Herbaceous perennial plant is used worldwide in powder form and revered for its colouring and flavouring qualities. Fresh turmeric is generally available in the cold months from December to late March and is superior in many ways to dried form. Even though it is the essential component of curries, they also find their way into chutneys, pickles, commercial mustard, sauces, biscuits, pop corn etc.

The history of turmeric dates back to the pre-historic era and duly recognized in Ayurveda for their medicinal properties like antiseptic qualities for cuts, burns and bruises. The most commonly recognized brand which you have seen frequently on TV is ”Vicco Turmeric”. Some of the sunscreen cream also uses the turmeric in their formulation. The brides in India are also smeared with turmeric before their marriage to impart glow to their skin and make it impeccable. In the recent past 256 research papers were produced in US alone and trials are underway to establish their beneficial effects for Alzheimer’s disease, Liver disorder and pancreatic cancer.

Fresh Turmeric pickle
2 medium size fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced thinly
1 medium knob ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
1+1tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
A pinch asafetida
1 tbsp yellow mustard powder
1/2 cup lime juice
few green chilies, slit halfway
salt to taste

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp of sunflower oil in a pan, crackle mustard seeds until fragrant, remove from pan and add asafetida. Transfer to a manual mortar and pestle and allow to cool. When cold crush them with pestle until coarsely ground. Add mustard powder to fenugreek mixture and stir well.

In a glass bowl, place turmeric and ginger and smear with the mustard mixture until all the pieces are well coated. Add lime juice, green chili and salt. Heat another tbsp of oil until smoking and pour it onto the pickle, mix well and allow to cool. Store in a dry glass jar and occasionally put into the sun for about 30 minutes. Serve it after a week.

- Kuntal

Tags: vindaloo, dosa, karahi, dal, handi, chana, naan, idli, indian food, bhatura

Question : What would you reccomend for someone who is trying Indian food for the first time?
My boyfriend is Indian and I want to show him that I care about him and want to learn about his culture by trying Indian food. I am a picky eater and not a big fan of spicy foods. What would you recommend for someone who wants to try Indian food and will like it? (It is asked in reference to people going out and picking a dish from a menu)

Kuntal Answers : At the outset, allow me to dispel the notion that Indian food is spicy and oily. The spice present in the Indian cuisine is more than often confused with Chilli which is definitely spicy. The other spices are there to create the particular flavour and aroma which is distinctive in several of curries found in India, even with the use of same spices. The other common spices used in Indian cuisine are cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, fenugreek, dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), dried bayleaf (tej patta), peppercorn (kali or gol mirch), saffron etc.

When trying to learn the cuisine of a particular country, it is advisable to stick to basic popular choices which are easy to understand, prepare and relish as well. Some of the examples can be Kadhai preparations like Kadhai chicken, lamb, vegetables or paneer, Curries like chicken curry, Lamb Rogan Josh, fish curry, Kormas like chicken, lamb, paneer or mixed vegetable. Some of the popular vegetarian dishes are matar paneer (green peas and cottage cheese), Palak paneer (spinach and cottage cheese), Aloo Jeera (potatoes spiked with ginger), Kadhai paneer (wok tossed cottage cheese with onion and tomato), Gobhi matar (cauliflower and green peas ) etc. Indian breads like tandoori roti, naan (plain or flavoured), Roti (Indian flat bread) or paratha (Triangular pan fried Indian bread which can be flavoured with fresh coriander, onion seeds, carom seeds etc.), For the rice preparation you can go for pulaos or biryanis of your choice. Spike your meal with Indian chutneys, pickles and papads.

For the starters you can go for Pakodas (Indian fritters), samosas (deep fried pastry with stuffing inside) or Tandoori vegetables and the chance for your success rate will be much higher.

For the desserts you can go with popular choices like Kulfi (Indian milk ice cream flavoured with saffron), gulab jamun (sweetened dumpling of reduced milk and cottage cheese) Kheer (rice and nuts pudding).

For more detail on popular choices of Indian dishes, you can also refer to the e-book “The Ultimate Indian Curry Manual” available with sonzykitchen.com where you will come across so many easy to prepare dishes with step by step instructions and explanations. Infact you can use that e-book to prepare a romantic dinner for your boy-friend.

Sonzy Adds : When choosing an Indian restaurant, ensure that it is run and owned by an Indian. Many Indian restaurants mislead people because cooks from other countries cook Indian food without knowing the authenticity or the technique of it.

Tags: tikka masala, tandoor, murgh, dosa, kulfi, indian curry, naan, tandoori, roti, kebab

Question : I make Indian and Mediterranean dishes from time to time. I can’t seem to get the spices just right (comes out a bit bland). Is there a certain curry powder that I should use or is there a spice that I should with the curry?

Kuntal Answers : Curry powder is a generic term for a mixture of spices put together to flavour the Indian dishes, including the eponymous curries from various parts of India. It will mostly constitute cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chilli, fennel, hot spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Some of the special curry powders are special blends of more than fifty different spices in which many of them are not easily found with our neighbouring grocers. The most commonly found curry powder on the shelf is Madras curry powder which is on the spicier side.

While most of the curries are explained in detail with their recipes in the e-book available with us, I will give a simple recipe to make your own curry powder even though its usage will be limited to north Indian curries only.

Curry Powder Recipe

2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted until just aromatic
2 tablespoons whole cardamom seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, toasted
1/4 cup turmeric powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (alternatively cayenne)

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a dry air tight container and shake well to mix everything together. Use as required but use only dry spoon. It is advisable to make them at frequent intervals because the aromas do not last long.

Chef’s tip: sprinkle small pinch of hot spice powder alongwith with chopped coriander (cilantro) after finishing the dish for extra flavour.

Tags: curries, paneer, bhatura, gosht, dal, indian curry, roti, handi, kebab, palak