Masala Cook:: Indian Food, Indian Cooking, Indian Recipes & More

What is Tandoori in Indian Cooking?

‘Tandoori’ comes from tandoor, a clay oven used from ancient times in Punjab, (northern India), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran and the Middle East. The cylindrical oven is heated with coal or firewood burning within it. Meats and flatbreads cooked in this have acquired the name of ‘tandoori’ cuisine.

It is thought that the Mughals, India’s epicurean rulers, first brought tandoori cuisine to the country. The genre went democratic when restaurateur Kundan Lal Gujral, from Peshawar, Pakistan, set up shop in Delhi after the two countries were partitioned.  He innovated with the tandoor (which until then had been used to cook only bread) and came up with the now iconic tandoori chicken. His restaurant, Moti Mahal in Old Delhi, is a pilgrimage center of sorts for anyone who loves North Indian food.

Tandoori food is relished for its crisp exterior and soft, succulent inner portions. It’s pretty awe-inspiring, watching a bare-handed chef slide off super hot kebabs from long skewers or peeling breads from the inside wall of a tandoor!

Indian Cooking Devices

Every cuisine has its own specialized implements that enable you to whip up that great tasting recipe, just so. What does Indian cooking need?

Top of the list is the karahi, close relative to the Chinese wok, only a tad deeper.  Most Indian kitchens are stocked with two or three karahis in varying sizes. Dry, sautéed dishes as well as semi-dry foods are what a karahi is used for. A small (about 8” in diameter) version comes in handy to deep fry, to make small quantities of food, or to prepare the tempering that’s typically used to flavor most Indian dishes. Traditionally, karahis come in cast-iron or brass; modern versions are made of anodized steel.

Next in importance is a deep, round, thick-bottomed cooking pot without handles variously known as degchi, pateela or pateeli. Your average Indian kitchen would have several of these in different sizes for boiling milk, cooking rice, making gravy dishes or simply boiling water for tea. Degchis usually have a conveniently wide rim, making them easy to grip with a kitchen napkin while hot and also for pouring out liquids without spilling. A variation on degchi: the handi, a deep, narrow-necked pot with accompanying lid, ideal for slow cooking dishes like pulaos and biryanis. Handis are also used as serving dishes. Previously handis were made with copper and brass; modern users prefer stainless steel and aluminum.

The tawa is a flat, cast-iron griddle, about 8”-10” across, on which rotis (flatbreads) are roasted. You’ll often see street food in India being shallow fried on enormous tawas that gently slope inwards. In southern India, tawas are used to cook dosas – large, crisp crepes made with a rice-and-lentil batter. Accompanying the tawa is the chakla-belan, a round board and rolling pin used to prepare rotis. These come in smooth-surfaced wood or marble. A steel chimta or tongs to remove hot rotis roasted on an open flame completes this ensemble.

‘Palat’ means ‘turn over’ and that’s what a flat-ended palta does -– flips over hot parathas (shallow-fried flatbreads), dosas or even an omelet. Slotted spoons or chhannis are used to drain off oil from deep-fried foods. Typically, Indian cooking spoons – known colloquially as kadchis – end in deep cups to stir curries; they also double up as serving spoons at the dining table.

A survivor from pre-blender days is the wooden mathani, used to churn yoghurt into buttermilk or soften and mash cooked veggies like potatoes or spinach.

Imam Dasta, a mortar and pestle, usually made of iron, marble or any other smooth stone comes in handy for powdering or crushing small quantities of spices, fresh ginger and garlic. The traditional sil-batta, a large, black stone slab on which another heavy, cylindrical stone was rolled back and forth to mash herbs and spice mixtures has now been largely replaced by the mixer-blender, tweaked to suit Indian cooking needs.

What’s an Indian masala box?

Golden turmeric, red chili, green coriander and more…that’s India in a box for you! ‘Masala’ box, actually, ‘masala’ being the spice mix that gives Indian cuisine its distinctive and varied flavors.

The use of spices in Indian cooking has developed over thousands of years. Some spices are native to the land while others have marched in with invading armies and been absorbed with local crops. Whole spices are used for tempering. Powdered spices, along with onions and tomatoes, help create a base for gravies and semi-dry dishes, and flavor vegetables and meats.  In the process of cooking, spices need to be rapidly sprinkled onto food that’s cooking – it’s this speed factor that makes a ‘masala box’ so handy.

The spice box has been a fixture in Indian homes for hundreds of years, a valued possession gifted to every Indian bride setting up her new home. Traditionally, the masala box was made of wood or brass. Today, you’ll find lighter materials, the most favored being stainless steel, which retains flavors well and is easy to clean.

Inside a round box sit seven or eight small containers, nestling compactly. There’s a close fitted lid to cover them and another lid for the outer box. Curiously, while every region of India has its own specialized cuisine, there’s a common ‘spice thread’ running through them. Barring minor variations, here’s what you’ll find in most masala boxes:

Turmeric

An 8th century Hindu text says “all poisons can be removed from the human body if treated with a paste of turmeric”. Curcuma longa is virtually indispensable in Indian cooking, besides playing a prominent role in Hindu rituals and native medicines. For cooking, the root of the plant is debarked, dried and powdered. Only a pinch of turmeric is used while cooking – for color (rather than flavor) and for its antiseptic, digestive qualities. Combined with other spices like cumin, black pepper and fenugreek, turmeric is a powerful bacteria and pathogen killer.

Chili

There are several reasons for its widespread use. Its pungency stimulates the production of saliva. The enzyme amylase thus released helps break down the high starch content of sub continental food. Chili is loaded with Vitamins A and C. It is also popularly associated with passion and fertility!

Coriander

From the Mediterranean came coriander, valued for its cooling properties. Powdered coriander cuts the sharpness of chili and adds body and taste to the dish it is added to. It helps digestion and absorption of food.

Cumin

A winner in the popularity stakes, cumin gets featured everywhere – in rice and wheat preparations, meat, veggies, lentil curries and yogurt dips among others. A few seeds sputtered in a teaspoon of hot oil make for an aromatic tempering. Roasted and ground, cumin accompanies other spices in a huge variety of dishes. A quick remedy for indigestion: boil a few cumin seeds in water, cool the mixture and sip this water 3-4 times a day.

Garam Masala

A multi-spice superstar that’s typically used in North Indian cuisine, garam masala (garam means hot) consists of cardamom, clove, cinnamon, bayleaf, dry ginger and peppercorns, among other ingredients. It’s especially suited to lamb and chicken dishes, but equally features in various vegetarian preparations. In the right quantity, it adds a rich aroma and flavor.

Mustard

A must-have in southern India. Typically, mustard seeds are spluttered in hot oil; the tempering is added to several dishes: gravies, sautéed veggies, chutney, buttermilk and rice dishes. Mustard stimulates the appetite and aids in the production of gastric juices.

Fennel/Fenugreek

Either of these could be the seventh spice, depending on which culinary region we’re talking about. Fennel is included in a five-spice mixture popular in eastern India. Across the subcontinent, you’ll find fennel seeds being served after a main meal, as a digestive and mouth freshener.

Fenugreek, rich in iron and other nutrients gets included in curry powder, pastes, condiments and savory breads. It has cosmetic value as well. Fenugreek-infused oil helps darken hair. Yogurt-and-fenugreek is a natural hair conditioner.

An efficient organizer, a home remedy kit and a beauty arsenal, all rolled into one, that’s the Indian masala box in brief!

Where can you buy it - check out cultural elements - they sell a stainless steel masala box.