Indian Tadka - Tempering of spices

Indian Tadka or tempering is a very old Indian technique of seeking out flavor from spices. In this post, I will show you how to make tadka and how I make it in bulk and use it for the month. But first lets understand it a bit more.

Tadka is the ultimate secret of Indian kitchens that's not really a secret but a superpower! It's what defines Indian cooking. Every region has it's version - chowk in Hindi, phodni in Marathi, thalippu in Tamil, and bagar in Bengali and finally its called tempering in English.

As per the author of the book Masala Lab, it's molecular gastronomy, way before it became cool . If you want, you can learn more about the science of it, you should watch his video here.

What is Indian Tadka

This is an Indian cooking technique in which we heat oil to 165-170 degrees and add spices, whole and ground, to it for maximum flavor extraction.The whole process lasts about 30 seconds.

This oil concoction is then added on top of dishes like dal or khichdi. It's usually a spicy, smoky umami, and full of unimaginable flavor. Most indian curries start and end with tadkas, for example this dal tadka or this kerala chicken curry not only start with us heating oil, but also end with us pouring tempered oil at the end.

It's added to curries, drinks like buttermilk, and whole dishes like curd rice and dhokla. Some dishes are entirely defined by the tadka, like this dahi tadka.On it's own, it's just yogurt, but with the tempering, it's a sublime concotion that's not only soothing but also addictively delicious!

I fondly remember seeing my mom and aunt finish the dal with a tadka just before serving it. Though the process isn't long, it is an added step to the overall cooking.

The only thing I dislike about tadka is how the whole house smells afterward. Especially if you live outside India in centrally air-conditioned houses, the whole house smells like cumin and chili. And if you do it wrong, then everyone in the house starts to cough. This is one of the reasons I decided to make a larger batch of tadka. That way I make this once a fortnight or month and I also get to have spicy flavorsome food.

Ingredients for Tadka

Every region has it's own specific tadka. The spices and herbs used vary, but two things remain the same- use of fat and spices. In this post I make two tadka bottles- South indian and North indian.

North Indian Tadka

The fat is usually oil, like mustard oil or ghee. The spices are cumin, asafoetida, and red chili powder. Sometimes, we also add crushed or whole coriander seeds, mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, green chilies, methi seeds, and whole red chilies. You can do as elaborate or as small as possible.

South Indian Tadka

The fat is usually oil—coconut oil, groundnut oil, or sesame oil. The spices are mustard seeds, curry leaves, and green chili. White urad dal, ginger, garlic, red chili, and ground red chili are also added.

How to make Tadka

You know those viral chili oil videos you see? Tadka is very much like that, but instead of pouring hot oil on the chilies, you do the opposite. Let me explain.

Take a small pan. Special tadka pans allow you to make tadka with very little oil, too.

Heat the oil until it's sizzling hot, just before it starts smoking, around 170 C. To test the heat, add a single mustard seed or cumin. If it pops and sizzles, then the oil is ready.

If the oil is too hot, the spices will burn, and if it's not hot enough, the flavors won't infuse.

After this, it's go time. Your prep should already be done, everything laid out, and ready to be put in the piping hot oil. The rookiest of rookie mistakes would be to get your ingredients out after the oil is hot. Don't do it!

If you have all the ingredients on hand, you can make it in about 20 seconds. This tadka is possibly why Indians keep spices in the spice box. They can access the spices quickly without fiddling with the bottle caps and whatnot.

Once the oil is hot enough, you add the whole spices - cumin or mustard seeds first, followed by whole herbs- ginger, garlic, or curry leaves. Let it sizzle and become slightly brown. Because the oil is super hot, you have to watch for the color. It can burn in a matter of seconds.

Once the garlic just starts to turn brown, add the cumin, asafoetida, and ground coriander seeds. Lastly, switch off the heat and add the ground chili powder. Chili powder tends to burn easily and smokes up the house.

Be careful when you add chili. It's always last thing you add , after your turn of the heat.

Now your tadka is ready. You can add a spoonful of it on top of your dal or curry while serving.

Big Batch Tadka

After coming to the US,I cook a lot( read that as every single meal). My son has to be able to eat anything I make, so it can't be too spicy. But that leaves the grown-ups with bland food.

That's when I decided to look into making a jar of tadka, which you can just drizzle over your curries and dal chawal for that extra smoky flavor kick. It stays on the counter for 2-3 months.

To make a big batch of tadka, you can use a small stainless steel frying pan.

Add a neutral oil that can withstand high-temperature cooking. You could add ghee, too, but ghee tends to solidify in cold places.

I wanted it a little chunky, so I added crushed coriander seeds and chili flakes, too. I also added a bit of salt so that the tadka doesn't get spoilt.

How to use

I have quite a few recipes on my website which need a tadka or tempering on them.

The obvsiou being dal tadka ,kadhi, chutneys ,salads, curd rice,palak paneer, dahi tadka and buttermilk.

You can also use it how you would use chili oil , in chili fried egg, turkish eggs and avocado toasts.

Tadka Pot

Special tadka pots are an essential part of indian cooking. It's probably the first thing you buy after a pressure cooker.

You have to look for something that can withstand high temperatures, so nothing nonstick, something deep, and you can make tadka with little oil too.

If you have a glass top stove, then you need something induction freidnly, otherwise a good heavy stainless steel or cast iron ladle also works. Though I like something that can be placed on the heat without toppling.

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