Gujarati Sweet & Sour Tempering
A unique liquid tempering used primarily for steaming Gujarati snacks like Dhokla and Khaman. It provides moisture, spice, sweetness, and a sour kick all at once.
Ingredients
The Method
Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat.
Chef's Secret
Do not use intensely flavored oils like mustard oil here, as it will overpower the gentle, sweet-sour balance needed for snacks like dhokla.
Add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle and pop, carefully add the slit green chilies and fresh curry leaves.
The Science
Slitting the chilies rather than chopping them infuses the oil with a gentle heat and capsicum flavor without turning the liquid overwhelmingly spicy.
Add the white sesame seeds and sauté for just 5-10 seconds. Be careful, as sesame seeds burn very quickly in hot oil.
Chef's Secret
The sesame seeds provide a distinctive nuttiness, but if they turn dark brown, the tadka will taste scorched.
Stand back slightly and carefully pour the water into the pan. It will vigorously splutter and steam initially as it hits the hot oil.
The Science
Unlike most tadkas which are just flavored fat, this is an emulsion. The water acts as a carrier fluid to deliver the sweet and sour flavors deep into the porous, sponge-like crumb of steamed snacks.
Stir in the sugar and let the mixture come to a rapid boil for 1 minute until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Chef's Secret
Boiling the sugar water ensures it forms a very light syrup rather than just standing water, which coats the food better.
Turn off the heat. Stir in the fresh lemon juice.
The Science
Adding lemon juice off the heat preserves its bright, volatile acidic notes and prevents Vitamin C from degrading due to boiling.
Spoon the hot, liquid tempering evenly over the sliced Dhokla or Handvo so it can soak it up.