Topic: Another key technique from Ajoy Joshi

[Peripatetic Phil]

Start cooking the spice mix (masala) in cold oil. Heat the oil after the spice mix has been added. Adding the spice mix to the cold oil helps cook it till the flavours from the ground spices comes out without burning it!

** Phil.
--------
[1] Taken from http://thoughtsfromajoy.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/dollys-mum/

[Cory Ander]

Just goes to show, some say it's white, and some insist it's black!

I understand that adding the spices to cold oil (or making a paste of it in water) will help prevent the spices from burning.....but is this REALLY a typical Indian (not even a BIR) cooking technique?  I suspect not?

[Peripatetic Phil]

I understand that adding the spices to cold oil (or making a paste of it in water) will help prevent the spices from burning.....but is this REALLY a typical Indian (not even a BIR) cooking technique?  I suspect not?

Well, Cory, let me be honest : when it comes to typical Indian cooking techniques, I would personally place more credence on the statement of an Indian chef than I would on the opinion of a Caucasian amateur, no matter who the latter is, or how skilled and experienced he or she might be.  But why not ask Ajoy yourself ?  His weblog is open to public comment and questions, and he appears to take great trouble to acknowledge and answer all feedback.

** Phil.

[Cory Ander]

Well, let ME be honest, Phil.  You (and others) can obviously place as much credance as you wish in the statements of whomever you wish.  But, the question, neverthless, remains.

I am sure Ajoy is an accomplished (traditional Indian) chef and I have picked up some great tips from his website.

However, I am  not about to go to his website to discuss it (however receptive he undoubtedly is) because I firmly believe that we should endeavour to develop content on THIS website.

Nevertheless, I would be very interested to hear Ajoy's views on the topic here.....or your's (of course)...

[Peripatetic Phil]

However, I am  not about to go to his website to discuss it (however receptive he undoubtedly is) because I firmly believe that we should endeavour to develop content on THIS website.

To the exclusion of all others ?  Surely not.  We live in an inclusive society (thank G@d), and the more fora there are devoted to exotic cuisines, the more all of us can learn.  I may not have been a CR0 member for as long as you, but I still place great value on its existence and content; but that does not (and should not) inhibit any of us from discussing curries, BIR and Indian cuisine elsewhere, particularly when the "elsewhere" (in this instance) is an extraordinarily well-written and well-illustrated weblog by an Indian master chef.

** Phil.

[Cory Ander]

Now you're off on tangents Phil.

The debate was about cooking spices by adding them to cold oil (traditional Indian technique?  BIR technique?)....and about debating it here (not elsewhere, irrespective of their credentials).

I, for one, do  not consider this forum to be simply a portal to other forums (or books, or private enterprises, etc).  Perhaps most members disagree.....

[DalPuri]

When i lived with an anglo indian family, they would always add their spices to a glass with either water or vinegar (depending on the curry) and then add this to the frying onions.
Consistency was runny and not a thick paste.
I never saw them add spices direct into the oil.

Cheers, Frank. 

p.s. I dont do this myself now although i may have done 25 years ago when learning their recipes.

[Cory Ander]

You're not seriously suggesting this as a typical BIR (or even a traditional Indian) cooking technique, are you, DP (KP?)?

[DalPuri]

Just an observation CA of how I saw one Indian family treat  their spices.
They called it "making a masala" .
When i say one family, i dont just mean one household.
I checked them out on facebook recently, Man they've been busy! there's 100's of em now.
I would imagine that all the grandchildren and even great grandchildren are all cooking curries following their grandmothers recipes and tecniques.
It could well have been confined to that family only, but i can say without doubt that their curries were fantastic! 

KP?

[Peripatetic Phil]

I have just realised (this is going to sound crazy) that that is exactly what I do.  I went into the kitchen to pre-cook some goat, poured cold rapeseed oil into the wok/pan, added turmeric, Kashmiri masala and g/g paste, then stopped dead : I too add the spices to cold oil, then bring it up to temperature and judge when to quench the spices by the amount of gas being driven off.  Never realised I did that until this evening.

** Phil.