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Like they say angrez chale gaye, sorry chordh gaye, we think that Italians left their pasta with us too, although they didn’t really come to India actually. The craze for pasta across cultures and classes is an epic scene to watch. Pick any restaurant or café in a metro city and the two things that are guaranteed to be found on their menu is pizza and pasta. Pasta, for the unversed, is unleavened flour dough that is mixed with water and eggs to make the thick and solid shapes. Oh yes, pasta comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. From the ribbon-shaped pasta called tagliatelle to the classic penne and fusilli, there is no dearth of the type of pastas that are available these days. Long strands like spaghetti, fettucine and linguine might look like noodles but are also a kind of pasta.
Next up, the sauces in which they are cooked are also plenty. Sundried tomatoes to an earthy pesto sauce, creamy alfredo to juicy Bolognese, you can make a sauce out of anything and everything and the pasta will taste delicious. In most Italian cooking, olive oil steals the show with its rustic flavour that enhances most dishes. Along with this, leafy green vegetables are also essential components of Italian cuisine. An interesting fact about pasta is that although it is mostly associated with Italian cuisine, the historic records suggest something else. It is believed by historians that the Asian noodles were predecessors of the Italian pasta and it was Marco Polo who travelled back to Italy after his voyage in China in the 13th century that brought this concept to the city.
Even the cooking techniques of pasta are diverse. There’s the al dente stage of pasta which everyone strives of achieve while cooking it. Al dente refers to the time when the texture of the pasta is soft and chewy at the same time. Do you want to cook the perfect pasta at home yet struggle to do it?
Let’s hear it from the expert herself, Chef Sneha Singhi about the tips and tricks that you should keep in mind while making pasta so that it turns out perfect. Here are a few things that she recommends that you should keep in mind.
- Start with a pot of water and salt it well. I add 1tbsp salt to about 2.5-3lts water. This is the only opportunity we have to salt the pasta by itself.
- Never add olive oil/ oil to the water or to the pasta once it’s boiled, you’ll only end up with greasy pasta and also, the sauce won’t stick to the pasta well.
- Drop in the pasta only once the water has come to a rolling boil. Drop and stir it. This prevents the it from becoming sticky.
- Cook it for exactly the amount of time mentioned on the package. Every pasta/ brand has a different cooking time, just follow the instructions mentioned on every different brand package you use.
Note: Pasta is meant to be cooked to an 'al dente' which means tender but firm to the tooth. If your pasta will be cooking after the boiling with sauce, you can remove it from the water slightly before the al dente stage. However if you don’t like it al dente, cook it for an extra minute.
- Always save some of the pasta water. This according to me is the backbone to any good pasta dish. This salty and starchy water adds so much more flavour to the dish.
- Drain your pasta enough to remove most of the water, but don’t let drained pasta sit and dry off. As it cools, the starch will firm up and the pasta will stick together.
- If possible, cook the pasta last. Prepare the sauce first and then put the pasta to a boil. Add in the pasta to the sauce once ready and boiled.
Note: If you like to prep ahead of time, boil your pasta, drain it and let it cool on a thali/ large plate. Once the pasta water cools completely, pour about 1/4-1/3rd cup of it to the boiled pasta.
