Who cooks Indian food?

[whitewave]

Hi, everyone.

I‘m a fairly accomplished cook and DH and I love Indian food, yet I have never really made any before asside from the occasional curry. We also want to do Meatless Monday and if you are thinking what I‘m thinking, well, then Indian food, here we come.

I need to know how to stock my pantry. I already have on hand:
basmati rice
coriander
cumin
garam masla
ground fennel
cinnamon
cardamom (I love cardamom; it’s so versatile)
Black and white sesame seeds


I just ordered:
Turmeric powder
ginger root powder (as a back up. I usually have fresh ginger root on hand)
Ajwain seeds
An Indian chili powder
ground mango powder
Fenugreek seeds
Chat masala seasoning


I also bought 3 chutneys in a jar and I’ll figure out how to make those from scratch as I need to.

Flours, beans, staples: I’m at a complete loss.


Thanks for any help.

 

[lala646]

I'm not much help re: pantry staples, but I would recommend this blog:

Indian Main Course Vegetarian Recipes Archives

Collection of 100+ Indian Main Course Vegetarian Recipes. The list includes every easy dal recipes, paneer recipes, curry recipes, biryani recipes.

www.cookwithmanali.com

Every recipe we've tried has been great, though we particularly love her Asian recipes. Her Kung Pao Tofu is one of our go-tos.

 

[yssie]

Yes!! (Surprise!)

You’ll want to get some lentils (called dhal), protein is hard to do with most meatless Indian diets. Channa dhal, moong dhal, and toor dhal. Just dump some turmeric powder in, add tons of water (I use 3:1 water:dhal for a stovetop cook) and some salt and simmer for an hour or so. You can add lemon and toasted mustard seeds (maybe some garlic and onion) afterward for a gravy sort of deal, or use as a base for other dishes.

If you have an Indian or Asian market near you, you could try to get some asafoetida too. Another powder. Use in - basically everything - it’s the Indian umami, is the best explanation I’m coming up with! It’s always in a plastic white container with black and red writing - you’ll smell it before you see it. In a good way

 

[whitewave]

@lala646 thank you, I’ll definitely check it out.

@yssie I’m off to google. Thanks

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

its pretty yum though

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Me!

The basic Indian spices that you would end up using regularly would be:
- asafoetida
- turmeric
- ground cumin
- cumin seeds
- bay leaf
- garam masala
- chilli powder (Kashmiri chilli powder is nice if you don’t like things too spicy)
- coriander powder
- cinnamon powder
- dried fenugreek leaves
- green and black cardamoms
- amchur (mango powder)
- mustard seeds

Ginger garlic paste, like out of a jar, is also incredibly useful!

I think you either have all of these spices or will have very shortly, so you’re good to go!

For protein, the single best vegetarian source is paneer (a type of cottage cheese). You can make your own (super easy) or if you live near an Indian grocery, buy it. Paneer should be soft but hold its shape in cubes. You should be able to slice it and pan fry it, and it won’t melt. Dal (lentil) is good, or rajma (kidney beans) or chana (chickpeas) as other alternative protein sources.

If you can buy spice mixes, those also really help. MDH is a great, universally available brand. Especially for “complex” dishes having a spice mix really makes stuff easy. You can tweak the mix as you become more familiar with it.

 

[dk168]

its pretty yum though

I love their curry pastes!

I made a Korma recently for the homeless charity using their paste, with added onions, garlic, ginger, and lots and lots of coconut milk and cream and double cream.

The guests loved it apparently, with many compliments on their way out.

DK

 

[FL_runner]

I'm not much help re: pantry staples, but I would recommend this blog:

Indian Main Course Vegetarian Recipes Archives

Collection of 100+ Indian Main Course Vegetarian Recipes. The list includes every easy dal recipes, paneer recipes, curry recipes, biryani recipes.

www.cookwithmanali.com

Every recipe we've tried has been great, though we particularly love her Asian recipes. Her Kung Pao Tofu is one of our go-tos.

Thank you! I’m trying to branch out this will be great

 

[kenny]

I was in a 13 year relationship with a man born in India
His parents came to California to live with us a few times for 2 to 3 months "vacations".

She cooked.
He did nothing!
I mean nothing!
Not even pour his own water into a glass.
I mean nothing!

Her food was absolutely TDF.
I decided then I would never even bother trying to cook Indian food from scratch.
No bottled sauces or packaged spices.
She even used a mortar and pestle to hand-grind her spices right before using them.
She was in the kitchen AAAAALLLLLL day.
It was a privilege to enjoy her food and I'm forever spoiled when it comes to Indian food.

LA is fortunate to have Indian communities with food markets.
There's a substantial Indian community (aka Little India Village) with shops on Pioneer Blvd in Artesia, California.

https://www.artesiaindia.us/

The few times the four of us went to Indian restaurants she would take a bite, close her eyes and concentrate to analyze and discern the ingredients and spices used.
She'd tell us, "Oh they used X which is cheaper but they should have used Y, and they simmered the Z too long. But this is a restaurant, what do you expect."

 

[whitewave]

@Daisys and Diamonds thank you, i will look for it.
@AllAboardTheBlingTrain thank you, yes, it seems I am almost there with spices and it shows that what goes around comes around. I first used fenugreek back in the 90s when I was a young nursing mother.

@dk168 thanks for the recipe idea!
@FL_runner I’m trying to branch out also

@kenny great story, and no doubt. In grammar school, one of my best friends was Indian and her mother always had something going on in the kitchen. I can’t get over how I never ate at her house— back then everything smelled strange to my simple and picky palate, though I also don’t remember her offering any lol. (They always had a full house of relatives).

We have a great restaurant near my other house. I do get a intimidated when some recipes I have looked at so far call for a pressure cooker. My MIL loves those to make stuffed artichokes, but I have never used one. I don’t have an instapot either. I plan to start small. I do have a mortar and pestle! Lol

 

[Austina]

Gram flour if you want to make onion bhajis.

 

[Betty Baguettes]

I love Indian food, but I don't have the patience to cook this cuisine from scratch. There are some surprisingly good vegetarian Indian entrees at Trader Joe's, both frozen and on the shelf. Also, Amy's brand frozen vegetarian Indian entrees that are sold in mainstream U.S. supermarkets are excellent IMHO.

 

[Tonks]

@Daisys and Diamonds thank you, i will look for it.
@AllAboardTheBlingTrain thank you, yes, it seems I am almost there with spices and it shows that what goes around comes around. I first used fenugreek back in the 90s when I was a young nursing mother.

@dk168 thanks for the recipe idea!
@FL_runner I’m trying to branch out also

@kenny great story, and no doubt. In grammar school, one of my best friends was Indian and her mother always had something going on in the kitchen. I can’t get over how I never ate at her house— back then everything smelled strange to my simple and picky palate, though I also don’t remember her offering any lol. (They always had a full house of relatives).

We have a great restaurant near my other house. I do get a intimidated when some recipes I have looked at so far call for a pressure cooker. My MIL loves those to make stuffed artichokes, but I have never used one. I don’t have an instapot either. I plan to start small. I do have a mortar and pestle! Lol

I was going to recommend an Instant Pot. I was super intimidated by mine at first but I really do love it. They are not as scary as they seem. For Indian cooking in particular there is a huge community on FB sharing Instant Pot recipes (just search and several should pop up). I’ve made a couple and I don’t know how authentic they are but they are delicious.

Let me see if I can find links to recipes.

Easy Creamy Crock-Pot Coconut Curry Chicken

Easy Creamy Crock-Pot Coconut Curry Chicken

www.theironyou.com

This one is my absolute favorite. SO SO good. And yes, slow cooker. I think I have also done it in the Instant Pot but can’t positively swear to it.

30-Minute Indian Butter Chicken Recipe | Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Make Restaurant-quality Instant Pot Butter Chicken in under 30 minutes! Join the thousands who have made this very popular recipe!

twosleevers.com

I remember this one needed to be doubled.

I want to find a good tikka masala recipe and have tried several but have yet to fall in love so if anyone can recommend one, I’m all ears!!!!

 

[dk168]

Would there by any online vendors near you similar to Spice Tailor in the UK?

Authentic, easy-to-cook Indian & Asian Meal Kits | The Spice Tailor

Easy-to-cook, all natural meal kits to help you make delicious Indian and Asian food. Vegetarian-friendly. The Spice Tailor meal kits available with free delivery.

uk.thespicetailor.com

DK

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

@Daisys and Diamonds thank you, i will look for it.
@AllAboardTheBlingTrain thank you, yes, it seems I am almost there with spices and it shows that what goes around comes around. I first used fenugreek back in the 90s when I was a young nursing mother.

@dk168 thanks for the recipe idea!
@FL_runner I’m trying to branch out also

@kenny great story, and no doubt. In grammar school, one of my best friends was Indian and her mother always had something going on in the kitchen. I can’t get over how I never ate at her house— back then everything smelled strange to my simple and picky palate, though I also don’t remember her offering any lol. (They always had a full house of relatives).

We have a great restaurant near my other house. I do get a intimidated when some recipes I have looked at so far call for a pressure cooker. My MIL loves those to make stuffed artichokes, but I have never used one. I don’t have an instapot either. I plan to start small. I do have a mortar and pestle! Lol

A lot of things you can cook with a pressure cooker can also be cooked without, ie, just cook longer in a pot with a lid.

You don’t need an instant pot. I have one, but I pretty much never use it for Indian cooking. I prefer to cook the way I was taught growing up, so all you need is a flat pan for breads, pots, maybe a kadhai (I don’t know the English word but it looks a bit like a wok?).

Fenugreek is quite traditional as a finisher in many north-Indian dishes. If you can get fresh fenugreek, it tastes really nice with potatoes.

I would say Indians (North Indians at least) cook way simpler and faster stuff for daily eating. In my house standard fare growing up would be a dal, a green veg, and 1-3 more dishes simply cooked (whether a gravy dish or a dry dish) served with plain yogurt, chopped onion cucumber and tomato mixed salad, rice and/or roti (naan was very rarely made and largely only for special occasions).

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

so i see that @whitewave is talking about meatless mondays
im thinking that you can just replace the meat with veges in most recepies

i always add frozen veg to curries because sometimes they seem a bit light on veg

 

[mustangchi]

I don't cook it but I wish I did as I love eating it!!

 

[ilovegemstones]

I agree @AllAboardTheBlingTrain . I am South Indian and the food is completely different. Dosa, Idli, Rasam, Sambar....
This is an interesting thread! Love it!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

we used to have Indian neighbours (Fijian Indian)
didnt matter what we were having for tea (dinner) what they were having always smelt better
the aromas would woff in through our open bathroom window and our mouths would water

 

[FL_runner]

My two best friends in school were Korean and Indian and their moms would invite me over to eat all the time and I loved it so much!

 

[yssie]

I agree @AllAboardTheBlingTrain . I am South Indian and the food is completely different. Dosa, Idli, Rasam, Sambar....
This is an interesting thread! Love it!

Haha yes. Might as well be different countries, cuisine-wise! (I’m from the south too.)

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

anyone else now hungry ?

 

[dk168]

When I decided to up my game on cooking Indian/South Asian food, I bought the Dishoom cookbook, and cooked a number of dishes from it.

Dishoom Cookery Book

'Dishoom: From Bombay with love' is an eccentric and charming cookery book, with over 100 recipes for the Bombay comfort food and drink that we love.

www.dishoom.com

Dishoom is a small chain of restaurants in UK, and I have eaten in their London restaurants a few times and liked their dishes.

DK

 

[stracci2000]

I have always loved Indian food. We used to go out to the many Indian restaurants around here to enjoy it.
Then I discovered Patak's cooking sauces, so I experimented with those. But they were very salty to my taste.

So now I cook Indian food at home. I make my own butter chicken, Tikka masala, and a few other easy dishes.
I received a crock pot as a gift but rarely use it.
Regular pots and pans work for me.

I have a naan recipe for the bread machine, which only makes the dough. Then you roll out your pieces and bake them in a super hot oven for a few minutes. Delightful!

 

[Betty Baguettes]

When I decided to up my game on cooking Indian/South Asian food, I bought the Dishoom cookbook, and cooked a number of dishes from it.

Dishoom Cookery Book

'Dishoom: From Bombay with love' is an eccentric and charming cookery book, with over 100 recipes for the Bombay comfort food and drink that we love.

www.dishoom.com

Dishoom is a small chain of restaurants in UK, and I have eaten in their London restaurants a few times and liked their dishes.

DK

I loved every Indian restaurant I ate at when visiting London. Now I wanna go back.

 

[ilovegemstones]

@dk168 dishoom is the sound of a fist punching in Indian movies! It is the equivalent of pow here. Sounds like the flavourful packs a punch!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I have always loved Indian food. We used to go out to the many Indian restaurants around here to enjoy it.
Then I discovered Patak's cooking sauces, so I experimented with those. But they were very salty to my taste.

So now I cook Indian food at home. I make my own butter chicken, Tikka masala, and a few other easy dishes.
I received a crock pot as a gift but rarely use it.
Regular pots and pans work for me.

I have a naan recipe for the bread machine, which only makes the dough. Then you roll out your pieces and bake them in a super hot oven for a few minutes. Delightful!

years ago i had to pop into our local dairy for something (we call the local convinance store the dairy)
it was owned by a lovely Indian family
The lady at the counter was reading a woman's weekly (local woman's mag) when i walked in
it was open at the recepie section, and it was Patak's bassed

she did confess to being like the rest of us and cheating sometimes

i have to confess to usually just buying the supermarket own brands of sauce these days - they usually have less salt and sugar than the named brands

the one time i made butter chicken from scratch Gary would not eat it

 

[emmy12]

I have dabbled in cooking my own Indian, and the website I always go back to is My Heart Beets. She has lots of recipes that have both regular and Instant Pot cooking recipes. (And also has a paper book you can buy, but all the recipes are free and online!)

The recipe that got me started with her was the Navratan Korma ("Nine Gems") and it happens to be a no meat dish! This is now my go-to dish for making a huge batch when I want to meal prep for the whole week.

https://myheartbeets.com/navratan-korma-vegetable-korma/

The trick of hers that I will always use more is to pre-make the Onion Masala in a large batch and freeze it in portions to use as the starting base for tons of different dishes.

eta: she also has different recipe tags for various dietary restrictions in these menu bar. Happy cooking!

 

[worldtraveler101]

Came here excitedly to add my 2 cents but looks like you are in very good hands! I think most of the basics are covered. IF ever you need help with any recipes, pls hit us up here!

 

[johncastagna]

It's great that you want to explore Indian cooking and incorporate Meatless Monday into your meal plan! Indian cuisine offers a wide range of vegetarian and vegan dishes that are flavorful and satisfying. To stock your pantry for Indian cooking, you'll need some essential ingredients beyond what you've already mentioned. Here's a list of staples to consider:
1. Lentils and Pulses:

• Red Lentils (Masoor Dal): Great for dal dishes.
• Green Lentils (Moong Dal): Used in various curries and soups.
• Chickpeas (Chana): For chana masala and other chickpea-based dishes.
• Black Gram Lentils (Urad Dal): Used in dishes like dal makhani.

2. Grains:

• Whole Wheat Flour (Atta): Used for making roti and paratha.
• Besan (Gram Flour): Essential for making pakoras and bhajis.
• **Rice Flour: Useful for making dosa and idli batter.

3. Spices and Seasonings:

• Mustard Seeds (Rai): Used for tempering in many dishes.
• Curry Leaves: Adds aroma to South Indian dishes.
• Asafoetida (Hing): A pinch of this enhances the flavor of many Indian dishes.
• Turmeric Leaves: Sometimes used in traditional recipes.
• Tamarind Paste: Used for tangy tamarind-based sauces.

4. Oils and Fats:

• Ghee: Clarified butter for cooking and flavor.
• Mustard Oil: Used in some regional cuisines.
• Vegetable Oil: For general cooking purposes.

5. Dairy and Dairy Alternatives (if desired):

• Yogurt: Used in marinades and raita.
• Coconut Milk: Essential for creamy curries.
• Paneer: Indian cheese used in various vegetarian dishes.
• Cashew Cream: For rich and creamy gravies (if going vegan).

With these pantry staples and your existing spices, you'll have a solid foundation for preparing various Indian vegetarian and vegan dishes. Remember that Indian cuisine varies by region; you can experiment with different combinations to create delicious meals. Enjoy your culinary journey, and don't forget to try a refreshing mandarin orange salad as a side dish!