INDIAN GRAVIES AND BASIC PASTE
Curry as the word is used today in India, simply means a gravy. In the West gravy is a
liquid sauce made with juice from the meat, thickened with flour and seasonings.
Indian curry or gravy is made by cooking the meat or vegetables along with lots of
ingredients including thickening agents and a combination of spices but using no
flour.
GRAVY: It is a liquid or semi liquid mixture cooked along with meat or
vegetables, lots of spices and mainly thickened and enriched with dry nuts .
Making a gravy // curry
The starting point in making a curry is to choose a cooking pot with a non reactive
inner surface. Most curries have sour ingredients, so if a copper or brass pot were
used it would have to have a tin lining. Stainless steel is better from the reactive
point of view than the aluminum or enamel but the pot should have a thick base or
the spices will stick while frying.
All curries have main ingredients such as meat, fowl, eggs, or a single vegetable like
potatoes, brinjals, mushrooms, or a mixture of vegetables.
Most curries start with the heating of cooking fat. Traditionally Indians prefer to
use ghee, which is clarified butter for imparting better flavour to the food.
The basic art of making curry is involved in three stages
The choice of spices
The sequence in which the spices are put into.
The ways the spices are used.
Classification of gravies // curries
Depending upon the final appearance of the product Indian gravies can be classified
as follows:
Brown gravy:
By using brown onion paste made with sour curd.
By using brown onion paste made with tomato puree or pulp.
White gravy:
By using boiled onion paste.
By using finely chopped onion (lightly fried in ghee or oil to get golden tinge in the
gravy.)
Green gravy: A typical Indian gravy made by using green paste which is the
combination of spinach, coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chilies in the ratio of
2:1:1/4:1/8(few nos. subject to the hotness of chilies).
Makhni gravy:It is one of the fienest Indian gravies made out of tomatoes ,
butter,ginger, garlic, garam masala made and finished with honey and double cream
and flavoured with kassori methi.
Kadhai gravy: Traditionally this gravy is made in an iron kadhai and so is the
name.It is made by using a group of Indian whole spices whiche are broiled and
powered ( Khada masala).
BASIC INDIAN PASTE
Onion paste: It is used finely or coarsely chopped, sliced or pureed. The proportion of
onions to the main ingredient of the gravy is important, because this will determine
whether there is a sweet element in the taste as well as thickness of the gravy.
Boiled onion paste: Roughly cut onions are boiled in handi with bay leaves,
cardamom and sufficient amount of water and simmered till the onion becomes
transparent and the liquid has evaporated. Blend into a fine puree.
Brown onion paste: Fine slice of onions, golden fried in oil, spread over any
absorbent material and cool. Blend into puree with either sour curd or tomato puree
as per the recipe.
Ginger paste: Freshly chopped ginger made into fine past by using little water and
can be stored in the refrigerator for 72 hrs.
Garlic paste: Freshly chopped garlic made into fine paste through a blender and can
be stored in the refrigerator for at least 72 hrs.
Coconut paste: Finely grated coconut made into fine paste with little amount of
water.Can be stored in refrigerator for at least 12 hrs.
North Indian white paste:A mixture of fine paste made with cashewnuts, charmagaj
( the softest inner most part of the seeds from four vegetables e.g. water melon,
cucumber, white pumkin and ash gourd), poppy seeds and copra (desiccated
coconut).
Hydrabadi white paste: A mixture of fine paste made with chirangi, white til seeds,
roasted peanuts, and milk of coconut.
Poppy seeds paste: Soak the poppy seeds in warm water for 30 minutes and drain
and blend to a fine paste.Can be stored in refrigerator for 24 hrs.
SPICES USED MAINLY FOR TASTE
Coriander seeds and coriander powde ( Dhania)
Turmeric ( Haldi)
Dried red chilli and chilli powder
Cumin seeds ( Jeera)
Cinnamon and cloves (Dalchini and lavang)
Pepper (Kali mirchi)
Mustard (Rai or Sarson)
Fenugreek(Methi)
Fennel (Saunf)
SPICES USED MAINLY FOR AROMA
Garam masala (Hot spices)
Cinnamon leaf (Tej or Tuj patta)
Large black cardamom ( Barra elaichi)
Green cardamom (Choti elaichi)
Nutmeg (Jai phal)
Mace (Javitri)
Asafoetida (Hing)
Star aniseed (Chakra phool)
Saffron (Kesar)
Rose petals (Gulab)
Screwpine flower ( Keora)
SOURING AGENTS
Tomato
Yoghhurt
Vinegar
Tamarind
Lime
Cocum
Raw mango (Amchoor)
THICKENING AGENTS
Onions
Yoghurt
Cream ( malai)
Coconut milk
Cashew nuts
Almonds
Peanuts
White Til seeds (Sesame seeds)
White poppy seeds
Mustard seed
Lentils
GIVING COLOUR TO A CURRY
Turmeric: Bright yellow
Saffron:Pale apricot
Red chillies: Reddish –brown
Kashmiri chilli: Vermilion
Fresh Criander leaves: Green
Red tomatoes: Pinkish
Red tomatoes and Yoghurt combined: Reddish
Golden fried onions: Deep or dark brown
Coriander powder: Deep brown
Garam masala powder: Deep brown
INDIAN MASALAS
Garam masala: It is the combination of aromatic spices mainly made with small
cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves and tej patta.The chefs are always make their own
mix.All the spices are roasted on a dry griddle and powered.Preferably stored in
Khara masala:It is the combination of whole spices roasted and powdered e.g. cumin,
coriander,red chilli dry, black pepper corn, small cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick
and mace.
COOKING MEDIUM USED
Any variety of white oils
Desi ghee or pure ghee
Unsalted butter
Mustard oil
Coconut oil
Sesame oil
Vegetable fat or Vanaspati
