Smoking food, an age-old technique, makes a comeback to kitchens as chefs aim for more complex flavours

Smoke is wafting back into food menus across India. While every sort of ingredient/dish, from meats and olive oil to cheese, vegetables and even cocktails, is now getting the smoked treatment, this technique still remains the most popular method for tenderising and flavouring meats. Chefs may now seemingly be fascinated with smoking to impart flavour and aroma to their dishes, and perhaps create some drama, but this is not the first time that smoking has entered kitchens.

The reddish-brown colour of meat in the olden days was distinct, owing to being subjected to the smoking process. This was done primarily to preserve it, as smoking helps to form an outer layer coating the meat, thereby preventing bacteria from growing.

While oak-smoked, slow-cooked pork ribs globally create a flurry, smoking has been an intrinsic technique in ancient Indian kitchens too.

An age-old technique

Although it is as old as fire, the technique of smoking food seems to be experiencing a resurgence at the moment. If the kitchens of tribal communities have been hanging raw meat on chimney flue to smoke the meat in order to preserve it, the Dogris in Jammu too, have been smoking the pumpkin for the ambal, a sweet and sour preparation, and even the popular khatta mutton. In Bengal, smoke imparts great depth of flavour and balances out the rich Rohu fish.

In Awadhi cuisine, a shallow utensil or lagan is used to marinate the meat. A small bay is made at the centre of the dish and a betel leaf, onion skin, clay bowl or just a small steel bowl is placed. In it, a piece of live burning coal is placed and then melted ghee is poured over, to create smoke. Sometimes, ghee is also mixed with aromatic herbs or spices. The moment it smokes, a lid is used to cover the utensil, to prevent the escape of smoke. After some time, the coal is removed from the utensil and the dish is cooked. This age-old technique of smoking, called dhungar, is being revived by chefs now and used to smoke dals, curries, meats and even raitas.

Chef Manisha Bhasin, senior executive chef, ITC Maurya, adds, “Using this technique of coal smoking, the aroma and flavour of the food acquires another layer and a unique flavour profile. Awadhi cuisine is famous for its elaborate dishes such as briyanis, kormas, kebabs, and the dum pukht style of slow-cooking, where the dhungar technique is used extensively. Charcoal adds a smoky flavour to food without actually cooking it, and a hint of spice can be imparted by adding it roughly to the crushed coal.”

The legendary Goa sausages, or Chorizo, prepared with salted and spiced cubes of pork, are often hung as strings in the sun, above the fire where they are gradually smoked. Mackerel, too, is smoked in hay by burning it and the salt crust is then removed before eating, which enables the palate to taste the smoky and earthy flavours. Chhum, or smoked pork with mustard leaves, is a popular smoked dish from Mizoram.

Chef Amninder Sandhu of Arth also cites examples of dishes like baingan bharta and litti chokha, which have been making use of smoking since time immemorial. She elaborates, “In the North East, smoking is used to make rice wine and cure meats, while in Rajasthan it is used post-marination to make kebabs like maas ke soole. It imparts a rustic and ethnic smoky flavour.”

Uplifting flavour

The infusion of smoke gives dishes that final umami lift of flavour, resulting in a flavour complexity that chefs seek. Chef Manu Chandra creates a spicy fish broth made of smoked fish bones at Toast & Tonic. A paste of fresh bamboo shoots with dried coconut is added to this, and the result is a flavourful dish. Chef Thashvin Muckatira of Plan B Bengaluru, zealous about experimenting with smoke, uses a lot of smoked pork in his menu, as he feels the flavours are unparalleled.

These are not the only chefs smitten by smoke. Chef Krishnakutty’s The Smoke Co, Bengaluru, dishes out pulled pork, smoked for 18 hours. Such is his passion that he has even built his own smoker, which uses locally-sourced mango wood. Dal bukhara served at the iconic Bukhara, ITC Maurya, gets its smoky flavour from the tandoor. Pre-soaked dal is left on the tandoor overnight to absorb the heat of dying embers. The pot is transferred to a stove while seasoning is added and it is slow-cooked on embers for 24 hours.

The Boston Butt Mumbai, India’s first smoker, charcuterie, bar and café, has four customised classic offset smokers, for different types of ingredients, temperatures, and stages. They serve smoked dishes in each course, including bread, potato skins and a blackened chicken, apart from meats.

Getting it right

Chefs unanimously caution that one should not overdo smoking. Smoke is meant to enhance the flavours, but a diner must taste the protein, the veggies, too. The kind of wood used for hot smoking impacts the final flavour. Oak is a classic mellow choice, a good all-rounder, while apple wood is sweet and light, good for chicken and fish. Home chefs often make use of loose tea leaves too. In cold smoking, apt for cheese and butter, the temperatures are lower. Often, chefs substitute this with a smoking gun, which lends the same flavours, but is more hassle-free.