Utensils

A slotted spoon or wire skimmer is used extensively throughout this book to stir and scoop frying foods out of hot oil. Tongs are used to turn griddled breads as they cook, lift pot lids, and gently transfer delicate ground-meat kabobs from skillet to serving plates—a thin metal spatula is helpful here as well. A mortar and pestle can be useful for grinding spices and making chutneys. Muslin cloth or cheesecloth is used to drain yogurt and fresh paneer cheese. A fine-mesh sieve and a good colander are handy for draining and straining as well. Skewers—either bamboo or metal, thin or wide and flat—are used to make kabobs.