Entice With Spice. Shubhra Ramineni
it is generally not recommended to use oil for deep frying more than twice because the smoking point is altered and harmful gases are released. After the first use, I just leave the oil in the wok, cover the wok and store it in an unwarmed oven until I am ready to use again. Before heating the oil again, if you see too many burnt particles in the bottom of the wok, you can strain them out with a slotted spoon. When you are ready to discard the oil, first let it cool. Then pour it into a sealed non-recyclable container and throw it in the trash. Do not pour the oil down the sink, as it may clog it.
Basic Techniques
If you run across a recipe and wonder how to cut a carrot into matchsticks, deal with a whole garlic bulb, roast spices or even the difference between cubing, dicing, chopping and mincing, this section is the place to find the answers! The basic methods that follow are what I personally use. Although if you run across another technique that you prefer that gives the same results, feel free to use that.
Cutting Matchsticks
Vegetables such as carrots and potatoes are commonly cut into thin strips called matchsticks but usually not as thin as an actual matchstick! This cut is also known as “julienne.” The vegetable is first cut into thin slices and then the slices are cut across to the desired length resulting in a short or long “matchstick.” I like to use this attractive cut when preparing the carrots for Vegetable Rice Pilaf (page 75) and Vegetables in Coconut Curry (page 122).
1 Cut off the both ends of the carrot and discard.
2 Peel off the outer skin, discard and wash the carrot with cold water.
3 Cut the carrot in half crosswise to make it an easier size to work with.
4 Cut each half lengthwise down the middle.
5 Cut each piece in half lengthwise again. For the thicker part of a carrot, you might want to make another lengthwise cut to create strips of even size.
6 Stack the strips and cut them crosswise into approximately 2 inch (5 cm) long matchsticks.
Cutting a Carrot into Matchsticks
1 Peel away skin and discard. Wash the carrot.
2 Cut in half crosswise and then cut again lengthwise down the middle.
3 Line up the strips and cut into match-sticks.
Cutting Half Moons
Sometimes I specify a “half moon” cut for onions which is a semi-circle. This can be done by slicing an onion crosswise into rings and then cut the rings in half to create half moons.
Cubes and Dicing
Cubing means to cut into desired-size cubes—the standard size being ½ inch (1.25 cm) or larger. Meats, fruits, cheese and vegetables such as potatoes can be cubed. It is okay if all of the cubes are not exact squares or if they have some rounded sides but try to cut almost equal-size pieces so that the food cooks at an even rate. When a recipe calls for an ingredient to be diced, cut it into small cubes or “dice” that are approximately ¼ inch (6 mm) or smaller.
1 To cube a potato (or other food), cut it crosswise into ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick or larger circles for cubes or about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick circles or smaller for dice.
2 Work with 1 circle at a time. Lay it flat and cut it across into ½ inch (1.25 cm) strips (or whatever size cube or dice you will be making).
3 Gather the strips and turn them 90° and cut them across into ½ inch (1.25 cm) increments (or whatever size cubes or dice you will be making) to create cubes.
4 Repeat this process with the remaining potato circles. Once you feel comfortable using this technique, you may even stack the circles to cube or dice multiple circles at one go.
Chopping and Mincing
Chopping and mincing are cuts in which you do not have to be so precise especially when a recipe calls for something to be coarsely chopped. Chopped food is bitesized or smaller pieces, finely chopped is chopping food even smaller and minced food is cut into very small pieces (smaller than dice) almost to the point where the food seems crushed such as minced garlic. Mincing food is handy when you do not want to bite into a big piece of garlic, but you would still like your dish to have the flavor of garlic evenly dispersed throughout.
Mashing Potatoes
In some recipes, I call for potatoes to be mashed with a potato masher or by hand. The latter may sound unusual to Americans, but it’s a common Indian practice. To mash a boiled and peeled potato by hand, place it in a bowl and, using one hand, mash or squeeze the potato between your fingers until it is soft and smooth.
How to Wash Rice and Dried Legumes
It is always a good idea to thoroughly wash rice and dried legumes to make sure you are cooking with clean food. Thoroughly washing the rice before cooking also removes any starchy residue resulting in less sticky rice. Lentils are known to have small pieces of stone and grit from the packaging process so sorting through and then washing will ensure your cooked dish will be clean and delicious.
1 Place dried legumes, such as lentils or peas, on a plate and pick through them. Remove any grit and blemished or wrinkled legumes that you find.
2 Place the rice or dried legumes in a bowl. Cover the rice or legumes with water.
3 Swish the rice or legumes around in the water a few times while rubbing them between your fingers to thoroughly clean them.
4 Drain off the water and be careful not to pour out the rice or legumes. Repeat with three or four changes of fresh water. The rice water will become clearer with each rinsing. The clearer you can get the water, the better. Note that the water may become cloudy and frothy when rinsing split lentils which is okay, so you do not need to worry about washing away all of the cloudiness and froth.
5 Pour the rice or legumes into a large fine-meshed strainer and allow to thoroughly drain.
Washing Lentils
1 Remove any grit.
2 Pour water into a bowl of lentils and rub under water to clean.
3 Pour through a sieve to drain.
Grating Vegetables
Grating means to shred. To grate an onion, unripe mango, carrot or piece of ginger, first, peel the vegetable or fruit. Use the largest holes on a box grater for onions and the smaller holes for unripe mangoes, carrots and ginger. Firmly hold the peeled onion, or other food, and grate on the holes pressing down with some force while making sure you don’t scrape your knuckles! A Microplane can be used for ginger as well.
Grating an Onion
1 Firmly hold the peeled onion against the grater and move up and down.