Need For Dehydrating Onions and other Vegetables in India

NOTE: The present note emerged as a result of educational initiatives to reduce hunger and malnutrition in India by https://facebook.com/ohmm11

Scroll towards end for curry and cocktail recipes

Vegetable prices tend to fluctuate widely in India depending upon season and climate and when prices of essential vegetables like onions, tomatoes and potatoes suddenly shoot up they result in great stress on most households. On the other hand, in some seasons there is a glut and farmers are forced to destroy vegetables. A similar situation prevails in several other countries around the world leading to expensive vegetables in some seasons and wastage in others. This note is therefore relevant for almost all countries.

Food processing has been suggested as a means to avoid wastage and reduce price fluctuations. However, while some food processing does not produce very healthy food, particularly when it involves much process and addition of chemicals, the simplest form of food processing, just dehydration is not only the cheapest way of preserving and processing perishables it is also the healthiest since then food is closest to its natural original state. As regards certain essential foods such as wheat and rice, nature does it in the fields for mankind but vegetables such as onions require human participation for the drying process.

Not only onions and tomatoes, but several other vegetables can easily be dehydrated. Once their use is popularized through public relation media campaigns, they can go a long way in eliminating periodic inflation. This is what is said by a dehydrator of onions on the net,

“Dehydrating onions is simple and one of the most practical things to dehydrate, especially if you grow your own onions or get them on sale at a great price--- Canning or freezing onions changes the texture and taste, but dehydrating them then re-hydrating them when you're ready to cook is like having fresh onions. I can't tell that they have been dehydrated when I cook with re-hydrated onions. On top of that, they're super convenient and as I mentioned economical.”

http://selfreliantschool.com/dehydrating-onions-plus-secret-to-getting-the-smell-out/

Not just onions but most any vegetables can be dehydrated and transported over large distances very economically. It is a win-win situation for all from the grower to the consumer and rural employment.

How Can the Government Help?

The government can help by setting up a body dedicated to promotion of dehydrated vegetables and for assisting manufacturers to set up units near producing area. A possible assistance is in giving a five to ten year tax holidays for such unit, assuring power supply or assisting in setting up a wind cum solar power unit. The processor may purchase land on his own and become its owner but the government can assist in quick conversion of land use from agricultural to food processing industrial use and provide the necessary license.

The second aspect of the Dehydrated Vegetable Promotion Board (DVPB ?) would be to run programs on media introducing the use of such foods including free publicity to the major producers during the media program.

A problem with government run boards in India has been that they become corrupt or ineffective or just white elephants. To prevent that the governing board has to be carefully constituted and changed periodically of members who are selected from producers, agricultural scientists and management experts from outside the government and not bureaucrats.

Recipe for North India Gourmet Curries with Dehydrated Onions

A special Indian dinner is incomplete without a curry of meat, chicken, paneer (unprocessed non-melting cheese) or peas. The dish calls for a large amount of onions that have to be fried slowly until they are well browned and disintegrate. It is this part of cooking a curry that makes it a long drawn out and tedious process. Onions contain a lot of moisture and release it slowly during the browning process. If they are not well browned they will not dissolve in the curry but float around in the dish ruining it.  However, when dehydrated onions are used, the task of preparing a curry becomes quick and it tastes just as good. Following is a recipe used in the best of North Indian homes modified for preparation with dehydrated onions for a curry of meat or vegetables that serves two.

http://article.wn.com/view/2014/03/13/10_Scientific_Reasons_To_Eat_Curry/

Ingredients;

Please note curry powder is never used in North Indian curry dishes. It ruins the dish and makes it smell awful. It is a western improper invention.

1. A cup full of any of the following,

Your favorite boneless meat or chicken diced in spoonful size pieces

Paneer cut in pieces

Paneer and peas half and half

Diced potatoes and peas, half and half

2. Half a cup of cooking oil or fat. Olive oil must never be used and mustard oil is one of the best. However half a cup of clarified better is by far the best for the best curries.

3. A tea spoon each of following spices

Cumin seeds

Turmeric

Coriander powder

Red chili powder

Garam Masala (a mix of spices containing ground black peeper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon)

4. One large tomato ( or equivalent dehydrated tomatoes)

Six cloves garlic finely chopped

A small finger of ginger finely chopped

5. A quarter cup of thick cream and or some fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

6. Half a cup of dehydrated onions finely crushed if flaked.

7. Quarter cup yoghurt

Garam Masala is a must have ingredient for any good North Indian curry. See how to prepare your own very easily here:
http://someitemshave.blogspot.in/2014/12/spice-of-life-gourmets-delight.html

Cooking process:

Mix all the dry spices, yoghurt, chopped tomato, ginger and garlic with a bit of water thoroughly in a bowl and set aside but also add to it a level tea spoon of salt to begin with in the bowl. When the dish is done you may wish to add a pinch more to taste.

Add the oil to a thick bottom cooking pot and bring oil to smoking hot. Add in cumin seeds. They should begin spluttering. As soon as they are brown, in less than a minute, add in flaked onions and fry for another minute until onions begin browning then add in 2 tablespoons of water and stir fry till water dries out and onions are well browned. Next, pour in to the pot the  spice and tomato mix from the bowl and fry on slow heat until oil separates and mixture wipes clean off the pot bottom. Now mix in your cup full of meat or paneer or vegetables and fry for another few minutes until it begins to brown. Add in a cup of water, cover and let simmer for half an hour in case of meat or until tender and sooner if paneer or vegetables. Turn off heat, add garnish and cover pot. Leave for fifteen minutes for oil to rise to surface of pot

Exotic touches: An exotic touch is often added to the dish my mixing in a bit of crushed jaggery, lemon juice, adding some blanched almonds or cashew nuts while simmering, adding a dash of rose water or Kewra flower essence when dish is done, and serving covered with edible grade silver foil. If silver foil and rose water is used then it is better to garnish with some red rose petals and cilantro leaves before serving.

Dinner:

For a full dinner, the curried dish is served with flat bread. The Nan or Tandoor bread is the best. Break small bits of bread, fold to make a scoop in right hand only, and pick up the curry in it to eat. Alternatively steamed Basmati rice may be used. A side dish of a green salad or stir fried green seasonal vegetables is a must to complete the dinner. Well cultured Indians use the right hand only for eating and never the left that may be be used for personal cleaning, scratching etc.

Cocktail Drink: Cream of Punjab

Indian dinner is usually served with plain water and not wine. In hot summers however it may be served with a drink of Lassi which is well blended half water and half yoghurt with a pinch of salt or a spoonful of sugar. An alcoholic version is to mix half coke and half yoghurt (begins frothing and becomes creamy) with 30 ml Gin added to it. (A cocktail called Cream of Punjab by this author)  

To prepare drink add yoghurt first in little less than half the glass, Stir with a whisk or spoon, add gin, and coke last. Do not shake or stir, the fizz will do the mixing. There is no need for ice if you begin with chilled coke and yoghurt otherwise a little crushed ice may be added on top, dusted with a little icing sugar. For special occasions a red or white partially open rose with stem cleaned of leaves and thorns may be placed in glass with rose on side just above the glass.

A Royal Moghul picnic feast with roast and curry depicted in Moghul Miniature painting

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