March 25, 2020
As one of the most loved cuisines in the world, Indian food is known for its perfect blend of spice and flavour. With this said, there are a variety of interesting yet effective techniques that are used in order to craft such sophisticated dishes like dry and wet curry or smoked kebab which may be integral to the success of an amateur recipe. Read on as the team here at Royal Nawaab go over 3 cooking techniques used in Indian cuisine…
Also known as tempering, the baghar technique is used in Indian cuisine in order to remove spices from their cells in ghee or butter and enhance their flavours. It is often the first step that is undertaken during the cooking process and is done prior to the addition of meat like chicken or dry vegetables. Whilst whole spices like cumin, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns are often added into the oil, it is possible to get creative with the flavours used during baghar.
Whilst frying is a technique used in every culinary practice, talna is a frying method that is often used in Indian culture in order to prevent burning and ensure that vegetables are as flavoursome as possible. After all, onions are utilised in almost every Indian dish which means that recreating such flavours from home requires the chef to perfect the talna method. Luckily, it is quite simple to implement by regulating the temperature and ensuring that the onions are stirred frequently.
Smoking is not a cooking technique that is traditionally carried out in western cuisine; however, it plays an important role in Indian cooking. Known as Dhuanaar, this Indian smoking technique is quite simple to grasp and involves the implementation of a hot charcoal nestled inside an onion shell and hot ghee; this allows meat to obtain a rich smoky flavour in a safe and controlled manner.
Here at Royal Nawaab, our chefs work hard in order to craft authentic dishes with traditional methods in mind. After all, some of the most recognisable flavours rely on the implementation of techniques like talnar and baghar. To find out more information about our cooking process and the authentic flavours used in our dishes, get in contact with a member of the Royal Nawaab team or book a table at our Manchester or London restaurant today!