Transcript:

Why? Because the next thing you add in the tempering is curry leaves and green chilies. And if the oil is too hot, the curry leaves will be sintered. They'll be all charred black. And that's not good. So, the oil has to be reduced in temperature before the curry leaves go in. Following the curry leaves and the green chilies goes in asafoetida, or hing. Because asafoetida is also very pungent and very powerful spice, but it is temperature unstable. You heat it too much, it becomes brown, and it denatures. So, that is the asafoetida.

After that, you add turmeric, or haldi. You add turmeric. So, turmeric goes in last because now the oil is cool enough for the turmeric to be assimilated and all the nutrients of the turmeric to be extracted in oil.

The reason we use oil is because all of these spices are lipophilic. Lipophilic means what? They don't dissolve in water. They are not hydrophilic. They are lipophilic. So, that is why you need the oil to dissolve these spices into the water so that when it is mixed in the vegetables, the spices are integrated in the entire vegetable.

This is the method.