The Bhuna Technique: Achieving Oil Separation (Tel Chhara). The word bhuna comes from the Bengali and Hindi word meaning to fry and refers to a specific cooking technique rather than a single recipe. A properly executed bhuna reaches the stage where the oil visibly separates from the masala — known as tel chhara in Bengali cooking. This oil separation signals that the spices are fully cooked, their raw flavour driven off and replaced with deep, rounded complexity. The technique requires patience: ground spices must be fried in oil with the onion-tomato base, stirring constantly, until the mixture darkens and slicks of coloured oil appear at the edges of the pan. In Ismail's pressure cooker method, this critical step happens both during the initial masala frying and during the uncovered reduction phase after pressure is released. The resulting sauce should be thick and concentrated, clinging to the meat rather than pooling as a gravy — this is what distinguishes a bhuna from other curry styles. Home cooks should watch for oil beading on the surface as their visual cue that the bhuna has reached its fullest expression. Rushing past this stage produces a sauce that tastes raw and one-dimensional rather than deeply layered.