Tadka also known as tarka refers to both a technique and the oil produced. This oil adds an extra layer of flavor and texture to many Indian dishes.
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 inHouseRecipes | 2010-08-29 16:12:03 |  44,757 Views |
How to make Tadka inHouseRecipes.com
There are many ways to extract flavor from dried spices but in India they are often soaked in hot fat. This technique produces an infused oil called tadka also known as chaunk (chhonk) baghaar and many other names. The word tadka is used to refer to both the cooking method and the spiced liquid fat.
While many cooking techniques are born out of necessity and practicality I’m fascinated by the science behind them which often proves why they work. That’s what inspired me to write my upcoming book The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained out in October. With many spices (and even herbs) the aromatic molecules responsible for flavor are highly volatile. Drying spices “freezes” these flavor molecules in place (to a certain extent and for a limited time) and extends their shelf life. But drying also diminishes the potency of their aroma and flavor. Cooks around the world have developed numerous ways to “thaw” them or extract and enhance them.
Applying heat to most dried spices a technique called tempering draws out these scents giving them a stronger flavor experience when they hit your tongue. (We’ll go into this in more detail later.) Heat can also convert some of the flavor molecules in spices into new more palatable ones or it can tone down their pungency. (It also removes moisture that has accumulated over time during storage.) The end result is a heightened sensory experience that otherwise wouldn’t be achieved in the absence of heat. Some cooks dry-roast spices; others pound whole spices with wet ingredients before reheating them. But I’m most interested in tadka so I looked at the physical and chemical reactions that occur when dried spices are tempered in hot oil.
