Twist that tadka

Twist that tadka

Can’t do without butter chicken or paneer makhni but want to do ‘something new’ with it? I give you dope on how to innovate your all-time favourite dishes

One can often find dinner-table conversations circulating around how healthy and nutritious Chinese cuisine is. Best South East Asian restaurants will be freely listed as eclectic lunch options. But it takes just one opportunity for our inner foodie to binge out on a bowlful of butter chicken.

Resisting dum biryanis haven't exactly been your strong point either. Let’s face it, there are some all-time favourites that send all rational thoughts of 'healthy' 'fat-free' and 'nutritious' out the window. But as we evolve into more health-conscious people, ready to experiment with tastes, the 'traditional' too is liable to change.

Spare the tomato

How you treat your tomatoes — the essential ingredient in many gravies — will dictate how your final dish tastes and how much nutrition contains. Usually, one purees tomatoes raw, cooking them endlessly and thereby extracting all nutrients from it.

An alternative is to blanch them before pureeing and then cooking them. They then spend lesser time over the flame, and retain their vitamins. This will vastly improve your two favourite dishes— butter chicken and paneer makhani.

Be prudent with spices

A variety of spices are crucial to our cuisines, making it important to know what each does to the colour, fire and tone of your dish. Also, a masala added later will have a different impact, than if added earlier.

• Take chillies for instance. If you put them in while sautéing the onions and then cook the gravy (as most cooks do) it gives out a sharp ‘tadka’ flavour which warms your throat. However, if you put it in the end — as you would garam masala — it will retain its aroma and have a distinguished flavour rather than just a fiery kick. Ever wondered why most European dishes have the herbs and spices going in last? That’s because they are not meant to be ‘cooked!’
• However, the haldi (turmeric) is better off if put while the onions are turning golden. Its antiseptic properties kill any remnants of bacteria.
• Try experimenting with a new variant of mirchi for a guranteed new flavour to your dish. The ‘gholar marchu’ (of Gondal, Gujarat; very dominating, should be used prudently) or try the long, red Nalcheti from Nagpur.
• Another quintessential Indian habit is the ‘garam masala’. The X-factor if you may, of many dishes. Try a new garam masala to completely change the taste of your makkhanwala gravy or chicken kolhapuri: the Gujarati, Parsi and East Indian varieties are all distinctive, flavourful and potent to give your dish a makeover. This will give your Tadka dal and veg/chicken kolhapuri dishes a whole new flavour.

Slick factor: Oil and Butter

Talking about fat moderation and ‘butter chicken’ in the same sentence is an oxymoron. Many believe there is no point holding back the usual waistline culprits — oil and butter — while cooking your favourites. While calling for rational use, one cannot ‘ban’ them as they’re important for the body’s lubrication. The tricks then, are …

• Use oil which has high-density fatty acids over low-density ones. Sunflower oil is a good option.
• It’s not unthinkable to use olive oil in indulgent Indian dishes. Replacing your groundnut oil with extra virgin olive oil is just a matter of habit. If there’s no vehement protest in your family, the trick’s worked!
• Needless to say, white butter is always preferable over the yellow variety. This can make a huge difference to your cholesterol levels if you’re a thrice-a-week butter chicken eater. Also, do NOT use Dalda!

Microwaving, a no-no

We agree you return home late and preparing a detailed dish is unthinkable. But it’s better to slow-cook on a Sunday rather than have a quickie version of thrice a week. Simply put, microwaving means all taste and no nutrition. The taste, after slow-cooking is remarkably better. And when you do cook your chicken over a flame, make sure you cover it to retain its nutrients.

All about biryanis

That Sunday habit and festival routine; the biryani too can be vastly improvised.

• Authentic biryani is always the ‘dum’ biryani. While some experts opine that a true biryani is one which has ‘kachcha ghosht’ (once the meat is cooked, it becomes a pulao!) nobody can argue that an ideal biryani features fully marinated meat covered with flavourful rice with intense jhol (masala) on top. Modern day use of silver foil is acceptable and popular.
• Experiment with the marinade by using curd that makes the meat soft and delectable. Onions being an integral part of the marinade, can be caramelised for a sweet flavour.
• As for rice, Indian basmati beats foreign varieties for flavour and aroma. If you’re health-concious, go for simple brown rice.
• Vegetarians have more options: one can add anything from mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers to rajma to enhance taste. Try using ‘safed chana,’ but ensure they’re more than the veggies, to keep the flavour of the biryani intact.