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Chef's Corner

Flames for flavour

It's not just about turning on and off the stove. Good cooking requires just the right temperature

THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT The temperature of the fire determines the taste and texture of the food PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT

Some say the world will end in ice, some in water. From what I have experienced of life, it has to be fire. From a simple meal to a marriage ceremony to the last rites, Agni, much revered from the Vedic age, is an integral part of life for most Indians. But how much do we really know about fire?

It might cook, fry and roast but all this may go waste if one does not know the right temperature required for cooking. After all, after eating there should not be fire in the belly! Almost all foods need fire for cooking but they all need different temperatures to give the best results in terms of aroma, nutrients, appearance and taste. Simply put, some foods are cooked best on low heat and some on high heat.

Take most Indian foods. The most frequent term used is roasted - or the housewife's `bhunao'. The best roasting actually happens on a slow fire. The idea is actually to cook food gradually. Almost all gravies of Indian food are best cooked on a slow fire as that helps in extracting the maximum juice of herbs and spices. Same is the case with dal makhni, which is known to taste better when cooked on a slow fire almost all night. It gives the dal a silken butter feel.

But at times Indian cooking is a combination of high fire and low fire. Almost all koftas are best done in oil set on high heat for a few moments, just to seal the outside. Then they are immersed in the low heated oil to cook from inside. Tandoori chicken is best when cooked on high heat first, sealing all the juices inside, and then cooking it at a lower temperature, making sure the heat reaches inside.

Similarly, the char grill of the steak house, which has one corner for high heat and one for low. The steak is always first cooked on the high heat to seal the juices. Then the steak is shifted to the lower temperature corner, depending on the kind of steak and degree of cooking demanded: rare, medium or well done.

Chinese food mostly requires high heat, to the extent that Chinese gas ranges are specially designed with different high-pressure burners. The wok used in Chinese cuisine is made thin bottomed so that the heat gets transferred fastest! Chinese food tastes better when it is cooked on high heat. You may not really enjoy noodles that have been cooked on a slow fire for nearly 30 minutes. In Chinese food, the idea behind high heat cooking is to seal the food from outside, resulting in the sealing of the nutrients within as well. Chinese food is mostly about stir-fry that is best done on high heat.

Now on to the recipe.

This time it is a Vietnamese dish made on high heat.

Vegetarian Rice Noodles With Seasonal Vegetables

Ingredients

300 gm rice noodles
3 tbs vegetable oil
3 sprigs Thai basil
7-8 pods chopped garlic
1.5 cup bean sprouts
Half cup sliced onion
Quarter cup shredded carrot
Quarter cup sliced mushroom
Half cup shredded snow peas
2 shredded red chillies
1 spring onion, cut in 1-inch fingers
Quarter tsp paprika
1 tbs sugar
One fifth cup soya sauce
One fifth cup lime juice
3 tbs crushed peanuts
1 lemon cut into quarters
Quarter cup chopped coriander

Method

Cook the noodles in boiling water until al dente (cooked but firm to bite). Drain well in a colander.

Rinse immediately under cold running water. Drain again. Spread on a large plate and set aside.

If you are not using them immediately, add a little oil, mix well and set aside. This is to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.

Now, heat oil in a wok or skillet. Once hot, add basil leaves and stir-fry for a few seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towel. Set aside. Add garlic and stir-fry over high flame for a few seconds.

Add the remaining vegetables. Stir-fry until cooked but crunchy (takes about 2 minutes).

Add the noodles, paprika, soy sauce, sugar and limejuice. Stir-fry till the noodles are thoroughly mixed with all ingredients and heated through.

Transfer to a serving dish.

Garnish with fried basil leaves, coriander leaves, peanuts and lime wedges. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

RAKESH KUMAR

(The author, a Limca Book of Records, title holder, is Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza. He can be emailed at chefrk@crowneplazadelhi.com)

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