Indian traditional kitchen makes most of the lovely families so nostalgic because of the innumerable stories allied with it. Houses that have seen generations, undoubtedly have lots of stories for each stone. Hope you can relate to it!
Typical and traditional kitchens usually hold a lot of utensils made of diverse materials and in various shapes and sizes. Are we not fascinated by some of the vintage bronze and brass pots owned by our lovely nannies? Interestingly, they all serve a purpose. Some of them are even passed down to generations.
In contrast, Modern day kitchen setup is not so complex as the traditional kitchen. The Switch from the joint to elementary style of living has brought down the demand to minimal and so we have landed on a theory of minimalist kitchen.
A variety of cooking utensils are found in the market these days. The striking ads from the top-notch brands attract the customers and sometimes we fall into the trap of buying things over and over again. Limiting purchases not only saves the pocket but also saves time and energy and helps us attain contentment. In this article, I have listed the essential vessels/cookware used in everyday Indian cooking.
1. Tadka / Tempering Pan
This tiny pot is very versatile and super handy. One of the must-haves in the Indian kitchen. Tempering is elemental in Indian cooking. It makes the dish more flavorsome. The sizzling sound of the tempering and the aroma that’s released from this process is so inviting. Tempering or tadka is usually done either at the start of the cooking process or at the end of the cooking. Tempering is done by heating oil or ghee and season it with whole spices, curry leaves, onions, Chilly, etc.
Iron tadka pans are perfect for cooking on high heat because the spices and other ingredients used in tempering are evenly roasted.
2.Iron Kadai – Small, Medium and Large
Iron cookware is greatly known for durability and food safety. Very well maintained and seasoned Iron Kadai’s are the best alternates for non-stick pans. This type of Kadai heats evenly and retains the temperature for a little longer than the other utensils and so, it helps in even & fast cooking. Well-Seasoned iron Kadai’s can be used to make any sort of dishes that require Less oil, Sauteing, Shallow frying, Deep-frying, and so on. Keeping different-sized Iron Kadai’s is great for most purposes.
3. Stainless Steel Pan
The majority of the Indian traditional cuisine is merely a blend of tastes. Tartness being one of the most Important flavors, beautifully lays the foundation in the vast majority of curries and gravies. Despite the benefits brought in by the iron cookware, the limitation they have in terms of cooking acidic sauces drives us to look for better alternatives. Having a few non-reactive pans such as stainless steel, enamel-coated pans will do a lot in the kitchen.
4. Pressure cooker set
Investing in different sized cookers assuredly saves a large amount of fuel and time in the kitchen. With a cooker, what not you can do?! Anything can be cooked so perfectly just by following the measurement and the temperature setting. 2 Litres, 5 liters, and 10 liters are best suited for a family of 4. Opting out an induction-based pressure cooker prevents momentary surprises offered by the stovetops.
5.Dosa / Roti Tawa
Are Roti & Dosa tawas same?
This is one of the most common questions that arisen when talking about dosa Tawa/griddle. There is no hard rule to keep a separate tawa for making dosa and roti. But, Keeping so is less chaotic. The tawa used to make Roti often wears off its season because of the exposure to high temperature and oil-free preparation. Over the period, these roti tawas become less suitable to make Dosa’s and result in dosa/uthappam sticking to the pan. Well-seasoned Iron tawas equally distributes heat and makes beautiful crispier dosas each time. In Roti making, Iron or hard-anodized tawas does a decent job.
Optional
Above are the basic cookwares largely used in everyday Indian cooking. Apart from these, skillets, saucepan, frypan, Saute pan, Grill pan, and Wok are some of the sophisticated optional cookwares. The function of many of these is very well done by the basic Kadai’s and pans. Hence, a wise selection of cookwares gets you closer to minimalist living.