Vagaar

Vagaar means the captured aroma of selected whole spices through a tempering that is a highly important and integral process of Indian cooking. A well prepared dish should have not only the right flavour of spices, masalas and herbs but the warmth and aroma of spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and cumin. This is only possible if a good vagaar is made.

When a recipe calls for a vagaar, it simply means that you must heat a small quantity of oil or ghee to a high temperature in the saucepan. Place your selected spices (seeds) in the saucepan replacing the lid immediately to avoid losing the aroma that the heated seeds will emit within a few seconds. Then add the first ingredients of the recipe (like chopped onions) quickly once again covering the saucepan immediately to secure the aroma.

If you burn your vagaar spices, be sure to start all over again.