I want to make indian food...i need some assistance...

[Garion]

Jarred Indian cooking sauce is easy and pretty effective. You can also use a pre mixed spice mix from the same international food aisle that is pretty straight forward. I used to teach friends how to cook Indian food, and always said 90% of what you eat at an Indian restaurant is straightforward variations of a few basic techniques.

 

Assemble dry spices

Assemble cut components

Sauté whatever aromatics you are using in a pot

Mix dry spices with a small amount of water and add to the pot and state briefly

Add your protein or vegetable matter cook until partially done

Add water or yogurt

Simmer until done

[NoSaint]

I confess to using jarred Indian sauces because concocting my own blends is too time consuming and not a lot better than the commercially produced stuff. Pooj - you can toast the spices in a pan in your oven then grind them. Use either tomato or spinach as a base for the sauce and add plain yoghurt to a tomato sauce (add lots of butter and some cream) and a bechamael to the spinach ( think creamed spinach).

 

Get some Pappadam - they take 1 min on high in a nuke.

Get some tamarind sauce and green mint chutney. Toast some almonds and use raisins as a garnish.

I cheat too - grab a premade sauce but freshen it up a lot instead of just dumping it on plain chicken like many suggest.

[ExiledInIllinois]

What is the original premise behind Indian cuisine and its development... It had to serve a practical purpose @ one time? Aromatics, spices, etc... Hide the taste of rancid food? ;-)

[Fan in Chicago]

i have a tin of spices, turmeric, chili powder, cumin seed, mustard seed, garam marsala and something called ajevin...i have chicken thighs and legs, yogurt, onion, garlic, tomatoes and ginger....now what??

 

My wife will probably spend hours and cook up 10 dishes with those ingredients.

But let me give it a try. (I am assuming about 2 lb of bone-in chicken)

Mix yogurt, turmeric, chili powder, cumin seeds, lemon juice and salt. Make small slits in the chicken and apply the above as marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

 

Fine chop 1-2 onion, 2 tomatoes, few cloves of garlic and some ginger (you can use ginger-garlic paste if you have it). Shallow fry onions on slow to medium flame till translucent, add garlic and ginger, continue frying. Not sure what spices you have, but do not use garam masala unless you have nothing else. (ideal is chicken curry or chicken tikka masala powder from local Indian grocer. Probably costs less than $2).

When fragrant, add tomatoes and continue cooking till tomatoes are soft. Then add chicken (dont take yougurt off the chicken). The yogurt gives good consistency and creaminess without needing cream. Add water (not too much), cover and cook till chicken is done. Switch off flame and add finely chopped cilantro on top. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and eat with naan and/or rice.

 

NOte that carry out Indian has way too much oil and/or cream. In general, Americans have gotten used to this type of cooking. Don't be disappointed if it doesnt have the richness of carry out. You will get more flavor out of the above recipe and will be definitely healthier. Normal, home cooked Indian meals use little oil and cream (unless the dish calls for deep frying).

Hope it works for you.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Fan in Chicago

[Pete]

There's no such thing as good Indian food.

I suggest you go eat along the Curry Mile on Rusholme Street before spewing such ignorance.

[ExiledInIllinois]

I suggest you go eat along the Curry Mile on Rusholme Street before spewing such ignorance.

 

 

You can't force taste on somebody. Maybe he doesn't like it and is talking from personal taste. Indian food is pretty strong w/flavor, smell. You either like it or you don't. Like I said, the smell of curry drives some people nuts (and not in a good way).

[mead107]

What did we make?

[ExiledInIllinois]

What did we make?

 

And eviction notice by his neighbors!

 

J/K

[MDH]

 

 

You can't force taste on somebody. Maybe he doesn't like it and is talking from personal taste. Indian food is pretty strong w/flavor, smell. You either like it or you don't. Like I said, the smell of curry drives some people nuts (and not in a good way).

 

There are plenty of Indian dishes that don't have curry in them. When someone says, "I don't like (insert type of food here)" I laugh. In any type of cuisine there are so many different types of food that there is something they'd like if they ever gave it a chance.

[Canadian Bills Fan]

I add a Bay Leaf to my sauce and it tastes great.

 

I also love using nan bread with any curry dish I make.

[Beerball]

There are plenty of Indian dishes that don't have curry in them. When someone says, "I don't like (insert type of food here)" I laugh. In any type of cuisine there are so many different types of food that there is something they'd like if they ever gave it a chance.

There are also countless types of curry. I love Indian food!

 

Bills Desi Nation! if I recall, there are a bunch of us on here.

Was ist das?

[4merper4mer]

i have a tin of spices, turmeric, chili powder, cumin seed, mustard seed, garam marsala and something called ajevin...i have chicken thighs and legs, yogurt, onion, garlic, tomatoes and ginger....now what??

 

I don't really know what to do with all that food but if you have chicken thighs and legs you should join a gym and work out regularly.

Edited January 13, 2014 by 4merper4mer

[Jauronimo]

i have a tin of spices, turmeric, chili powder, cumin seed, mustard seed, garam marsala and something called ajevin...i have chicken thighs and legs, yogurt, onion, garlic, tomatoes and ginger....now what??

One easy and versatile dish is a reshmi kebab. Marinade your chicken overnight in a tumeric, cumin, garam, yogurt, garlic, ginger and a bit of lemon juice. The next night, grill it. Serve with basmati, raita, and chutneys. Then you can use the leftover chicken to make butter chicken.

 

In my experience, you cannot rely on recipes from Bon Appetit or food network. Those recipes are approximations but will not produce anything even remotely resembling what you have at Indian restaurants. Pick up any of Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks for a solid guide.

[Fan in Chicago]

Out of the woodwork, comes Bills Desi Nation! if I recall, there are a bunch of us on here.

Cool. I recall a brief discussion a few years back but I forgot who the desis are around here. Got to keep this place safe from the culinary bigots like DC Tom and ExiledInIllinois.

 

Hide the taste of rancid food? ;-)

 

I doubt it. American cuisine hadn't reached India's shores when these recipes were developed.

[Jauronimo]

What is the original premise behind Indian cuisine and its development... It had to serve a practical purpose @ one time? Aromatics, spices, etc... Hide the taste of rancid food? ;-)

Spices are natural preservatives and repel insects/bacteria.

There are plenty of Indian dishes that don't have curry in them. When someone says, "I don't like (insert type of food here)" I laugh. In any type of cuisine there are so many different types of food that there is something they'd like if they ever gave it a chance.

"Curry" isn't an ingredient. Its a British misnomer and now blanket term for any dish with a sauce.

[Fan in Chicago]

One easy and versatile dish is a reshmi kebab.

 

That is one of my favorites too. There is a lot you can do on the grill with Indian spices and meat. Just need a little imagination and experimentation.

[birdog1960]

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/recipe/easy-homemade-curry-pastes this should help. british cookbooks are fully of indian recipes. .

 

if i'm doing it, i generally use sharwood's sauces. i usually add multiple veggies and meat, especially like to add eggplant. my wife generally makes dishes from scratch. now, somosas really need to be made from scratch in a deep fryer. one of my favorite appetizers.

[Wayne Cubed]

Within my travels, different parts of India make different types of dishes. Like Chinese food, the food style varies from city to city, for example the South of the country is mostly vegetarian dishes.

 

IMO, it's difficult to replicate Indian food at home but I think what is key is fresh ingredients and spices. Getting fresh ground spices can be tricky but result in the best flavor. Also, taking a "low and slow" approach help's enhance the flavor.

 

EDIT: If you can get whole spices and grind them yourself, even better. The best Indian places have first pick of whole spices when they come in.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Wayne Cubed

[Gugny]

Beef. Lots and lots of beef.

[Jauronimo]

Pooj, not that I'm an expert now, but I once was a pasty white guy who wanted to recreate my favorite indian dishes at home and when I was starting off I learned a few things the hard way. Now I'm a pasty white guy who makes a few passable indian dishes.

 

1. Finding an indian grocer is imperative or else you'll go broke buying 50 bottles of McCormick's spices. Investing in a spice grinder and buying whole spices is worthwhile.

2. Pick simple and familiar dishes at first. I found chickpea curries (chana masala) and spinach dishes (saag) to be pretty accessible for the novice indian cook. I got my ass handed to me when I tried to make a korma right off the bat. I still can't muster the courage to attempt a real biryani.

3. Understand why you do the things you do. Aromatics, blooming spices in oil, liquid/deglaze, meat and veg, simmer. That is every basic stew/braise ever, whether its French, Mexican or indian. Following recipes is fine, but your final product and enjoyment really takes off when you get whats happening at each step. Then you can really customize and tailor to your taste. Also, you don't wind up with vindaloo all over your nice cookbooks.

4. Pick a reliable source for recipes. I like Madhur Jaffrey's books. When choosing a source, any mention of curry powder is grounds for immediate disqualification.

5. Invest in a rice cooker.