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Cooking Tips - Help Needed

mkrishna100

Active member
For the last few months I have been doing self cooking following youtube videos and happy that many youtube videos are making cooking look much easier and simple . However there are many micro details which are missing in them . Some may look even silly for a novice like me and so I will post the questions here and would like other cooking experts here to share their opinions .
I have first started to cook North Indian Veg dishes especially their dals and gravies and so the questions will be on it mostly before I start talking about south indian dishes .

Question - 1
In all gravies we add GARAM MASALA for taste . Now my question is when must garama masala be added
i) Along with the regular masalas ( like coriander , turmeric etc )
ii) When the dish is fully cooked and just add it to top
iii) somewhere in between

Hoping for answers ( this question is specific to making dishes like Dal Fry , Rajma , Chole and other North Indian Veg side dishes )
I am asking this question because there is no consensus on when Garam Masala must be added and each person is giving a different version .
 
Last edited:
[FONT=q_serif]Ground garam masala powder is typically added at the end of the cooking process to preserve the aroma and taste of the warm spices, giving your dish a lift of flavor before serving. Since many Indian sauces are long-simmering, adding garam masala powder at the beginning would mute the flavors of the spaces[/FONT]
[FONT=q_serif]
Instead, use the whole spices of garam masala at the beginning (e.g. cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, and bay leaves) and save the powder for the end.
[/FONT]

[FONT=q_serif]
You can of course use garam masala powder at any point in the cooking process, but adding a sprinkle at the end of the recipe will heighten the flavors of the dish to new levels. While many of us don’t think of garam masala as a “finishing spice,” in traditional Indian cooking, it is!

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-garam-masala-added-at-the-end-of-some-recipes[/FONT]
 
Dear Krishna,

Garam masala powder will make the colour of the dish a bit dark!

I use cinnamon sticks and cloves, without grinding and hence

add them while the frying is done.

It will be easy to remove the sticks before serving! :cool:
 
Is it not a sacrilege to cook North Indian food in Tamil Brahmin's home? :nono::brushteeth:

I grew up in North but very much Tanjaoorian (or what my mother used to cook) in food preference.

In my travels, Everywhere we go I look for South Indian Vegetarian food, then any vegetarian Indian food, if all else fails then Subway or pizza.


I have been to so-called south Indian restaurants and regretted the choice, and come home to eat thayr shadam with VaduMangai.
 
Last edited:
Raji Mam

Thanks for your reply and accept the fact about avoiding Garam Masala Powder as it brings about a change in color but regarding whole spices you have mentioned only Cinnamon sticks and cloves . What about other whole spices like Cardamon , Pepper ,Nutmeg , coriander seeds and other whole spices which constitute Garam Masala Powder ?
 
Dear Krishna,

I use only mild masālā in the dishes I prepare.

So, my thaneeee vazhi is this:

Add some sāmbar powder ( I like Shakti masālā) and cinnamon sticks.

Bit of Cardamom and nutmeg powder added after cooking is finished. :)

Black Pepper is good for heath but spoils the color of the dish! :(
 
For the last few months I have been doing self cooking following youtube videos and happy that many youtube videos are making cooking look much easier and simple . However there are many micro details which are missing in them . Some may look even silly for a novice like me and so I will post the questions here and would like other cooking experts here to share their opinions .
I have first started to cook North Indian Veg dishes especially their dals and gravies and so the questions will be on it mostly before I start talking about south indian dishes .

Question - 1
In all gravies we add GARAM MASALA for taste . Now my question is when must garama masala be added
i) Along with the regular masalas ( like coriander , turmeric etc )
ii) When the dish is fully cooked and just add it to top
iii) somewhere in between

Hoping for answers ( this question is specific to making dishes like Dal Fry , Rajma , Chole and other North Indian Veg side dishes )
I am asking this question because there is no consensus on when Garam Masala must be added and each person is giving a different version .
Garam masala needs to loose its raw flavour. So it needs to be sauted soits added after you book onion,tomatoes etc before adding chanba etv
 

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