How to use perforated tart rings
Learn the technique of making small crisp tart shells using perforated rings. Great for entertaining with a variety of fillings.
Tag: how-to
Make your own, Indian flavouring Pastes .
Make these essential Indian pastes at home. To make you a master of the curry.
HOW TO MAKE INDIAN ONION PASTES
Indian onion pastes are a powerful addition to your arsenal in making curries. Both fried onion paste, and boiled onion paste are used in Indian restaurants but are not commonly featured in curries cooked at home. That’s a pity, they are easy to make and store well in the freezer. And they are not just limited to Indian cookery, just read on. Also take a look at our Indian Flavouring Pastes post to complete the picture.
Fried Onion Paste – – – – – Boiled Onion Paste
Indian Onion Pastes
How to use
There are an endless number of recipes for these pastes, some add ginger-garlic paste to the mix, others will add spices. My preference for the fried version is to produce a plain paste as this gives me the most flexibility in its use. I just love the deep richness. And quite apart from making a curry these pastes can be useful in enriching a soup or stew for the family meal.
Why not make a couple of versions. One for curries with a dash of your favourite spices added and one for everyday use with herbs like thyme or sage cooked along with the onions. Instead of thickening your sauce with stodgy starch add a spoonful of fried onion paste instead. Game dishes work well with some paste and a dash of good red wine or balsamic vinegar to provide a kick to the flavour.
Fried Onion Paste
750g red onions
3tbsp vegetable oil.
Cooking time 25- 40 mins
This principal of cooking the onions is remarkably similar to a French Onion Soup. The sugars in the onions need to be released slowly and allowed to form caramel on the base of the pan. This is where the rich depth of flavour will be produced. If you have ever had an insipid French onion Soup is because this stage was hurried during cooking.
Allow yourself a good half an hour to fry the onions. It’s a good idea to make the paste while other cooking is going on, so you can keep a close eye on the pan without getting bored.
Cooking the paste.
Peel and slice the red onions making sure you remove the root before slicing.
Choose a pan not too deep with a broad base, a deep sided frying pan is ideal. Pop the pan over a medium heat and add the oil followed by the onions. Fry the onions gently with the lid at first until they soften and release the sugary juices. Then remove the lid and turn the heat up slightly to help them colour. It’s important that the onions gently brown to from a deep rich flavour. Too high a heat will simply burn the edges and become bitter. Stir the pan frequently folding the onions over from top to bottom.
As the onions soften down the base of the pan will take on a golden glaze. Add two or three tablespoons of water to the pan and gently, stir the bottom of the pan to lift the glaze. Stir this back over the onions and return to the heat. The best tool for this by far is a flat silicone spatula, don’t use a wooden spoon as far too little of the spoon makes contact with the base of the pan.
Storing the paste.
Keep repeating this process over and over until you have a thick, golden-brown mass in the pan. Let the pan cool, then process the onions to a smooth paste. The paste can be stored in a clean lidded jar (check out on how to sterilise your storage jars). Pour a little oil on top of the paste to keep out the air and store in the fridge for up to a week. The more practical method is to freeze the paste in ice cube trays. You can then add the paste into a curry directly from the freezer.
Boiled Onion Paste
4 white onions
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Optional coconut milk
Cooking time 20-25 mins
Peel, remove the root and roughly chop the onions. Pop them into a pan with a well-fitting lid and add the spices. Add some water to the pan to come no more than halfway up the onions then bring the pan to the boil. Place the lid onto the pan and reduce the heat so the pan is at a steady simmer.
Don’t boil the pan too violently or all the water will be lost, and the onions will burn spoiling the paste and leaving you with a lot of scrubbing. The objective is to cook the onions is the smallest amount of water that is practical. The more water we use, the more flavour we lose into the water. You may need to check the pan from time to time to make sure it’s not becoming too dry.
When the onions are nice and soft, (about 20 minutes cooking) remove the lid and increase the heat a little to evaporate off as much water as possible. But be careful not to let the pan dry out completely. Take the pan off the heat and let cool a while, then remove the spices. Using a perforated spoon lift the onions into a food processor and process to a paste. Use a little of the water if needed to make a smooth paste without been runny., the balance of the water been discarded.
Ringing the changes.
Try using two thirds coconut milk and one third water to cook the onions. To store ether, keep in a sterilised jar in the fridge of freeze in ice cube trays.
You could make ether or both of the onion pastes depending on the type of curry you want to make. My advice is definitely make the fried version and try it out in your gravies and stews as well as in a curry. Give it a go, if you fall in love with the concept its easy to double the recipe as long as your pan will take it.
Enjoy Life!
John.
©John Webber. 2023
All you need to know about – Eggs
All you need to know about _Eggs. Learn about the egg itself. what each part of an egg can do, and how we can use it in our cooking.
Demystifying Perfect Pastry.
Demystifying Perfect Pastry provides an insight into the ingredients and methods of making basic pastry.
The Cutting Edge, The knives to choose, and use.
The Cutting Edge. The knives to choose, and use. There is a quote from George Orwell which goes – ‘The Secret of a successful restaurant is sharp knives’. I think he was right, like any artisan using quality tools and looking after them is an essential part of craftsmanship.
Like any other hobby, cooking is addictive, the urge to create, develop, produce, and ultimately eat food is irresistible and with any dish product is king. But before we start looking at the produce let’s look at the basic tools we need for the job. Don’t go all out and buy everything at once, but do buy the best quality that you can afford. Not only will they do a better job that cheap tools they will last a longer and reduce the amount of money you spend in the long run.
Chopping Boards
Chopping boards should be end-grain. That is blocks of hard wood set with the grain of the wood running from top to bottom not side to side. This format gives the knife more grip and is kinder to the blade. The blade can work between the fibres of the board and is less likely to form deep cuts in the wood.
However, the end grain of wood is very prone to absorbing liquid so ensure your board is regularly treated with chopping board oil. This must be a food – safe oil meant for the purpose, I like Papa Oki chopping board oil, it’s organic and anti-bacterial. The board can be quicky washed to clean it but never leave it soaking in water or pop it into the dishwasher!!
Other considerations
Glass chopping boards are awful, they will damage your knives and may cause an accident if the knife slips. They might make a good cheese board but otherwise useless.
If you intend to work with meat or fish each will require separate boards. meat is usulay cut on a Red Chopping Board, and fish on a Blue Chopping Board. I would recommend you use a polycarbonate material which will not absorb liquid and can be cleaned in a dishwasher to be hygienic.
Kitchen knives, the cutting edge.
Now we have a good surface to work on we need something to work with.
There are endless types, brands, and styles of knife on the market. Most chefs will use anywhere between five and twenty knives in their armoury, some constantly in use, others for very special and occasional use. Every chef will have a preference, but the important thing is that it works for them.
There is no ideal knife and it’s a very personal choice. I would always recommend that whenever possible you hold a knife before purchase. How does it feel? Too heavy or too light? Is the grip suitable for your hands? If the knife feels awkward then it’s unlikely to work well for you. Good knives are an expensive purchase, but the quality of the knife is vital to its performance and life span, with the best quality knives offering value for money in the long run.
Good manufactures include:-
Zwilling – https://uk.zwilling-shop.com
Wusthof – https://www.wuesthof.com
F. Dick – https://www.dick.de
Global – https://globalknives.uk/
Knives should be stainless steel and constructed of one piece of machined steel. If fitted with wood handles riveted right through the steel. Plastic handles must be robust and securely bonded to the blade.
For the home cook five knives will perform most tasks in the kitchen, but the quality of the knife is just as important for home cooks as it is for the professional. It’s often cheaper to buy knives as a set but be sure that all the knives in the set are what you need. You are buying a knife to use not to look at!
A knife block or magnetic rack are the best options for storage, but of course keep them well away from children. Don’t leave your good knife rattling around in a draw, it’s dangerous and will damage the blades. Sharp Knives are the safest knives, blunt knives make you put force behind the knife. This will cause the knife to jump and jerk through the food cutting anything in its way. Possibly your fingers.
Cooks Knife
The king of knives and the one you will be using more than any other. As to size 24cm to 30cm overall is a good start. Weight is important here; it must feel right in the hand and not too blade heavy. It’s the Swiss Army Knife of the kitchen, a knife that will chop, slice, crush and even act a small cleaver all in one.
The key factor here is the shape of the blade, while all are similar there are different profiles on the market. I would recommend that to start that you look for a blade where the curve at the front of the knife is nether too flat or exaggerated. Its this curve that allows the classic chefs slicing movement, one of the first skills to learn
Slicing Knife
Does what it says on the tin, used for slicing This could be vegetable, fish, or meat and generaly performs slightly more delicate work than the cook’s knife. Aim for a blade length of about 18cm and it will be suitable to carve small cuts of meat. Don’t be afraid of longer blade lengths, they allow you to have long smooth cutting strokes avoiding steps in the cut.
Vegetable Knife
This and the fruit knife are where you can save a little money if needed. The handle needs to be comfortable in the hand so it can’t slip. A blade length of about 9cm is fine. Useful for a thousand and one jobs but don’t use it for slicing. The blade is too short which will make you press down on the food. The knife suddenly jerks down, and a cut finger is the result.
Serrated Fruit Knife
Very handy for soft or citrus fruit. This can be of a basic construction with a plastic handle and thin blade. Difficult to sharpen so generally just replaced when blunt.
Vegetable Peeler
Yes, this is a knife, the blade should be of the same steel as your other knives and kept sharp. I always prefer a fixed blade peeler as its more flexible in its uses. Have a swivel peeler as well if you must, it can be quite handy for some jobs. The key in usage is like all knives to slice and not push. If your peeler jams or digs in, you are pressing into the product to hard. And remember it’s not just a peeler but a slicing tool as well.
I would also expand this selection by adding in a good pair of kitchen scissors. Choose a strong pair made for the job. High quality stainless blades and a robust hinge. They should be capable of cutting through a chicken carcase. If you like to do lots of roasts a good carving knife is a benefit.
As your cooking expands so will your selection of tools, the choice is endless. I think at one point I had over 30 knives, total overkill. Of the 30 I probably only use 6 on a daily basis.
This is my traveling knife kit for demonstrations.
This will cover just about everything I might come up against, but total overkill for home cooking, so don’t get carried away. On one occasion back in my 20s I bought a cooks knife with a 20”- 50cm blade. It was on sale and great value, of course, when I came use it, I found out why, it was lethal. Anybody working near me was in danger of losing an ear! I still have it somewhere, useful for chopping firewood.
Setting yourself up with a good set on knives and learning how to use them properly and safely will both improve the quality of your cooking and your enjoyment of the process. Take your time and practice, practice, practice.
Further in the series I will cover the techniques in using the knives and the most common question of all. ‘How do I sharpen a knife ?