Dum

This means cooking in steam. It is done by transferring the pan to hot ashes and placing live charcoal on the saucer-shaped lid. Cooking proceeds very slowly because heat is very gentle and the charcoal on the lid does not allow the steam to condense.

The nearest English equivalent is very gentle casseroling in the oven with a lid on the dish.

Dum is made use of when the meat has become sufficiently tender and the curry is nearly ready. It brings the ghee to the top of the gravy (previously the ghee and the gravy form a homogeneous mixture) and thus improves its appearance. In addition to making the meat tender it enhances the flavours and dries up the last traces of water. This technique is used in the final stage of cooking dal (split beans), meat or vegetable curry or a rice pullao.