Different Pakistani Cooking Techniques

Throughout Pakistan, cooking methods differ between each region. Three of these techniques will be described here. One technique, however, is dry roasting spices. To do this, you’ll need a pan and spices of your choice. Start off by heating the pan until you can feel the heat on your palm. Add the hardest of the spices first and stir them constantly using medium heat. Once the hard spices start to change color, add the remaining spices while continuing to stir. Roast them all to an even brown. Try not to make the spices too light, this means they are still raw but having them too dark means they are burnt. Remove the spices from the pan, let them cool and then ground/crush.

The second technique is learning how to fry spices. Add oil or ghee to a hot pan. It should get fairly hot before adding the spices otherwise they will become brittle and completely tasteless. Throughout the cooking, the spices should sizzle, pop and splutter at least once. When that happens, the pan should be removed from the hot spot on the stove and the spices should be removed before they are burnt. Remember to add the hardest of the spices first then place the weakest spices in later.

The last technique is how to grind or crush spices. The simplest way is to use coffee/spice mills, pepper mills, a pestle or a mortar to crush spices. However, if you do not have access to any of these tools, place a sheet of greaseproof paper over the roasted spices and crush them with a rolling pin. Using the greaseproof paper will prevent the spices from sticking to the rolling pin or making it smell.