This website is designed for the novice who would like to try their hand at everyday Indian cooking. Once you get the hang of the various spices used in Indian cooking, it becomes fairly easy!
India, being a land of such cultural and geographic diversity, has a wide range of cooking styles that are distinctive to each region. Invaders in the north, like the Moguls, added to the repertoire. This book is a collection of recipes handed down from family and friends from all over the Indian subcontinent. It is a collection of everyday fare as well as fancier ones for special occasions.
I clearly remember when I first got interested in cooking. I was 12 years old. Dad was an army officer, and we lived in one of the huge army cantonment bungalows that were requisitioned for service officers and their families.
The house was enormous, with high ceilings in every room to keep it cool in the hot summer months and open-hearth fireplaces to warm us in winter. There was a verandah that ran from the front all the way to the side, and we had great fun rollerskating.
The grounds were almost an acre, with a stable and servants’ quarters. Many fruit trees like mango, guava, peach, pear, pomelo, and lichi stretched through the grounds. We spent endless hours climbing trees and pretending to be friends of Tarzan. Or, we would chase each other around playing cops and robbers.
One hot summer afternoon, I raced into the kitchen to get a drink of water. There were no refrigerators in those days, and the water was stored in clay goblets called ‘surais’ or in a huge rounded clay pot called a ‘mutka.” I still think that water from clay goblets has a magical, most delicious taste.
Anyway, Mama and my younger aunt were discussing my aunt’s impending marriage. Auntie was in a panic because her soon-to-be in-laws were coming over for dinner and were sure to inquire about her culinary skills. Of course, that put me into panic as to what I would do when it came time for me to get married!
The next day I gathered all the magazines I could lay my hands on and clipped every recipe in sight. By the time my panic subsided, I had a trunk full of recipes, no cooking skills, and no desire to be married. Needless to say that when I did get married, I had not learned much by way of culinary skills—except to bake a few cakes.
I think that with all the reading and copying of recipes and watching Mama instructing the cooks or cooking herself, I must have subconsciously picked up more than I thought because when I finally did start cooking it came almost naturally.
About Indian Cooking
Indian cooking is not as complicated as it looks. You can make a great meal by simply sautéing some veggies with masalla(spices) and serving it with a lentil (dal) and a quick chicken or meat dish. Of course, accompanied with rice or rotis (tortillas, pita bread or lavash bread are great substitutes). What it requires most is patience and prayer always helps!
Before Starting Your Indian Cooking Adventure
Before getting started, take a trip to the local Indian grocery store and purchase the dry groceries you will need. If you do not have one in your town, check any health food grocery store or order online.
As an FYI, there is a difference between something being spicy (which is aromatic or fragrant with flavors) and something being chili hot which brings “heat” (read burning mouth and tears flowing down your cheeks) to the dish. Indian food can be both. All the recipes in this book are mild without losing the spicy flavor. If you want more of a punch to your dish, add additional red chili powder or green Serrano chilies according to your taste. It is easier to make a dish spicier than to cool it down!
As a beginner, make sure you measure and layout all the ingredients before you start. Once the oil is heated, the frying of the onions, masalas, etc., goes really fast and needs close attention to prevent burning and splattering hot oil on yourself.
A basic Indian pantry will have:
Spices
Turmeric (haldi) powder
Red Chili (lal mirchi) powder,
Cumin (zeera), both powder and whole Cumin seeds,
Coriander (dhania) powder
Black or brown mustard (rai) seeds,
Garam masala (whole spices) powder
Whole Spices
Black cardamom (elachi) pods
Green cardamom pods (choti elachi)
Cinnamon (dalchini) sticks
Whole cloves (lavang)
Peppercorns (kala mirch)
Bay leaf (tej patta)
Dry mango powder (amchur)
Lentils
You can buy these when required or buy and stock. They keep a long time so you can have a variety of lentils in a week without having to eat the same one twice!
Red lentils (masoor dal)
Whole red lentils (sabat masoor dal)
Yellow lentils (mung dal)
Whole green lentils (sabat mung dal)
Whole black lentils (ma sabat)
Split black lentils (ma chilka dal)
Husked black lentils (ma dhuli dal)
Yellow split Lentil (channa dal)
Small Brown Chickpeas (sabat kala channa)
Chickpeas or garbanzo beans (kabli channa)
Red kidney beans (rajma)
Black-eyed Peas (lobia)
Basmati rice (Basmati chawal)
Plain rice (chawal)
Whole Durum wheat flour (atta)
All-purpose lour (maida)
Utensils
1. A couple of heavy-based stockpots to cook the curries and lentils(dals).
2. A wok or large skillet for the sautéed vegetables (sabzi).
A pressure cooker to speed up cooking the lentils (consider purchasing and learning to 3. use one).
4. A flat tortilla griddle or a tava bought at the Indian store, plus a rolling pin and board for making the rotis and parathas (Indian bread like tortillas).
5. A small frying or sauté pan for seasoning.
6. Colander and sieve for washing and draining vegetables, meats, etc.
7. Ladles and spatulas!
Prepping Food Prior to Cooking
Onions: Peel the outer layer before slicing or dicing or putting them in a food processor.
Garlic: Peel the outer skin from the bulbs then chop or puree as directed.
Ginger: Peel off the tough outer skin then chop or puree as directed
Potatoes: Peel, unless the recipe says otherwise
Lentils: Sort, clean, wash, and rinse to get rid of any dirt.
Rice: Sort, clean, and rinse Basmati rice.
Cilantro: Grab the bunch, twist, and break where only the stems show (or cut the stems off). Discard stems and wash and chop up the leaves for cooking or garnish.
Planning the Menu
Indian food is not served in courses. All the dishes for the meal are set on the table. The staple food is rice or roti served with a lentil(dal) and a vegetable (sabzi), or curried non-vegetarian or a vegetarian dish. This is accompanied by a variety of Indian pickles, fresh salsa, plain yogurt, or raita.
When preparing the food, try and pair foods that enhance each other. For instance, if you are serving a curry, select a lentil that has minimum seasoning or a vegetable recipe that is not curried. There should be a blend of dry and moist dishes. Curried and non-curried.
When planning to entertain you would need to select more elaborate dishes like a pilaf, a bread, like a naan, a non-vegetarian korma or curry, a vegetable or two vegetables, and lentils, such as rajma or kala dal, plus the usual assortment of pickles, raita, and papads. It is a feast but the leftovers are tastier!!
If you do want to serve a formal, gourmet meal, then you could start the meal with papads and then an Indian-styled salad using fresh greens, cucumber, sliced onions, and toasted almonds with garlic dressing to complement the spicy meal. The main course could be a helping of rice, topped with the meat or chicken that is curried, grilled or sautéed, and a side of an Indian-style cooked vegetable. The yogurt can be served separately in a small glass bowl. And, of course, naans or rotis.
Indian food is best served with white wines. The tannin in red wine and the chili in the curry may leave a bitter aftertaste. Chose a white wine, crisp and intensely flavored, like a Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling or any other fresh, crisp wine with sweetness and a good full-bodied structure.
Dessert could be ice cream with fruit syrup, fruit, and cream or custard and fruit. A fruit sponge cake (a version of angel food cake) is also a nice finish. You could serve store-bought Indian ‘methai,’ but be warned they are really sugary sweet to the nth degree!
Setting the Table
For a sit-down dinner, set the table as usual. You generally don’t require a knife for an Indian meal unless you are serving a leg of tandoori chicken. Place a dessert spoon on the right of your dinner plate and a fork on the left. Small individual bowls or “katoris” may also be placed on the top left side of the plate for anyone who wants to use it for their dal, curry, or yogurt.
When I serve an Indian meal to friends they always ask, “Is there any special way I should eat Indian food?” To begin with, the dal or curry is normally poured over the rice and mixed together before eating. The drier dishes like the sautéed vegetable, the pickles, and the yogurt are kept to the sides of the plate and mixed in while eating.
If you are eating a roti, just break a bit of the roti and dip it in the dal or curry, or scoop up the sabzi(vegetable)with a piece of roti or a fork. There are really no hard and fast rules, however, if you decide to use your hands, make sure to use the tips of your fingers of your right hand only. The left hand is considered the hand used for personal hygiene and not used while eating!!
So let’s begin. Don’t panic. The measures need not be exact, but try and stay as close to it as you can. In time, you will learn to modify it “to taste”—your own taste.