“To write the history of a people’s dinner table is to sketch a picture of its
civilization.”
Georges Auguste Escoffier - 1846, 1935 - made French Cuisine world famous. Based on that of Antoine Carême,
one of the codifiers of French haute cuisine, he updates and codifies this fine cuisine to become a legendary figure among chefs and gourmets.
« Ecrire l’histoire de la table d’un peuple, c’est brosser un tableau de
sa civilisation. »
Georges Auguste Escoffier - 1846, 1935 - est le chef cuisinier français qui , en codifiant et
modernisant la cuisine raffinée de Marie-Antoine Carême, a fait la réputation internationale de la cuisine français et de la haute cuisine.
Apprendre à connaître les épices, c’est partir à la rencontre de personnes et de cultures différentes. Elles
nous entrainent tout autour du monde, dans un voyage dans l’espace et dans le temps, à la rencontre des grands aventuriers d’autrefois et des terres et cultures nouvelles qu’ils découvrirent au
cours de l’exploration de notre bonne vieille planète Terre.
Au quotidien, elles nous entrainent dans un monde de saveurs, qui vont donner du peps à nos plats et nous faire
du bien, au moral et au corps !
Venez pimenter votre vie, réveiller vos papilles, égayer vos repas, surprendre vos amis, découvrir des saveurs
nouvelles et mettre de la bonne humeur sur votre table !
Curieux et ouvert d’esprit ? Embarquement immédiat !
Here we are, after a long month in India, and a long period of gestation and preparation, here is the result of
my culinary investigations, fruit of long hours of observation in the hot heat of locals kitchens…so, here you go, some little gifts to be known.
The Indian cooking leans on spices, certainly, but also on way of using them. We do not treat spices as any
other ingredient: they are fragile and whimsical, and actually, it is necessary to know how and when to use them, but also with which utensil!
After that, if you master the basic preparations and the various cooking techniques which use the Indians, you
will not have problem anymore, if it is not to find the good ingredients …
Let’s begin the Indian culinary adventure … (click on the links below)
This utensil, sometimes called panai or shomboo, is a kind of bowl in metal, the shape of one jar,
tightened upward allowing preserving aroma and flavour. The cooking technique “handi” is made in this kitchenware, so the food doesn’t stick or burn, a lid prevents the vapour coming
from the ingredients from escaping.
The kadhai :
The kadhai is more an utensil than a technique. It is like a big wok, usually directly placed on the table after
cooking. Cooking in a kadhai is fast and water is not used. The main ingredients cook in juices released by tomatoes and meat, constantly moved until complete cooking. It is also
employed in the talna technique.
The tawa :
The tawa is a thick plate, slightly raised on the edge, used to cook food very quickly, outside edge being used to
keep food warm. Pau-Bhaji is a typical dish of the tawa cooking and must be constantly shaken to avoid that it burns, and as cooking with the kadhai, it is consumed at once.
The idlee panai :
This utensil, ideal for the steam cooking, looks like three or four superimposed circular trays, which we put in a high
stewpot. It is indispensable in the realization of certain specialities of the region of Madras.
The morokoo :
It is a dough press, to prepare noodles. This device is generally supplied with 4 or 5 moulds in varied design to obtain
various forms of noodles. Some are cooked in an idlee panai, the others are directly pressed above warm oil in which they are going to cook, crunchy and brown. Those intended to boil are pressed
then aired.
Two other utensils turn out useful: a kadoo kas, which is a
vegetables grater and a sil-batta. This last one is constituted by a stony cylinder (or triangle) and by a stone "board", on which
we put spices, herbs. We crush them by rolling the cylinder or the triangle above. A mortar can be used. But we can also use a coffee grinder…
Known also under the term of trempering, it is a process used to perfume oil. Spices and herbs are added one at once to some
warm oil and is made as first stage in the cooking process, before adding vegetables for example, or as last stage, before pouring this perfumed oil on a dal for example. The oil extracts and
preserves all the spices flavours and perfumes the whole dish. This technique is also known as tadka or chonk.
The bhunao:
Small quantities of water, yoghurt and\or broth are added to the frying pan when ingredients begin to stick. Usually, onions,
tomatoes, ginger, green chilli peppers and garlic are fried in oil, but to make sure that ingredients do not stick or cook in a uneven way, small quantities of water are added, repeatedly. After
the oil separates from the mixture, the main ingredient (meat or vegetable) is added and cooked
The bhunna:
In India, the meat is roasted in a clay oven
that can reach very high temperatures. This oven is a tandoor, inheritance of the moghols invasions. It looks like a rounded bee-hive. Tandoori is a hotter and quicker form of cooking than the
western barbecue. It is used to make naan breads, kebabs, tandoori meats and stuffed rotis and paranthas. While the meat cooked, its fat and its marinade fall on the coal. The created vapour
fills all the preparation. It is this taste of smoked that is looked for and very appreciated.
The dhuanaar:
It is a way of smoking the meat. Incandescent charcoal is placed in a small katori (kind of metal bowl) and cooked
meats are placed above. A mixture of dry spices and ghee is directly poured on the ember and a lid quickly placed to close the katori. This smoked adds a delicate flavour to prepared
meats.
The dum:
This technique is a steam-cooking-like. In the ancient times, the cooking utensil was sealed with some dough to keep humidity
within the preparation, because the dish cooked slowly on the fire of charcoal. Some placed even a little coal on the lid to assure a uniform cooking. Food cooked in their own vapor, preserving
all their flavour and aromas.
The talna:
Frying Indian food is usually done in a kadhai. The round bottom uses less oil and cooks the food evenly.
Let us begin with a technique from the state of Goa,the balchao:
It is a speciality during which vegetables (as eggplants) or seafood (such as shrimps) are put soaking into some sugar, vinegar and spices for a or two
day, before being consumed.
Gheeor clarified butter, obtained after heating of the butter, is widely used in certain regions of
India instead of oil, and considered healthier.
To stay in dairy products, Indians usepaneer, a kind of cheese
obtained from curds, andkhoya, a dough from reduced milk.
Ghee
clarified butter
Using a medium saucepan, heat at least 500 g butter on low heat. Allow butter to melt. The top will begin to froth; remove foam constantly. Do not
cover and do not stir. The butter will separate into layers, milk solids sinking to the bottom and fat rising to the top as foam. After a moment, the bubbling begins to slow down and foam will
reduce: leave the butter to simmer on low heat for 30 to 45 minutes. The ghee is a rich golden colour and the milk solids on the bottom of the saucepan will start to brown. Don’t let them turn
brown, turn off the heat. The clear golden part in the middle is the ghee. Let the mixture cool, strain the cooled mixture into a sterilized glass jar and screw on the lid. As it cools, the ghee
will solidify to a soft, butter-like consistency. Keep the jar at room temperature for up to a year.
Warning: To avoid contamination, always use a fresh and totally dry spoon in the jar. The point to make ghee is creating a dehydrated fat!
Khoya
Whole milk fudge
In a wide wok, bring to boiling 2 litters of milk. Reduce the heat and simmer till the quantity is reduced to half, stirring from time to time.
Continue cooking, stirring constantly, scraping from the sides, until obtain a dough consistency (approximately 1-1½ hours). Let cool before keeping in the fridge.
Paneer
Cottage Cheese
In a wide stew pot, bring to its boiling point 1 litter of milk. Just at this point, remove from the heat and add 2 tbsp / 15 g
of lemon juice (or curds) and move friendly until curdle. Cover and let rest approximately 15-20 minutes. Then, put the curds in a muslin cloth, and drain to
eliminate the maximum of liquid. Wrap the muslin cloth and put a weight on and allow the cheese to set into a firm block. Your paneer is ready for use. NB: using curds instead of
lemon juice allows obtaining a smoother and softer cheese … Indians use also the curds in a lot of cold rice and sauce preparations.
And naturally, speaking of Indian cooking, how to leave without speaking aboutmasala, the famous mixtures of spices… click here for some example…
Voilà, après un long mois en Inde, et une longue période de gestation et de préparation, voici le résultat de mes recherches
culinaires, fruit de longues heures d’observation dans la chaleur torride des cuisines, de prises de notes et d’essais plus ou moins fructueux…
Mais avant de se lancer à corps perdu dans la cuisine, il y a quelques petites choses à savoir.
La cuisine indienne s’appuie sur les épices, certes, mais aussi sur la façon de les utiliser. On ne traite pas les épices
comme n’importe quel ingrédient : elles sont fragiles et capricieuses, et de fait, il faut savoir comment et quand les employer, mais aussi avec quel ustensile !
Et si vous maîtrisez en plus les préparations de base et les différentes techniques de cuisson qu’utilisent les Indiens, vous
n’aurez plus de problème, si ce n’est de trouver les bons ingrédients près de chez vous…
En avant pour l’aventure culinaire indienne… cliquez sur les liens ci-dessous :
Globetrotteur insatiable, passionné par toutes les cuisines, je vous invite à partager les secrets culinaires d’ici & d’ailleurs. A istanbul ou chez vous!
share my spicy & culinary passion, here or where you are.
