If a prepared dish is chef’s poetry then Tadka or Tempering is the music during cooking... literally. The sputtering sound coming out of the kitchen when certain whole spices are added to the oil. Tadka creates a musical, aromatic atmosphere with its smoky sizzling sound effects.
So what exactly is tempering?
A process in which the spices such as mustard seeds, cumin seeds, coriander, etc. are added to clarified butter or vegetable oil and fried briefly to liberate essential oils from the spices. It is then poured, together with the oil, into a dish to add aroma and taste. Tempering enhances the taste of the dish and balances its food value. Of course, enough variations can be found in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. A close look at the age old cooking process will reveal that tempering is a technique that is used not only in the cuisines of India, but also in Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisines. Within India, the South Indian recipes rely on the use of peanuts and cumin seeds as spices for tempering, while the western states mostly use cumin and mustard seeds. North Indian recipes show further variation by employing ginger, garlic and onion as their flavors for tempering. There are several other whole or green spices whose tempered effect can be very different.
For cooking enthusiasts, cooking can be very therapeutic - from beginning to the end. Though in some of the preparations like lentils, spices are added at the end of cooking as a final touch, there are dishes where the tempering is prepared at the beginning of cooking, even before adding the ingredients. And some other dishes use tempering at the beginning and at the end - "double tadka".
If you go by the words of doctors and nutritionists, a complete meal should be rich in amino and fatty acids. The vegetable oils and the ingredients used in tempering contain these essential fatty acids. Moreover it helps vitamins, like vitamins A, D, E and K to release and promote their utilization in the body. The vegetable oils used in tempering are rich in vitamin E. Ingredients like cumin seeds and asafetida are known to be beneficial for their carminative properties. It should be mentioned here that the process of tempering transfers the carotene in curry leaves (a popular tempering ingredient in the South) automatically to the food. Tempering also has excellent digestive properties.
Tadka satisfies most of your senses. From the smoky sounds to aromatic smells. And of course the flavors the process imparts to the dish. In fact, this process of adding spices gives Indian cuisine a distinct flavor. After all, it’s the spices that bring out the real taste – be it life or dishes.
