Indian curries, as delicious as they taste, they can be a bit complex to make. Most Indian curries taste different, even though the ingredients used are more or less the same. You might wonder, what is the reason behind it. Let us answer it for you.
It is not only the ingredients that add flavor but also how the ingredients are used, cooking technique, the vessel used for cooking, cooking time, the authenticity of the ingredients, etc.
To make things easier for you, we are sharing some tricks that can enhance the flavor of your Indian curries. Go ahead and explore them!
- Roast your spices
Use this piece of advice every time you make Indian curries. If the recipe demands using whole spices or freshly-crushed whole spices, roast them first.
Roasting spices in oil or ghee before adding any other ingredient gives a distinct flavor to the oil or ghee you are cooking in and the same is mixed well with other ingredients of the dish. Dry roasting whole spices before grounding them help release the natural oils present in the spices, hence taking your curry up a notch. A spice wears many hats and roasting it brings forth every aspect of it.
- Slow and steady wins the race
If you go back in time and read stories of great Indian royal kitchens, you will find one thing in common and that is the technique of slow cooking. It is believed that some recipes were cooked over 12 hours to break down the proteins and make them even more delicious. You might wonder, what is it that slow cooking does and suddenly turns the preparation rich and flavorful?
Low and controlled heat allows the ingredients to slowly breakdown in their own time. Each ingredient gets enough time and warmth to release its flavors into the dish. Hence, whenever you are cooking Indian curry patience is the virtue.
- Salt timing can change the game
One misconception that all of us have is that salt can be added anytime during cooking a dish, as it easily dissolves and does not require specific cooking time like other ingredients. However, this is not true. Salt, when added to marinades, makes the vegetables or proteins soft, hence reducing their cooking time.
Furthermore, if you add salt when you are sauteing onions, it will make the base of the curry savory whereas if you let the onions brown and add salt later, it will add a tinge of sweetness to the curry. So, depending on how you want your curry to taste you can pick your salt timing.
- Water is your savior
We have all been in a situation where our masalas get burned during tempering. And, burnt masalas can ruin your meal. So, what’s the solution? What you can do is, right after the oil is heated and it’s time to add the powdered spices, add 2-3 tablespoons of water along with the spices. This will keep your spices from burning and help make the base of your curry thick and rich.
- Ginger-Garlic Paste is the magic ingredient
Indian curries get their rustic and strong flavor from this magic paste. However, some ginger-garlic pastes are not well-balanced or authentic which may hamper the flavors of your curry. You must choose Dwaraka Organic Ginger-Garlic Paste and you will experience the difference in your curries.
We, at Dwaraka Organic, are passionate about cooking delicious Indian food. These tips and our organic ingredients will make sure you relish the true flavors of mother nature.
