volumes of whole spices. A spice grinder or coffee grinder will make your cooking process very simple and the results very flavorful. If you use a coffee grinder to grind spices, reserve it for that use only; otherwise, you will end up with cumin-flavored coffee.
Cast-Iron Skillets and Griddles
Small cast-iron skillets are ideal for dry roasting spices because they evenly brown them without needing to add any cooking fat or liquid. Always preheat your cast-iron pan before frying in it.
A large cast-iron skillet or griddle is excellent for making Indian flatbreads. Traditionally, these breads are cooked in a tava, a round, concave, cast-iron griddle that is available in South Asian grocery stores.
You can cook almost any food in cast-iron cookware, but new cast-iron pans should be seasoned before use according to the manufacturer's instructions. Cast iron is a natural non-stick surface if your pan is seasoned correctly, making it a great alternative to artificial non-stick cooking surfaces.
Cast-iron can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans—just don't put cold liquid into a very hot cast-iron pan; doing so might damage or crack the pan.
indian ingredients
The following is a description of some of the most popular and commonly used ingredients in this book. Many of the ingredients and spices used in Easy Indian Cooking are found in well-stocked supermarkets. These include cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, ginger, paprika, cayenne pepper, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Some others are carried in South Asian or Indian food markets. It is also possible to order spices by mail and on the internet. Indian cuisine has always been very compatible with spices and ingredients from other cuisines and cultures. I use a lot of ingredients that are locally available and not used in a traditional Indian kitchen. Olive oil is one of them. Even though in most cases Indian recipes call for any neutral-flavored vegetable oil (for example, canola, safflower or corn oil), olive oil is a healthier alternative. I often use it to drizzle over salads and sometimes for lighter cooking.
Storage Tips for Spices and Herbs
Ideally, it is best to buy all dry spices in their whole form. Whole spices will stay fresh generally five to six months longer than pre-ground spices. It’s a good habit to smell ground spices before using them; if their smell is very faint, it’s time to replace them or grind a fresh batch. Both whole and ground spices should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place in tightly covered jars. Freshly ground spices are not the same as pre-ground store-bought spices. Freshly ground spices are far superior in flavor and aroma to pre-ground spices. Another difference is in the weight and volume: freshly ground spices have less weight per tablespoon (or greater volume per ounce), than pre-ground spices, which settle over time. You might think you would need to use more of the freshly-ground spice to compensate for the greater density of the settled pre-ground spice. But because pre-ground spices are so much less potent than freshly ground, the difference in mass is not of consequence. If anything, you might need to add more of the pre-ground spice.
To prolong the life span of fresh herbs, like fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) and mint, wash and dry the leaves with a paper towel until the leaves are mostly dried. Store refrigerated, wrapped in a kitchen or paper towel, in a resealable plastic food storage bag.
Asian Chili Powder
This is a red powder made from grinding dried red skins of several types of chili peppers. In India, it is simply called “chili powder.” You can substitute cayenne pepper, which is commonly available in supermarkets. The Indian chili powder, which is darker in color than cayenne pepper, is available in Indian grocery stores. It adds a spicy flavor to dishes.
Bay Leaves
These are long, oval, pointed and smooth leaves of a hardy evergreen shrub. The leaves are dark green when fresh and turn olive green when dry. When fresh, the leaves are very mild and do not develop their full flavor until several weeks after picking and drying. They are often used whole, or sometimes ground in curries and rice dishes. They are an important ingredient in the Indian spice blend garam masala. Bay leaves are also a common fixture in the cooking of many European cuisines (particularly those of the Mediterranean), as well as North and South American cuisines. The bay leaf that is commonly available in North America is similar in appearance to the Indian bay leaf, but its flavor and fragrance are milder than the Indian counterpart. If you cannot find Indian bay leaves, which are often found only in Indian grocery stores, you may substitute regular bay leaves. The difference is very subtle and will not affect the final result.
Cardamom
The cardamom plant is native to India and Sri Lanka and is also cultivated in Guatemala, Mexico, Indonesia and other areas of southern Asia. The cardamom pods are harvested just before they are ripe and they are allowed to dry in the sun or sometimes in drying machines. There are two distinct types of cardamom pods used in Indian cooking: the small green pod and large black pod. The green pods are the most common and have exceptional flavor. I recommend using the green pods whenever cardamom is called for in this book. Black cardamom pods are used in Indian rice and meat dishes; however, they are not as commonly available.
Cardamom pods are used in almost every part of the cuisine, from savory dishes to curries and desserts. When using cardamom for desserts, the seeds are extracted from the pods and ground to a powder. For curries, stews or rice dishes, the whole pod can be added directly to the food. The sharp and bitter taste of cardamom mellows to a warming sweet taste as it cooks. The pre-ground preparation is more readily available than the pods in the West, whereas in India it is typical to find the whole pod. The quality of pre-ground cardamom is not as good as that found when freshly grinding the seeds at home. Once the pods are opened or the seeds ground, the flavor and aroma of the cardamom are lost very quickly. I especially recommend freshly grinding the seeds for the dessert and beverage recipes, where the spice often plays a particularly prominent role.
Chili Peppers
There are more than 150 varieties of chili peppers in the world. That’s a lot to keep track of, but as a general rule the smaller ones are hotter than the larger ones. The two most common chilies used in Indian cooking are the cayenne and Thai. The cayenne pepper is green when fresh and red when dried. The Thai variety, or “bird’s eye,” is smaller and hotter. The serrano chili is more widely available in the U.S. and is a good alternative to the cayenne and Thai, though it is milder. If you cannot find fresh cayenne, Thai or serrano chili peppers, simply use what’s available.
Fresh Chilies These are one of the most important ingredients for providing pungency in Indian cuisine. In many regions in India fresh green chilies are served raw with the food. I often remove the inner membrane and seeds and use only the skin to reduce the heat. Chopping fresh chili releases capsaicin, and the finer you chop it, the hotter the taste. Sometimes I slit the chilies open, but leave the seeds intact to release a gentler heat.
Dried Red Chili Peppers Whole dried red hot chilies, about 1½ to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm) long, are usually added to hot oil to infuse their strong flavor. A quick contact with hot oil enhances
