Author Topic: Homemade Indian Food  (Read 9714 times)

AlmostIndependent

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Homemade Indian Food
« on: August 01, 2013, 01:02:35 PM »
I love to cook. I also love Indian food. I haven't found many good Indian recipies or good (cheap) sources for Indian spices. Does anyone out there have suggestions on where to find either of these things?

swick

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2013, 01:25:37 PM »
I had a few ideas, then saw you were in Alaska, the only one I think may still apply is to order them off of Amazon. You can order bulk whole spices (so they last longer) and grind to use.

The quick way to make Indian, especially if you don't have access to some of the harder to find spices is to make your own custom Garam Masala Mixture.  Depending on how fast you use it you could 1/2 the recipe, I make a full batch because we tend to use it a lot.

1/2 C black peppercorns
1/2 C coriander seeds
1/2 C cumin seeds
2 TBS Cloves
1 TBS green cardamom seeds
1 2" piece of cinnamon stick.

Dry toast all the seeds, let them cool and grind to a powder (I use a coffee grinder)

Many westernized Indian foods (I make no claims about the authentic ones) start with a sauce base, usually tomato, sometimes with added butter, yogurt or cream. It is spiced and then they add their protein, chicken, beef, lamb, eggs, chickpeas, paneer.

If I know I won't have time to cook I'll make a big batch of tomato sauce cooked up with garam masala some ginger and garlic and freeze it in yogurt tubs that I can thaw and use as a base when I'm busy. Then it is a matter of adding your protein and finishing - making up some basmati and veg. I also add a little more of the base spices, or some additional spices if I want to vary the flavor.

I am working on trying to figure out how to pressure can ready made "Indian meals" for hubby to take to work. There are some relativity cheap and pretty good for you microwave meals he keeps at work for emergency lunches if we don't have leftovers from the night before, but I want to try and figure out how we can make something similar.




rollie

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2013, 02:18:03 PM »
Because you appear to be in Anchorage, I checked in Anchorage for your Indian stores, where you can always find good spice in abundance, at a good price. Maybe you already visited them, but anyway (in case you didn't), here they are:

MJ Heena Enterprise Details
W Northern Lights Blvd Suite A
Anchorage, Alaska -
Phone: (907) 561 4847

New Central Market
555 W. Nothern Lights Blvd., Suite 100
Anchorage, Alaska - 99503
Phone: 907 277-1170

Suda Asian market
515 W Fireweed Ln
Anchorage, Alaska - 99053
Phone: 907-258-3466

If you can get some spices in these stores, get them. Swick had a nice recipe for garam masala. If you can get to an Indian store, your life is even easier. Buy peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, mustard seeds, and the magic ingredients: boxed spices by MDH or Shan. I prefer MDH, as they don't have additives but you may not have the choice. Look for a mix called Kitchen King. It's a great all-around spice mixture, and it helps you to keep your spices in proportion to each other. Also, any box that says Chicken curry or curry for meat.

Put a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Throw in 5-10 peppercorns, a half tsp of cumin seeds, one clove, the crushed seeds of 4 cardamoms (use a mortar and pestle), one cinnamon stick. Let sizzle for a minute or so, but don't let burn.

Add one chopped onion (or two, depends on how much you like) and a few crushed garlic cloves. Sautee until soft.

Add your chicken/beef/ground meat/vegetables/chickpeas/kidney beans, whatever. Add salt and perhaps a tablespoon of one of the dry boxed curry mixes. Kitchen King can be added to anything. You'll have to play with how much on these, as only you know how spicy you can take. Cook it together till meat is done. If necessary, or if you like wet curry, add a half cup water. Be aware that the onions and meat often have their own water.

If you want, add half a tomato now. (or tomato sauce) Cook a few more minutes.

If you like a creamy sauce, add a tablespoon or two of yogurt to this mixture. Don't add it directly, though. Take a little bowl, put the yogurt in and mix it with a spoon. Add a spoon of the curry you are making to the yogurt and mix it together. Then add the yogurt to the pot. This keeps the yogurt from breaking into big globs in your pot, which tastes fine but looks funny.

If you can't find the boxed mixes, buy cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and red chili powde in place of the boxed curry powder step. Initially use a teaspoon of the cumin, less than a teaspoon of coriander, a quarter spoon of turmeric, and as much chili powder as you can take. After you've made this once, play with these four till you've got a combo that suits you. Indians hardly ever measure anything, we eyeball it to our taste. Also, once the meat is cooked, feel free to taste and throw in more spice. If too spicy, add more water, yogurt and salt. Oh, and a little ginger is always nice.

I also have a simple green bean recipe with coconut if you're interested. (easier than this)
 
« Last Edit: August 01, 2013, 02:19:54 PM by rollie »

swick

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2013, 02:24:49 PM »
Ooh I would love your green been and coconut recipe, rollie!

Good tip about tempering the yogurt. Half the time I forget to do that and it doesn't look the most appetizing.

AlmostIndependent

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2013, 02:33:32 PM »
Awesome. I'm excited to try it and I would love the green bean and coconut recipe. I have scoped out two of the stores you mentioned, the other I had never heard of. They're decent and I get to travel for work a fair amount so I can get ahold of whatever I need one way or another.

cerberusss

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2013, 02:35:31 PM »
Make dal soup. It's easy and very filling.

Jamesqf

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2013, 03:27:50 PM »
I like Mahdur Jaffrey's "Indian Cooking".  It's a fairly old book (1982) so probably could find a used copy.  And from there, just pick recipies that fit the ingredients & spices you have.

hybrid

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2013, 07:39:02 AM »
Because you appear to be in Anchorage, I checked in Anchorage for your Indian stores, where you can always find good spice in abundance, at a good price. Maybe you already visited them, but anyway (in case you didn't), here they are:

MJ Heena Enterprise Details
W Northern Lights Blvd Suite A
Anchorage, Alaska -
Phone: (907) 561 4847

New Central Market
555 W. Nothern Lights Blvd., Suite 100
Anchorage, Alaska - 99503
Phone: 907 277-1170

Suda Asian market
515 W Fireweed Ln
Anchorage, Alaska - 99053
Phone: 907-258-3466

If you can get some spices in these stores, get them.

Big +1.  Spices are dirt cheap in Indian groceries, and some of those spices will translate to other cuisines.  Cinnamon stick, for example, is very popular in Indian foods but of course is used in any number of other things.  You get a lot of bang for the buck here.  You won't find basil or thyme, but you will find a lot of common spices all the same.

Once you have the spices in place finding good recipes on the 'Net is pretty straightforward.  And at that point Indian is no more expensive than anything else you might fix.  Good luck, Indian food is my favorite cuisine and the missus and I make it from scratch on occasion (but we have also found one brand of quickie sauce - Kitchens of India - that we enjoy more than most).  In general, the quickie sauces don't do Indian food any justice.

Oh, last thing, Indian food is often time intensive because there are so many ingredients involved so I usually double any recipe.

AlmostIndependent

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2013, 09:53:01 AM »
Oh, last thing, Indian food is often time intensive because there are so many ingredients involved so I usually double any recipe.

This is one of my favorite things to do. Make a lot and freeze some for later. Chili, red beans and rice etc. That was another attraction to Indian. I love it and it will keep in the freezer.

rollie

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2013, 10:55:39 AM »

Great! I agree that quickie sauces in jars are no good. The one exception is Patak's Mild Curry paste. It is actually quite good, mixed with a little yogurt and salt, as a chicken barbeque sauce. Just put in on and bake for 45 minutes at 375.

The easy green bean recipe. My mom always made this, and to this day it is the tastiest way I can find to eat your green beans.

I usually use French cut green beans (available frozen), but you could use regular green beans too I would think.

Put a tablespoon olive oil in the pan, heat a little. Put a half teaspoon/teaspoon of mustard seeds in the oil. Watch out, they will start popping! Keep a lid around as a shield. When they start popping a little, throw in half a chopped onion. (or a whole one) Sautee till onion is soft and a little clear. Add in a quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder, and as much red chili pepper a you like, and salt. Stir and then add in the French cut beans (about two cups). If they were frozen, make sure to drain a little of the water with them before throwing them in, otherwise it takes longer to cook.

Stir the beans with the onion/spices on medium heat till they look drier and happy (not wilted or burnt). A few minutes is all this takes. Then put in a tablespoon or more of shredded coconut flakes, UNSWEETENED. Stir. It's done!


rollie

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2013, 11:16:23 AM »
Dal recipe (lentil soup)

wash one and a half or two cups orange lentils and place in a pot with about 2 quarts of water (half a pot of water). Add a teaspoon or two of salt, a half teaspoon of turmeric powder, and half a chopped onion.

Bring to a boil, but watch out that it doesn't boil over! Then lower the heat to a low simmer.

While it simmers, add a dash of cinnamon, and--if you have it--a teaspoon of Kitchen King. If you have no Kitchen king spice box, add a dash each of cumin powder, chili powder and coriander powder.

The dal will simmer till the pieces look mixed together and broken a bit. Then it is done. Turn off the heat and do one last step. In a little pan or in a big steel serving spoon, place a tablespoon of butter and hold it over the heat till it melts. Add a half teaspoon of cumin seeds to the butter and let simmer for another thirty seconds or so. Put this butter/seed mixture into the dal.

Now it's ready to eat and will stay well in the fridge for up to a week.

swick

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2013, 11:18:43 AM »
That sounds awesome rollie!

Thank you, it is on the list for this weekend :)

and the Dal recipe sounds good too, I make a similar one, but the butter and cumin seeds sounds like a really tasty addition!

AlmostIndependent

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2013, 11:32:35 AM »
Thanks for all the input! I'm excited to try some of the recipes.

limeandpepper

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2013, 08:27:32 PM »
Loving this thread, I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes so kindly shared here. Might start with the dal!

gooki

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #14 on: August 03, 2013, 05:56:40 AM »
If you want to make Naan bread, cooking it on a pizza stone works well (per heat it).

My curry.
Oil
1 onion
A thumb of ginger thinly sliced
A clover of garlic chopped, or crushed
1 heaped teaspoon cumin
1 heaped teaspoon turmeric
1-2 heaped teaspoons of curry powder
3 cloves
Salt to taste
A sprinkle of caraway seeds
A can of coconut cream
And what ever vegetables/meat you want to add

Fry the onion, once it starts to go transparent, add the garlic and and ginger, after 1-2 minutes add the spices and fry for another 1-2 min, poor in the coconut cream, add salt and your veges/meat. Simmer.

If you are using vegetables only you can get away with about 20 minutes simmer time. For chicken/lamb 45 minutes gentle simmer works well - important not to boil, meat will go tough.

Server on rice.

My favourite combos are...
Potatoe, and peas (add peas 5-10 minutes before the end)
Lamb and spinach. Add the spinach first,blend it up with a stick blender, then add in the lamb)

The dish is also fairly lienent if you are missing a spice or two (still tasty without garlic, ginger, cloves, turmeric, carry seeds).
« Last Edit: August 03, 2013, 03:25:24 PM by gooki »

KMMK

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #15 on: August 03, 2013, 06:23:26 AM »
For the dal I like to add some garlic to the onion stage and some fresh ginger (if you can get it) at the end. I keep my ginger in the freezer and just cut off a small piece at a time. I find it gets moldy quickly in the fridge.

I do all sorts of "white people" Indian cooking as my parents had lots of Indian and Sri Lankan friends growing up. The best cooking methods for cabbage and zucchini are currying, in my opinion. I always have some commercial hot Indian pickle on hand as well, in case the curry doesn't turn out flavorful enough.  I like Patak's garlic, lime and mixed veg pickles. Not a big fan of chutneys as most are sweet. But I like the green chutney. Easy enough to make a coconut green chutney if you can get fresh coriander. Just blend unsweetened coconut, green chilis, fresh coriander, with a little liquid or lime juice, some salt.

I like eggplant curry, but eggplant absorbs a lot of oil. So I'll make it in the oven in a covered baking dish with some water. I cube eggplant, add onion, garlic, lots of spices - cayenne powder, cumin, coriander, some oil, some water, and then just bake covered until it's all soft. Sometimes I'll add chickpeas for protein.

At least in Canada you can get some pretty good package mixes at Superstore for a low price. Try the dosai or vadiis for a more south Indian flavour. Idlis are good, too, but they require a special steamer.

When I was making chana masala (chickpea curry) with a spice mix I figured out the trick to get fresh tomatoes taste more like restaurant Indian food. You add a little baking soda to cut some of the tomato acid, and it makes the tomato sauce sweeter. It makes all the difference.

hybrid

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #16 on: August 06, 2013, 01:18:21 PM »
If you want to make Naan bread, cooking it on a pizza stone works well (per heat it).

My curry.
Oil
1 onion
A thumb of ginger thinly sliced
A clover of garlic chopped, or crushed
.......

Just about every Indian dish we make starts with a combination of these four ingredients.  After that it's just a matter of the other spices.

I've also found having a small coffee grinder handy and dedicated as a dry spice grinder is a big help.  That and a large and small food processor.  Indian food is by far the most labor intensive dishes we fix.  But well worth the results.

gooki

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #17 on: August 07, 2013, 01:37:51 AM »
A pestel and mortar also works well for grinding spices. :)

dorothyc

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #18 on: August 07, 2013, 07:36:25 AM »
I like Mahdur Jaffrey's "Indian Cooking".  It's a fairly old book (1982) so probably could find a used copy.  And from there, just pick recipies that fit the ingredients & spices you have.

I second the recommendation for this book. I've had it since my student days in the UK, and now that I live in the US, it is how I get my Indian food fix. The beets with onions dish is amazing, the black eyed peas with mushrooms, hot and sour chickpeas and the Gujerati style green beans are other favorites. She also includes recipes for garam masala, kulfi and various snack type things. My daughter's boyfriend is Indian and he has been impressed with the dishes I've made from it. The descriptions are a bit wordy, but once you get the hang of them, they aren't that difficult. I often read through the spices that need to go in at the same time, and I measure them ahead into a little cup, so they are ready to dump in.

galaxie

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Re: Homemade Indian Food
« Reply #19 on: August 07, 2013, 08:10:38 AM »
There are some good Indian food websites out there, too. I like Mahanandi for South Indian stuff, and Manjula's Kitchen for more northie stuff.  My in-laws are Gujarati, but I haven't found a lot of good Gujarati recipes online, so I mostly just learn them the old-fashioned way from my MIL.

Oh, and this cookbook is pretty good (I know the author): http://www.amazon.com/Gharki-Rasoi-Indian-Cooking-Simple/dp/1490590684

I have found a few of my favorite Gujarati recipes online.  Here they are:
Gujarati-style dal (has a tangy, sweet & sour edge that is different from other styles).
Bataka poha is a tasty spiced rice-and-potatoes dish that is often served for breakfast (think hash browns but with rice).
Okra shaak is my favorite Basic Dinnertime Vegetable.  Shaak is the general word for Cooked Vegetable Dish in Gujarati (and for cooked or uncooked vegetables in general).  You will also often see it called sabzi or sabji -- that's the name in Hindi.  Same idea.
Pav bhaji is one of my favorite dinners for having people over.  It's easy to make a lot, and everyone likes it.

And if you're going to have shaak, go on Manjula's Kitchen and learn how to make roti or chappati to go with it.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2013, 08:44:01 AM by galaxie »

 

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