Tools to Perfect Indian Cooking

Do we really need Implements and Tools to Perfect Indian Cooking?

You can always improvise and use whatever you have at home. But there is a reason each cuisine has developed its own tools over the centuries. Every French household has a “Bain-Marie” or a double pan that allows sauces to be cooked in hot water and not straight on the fire. But most households trying their hand at French cooking will just put a pot inside a bigger one filled with water and make do with that. Does it work? Most times. Does it splash water all over as it boils in an unstable equilibrium? Yep.

The same applies to Indian cooking.  After all, a rolling pin is a rolling pin, or is it? There is a reason why these specialized tools are developed by a culture over time: they work better. Should you get them? Well, if you cook Indian food often, absolutely. They are versatile and you can reuse them in the cuisine of many other countries. You decide.

Here are a few basic Implements and Tools to Perfect Indian Cooking, recommended by The Veganary, that will make your life much easier when cooking Indian food:

Pressure cooker / Instant Pot

A pressure cooker is a really indispensable item for cooking Indian meals, because most Indian dishes use some type of legume that needs to be well cooked. You could get by with a regular pot, but a pressurized one will save you both time and money as it takes less than a third of the cooking time. Therefore if you plan on making a few separate Indian dishes, the pressure cooker will prove to be vital equipment.

Try to avoid shortening the cooking time of your beans by adding baking soda. It decreases significantly some of the nutrients (vitamin C, D, riboflavin, thiamine and some essential amino acids) in your legumes and vegetables.

A pressure cooker is definitely on of the first items you should consider getting.

Spice blender

Most modern Indian households nowadays have replaced the mortar and pestle of yesteryear by a spice blender, also called a “Mixi” in India. Nothing tastes as good as freshly blended spices.

Not only for Indian cooking, but in all your recipes try replacing the store-bought stale versions of spices with freshly blended ones. You won’t believe the difference!

Masala dabba spice box

Every cook’s dream is to keep spices fresh and crunchy! The traditional stainless-steel box usually comes with seven boxes, each with a double lid or separate lids for each box. The fun part is that you can customize your box, by marking and labeling it as you like.

Rolling pin and a board

To make everything from chapatis to rotis you will need a rolling pin and if possible, a board to ease the rolling and guide for size. There is a reason why the rolling pin is thin and tapered: small items’ rolling out is better controlled this way. The board really helps and is not just for show. Works also for tacos.

Tawa

In other words, a griddle with no sides for your chapatis and rotis. Pick them up with a pair of large tweezers (also called chimtas or chippos). Use it for your tortillas and tacos too! By eliminating the edges, this pans makes it much easier to flip or turn your flat breads over

Once equipped, here are the absolute BEST GUIDES to transform you into a pro vegan Indian cuisine magician!