Cooking Equipment
For cooking Indian food a very few special utensils are needed . Pots and pans found in most western homes are quite adequate. Even so, it is always exciting to know about and, if you wish, to cook with specialized Indian equipment.
Karahi: This is used mainly for deep frying. It looks like a Chinese wok but is heavier (usually made of cast-iron) and deeper. A wok or deep-fat fryer makes a good substitute. Meats cooked in Hyderabad is one of the very famous dish from Deccan.
Tawa: Breads such as chappati, roti and paratha are all made on this heavy cast-iron sheet which looks similar to the griddle used for making cones. Any ordinary heavy frying pan makes a good alternative.
Other equipment: I find an electric spice grinder or an ordinary pestle and mortar are invaluable for grinding small quantities of spices. Food processors or electric blenders save many hours - and tears - when it comes to chopping up the mixture of onions, ginger and garlic which is often called for.
|
