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I have a number of Indian recipes I really like but they all call for a lot of oil, usually 3-6 tablespoons. I've figured out I can do without the oil except for one thing - Many of the recipes call for seeds, e.g. cumin seeds, to be placed in the hot oil until they start cracking or popping, then other ingredients are added.

The problem - water and other liquids do not get hot enough to pop the seeds. Is this step really necessary or can the seeds be "cracked" in a coffee grinder first? Or does heating the seeds impart more flavor or...???

Thanks!

I wonder if they pop or just jump around under bubbles produced by the hot oil. Anyway, you're looking to brown them for flavor. A dry pan works or a minute in the microwave. No need for any oil!

I make Indian food often and have been experimenting with this a lot recently. Black mustard seeds are the ones most commonly used which will actually pop (and fly out of the pan). I have found they'll do this if the pan is hot enough - no oil needed.

I keep a small jug of water next to the stove so if it smells like anything's burning I quickly add a Tbs of two of water. Sometimes a recipe will call for browning spices first then adding garlic and/or ginger, in which case I add a little water when I add the garlic.

Ron, you may find these videos interesting. They are mostly Mcdougall friendly, or very easily made mcdougal friendly. In one of them she explains roasting spices in a dry hot pan.
http://kickstartindia.pcrm.org/webcasts/index.cfm

Thanks for the replies! I was unsure as to why the seeds had to be heated to "popping" - simply to crack the seeds, toast them, or if the heat caused some kind of chemical reaction/change. Thought about trying a dry pan but I use non-stick pans and didn't want to risk heating them to the point where they start giving off the poisonous gasses (400°-500°) but might give it a try. Also might try microwaving them like popcorn!

Greentea, thanks for the video link. They are interesting.

I cook my curries in a large pot and believe the seeds pop without oil! I make sure I heat it up for a few minutes before I put anything in it, maybe that makes the difference.

Ive actually seen a book on oil free indian cooking i want to get. Its called Sanjeev Kapoors no oil vegetarian cooking or something. I think it would probably be helpful with spices, that and its written by an Indian!

I cook a lot on Indian food, here is why they are cooked in oil: It brings out the flavour in the spices, plus it infuses the oil with the flavour of the spices.

Here is what I do:

I have a small non-stick pan (and I have a lid to cover it if I'm toasting mustard seeds), and that's it! I dry toast them! Once I feel they're done (you can smell them), this takes about 30 seconds, I put them in my mortar and pestle (or spice grinder if you wish) and grind them up. It makes Indian food so much better if you toast them first.

Note: If you smell popcorn, even though it does smell good, it means you have toasted your seeds for too long. They're starting to get burnt.