\ Paper 04: Food Production Operations & Management Module 20: Understanding Commodities and Usage in Indian Kitchen THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM Principal Investigator Prof. S. P. Bansal, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi University, Rewari Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Prashant K. Gautam, Director, UIHTM, Panjab University, Chandigarh Mr. Pulkit Bhambi Paper Coordinator HOD, IHM Dehradun Mr. Gyanendra Kumar Content Writer Lecturer, IHM Dehradun. Prof. O.P. Kandhari, Content Reviewer Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, Budelkhand, University, Jhansi ITEMS DESCRIPTION OF MODULE Subject Name Tourism and Hospitality Paper Name Food Production Operations and Management Module Title Understanding Commodities and usage in Indian Kitchen Module Id Module no- 4.20 Pre- Requisites Basic knowledge about commodities used in Indian cuisine Objectives To know the basic ingredients used in Indian kitchen and their uses Keywords Daal, Dal, Kandi Podi Smoke Points, souring agent, flavouring , tenderizers TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Learning Outcomes 2. Introduction 3. Types of Indian Lentils 4. Types of Flour 5. Types of Rice 6. Types of Oils 7. Vegetables 8. Thickening Agent Used In Indian Kitchen 9. Souring Agent Used In Indian Kitchen 10. Tenderizing Agent 11. Use Of Spices And Condiments As Colouring Agents 12. Summary Understanding commodities and usage in Indian Kitchen. Learning out come After completing this module students will be able to- To know the basic ingredients used in Indian kitchen Understand the role of souring agent used in Indian Cooking. Know about various colouring agents used in Indian Cooking. Various thickening agents used in Indian Cuisine. Know the usage spicing flavouring and aromatic agent in Indian Cooking. Introduction:- In previous module we have read about spices, herbs and condiments used in Indian cooking. In this module we will read about other condiments that are used specific role in Indian food such as adding sources, colouring, and thickening tenderizing, spicing and flavouring the food. 3.1 Pulses and lentils Dal or lentil is the staple food in every Indian home both the rich and common person who lives on the street enjoys it. A large percentage of Indians are vegetarians and the lentils have long been part of the indigenous diet as a common source of protein. Dal or lentils are cooked practically daily in almost every Indian home, vegetarian or not. Each region has its own favourites and cooking methods. Dals can range from spicy, sweet to scorching hot soup like. Types of Indian Lentils Numbers of Indian Lentils are used in Indian cooking. Some of the common dal are: Chana Daal The word chana dal means split chick pea. Chana dal is baby chickpea that have been split and polished. The most popular legume in india. Chana dal is very versatile, dried, split, yellow lentil with a slightly sweet taste, nutty flavour. It is used in varieties of dishes. It can be cooked until soft for the dish called simple dal with the spices. Masoor daal A whole or sabut masoor, this bean is greenish brown in colour and can be prepared whole. The split masoor can be called masoor dal are red/pink in colour. The y have a dark, earthy flavour and a creamy texture. Masorr dal goes well with the tomatoes and keema, and may be served on their own as side dish or incorporated in soups, stew, and other Indian dal. Moong bean/ daal Whole moong is actually a bean popularly known as sabut moong. They are small green beans and are germinated and used in salad or stir fried with lemon juice and Indian spices. In india the moong beans are used with the skin or without the skin (washed) it is used to make delicious dal and curries. Moong dal is very easy to digest and take on seasoning and spices very well. Urad bean/daal This dal has a black skin covering creamy white interior. Whole urad dal derives their strong rich earthy flavour from the black skin and has an uncanny ability to absorb flavour. Split urad dal (washed) is a white lentil used along with rice to make dosas, a south indian preparation. In south india urad dal is also used as a seasoning, with mustard seed for curries. Toor dal :- Toor dal is a glassy dark yellow split pea similar to chana dal. Toor dal exhibits a thick gelatinous consistency. They take a little longer to cook than moong or masoor dal. These yellow split peas can be made into dal which is served with side dish of vegetable, rice or flat bread. Sambhar a south Indian delicacy is an accompaniment of dosa, idly or even rice cooked with toor dal. Kidney beans: the kidney bean with its dark red skin is named for its visual resemblance to a kidney. The kidney beans (rajma in hindi) are an integral part of the cuisine of north india and it is favourite that goes very well with rice. 3.2 Types of Flour Various types of flour used in Indian cooking, these flours are made from wheat, rice, millet, lentils, chickpeas, maize, semolina and even potato. Some of the common flours are:- Wheat Flours Wheat flours are the most common floor used in Northern India. In north India, Punjab is the state which grows about 20% of India's wheat. The two most commonly used Indian floors are whole wheat flour and refined flour. Whole wheat flour (Atta) Whole wheat flour/Atta is made from the kernel of wheat. Durum is the variety of wheat which is commonly milled for making of regular flour which has high protein content and also high gluten content; this makes it ideal for making Indian breads. Atta also has a high bran content which is very good for health. Atta is stone-milled flour of creamy brown colour. It is quite a coarse flour but very tough to roll it out very thin which is required to make roti and chapatti and parathas etc. Refined flour/ Maida Refined flour is made from the endosperm of the wheat kernel. It is mor whitish then whole wheat flour because it does not contain bran and germ and has very less fiber and fat content in comparison to whole wheat flour. Maida is called 'all purpose flour. It is a used for making various india bread such as naan, kulcha and samosas. In India maida is also used to make panstries and sweeter breads such as sheermal, a sweet milk bread, or baqerkhani, a layered bread. Semolina Semolina is the purified middling of durum wheat used in making pasta and also used as a breakfast cereal. In india it is used for making rava dosa, suji halwa and pooris etc. Rice Flour Rice flour is ground kernel of rice. It is used in western countries and specially for people who suffer from gluten intolerance. Since rice does not contain gluten but it is also used very commonly in india for preparation of some Indian breads, sweets or to give crispyness to some products. Dal Flours There are various types of dhal flour which is obtained from various type of dhal. Dhal flour are generally gluten free and so are beneficial for people who suffer from dietary requirements. Two common dal flours are gram flour urad dal flour. Gram Flour This is a flour made from ground chana dal. Popularly known as besan, it is a staple ingredient in indian cuisine, gram flour contains a high proportion of carbohydrates but no gluten and in comparison to other flours gram flour has a relatively high proportion of gluten. It is used in popular dishes like besan ke laddu, kadhi, dhokla etc. Urad Dhal Flour This flour is most common Indian flour and mostly used in Indian cuisine. It is used for making papad and idlis and dosas. This flour is also used for making most popular food item like vada. 3.3 Types of Rice In india people love to cook long grain rice. Rice can also be purchased with or without the outer skin that is brown and white variety which is very common in india. There are a few common varieties. Basmati the most loved and well known variety of Indian rice. This variety is grown in India and Pakistan in the Himalayan foothills, it is known as "the prince of rices". It is very long and slender grained and, unless it is less sticky, and fluffy with separated grains. It has a distinctive delicate fragrance and a nutty flavour. There are dozens of varieties of Basmati rice, some traditional some hydrids, and there is also a lot of rice passed off as Basmati Ponni This variety of rice is very popular in South India and is specifically used for idlis. It does contain less starch than many of Indian rice. Brown In the brown variety of rice, the husk is removed but the bran layer is not polished off. It is more nutritious as it retains more vitamins, minerals and fibre and also has nuttier taste. Brown rice varieties have limited use in Indian cooking but now getting popularity due to its health benefits 3.4 Cooking Oil Cooking oils play an important role in Indian cooking and impart distinct flavour to various regional dishes.The two most common cooking oils in Indian food are ghee and mustard oil. Others are used are coconut oil, peanut (groundnut) oil and sesame oil (gingelly, til). Modern arrivals are sunflower oil, canola and soybean. Common Indian Cooking Oils Ghee Mustard Oil Coconut Oil Sesame Oil Ghee (Clarified Butter) Ghee is a clarified butter without any milk solid particles and water. It is used primarily in Indian cuisine because the preparation of ghee involves heat, it has distinctive toasted flavour, often described as nutty before the vegetable oils, ghee was widely used for deep frying.