Pakistani Food: Cooking Techniques

Because the sub-continent is so vast, methods of cooking differ from region t region. Let us start off with the preparation of spices.
Whole spices are often dry-roasted in a frying pan or fried in a small quantity of oil or ghee prior to being used whole, crushed or ground up for use in a recipe. They vary in thickness and hardness. Mustard seeds or fenugreek, for example, take longer than either cumin or coriander, so fry this type first and add the softer spices after them.

To dry roast spices: Heat the pan until you can feel the heat if you hold your palm just above the surface. Add the hardest spices first, and stirring constantly, begin to cook them over medium heat. Once they start turning color, add remaining spices and still stirring constantly, roast them all to an even brown. This is where your skill and judgment come into play: the spices should not be too light (still raw) nor too dar (burnt), but should have taken on just the right degree of color. Practice will help you judge this. The spices are then removed from the pan and allowed to cool slightly before being crushed or ground for use in a recipe.

To fry spices: If a recipe calls for spices to be lightly fried, the same principle applies. The oil or ghee must always be fairly hot before the spices are added, or they will remain totally tasteless and become brittle. Butt if the fat is too hot the spices will burn before you have time to rescue them, and will ruin the dish. The important thing to remember is that the spices should sizzle, pop and splutter in the hot fat almost at once. The pan should then be taken off the heat and the spices removed at once to avoid the risk of burning. Always add the toughest spices and any dals that may be called for as flavorings first.

To grind or cush spices: You can use a coffee or spice mill, a pepper mill or a pestle and mortar. If you have none of these, place a sheet of greaseproof paper over the roasted spices and then crush them with a rolling pin. This will prevent them from sticking to the rolling pin, or making it smell.

Boohoo: (Frying) This is a very slow, gradual process in which a 'wet' mixture such as onion, ginger and garlic (or one or other of these) or a 'dry' mixture of spices, is gently fried (and constantly watched over and stirred) until it turns golden. It cannot be left or it will stick to the pan and burn. It is important to keep stirring at this stage to prevent the ingredients form sticking to the bottom of the pan (you could also add a little water, if ground onions are used). Very soon, the vegetables will begin to release the oil or ghee that was absorbed during the initial frying. This is an indication that the mixture as reached the bhoona stage. Whole spices are now added and cooked until they release their flavor and aroma and finally, the main ingredient (meat, chicken, fish or vegetables) is added and stir-fried until it, too, loses its raw taste and takes on a glossy sheen.

Korma: (braising) This technique is used in cooking all over the country and is especially important in non-vegetarian dishes. Meat and poultry is often first marinated in yogurt and spices, then cooked very slowly in the marinade.

Dum: Pot roasting The essential equipment for this ancient method of cooking meat, poultry or rice dishes is a heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid. Traditionally, once the ingredients have reached a stage where they can be left to cook, the lid is sealed to the pan with a dough paste which prevents and steam from escaping. The pan is then placed over high heat for a few minutes to build up enough steam inside, then the heat is reduced to low and the contents of the pan left to cook in their own juices. Traditionally, live charcoal or hot water is placed on the concave lid of the pan so food is effectively heated from the top and bottom. A delicious way of keeping in the flavor and aroma.

Tandoori cooking: An ancient method of cooking food which is still also in use today in the Middle and Far East. A tandoor is an unglazed clay oven heated by charcoal. Spiced, marinated meat, chicken, fish or other food is threaded on long metal skewers and then lowered into the blazing hot tender and left to bake. Nan, flat bread, is also slapped straight onto the hot side walls of the oven and bakes within a few minutes.

Marinating: Natural yogurt, lemon juice and ground, unripe green papaya (which contains papain, a natural enzyme which is widely used in commercial tenderizing agents) are the main ingredients used for a marinade to tenderize meat, fish, poultry or game and also infuse the ingredients with the flavor and aroma of the spices.

Baghar or Turka: This is the final garnish or seasoning which is added to the dish (usually lentils) just before serving. Spices such as cumin, mustard, asafetida, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, and chillies are usually used together with crisply fried onions, ginger and green chillies. These are quickly cooked in hot ghee (oil is not used because of its taste, nor butt, which burns easily)

Some Great Tips that can Save your Food and Time

Add turmeric powder to the affected portion and the bleeding will stop immediately and the wound will also heal faster.
	For cold & cough drink lemon juice mixed with honey 2-3 times a day.
	"Want to lose weight - Drink a cup of warm water with 1tsp of honey in it every morning on an empty stomach"
	For those on a diet, drink a glass of lime juice with salt, this will fill your stomach.
	Suffering from a stomache & gas – Fry 2 tsps of jeera, 1tsp of ajwain and1 garlic clove dry till they turn dark brown. Add water and boil for 3 mins, strain and drink the juice. You will get instant relief.
	For a sore throat, take 1tbsp of a mixture of tulsi leaves juice and honey four to five times a day. It will sooth your sore and itchy throat.
	To stop stomache blend together little ginger, black salt, lemon juice, mint leaves, honey and little water in a mixer. Strain and use as required.
	To get rid of gas problem, mix together a spoon full of hing, little ghee and swallow this raw mixture and you will feel relief within 10-15 minutes.
	To peel off garlic skins easily, lightly roast the garlic flakes on a hot tawa for 2-3 minutes and the skin will come off easily.
	Chop green chilies, ginger, garlic for a week, add a spoon of vinegar to it and it will save your time.
	To cut a fresh pineapple into chunks, slice off the crown and the bottom. Then cut the fruit lengthwise into quarters. Trim and discard the central core from each piece. Cut the flesh into chunks all the way to the skin, then slip the knife just above the skin to cut them free.
	To avoid tears while cutting onions, soak peeled onions in water for some time before cutting them.
	To prevent boiled potatoes from sticking to the grater, always apply little oil on the grater.
	Add wheat flour to leftover rosagulla syrup and mix to a smooth batter. Keep overnight and treat your kids to sweet cheelas (pancakes) for breakfast or snack the next day.
	"To retain the green of vegetables add little sugar while boiling and do not cover the lid."
	To make dosas more crispy add half a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds(methi dana) to the lentil and rice mixture while soaking.
	Keep cut potatos in boiling water for few minutes. This way, they would require less oil while frying and will no stick to each other.
	To make softer vadas and pakodas for Punjabi curry add a pinch of eno salt to the dough.
	When soaking rice and urad dal for idlis, add few grains of methi seeds to it. grind it as usual. The idlis will turn out very fluffy and soft.
	To prevent bhindi from becoming sticky while preparing a curry, add half teaspoon of mango powder in it.
	To brown onions faster, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the onions while frying.
	To keep sour limes fresh for a long time, rub cooking oil on them before preserving them. The sour limes will remain fresh for 1-2 weeks.
	Remove the stems of the fresh green chilies and then store. They last longer, this way!!
	To keep biscuits fresh, put them in a container and store in the fridge. They remain crisp, crunchy & fresh.
	To preserve ginger, garlic and green chilly paste without frying, add a little lemon juice and salt to the ground paste and refrigerate. This can be preserved for at least 10 days.
	To preserve soft dough for chapatis, after kneading the dough, pat it with some water , cover with a clean cloth and leave for 5 mins. Then knead it once and store in a airtight container.
	To ripen fruits faster, keep it with rice.
	To prevent bad odour from spreading to the other dishes in the fridge, keep a small bowl with a tablespoon of soda-bicarbonate inside your refrigerator.
	Store curry leaves in silver foil, it will last as much as one month.
	When you see too many lizards and cockroaches around the your house, all you've to do is keep empty egg-sheel halves at those places. You will never see a lizard again on that spot.
	If there is smell emating from the fish rub Chana atta (besan) thoroughly to it, keep it for sometime and then wash it under water.
	To avoid bad odour in the fridge, place 2 or 3 pieces of bread in the fridge.
	To avoid mustard seeds from spilling every where while seasoning, slightly dry fry the mustard seeds as soon as you buy them and then store it in a dry container. By doing this wetness is removed and the seeds are prevented from spilling everywhere while seasoning.
	During winter just put a whole red chili in the milk which is to be set and your dahi will set in no time.
	Store home made tomato puree in an ice tray in the freezer and take out cubes as and when required.