Dry Roasting & Broiling

Dry roasting is a commonly used cooking technique to bring out the smoky, toasty, earthy flavours of the spices without the use of oil. In my book dry roasting/broiling is done mostly in traditional Mangalorean curries and dishes to change the flavour of certain spices and enhance their taste. Coriander has a completely different flavour profile when it is raw and dry roasting this spice transforms the flavour of the spice and the dish. Similarly, dry roasting cumin seeds also makes its flavour intense. A good example of this dry roasting is my “Chicken Roce Curry”. The dry roasted ingredients give this curry a complex aroma which is not achieved when the spices are not dry roasted.

To dry roast spices, heat a heavy based fry pan on medium-high heat and add the spices one by one. Most spices take only a minute or two with the smaller spices taking shorter time. The spices are added in succession with those requiring longer cooking added earlier and those requiring less cooking added later. It is important to shake the pan constantly to prevent the spices from burning and catching.

Once completely cooled, these dry roasted spices are ground in a spice grinder or blender and form the customised base for the masala paste or powder.