the curry and make it like it originated from another place. So here are some tips for a traditional North Indian style curry.

1.  Always start making the curry with oil and finish it it off by adding ghee (clarified butter) or butter.
2. Cashew paste is a key ingredient to many north Indian style gravies.  Soak raw unsalted cashew nuts in warm water for a few minutes and grind it to a smooth paste.
3. Always caremalize the onions to a golden brown color and then add the paste of ginger and garlic.
4.  A lot of recipes for North Indian curries call for cream. Add the cream towards the very end and do not boil vigorously or for a long time after adding cream.
5.  The ratio of onion to tomato is key for north Indian style gravies.  Do not alterwhat is mentioned in a recipe.  Most gravies (makahni style gravies) do not require onions.
6.  Most north Indian gravies use black cardamom as opposed to green cardamom.  Black Cardamom has a very strong odor, so use sparingly.
7. While making curry adding water is a crucial step.  Do not be careless with it as it dilutes taste significantly.

Credits: Chefs at Temple Bay Resorts, Chennai, India.

Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri

From the chef’s pantry – Episode 1 (Chettinad Cuisine)`

MTS was very fortunate to experience the culinary delights whipped up by Sue chef Kumar and assistant chef Senthil at the Temple bay beach resort in Chennai, India. An interesting interview with these chefs provided for various tips, recipes and tricks of the trade secrets to whip up efficient North Indian, South Indian, Chettinnad and Indo-Chinese  recipes. This four week series is sure to be a delight for MTS readers.

(L-R) Sue Chef Mr. Kumar and Chef Mr. Senthil

From the chef’s pantry – Episode 1

Chettinad cuisine – from the heart of Karaikudi (Tamilnadu) to readers across the world
The ever glamorous, aromatic spicy food from the south parts of Tamilnadu, India is an element of mystery to many home cooks. MTS aims to bring out the secrets involved in creating wonderful Chettinad curries through this post. Both Sue chef Kumar and chef Senthil at Temple Bay resorts, acknowledged that the secret to a good Chettinad curry lies in the making of the Chettinad masala. The mercantile contacts  with Burma (and the far east) combined with the natural availability of spices in this otherwise dry region of India probably gave birth to this flavorful cuisine. Chef Kumar insisted that this masala be cooked in the lowest heat setting possible which would allow the spices to roast adequately without getting burnt.  Well, the  science behind this art is simple. Most aromatic spices (such as the ones used in this recipe) have fat soluble essential oils that can be extracted in high heat.  So when these spices are roasted slowly with coconut oil (which has high boiling point  and density (heavy)) the aromatic oils from the spices ooze out and dissolve in the coconut oil due to their solubility in fat.  The coconut oil is now flavored with the aroma of a mixture of various spices.  This aroma is imparted to all the veggies and/or meat cooked in it.   The patience required for this recipe sure fetches great results. Once the masala is done it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. MTS has provided its readers tips on bulk preparation of this classical Chettinad masala. After all, mealtime success is all about efficiency.

Chettinadu masala:
List of ingredients and procedure credits: Chefs at Temple bay
Proportions by MTS
1 tsp coconut oil*
1/3 cup grated coconut*
2 Nos red chili peppers*
1 Tbsp coriander seeds*
½” piece ginger (crushed to pieces using mortar or blender)
2  pods garlic (crushed to pieces using mortar or blender)
1” piece cinnamon*
1 green cardamom*
12 nos. cloves*
1″ kalpasi* (also known as Black Stone Flower or Dagad Phool)
½ of star anise *
1 Tbsp fennel seeds*
2 Tbsp black pepper corns
1 bay leaf*
1/2 nutmeg*(also called as mace or javithri)
1 marathi moggu*
1 Tbsp cumin seeds *
1 sprig curry leaves*
* Spices are available in Indian grocery stores

How to make: Roast all the above mentioned ingredients in extreme low heat with coconut oil for 15 minutes and grind to a fine paste with just enough water.

MTS tip to make a big batch of Chettinad masala:
Avoid the coconut, ginger and garlic and roast just the spices and grind it to a fine powder. This powder can be stored airtight in the freezer. At the time of usage saute coconut,  ginger and garlic in 1/2 tsp of coconut oil, grind and add it to the ground  chettinad masala powder.  Use the same ratios  mentioned above for bulk preparation.

MTS recipe for chicken chettinad (chettinad fish curry/ vegeterian chettinad potato masala):
2 Tbsp gingelly oil (seasame oil)
2 cups finely chopped scallions or red onions
2 green chillies slit in the center but not cut into halves
1.5 cups freshly ground tomatoes
2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 sprig curry leaves (leaves removed)
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chilly powder
3 tsp corriander powder
1 Lb chicken or fish or potato
1 cup water

How to make:
Warm up the gingelly oil in medium low heat. Once the oil is warm add onions and a pinch of salt (to fasten the cooking process). Once the onions are translucent add garlic, curry leaves and green chillies. Cook this for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is cooked. Then add the tomatoes, chilly powder, salt, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Cook this mixture until the tomatoes are cooked and oil begins to ooze from the sides. Now add the chicken or fish or potatoes. When the chicken or fish or potatoes are half cooked add the ground Chettinad masala. Check and adjust for salt. Add 1 cup of water to get a gravy and simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken or fish or potatoes are cooked.

Note: Add the Chettinad masala little by little and check for spice.  Remember you can always add more, removing spice would be impossible.

Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri

Chaat masala

Chaat masala is a tangy blend of spices and is used a lot in Indian cuisine.  This spice powder is readily available in Indian grocery stores for under 3$.  The spice powders present in this mixture are cumin powder, black salt, asafoetida, dried mango powder, dried ginger powder, coriander powder and pepper powder.

This spice blend  is used in chaat recipes. Chaats refer to an array of snacks sold on side walks in carts and shops. Check our posts on fruit chaat, kachori chaat and kiddie bhel to understand the utilization of this spice.

Because of its tangy taste this powder when sprinkled on fresh cut fruits like apples and pear provides for an interesting twist.

Slit a banana into two halves lengthwise.  Sprinkle chaat masala on the cut side of one half.  Seal the bananas back and cut them into 2″ inch pieces.  Insert a tooth pick to enable handling the banana pieces easily.

Panneer or Tofu can be rubbed with chaat masala and grilled or sauteed (in a non stick pan) with little oil.  The sauteed panneer or tofu can then be added to curries or salads as toppings.

Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri

Panchpuran seasoning

Panchpuran seasoning: A raw spice blend from the eastern part of India (the state of  West Bengal).  It is a mixture of five (panch) spices.  The spices in this mixture are yellow mustard, fennel, cumin, nigella seeds (onion seeds) and fenugreek seeds. Each of these spices render musky, aromatic, smoky, sweet and bitter flavors respectively.  Thus the collective aroma and flavor rendering of this mixture is very interesting. This premixed blend of spices is readily available in  most Indian grocery stores. This spice combination is sparsely known outside India. So it is sure to impress your guests with its unique flavor.

The flavor and aroma rendering compounds present in these spices are fat soluble. Hence,  the best way to extract these flavors is to temper them in hot oil. Heat a pan with any cooking oil until the oil gets hot and add the panchpuran mixture of spices.  Let it cook  is in it for 20 – 30 seconds until they begin to sputter.  Then you could add the veggies/lentils/meat/fish for the flavors to infuse. If you would like to make this panchpuran seasoning mixture spicier (hotter) add red chilli flakes at the time of tempering (to control for quantity).

Want a quick pick me up gift for a friend (or say something beyond thank you) when you have a time/budget crunch?  Pack this sparsely popular mixture in a transparent jar and tie a bow on top or around the jar.  Print this post with the exception of this passage on a note card.  Fold the note card in half (length wise).  Make a hole on the top left corner of the note card. Pass a ribbon through the hole and tie it to the jar.  On the top of the folded side write down a message for your friend. This is a simple, thoughtful homemade treat which is bound to say ‘you care’.

Make it Fast, Fun, and Facile! – Sri

Bay leaf

Bay leaf is also called Tej patta and is widely used in various cuisines around the world in both fresh and dry forms.