Indian (balti) cooking mixes & pastes pt 1 of 2

1 info sheet

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient

Directions

NO INGREDIENTS

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.

Don't 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 it's 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 I've 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 UK's 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

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