secrets of indian cooking
Chef and author Maunika Gowardhan shares her favourite tips and tricks
Growing up
I was born and brought up in Mumbai. We were from a very simple, middle-class family. Shopping was based on seasons and budgets. There were no supermarkets so my mother and I would go to the fish or vegetable market every week and, based on how much money my mum had for the weekly budget, we would buy something – pomfret or maybe some prawns or fresh blue swimmer crabs, which were not very expensive. I think the philosophy she always had was we’ll happily eat a dahl and rice on a weekday, as long as we can eat our chicken, mutton or fish curry on the weekend.
Cooking basics
Frying onions correctly is the holy grail of Indian cooking. The quantity of oil to the quantity of onions is key – two onions to at least three-four tablespoons of oil. You also want to see the oil shimmering a little bit before you add the onions. To check the temperature, take a slice of onion and put it in the oil – if it starts to sizzle and dance, then you know it’s right. You want to keep up the sizzle, so don’t let the temperature drop. I normally cook them for a very long time, anywhere between about 30-40 minutes. The more they cook, the sweeter and more caramelised they get, and the deeper and richer they taste. You want that colour in the onion to render itself in the curry.
Adding richness
You don’t have to use cream when you’re making something like a korma. I soak cashew nuts in just boiled water for 20-30 minutes. Then I use some of the soaking liquid along with the cashew nuts and blitz to a cashew cream in a power blender. You can then freeze it in batches and use it in a gravy when you need to add richness.
Greek yogurt is also great but I always get asked how to stop it from splitting. It’s best to let it come up to room temperature and make sure you whisk it really well so there’s no lumps. Then mix in a little at time. Another good tip is to add a tablespoon of hot sauce to the yogurt and whisk really well, as you’re trying to get the temperatures more aligned.