Tips
Articles about tips in the UK curry industry
Awadhi Dum Pukht: Cooking Sealed in a Handi Over Slow Coals
Dum pukht is the Lucknowi art of slow cooking food in a sealed pot so steam, fat and aroma are trapped rather than lost. Here is how the dough seal works, the dishes it perfected, and how to recreate the technique in a home kitchen.
Dhungar: The Charcoal-and-Ghee Smoking Trick That Adds Soul
Dhungar is the simple Indian smoking technique that uses a single live coal, a steel bowl and a spoon of ghee to give curries, dals and kebabs a tandoor-like depth at home. Here is how it works, where to use it, and how to get clean smoke without bitterness.
Seekh Kebab on the Skewer: Getting Char, Bind and Juiciness Right
A great seekh kebab is charred outside, juicy inside, and stays on the skewer. The secrets are fat ratio, controlling moisture from raw onion, a proper kneading for bind, and a fierce sear. Here's how restaurants do it and where home cooks go wrong.
Baingan Bharta: The Smoke-Charred Aubergine Art
Baingan bharta turns a humble aubergine into something smoky, soft and deeply savoury by charring it whole over open flame. Here is how to coax out that true tandoor-style smokiness at home, plus the Punjabi and Bengali styles worth knowing.
Asafoetida (Hing): The Fermented Resin That Powers Jain Kitchens
Asafoetida, or hing, is a pungent resin that transforms in hot oil into a savoury, almost oniony depth, which is why it sits at the heart of Jain and onion-free cooking. Here is how to bloom it correctly, why it soothes dals, and how to choose pure over compounded hing.
Ghee: Making Cultured Brown Butter the Indian Way
Ghee is butter taken to its nutty, golden, shelf-stable conclusion, and the traditional cultured bilona method gives it a depth no shortcut can match. Here is how ghee is made from malai to clarified gold, why the caramelisation point matters, and how it defines tarka and mithai.
Kasuri Methi: The Dried Fenugreek Leaf That Finishes a Curry
Kasuri methi is the crushed dried fenugreek leaf that gives butter chicken and dal makhani their distinctive bittersweet, almost maple-like aroma. Here is how to use it, why it goes in at the end, and how to store it so it lasts.
Kashmiri Chilli: Deep Red Colour Without the Burn
Kashmiri chilli is the mild, vividly red chilli behind those glossy restaurant-red gravies that look fierce but eat gentle. Here is how to use it, how to make your own degi mirch blend, and how to source the genuine article.
Saffron in the Indian Kitchen: Blooming Kesar for Biryani and Mithai
Saffron is the most precious spice in any Indian kitchen, but a pinch of threads only repays you if you bloom it properly. Here is how to toast, steep and judge kesar for golden biryani and fragrant mithai.
Bhuna: The Patient Fry-and-Reduce Technique Behind Real Depth
Bhuna is not a dish so much as a technique: frying and reducing the masala until the oil separates and the flavours deepen. Master it and even a simple curry tastes like it took all day.
The Restaurant Base Gravy Secret: Why Curry Houses Cook Onions for Hours
Order six different curries and they all arrive in minutes. The secret is the base gravy, a giant pot of slow-cooked onion sauce that underpins the entire British curry-house menu.
Achaari Cooking: Building Curries on the Spices of the Pickle Jar
Achaari curries borrow the bold, tangy spice blend of the Indian pickle jar, nigella, fennel, fenugreek and mustard, to build dishes that taste sharp, oily and gloriously punchy.