Masterclass: know your Indian

Add deeper flavour to your curries, understand your spices and try new techniques from one of the world’s hottest cuisines.

Craig Middleton, a Premier Food Development Chef, discovered his love of Indian cuisine travelling the country in 2006… and he’s still experimenting now!

Layers of flavour

Any chef who wants to make their Indian dishes more authentic needs to learn how to build flavour. The worst thing a curry can taste like is flat. There should be different layers of flavour, plenty of body and a good mouthfeel and these are only created by learning the right technique. Don’t just throw everything in and boil it up, but create the curry in stages.

Learn how to use spices correctly. Some of them should be put in at the start of cooking, like cumin and clove, while others are finishing spices, like fenugreek and ground cardamom.

Onion purées are used to add body to curries.

Brown onion purée is made by caramelising diced onions until they’re sweet and dark brown but not burnt, then blending them down. It goes in near the beginning of cooking with other vegetables and is used to add sweetness and colour.
White onion purée is made using fresh white onions blended with water. It goes in near the beginning of cooking with other vegetables and is used in lighter curries like Korma.

Once you understand the blocks and how to put them together, you can start experimenting and applying them differently. For example, should you add more chilli or lemon to a marinade if it’s being used on different proteins?

“What drew me to Indian cuisine was the curiosity of learning how to cook it. Takeaways were a staple when I was young, and I wanted to know how to make the dishes myself. That curiosity only grew as I travelled through India trying different flavours”

- Craig Middleton, Premier Food Development Chef

Get Spicy

Cumin – toast the whole seeds and grind them for an impactful flavour. Or use the whole spice to temper dahl with curry leaves and mustard seeds

Ground coriander – its deep aroma is also added at the beginning of the cooking process. It can also be used in marinades and baking

Ground Kashmiri chilli – you can add a lot of this chilli to give a curry flavour with a nice heat, I’d recommend using this or another local chilli

Turmeric – this is also good as a starting spice, but should be used in smaller quantities because of its bright colour and potent flavour

Garam masala – a great finishing spice with a flavour that helps to lift a dish when added at the end, particularly lamb or heavier tomato-based curries

Stocking and storage

The key with spices is to keep them fresh. The aroma you get when you first open a package of spices is what they should always smell like, not like a fusty cupboard!

If you can, grind them yourself.
Whole spices are versatile and can be used in garnishes, pickles and marinades or ground down.
Store ground spices store in a cool place away from the light.
Buy spices in as small a package as possible so it doesn’t go stale.
Try not to use spices older than six months old.

Focus on regions

Indian cuisine is very regional. The key differences are a result of many factors, including the weather and what grows locally. Social differences can also play a part. For example, Gujarat is a dry, mainly vegetarian state, so the food in that area is very lentil and pulse-based. People there also have a massive sweet tooth.

North: dishes here are more hardy. There are more tomatoes and strong Mogul influences. More dairy is used and dishes are finished with yogurt or ghee (like Korma and Butter Chicken). The area is known for the tandoor oven.

East: a lot of rice is grown in this region, as are green vegetables. There is a strong influence of Chinese and Mongolian cuisine and popular spices include mustard, fennel and fenugreek.

South: as you go south, the climate and temperature changes. In Kerala and even heading over to Sri Lanka there are coconuts everywhere, meaning there are a lot more lighter dishes and spices.

West: in places like Goa there is a strong influence of the Portuguese settlers that came here. They brought ingredients like vinegar which led to dishes like pickles and chutneys.

Curry-loving customers

A lot of smaller venues are popping up and doing Indian cuisine differently. So, to make an impact with your dishes, it’s important to have a strong understanding of them. Get to know the regions, the ingredients used there and what has influenced the most popular dishes.

This gives a backbone to the dish and helps you sell it because you know it’s authentic. Long gone are the days of ‘chicken curry’. Customers want more than that. When you name dishes, pick out ingredients to create a point of difference and make them sound more exciting.

Biggest Indian ick

I hate it when coriander is thrown on everything. I love the fresh herb and use it a lot, but it doesn’t need to go on everything. When you start to understand the regionality you’ll understand not every dish needs it. There are other garnishes such as tempered spices, crispy mixes, colourful pickles and pomegranate seeds or other herbs. Don’t make everything look the same. Each item should be visually appealing and different.

‘Must master’ dishes

Look at dahls, lentils and chickpeas. With more customers looking at plant-based options, knowing how to make classic dishes fresher and cleaner is a great way to switch up your menu. Indian salads are also delicious and fresh.
Cooking a biryani with a pastry lid is a big skill to learn. Knowing how to layer all the components and bake it off so the steam finishes off the rice to the right point is key. It’s also a great one to learn in venues as it can be done en masse or in individual servings.
Marinating and grilling meat, fish and prawns is another essential technique. Know how to get a chargrill without burning and dress the proteins with dips and sides. Not everything needs to be smothered in sauce!

To get the recipe for:

Korma Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Wrap (pictured) click here.

Indian Spiced Vegetable and Potato Cake click here.