Indian (balti) Cooking Mixes & Pastes Pt 1 Of 2 Recipe
Yield: 1 info sheetRecipe by luhu.jp
Ingredients:
NO INGREDIENTS
Directions:
Using Spices ============ Storing Spices
Whole spices retain their flavour longer than ground, for one year or
more sometimes. ground spices give off a stronger aroma than whole,
and of course, this means their storage life is that much shorter.
Three months is about right for most ground items. So plan your
larder accordingly and buy little and often and grind freshly. Keep
spiced out of sunlight (better in a dark cupboard), and in airtight
labelled containers. Clean coffee or jam jars are excellent.
Grinding Spices it is better by far to grind your own spices whenever
you can. Firstly you can be sure of the quality and contents, and
secondly they will be fresher and tastier. The traditional method is
by pestle and mortar, but you can use an electric coffee grinder or
the new electric spice mill attachment. Use small quantities to
prevent overlaoding the motor.
Dont try to grind dry ginger or turmeric. They are too fibrous for
most small grinders and commercial powders are adequate. Peppers -
chilli, paprika and black or white pepper - are tricky to grind
yourself and commercially ground powders will suffice. The oilier
spices such as cloves, nutmeg, cardamoms and bay leaves are easier to
grind if roasted first. In the recipes, where a spice is referred to
as ground, this means factory ground. where it requires the spice
to be home-ground, (usually after roasting), the recipe clearly
states this.
Cooking Whole Spices whole spices contain essential or volatile oils.
It is these which we can smell when handling a spice, and it is these
which we must release when we cook with spices.
Roasting Roasting whole spices is my favourite way of releasing their
essential oils. A roasted whole spice tastes quite different from a
raw one and the release of flavour is pleasantly overwhelming. Some
recipes specify the roasting of whole spices.
The roasting process is simple and can be done in a dry pan on the
stove, in a dry electric frying pan, under the grill or in the oven.
Each spice should be heated until it gives off its aroma. The heat
should be medium rather than hot and the time requires is about 10
minutes (Preheat the oven to 325F/160C/Gas 3 and allow about 10
minutes) The spice should not blacken; a light brown at most is
sufficient. The original oil of the spice should not be totally
cooked out, or it will lose its flavour. A little experimenting will
soon show you how to do it. In some recipes pre-roasted spices are
important.
Frying Some recipes require you to _fry_ whole spices. The process is
known as the bargar, and is done for the same reason as roasting them
~ to cook out the raw taste from the spices and to release the
aromatic oils. The cooking oil should be hot and the spices are put
straight into the oil. You must use your judgement as to when they
are cooked. Do not let them blacken. As soon as they begin to change
colour or to flaot, they are done. It will not take more than a
minute or so.
If you burn the spices during this bargar process _YOU MUST THROW THE
RESULT AWAY AND START AGAIN_. Better to waste a small amount of
spices then to taint a whole meal.
Blending spices This sounds grandiose, though in fact its simple.
Every mixture of spices is called a blend! Generally we mean ground
spices, and of course the best known blends of all (with the worst
reputation) are curry powders. Nearly all recipes for indian cooking
use blends of two or more ground spices, so in fact we make our own
"curry powder", every time we use such a recipe. "Curry powder" gives
a totally wrong image and is generally despised by cooks in all the
curry lands, who call any mixture of spices the "Masala". Each recipe
has its own masala and it is this unique combination of spices which
makes Balti-style cooking so distinctive. You can use commercial
curry powder to create a Balti base, but long though the spice list
is, it is easy to produce your own, and far better. Firstly it is
formulated by yourself, so obvious though this sounds, you know
exectly what is in it. Unlike some factory-made powder, you will have
no stalks, no rubbish, and no poor quality spices.
Cooking Ground Spices ===================== Whole spices need to be
roasted or fried to bring our their aromas (as Ive just explained).
It is less obvious that ground spices must be cooked too. In fact it
is even more important. Factory ground spices are never pre-roasted
so they have "raw" tastes. Anyone who has had the misfortune to
experience the old-style British canteen curry will know what this
means. Curry powder is spooned straight into a bubbling stew. The
result is appalling and has single-handedly set back the UKs
appreciation of curry by decades.
It is easy to cook ground spices. They simply have to be fried. Some
cooks just add powdered spices to hot oil. But it is all too easy to
burn the spices this way. the most reliable way to cook ground spices
is to make the dry masala into a wet paste by adding water.
Making a Masala Paste. 1 place the masala in a mixing bowl large
enough to let you stir it. 2 Add enough water to form a stiff paste
and no more (Vinegar is used in some masala pastes to help preserve
the). 3 Leave to stand for a minimum of 10 mins. to ensure
absorption. 4 Add a little water if it is too dry before using frying
it.
For further information see Part 2.
Submitted By IAN HOARE On 05-09-95
Source from luhu.jp
Whole spices retain their flavour longer than ground, for one year or
more sometimes. ground spices give off a stronger aroma than whole,
and of course, this means their storage life is that much shorter.
Three months is about right for most ground items. So plan your
larder accordingly and buy little and often and grind freshly. Keep
spiced out of sunlight (better in a dark cupboard), and in airtight
labelled containers. Clean coffee or jam jars are excellent.
Grinding Spices it is better by far to grind your own spices whenever
you can. Firstly you can be sure of the quality and contents, and
secondly they will be fresher and tastier. The traditional method is
by pestle and mortar, but you can use an electric coffee grinder or
the new electric spice mill attachment. Use small quantities to
prevent overlaoding the motor.
Dont try to grind dry ginger or turmeric. They are too fibrous for
most small grinders and commercial powders are adequate. Peppers -
chilli, paprika and black or white pepper - are tricky to grind
yourself and commercially ground powders will suffice. The oilier
spices such as cloves, nutmeg, cardamoms and bay leaves are easier to
grind if roasted first. In the recipes, where a spice is referred to
as ground, this means factory ground. where it requires the spice
to be home-ground, (usually after roasting), the recipe clearly
states this.
Cooking Whole Spices whole spices contain essential or volatile oils.
It is these which we can smell when handling a spice, and it is these
which we must release when we cook with spices.
Roasting Roasting whole spices is my favourite way of releasing their
essential oils. A roasted whole spice tastes quite different from a
raw one and the release of flavour is pleasantly overwhelming. Some
recipes specify the roasting of whole spices.
The roasting process is simple and can be done in a dry pan on the
stove, in a dry electric frying pan, under the grill or in the oven.
Each spice should be heated until it gives off its aroma. The heat
should be medium rather than hot and the time requires is about 10
minutes (Preheat the oven to 325F/160C/Gas 3 and allow about 10
minutes) The spice should not blacken; a light brown at most is
sufficient. The original oil of the spice should not be totally
cooked out, or it will lose its flavour. A little experimenting will
soon show you how to do it. In some recipes pre-roasted spices are
important.
Frying Some recipes require you to _fry_ whole spices. The process is
known as the bargar, and is done for the same reason as roasting them
~ to cook out the raw taste from the spices and to release the
aromatic oils. The cooking oil should be hot and the spices are put
straight into the oil. You must use your judgement as to when they
are cooked. Do not let them blacken. As soon as they begin to change
colour or to flaot, they are done. It will not take more than a
minute or so.
If you burn the spices during this bargar process _YOU MUST THROW THE
RESULT AWAY AND START AGAIN_. Better to waste a small amount of
spices then to taint a whole meal.
Blending spices This sounds grandiose, though in fact its simple.
Every mixture of spices is called a blend! Generally we mean ground
spices, and of course the best known blends of all (with the worst
reputation) are curry powders. Nearly all recipes for indian cooking
use blends of two or more ground spices, so in fact we make our own
"curry powder", every time we use such a recipe. "Curry powder" gives
a totally wrong image and is generally despised by cooks in all the
curry lands, who call any mixture of spices the "Masala". Each recipe
has its own masala and it is this unique combination of spices which
makes Balti-style cooking so distinctive. You can use commercial
curry powder to create a Balti base, but long though the spice list
is, it is easy to produce your own, and far better. Firstly it is
formulated by yourself, so obvious though this sounds, you know
exectly what is in it. Unlike some factory-made powder, you will have
no stalks, no rubbish, and no poor quality spices.
Cooking Ground Spices ===================== Whole spices need to be
roasted or fried to bring our their aromas (as Ive just explained).
It is less obvious that ground spices must be cooked too. In fact it
is even more important. Factory ground spices are never pre-roasted
so they have "raw" tastes. Anyone who has had the misfortune to
experience the old-style British canteen curry will know what this
means. Curry powder is spooned straight into a bubbling stew. The
result is appalling and has single-handedly set back the UKs
appreciation of curry by decades.
It is easy to cook ground spices. They simply have to be fried. Some
cooks just add powdered spices to hot oil. But it is all too easy to
burn the spices this way. the most reliable way to cook ground spices
is to make the dry masala into a wet paste by adding water.
Making a Masala Paste. 1 place the masala in a mixing bowl large
enough to let you stir it. 2 Add enough water to form a stiff paste
and no more (Vinegar is used in some masala pastes to help preserve
the). 3 Leave to stand for a minimum of 10 mins. to ensure
absorption. 4 Add a little water if it is too dry before using frying
it.
For further information see Part 2.
Submitted By IAN HOARE On 05-09-95
Source from luhu.jp