Basics of Indian cooking

I hope that some of you there who are reading this page will be aware of all these basic concepts of cooking. But this might be helpful for those who are not aware of it. I would like to give some basic points in cooking which I follow still (suits to all Cuisine) and selection of ingredients which I learnt from my Grandpa and other elders as well whom I met. I personally felt that each process of cooking and baking involves some scientific calculations and experiments. So I thought of sharing these points which might be interesting for you, also to gain some ideas and confident with your concept of cooking. Here we go.....😊

Oils to use

Oil plays a major role in cooking. It is used for sauté or fry or grill or dressing. So it is good thing to know what kind of oil to use for cooking which is best for taste and health as well. Always select the oil which has highest smoking point, because these oils has a good saturated fat which is needed for our health system. For example Ghee, Olive oil, Peanut oil, Sesame oil and few others. 
My preferences are:

• Normal cooking           - Peanut oil / Olive oil / Ghee / Butter
• Meat cooking               - Sesame oil
• "Tadka" for Lentils       - Ghee
• Salad dressing              - Olive oil / Avocado oil

Flavours combination

There are 5 different tastes among food which we all know that sweet, sour, spicy, bitter and salty. Your flavour combination should play based on these tastes combo. Each taste goes well along with one or the other taste to give a beautiful flavour to you tongue. Each food has its own tastes in nature. If you are planning to cook a dish think about what vegetable or meat or fruit you are going to use. Then you can add on its combo based on those items taste. That is how I plan my dish and cook my food. Here I give you some food examples.

• Salty: Salt (Kosher salt, sea salt, Maldon salt)
• Sweet: Sugar, honey, maple syrup, bananas, berries, pineapples, mangoes, dates, figs, sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, caramelized onions, sugar snap peas, corn, basil, tarragon   
• Sour: Fresh lemon or lime juice, tamarind, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, buttermilk, pickles, tart apples, blackberries, cranberries  
• Bitter: Kale, arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, coffee, citrus zest, turmeric, walnuts. 
• Spicy : Chillies, Jalapenos, Pepper, Coriander seeds or powder.

I have made an explanation on basic taste combinations. When you combine your taste in your cooking with these combos it will work. It never fails for me till now. Hope this will be helpful for you.

• Combo 1 = 50% Sweet  + 20%  Sour  +  20% Salt +  10% Oil
• Combo 2 = 35% Sour  + 35%  Spicy  + 20% Salt  +  10% Oil
• Combo 3 = 25% Bitter  + 20% Spicy  + 25% Sour  +  20% Salt +  10% Oil
• Combo 4 = 25% Bitter  + 25% Spicy  + 20 % Sweet +  20% Salt +  10% Oil
• Combo 5 = 40% Salt  + 40%  Spicy +  20% Oil

Flavours Balancing

Some times when we are cooking there might be chances of making some flaws in it. Here I will give some points to fix out the basic flaws that have been made by balancing one taste with the other. Hope it will work for you as well.

Too Salty 

If your dish become too salty balance it by adding some spicy taste to it. If that did not work then add some cubes of potatoes which will absorb your salt little bit. For example if you are cooking a curry or Gulasch or soup which is salty then try this method. 

Too Spicy

If your dish become too spicy balance it by adding some salty or sour taste to it. Some times adding some fat content like butter or oil or ghee will also reduce its intense. For example if you are making a dip and if it is spicy try adding some oil, salt and lemon juice to it. 

Too Bitter

If your dish become too bitter then balance it with the mix of sweet, sour, spicy and salty. For example if you are cooking eggplant and if it is bitter, mix it up with tomato, spice and salt. 

Too sweet

If you are doing some dessert or cake and if becomes too sweet try adjusting it with some sour fruits or any nuts so that it balances the sweetness.   

Choose your meat

You would have seen many different parts of meat in the butcher shop. I have heard from my grandpa and also from my father that each animal's each part tastes different and you need to choose correct meat for your dish. The meat selection varies from dishes to dishes. When the animal is of medium aged then it tastes good, this is what my father says always. My father belongs to poultry and dairy business, so I learnt little more from him regarding this meat selection (He is a big foodie as well). In general when you select meat for cooking it should be in mixture of flesh, bones and fat which will give a good flavour and taste to your dish. I will give you few ideas about my choice of meat selection so that you could get some ideas.

Beef / Pork / Goat / Lamb meat
I choose shoulder, ribs and breast part for curries, rice dishes or for grill. Because it has the mixture of fat, flesh and bones. So when you cook with these mixture of meat along with spices your dish always tastes good. Especially for grill I go for Lamb chops. But for Gulasch I choose only flesh part. In Germany I prefer buying lamb meat in Turkish grocery shop which tastes better I feel.

Chicken / Turkey meat
Same as above I choose mixture of bones and flesh for Curry and rice dishes. For grill I personally prefer drumstick part and breast part. I do not personally like the wings part because I feel they have less taste. Even though I use it in curry some times.

Fish
In India we used to prefer lake fishes because they are better in taste than the sea fishes but they have more bones. So it may be inconvenient for some you to eat unless you like it. I personally prefer lake fishes for Curry, for fry or grill I go with sea fish fillets. Sea fishes are less in taste but very good for health benefits. Now in Germany I always prefer taking Salmon fish fillet for grill and Sardines fish for curry. So you could go with your choice.



So these are some basic ideas which I preferred to share it with you all. I hope it might be helpful for you in some points. Plan your dish and start surprising your family and friends.

  Lets do it ...............Love yourself ..............Trust yourself  🙋