Topic: breakthrough for 2011

[Cory Ander]

Interesting to hear about all your discoveries. What is bhooning?  i assume you mean the technique associated to bhuna dishes, where you reduce the sauce down and fry spices in the remaining oil?  or do you mean something i have missed?

As I understand it, "bhoona" (however you choose to spell it) is the basic (and traditional) Indian cooking process of frying powdered spices (or a paste of powdered spices), in hot oil, to release their essential oils and to cook the rawness out of them.  It is what you are (or should be) doing, at the initial stages of cooking a BIR curry, before you add liquids such as tomato paste, curry base, etc.  Adding the liquids "quenches" the process and prevents the spices from burning.

The main dish "bhoona" derives its name from this process (it is really a process, not a curry) because it is a dry dish cooked in this manner.

A similar process is "bargar" (or vagaar") whereby whole spices are fried, in hot oil, to achieve the same effect.  It is what you are (or should be) doing when you make something like pilau rice using whole spices.  Or a curry base using whole spices.  Or a main dish using whole spices.

I think these are two main processes that people should have in mind (amongst others) when they think (or talk) about "technique".  Both are basic, essential, traditional techniques for extracting maximum flavour, and removing rawness, from the spices.

[chewytikka]

Glad you've had a breakthrough with your Bhunao or if your glaswegian, your Bhoona or even Booona ;D

Tempering herbs and spices in hot oil, at the initial stage of cooking is a Tarka --- not Bhuna

A good example of the process "Too Bhun" can be found in my video recipe here-
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5801.msg57447#msg57447

Cheers Chewy

[Cory Ander]

Tempering herbs and spices in hot oil, at the initial stage of cooking is a Tarka --- not Bhuna

Then your and my understandings differ. 

I stand by my definitions (above) for "bhoona" and "bargar" (however you choose to spell them).

As I understand it, "tarka" (or "tadka") is where whole spices are fried in hot oil, usually with other ingredients (e.g. onions, chillies, garlic, etc), which are then added to a main dish as seasoning/garnish (often at the end of cooking).

The important point, though, is that these are three basic techniques used (at least in traditional Indian cooking) to extract maximum flavour from the spices and to add flavour to a curry.  Or are you going to disagree with that as well?