Hello kids!

Today, we're going to have a little session on gravies for Indian dishes,
by popular consumer demand. So pay a little attention and maybe some broad
ideas on gravies will come through.

Naturally, there are many kinds of gravies and nothing here is meant to be
a complete catalogue or an iron-clad diktat. Rather, I'll just outline some
ideas that you can use to make your own gravies. If you have any questions,
I'll be glad to taste your cooking.

1. Diced onions and tomatoes
Preparation: Dice onions finely. Dice tomatoes into whatever granularity
you like, or use canned tomatoes, tomato paste, whatever. Heat oil, put in
some spices, put in the onions and saute till the onions are caramelised.
Add the tomatoes and keep sauteing till the tomatoes lose shape (taking
care not to burn the tomatoes). Add more spices and water.
Spices: Cumin seed, maybe mustard seeds. As always, if using these, you
have to put them in before the onions - pop the mustard, brown the cumin
and then add the onions to the oil. Coriander powder is good, either before
the onions or any time after. Turmeric powder immediately before the onions
is good. If using dried red chillies, that can go before the onions but
don't burn them. Or put them later. Garlic, ginger and chillies can go in
before the onions too. Garam masala would be after, if desired.
Dishes: Canned or pre-cooked chick peas cooked in this gravy are yummy. Let
the gravy soak in by cooking on low for about 20 minutes before serving.
Try not to use vegetables that will let out water since that makes the
gravy too watery. Potatoes, on the other hand absorb water and that may
make the dish too dry. Chicken in this gravy won't be bad at all. Okra is
very good if used fresh or frozen but not slimy. If using canned or
pre-cooked kidney beans, you can make an Indian chili out of this.

2. Ground onions
Preparation: Dice onions coarsely. Saute them in a little oil lightly with
or without whole spices. Grind to a paste in a blender or food processor
with some water. Re-saute the paste in some oil. The first sauteeing can be
done as much or as little as you want - you can even dispense with it
altogether. Little early sauteeing gives the gravy a pungent taste of raw
onions that I don't always like. Worse, that taste doesn't entirely go away
in the second sauteeing. Be warned. Dilute the gravy when the onions get
cooked with water.
Spices: The usual Indian spices are all good either whole initially and
then ground up, or powdered and added later during the second stage.
Dishes: Boiled potatoes with or without green peas makes a good khorma.
Chicken won't be bad either. Cauliflower may be good.

3. Yoghurt-like
Preparation: Blend yoghurt, spices and some water. Richer alternatives to
yoghurt are sour cream and cream cheese. Add to pre-sauteed vegetables.
Spices: Coriander goes pretty well with yoghurt, strangely. I would be wary
of adding garlic, though you could add it to the vegetables. Other than
that, almost anything goes. Some tomatoes with the yoghurt is good, but
tomatoes are acidic, so don't put too many or keep the paste too long
before using it. Also, a problem with yoghurt pastes is that you cannot
heat them for too long or else they'll curdle, and that's usually yucky.
Dishes: It's hard to cook well with just yoghurt gravy. Usually, you cook
the vegetables or meats beforehand and then add the gravy at the end for a
little heating. Well-marinated and cooked lamb would be heavenly. Potatoes
may be good too, but potatoes absorb water and that may leave the yoghurt
slimy. Squash may be a good idea since it lets out water. From personal
experience, don't try beans.

4. Nuts
Preparation: Blend nuts, spices and some water into creamy paste. Peanuts
or cashews are the best choices, though almonds or walnuts are not far
behind. As you can imagine, this gravy is rich, both in taste and in cost.
Dilute the gravy with water as needed. Heat a little oil, add some spices
or onions and then add the gravy to it.
Spices: I like these gravies to be well-spiced, though not necessarily
spicy. Lots of cloves in a cashew gravy is very yummy. Garlic is almost de
rigeur. A small amount of diced and caramelised onions lends an interesting
texture to the dish - add the paste to the onions. Be incestuous: some
browned cashews (or almonds) in a cashew gravy perhaps? Try raisins too.
Dishes: Meat and potatoes. Boiled and skinned potatoes in cashew gravy is
exactly the khorma my Mom makes and I love. You can cook chicken in the
gravy itself, but be sure to stir often else the gravy will stick to the
pan. Garnish with cilantro or parsley. Peas go well with this gravy.
Cauliflower wouldn't be bad. In a peanut gravy, try putting some sesame
oil, browned sesame seeds, basil and extra chillies for a (spicy) Thai-type
gravy. An almond gravy is very delicate so don't over-spice it.

5. Miscellaneous
Preparation: Pretty much spices plus something that gives body. Spinach
makes good, healthy gravy. Make sure it becomes pasty. Adding butter or a
little cream may make it so. Peas gravy is good for the bold-hearted. It's
easy to grind, but people may not like the strong, sweetish taste of peas.
Roasted and then pureed eggplant makes a smooth creamy gravy reminiscent of
baba ghanoush.
Spices: Coconut gratings go well with peas gravy. Coriander and chillies
would be good in the spinach gravy. Spicy eggplant gravy may be just what
you'd like to eat.
Dishes: Tofu (or paneer, if you can find it) optionally fried and then
dipped in spinach gravy is palak paneer. I haven't done much meat cooking
in wacky gravies since I don't trust myself to cook meat well.

6. Hybrids
You saw that coming, didn't you? There's no reason why you shouldn't mix
gravies for particular dishes. Keep some basics in mind: don't overcook
yoghurt, beware of raw onions, nut gravies are sometimes delicate, tomatoes
are acidic, that kind of thing. Gravies found in Indian restaurants are
often hybrids. For example, for a generic masala, they might use cream
cheese and tomatoes for a rich and red gravy. Or cilantro and well-sauteed
onions for a green gravy. When making dishes with gravies, usually you want
the gravy to seep into the meat or vegetables for a fuller taste. You want
the gravy to dominate the taste of the dish with the vegetables in there
just for nutrition and substance.

Final reminders, all. Gravied dishes go well with plain rice, pilafs or
Indian breads like rotis, naans and parathas. Raw onions, lemon juice and
chopped cilantro are good garnishes. Regehr, lots of chillies won't hurt
the gravies, just the guests. Glenn, don't forget to add salt. Anh and
Karine, you can reduce chillies and add other spices like cinnamon (just a
dash!) or Italian spices, just to mix things up. Chenxi and John, you guys
know what you're doing. Karro, I don't know enough about your cooking to
give specific advice; rectify that anomaly. Enjoy!

Nuts