Dhungar : Smoking

Dhungar is an ancient technique of smoking and infusing the flavor of burnt charcoal smoke into a dish. This technique was marked during ancient time when Mughals came to India (Bharat ; Ancient name for India) they brought this technique with them . Initially they use to dig a hole in the ground  then they use to wrap the food product in many layers of banana leaves and they use to put the wrapped stuff in the pit surrounded by burning charcoals and then they use to put clarified butter (Ghee) over those coal and then as soon as smoke got started they use to seal it with a cover , the same process use to take place for quite a long period but this ends up with over cooking of final product which after few years they realized that they should reduce the time span for proper flavor of food.

After few years this technique fell over at right place where in instead of digging a hole all together they used whole pot with a curry full of it and use to place a small bowl in the middle which should float on the top and in that bowl they use to place this burning charcoals and whole spices then from the top they use to pour the ghee and then use to put the lid eventually this became a trend in modern Indian cuisine .  But this  technique seems to be lost now because chefs in India hesitate to use this technique as they think the actual flavor after using this technique seems to be lost. 

Here is a brief way how this technique actually works.



                                          The Dhungar Method of Smoking

You will need:

• 1 onion, peeled and the center hollowed out
  
• 1 small piece (about 2 inches) of natural lump charcoal
  
• 1/4 teaspoon clarified butter or ghee which can also be mixed with some whole spices lightly ground, if desired
  

Place the piece of natural lump charcoal directly on top of a gas burner. With the heat on full, burn the charcoal directly over the flames, turning the charcoal around using long tongs, so the flames reach all sides of the charcoal. The charcoal might spark a little but I have not found this to be a problem.

Center the onion in the saucepan or dish (a lid is needed) containing the food ready for smoking, make sure the onion is not completely submerged in the food. Once the coal is ready use the tongs to transfer the hot coal into the center of the onion.

I usual do the next part outside on my kitchen windowsill, apart from not wanting to set the fire alarm off, the smoke can leave a  smokey aroma in the kitchen for a day or two, 

Taking a quarter teaspoon of clarified butter or ghee (maybe mixed with some spices), drop this over the hot coal. The coal will immediately start emitting a dense white smoke, have the lid ready and quickly cover the saucepan or dish. This smoke trapped inside will infuse a unique smokey flavour into what ever food has been placed into the saucepan or dish. Usually I smoke the food for about 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, depending on the recipe.

Afterwards carefully remove the onion with the hot charcoal from the food, leave to cool before discarding! 

This is how exactly it works, it has a great impact on my life because i saw this technique at a place who claims that his ancestors has invented this technique of dhungar but there is no hard proof for it. 

             How has this affected me ?


This technique has affected me to such an extent  that when i learned this technique i started smoking every food item from salad to main course items but now only dessert items are in queue.