I need help in making Indian food

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I think that Indian food is the best in the world and I started to like it even more after I went to Malaysia and ate Indian food from street kitchens. But now I want to learn how to make it myself but I don't know how because in Finland you can't buy naan bread that has been made in tandoori oven or good raita sauce. So I'm asking you Indian members how to make good naan bread at home without tandoori oven?

and how to make good raita sauce?

and can you recommend some good and spicy vegetarian recipes?

Any help appreciated thanks in advance
oh and just so you know I'm half finnish half portuguese and I hate finnish food because it's tasteless and I love spicy food so recommend very spicy dishes because I have portuguese taste and not finnish
make yellow rice with curcuma and cashews, get some papadam from asian store.
cook red lentins with chilli, salt, pepper.

thats sri lanka and keralastyle
Main Referee for Hutt-River
http://www.plantcafeteria.com/red-lentil-curry/

looks like that but better colour the rice yellow wnd put some cashews in it
Main Referee for Hutt-River
Quote: Muenzenhamsterhttp://www.plantcafeteria.com/red-lentil-curry/

looks like that but better colour the rice yellow wnd put some cashews in it
looks delicious I will try that tomorrow
use youtube
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thanks for being so helpful...
I swap you my Australian and Cantonese food for your Finnish dishes, except the Pavlova and Daau Foo Fa, that is mine. Our Indian friends make the best food and when we make it it is not as good. That what happens when an Aussie and a Cantonese make Indian food. Poor us.

Glen.
"Such is life" Ned Kelly
Quote: EnlilninlilI swap you my Australian and Cantonese food for your Finnish dishes, except the Pavlova and Daau Foo Fa, that is mine. Our Indian friends make the best food and when we make it it is not as good. That what happens when an Aussie and a Cantonese make Indian food. Poor us.

Glen.
I recommend you to stay away from finnish food because it tastes horrible
Quote: kolikko99how to make good naan bread at home without tandoori oven?
Naan by definition is made in tandoor oven. I am not sure how good the non-tandoor naan will taste. But you can try this for Tawa Naan, http://werecipes.com/garlic-naan-recipe-on-tawa/

Quote: kolikko99how to make good raita sauce?
Recipe of cucumber raita: http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/cucumber-raita-recipe/

It's one of the simplest to prepare.

Quote: kolikko99can you recommend some good and spicy vegetarian recipes?
Depends on how spicy you can tolerate  8) . The real Indian spicy food is something that most non-Indians can't handle  :°  
But this is a good vegetarian recipe, http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/paneer-makhani-recipe-paneer-recipes/

This site has other recipes too to browse around.

Hope this helps!
“A man without a hobby is only half alive.”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

kolikko99I think that Indian food is the best in the world and I started to like it even more after I went to Malaysia and ate Indian food from street kitchens. But now I want to learn how to make it myself but I don't know how because in Finland you can't buy naan bread that has been made in tandoori oven or good raita sauce. So I'm asking you Indian members how to make good naan bread at home without tandoori oven?

and how to make good raita sauce?

and can you recommend some good and spicy vegetarian recipes?

Any help appreciated thanks in advance

This is definitely an off topic, and I note that kolikko99 is no longer a member here.

 

If he thinks Indian foods are the best in Malaysia, then he does not know what he is missing in that country. I for one would disagree with his assessment, and perhaps he was only introduced to just Indian foods while he was there and not others. However, I do like one particular India food, and it's the Indian rozak. You can find at least 2 types of rojak in Malaysia, but I believe the Indian is the best. The other nice Indian foods that can be found very commonly are the roti canai and that sweet desert Chendor. However, there are other Chinese and Malay foods that are also great too, if not better. These are mainly street foods and can be found almost every where, but to get the best and most delicious ones, one will have to travel the country to hunt for them.

 

Heard of the King of Fruit Durians? 

https://paperbanknotes.blogspot.com - Any offer for exchange is most welcome.
My spares: https://paperbanknotes.blogspot.com/2006/08/all-notes-listed-below-are-all-offered.html

ahkai

 

This is definitely an off topic, and I note that kolikko99 is no longer a member here.

…..

Heard of the King of Fruit Durians? 

Oh yeah!  Absolutely delicious & must have ( in my books) but some people may find the smell offensive. Kind of like ancient posts that have been resuscitated after years of laying dormant…

https://sites.google.com/view/notaphilycculture/collecting-banknotes

Try the following site:

 

https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/indian-dinner-recipes/

 

One of many, but she seems to be popular…

A gallery of my coins and artifacts can been seen on FORVM Ancient Coins

My high school had “industrial arts” requirement that included restaurant, so I did an apprenticeship with an Indian chef.

six nights a week from 5 pm to 9 pm, for an entire school year and beyond.

 It was a tiny one room store with seating for 6, and take out. We had four range burners, two grills and a deep fryer.

Divu Chandran was a kind of saint on earth, I wont go into that here, but I will write down here for the first time his recipes.

He was opinionated, and very well educated about everything, especially about how to prepare food.

I learned how to wash my hands, and how to wash vegetables.

I learned to  peel and mince garlic, sliver onions, and grind spices in a mortar. 

Later, I could run the store by myself on nights when he never showed up. 

He is long gone, this was back in the 1970s, he was older than my father. I remember it like it was last year.

 

Here is the menu

 

Pea Curry - peas and potatoes spicy veg soup.  

Parahta - flat puffy fried bread. 

 

Baji - deep fried breaded mixed veg, chic pea flower batter

Tofu fry - turmeric tofu and onions fried with red pepper

Rice - cumin and onion flavored rice.

 

Maasaal Dosi - big crispy chick pea flower crepe rolled around spicy mash potato

 

Now I contemplate writing this, it will require some time, and some of them are going to be long and involved.

Some philosophy may be required also, and more about Divu. 

 

Ill start new post with the recipes.

Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac

Well, the philosophy starts right away.

complex and simple.

Some dishes require a day in advance preparation, several preparations of numerous ingredients and then careful timely additions of ingredients. Other dishes have only two of three ingredients, can be hot out of the pan in  two minutes. 

there are values, and benefits of each of these points on the line, as well as places in between.

on my menu, the first item, the pea curry, is in the complex group. I will leave that for later.

We will start with simple, in hopes of getting you eating in the same day.

 

Food is presented as protein, or fresh veg dish plus carbohydrate dish. 

thus for example, tofu of baji is pared with rice, or curry is paired with parahta.

 

Rice is very simple and easy. 

One large vidalia onion, slivered.

one table spoon of cumin seeds

One table spoon of ground turmeric root*

two table spoons of peanut oil.

One cup of long grain basmati rice

two cups of water

 

In a two quart sauce pan heat the oil, put the onion in to brown. when they are well going, add the spices, turn frequently with a big spoon. when the cumin seeds start to pop, add the raw rice and turn together until the rice has absorbed the oil and is well covered with the spice. pour in the water, stir and cover. bring to a boil then turn heat down very low. cook covered for an hour or until dry. shut off heat but leave covered when the water is all absorbed.

 

Tofu fry. 

One pound cake of extra firm tofu cut into little bit sized pieces - We played around with this, little cubes, long thin bars, fancy shapes, etc.

one table spoon of ground turmeric root*

One vidalia onion slivered

one teaspoon dried red pepper.

mix cut up tofu, slivered onion and spices in a bowl, until uniform.

spread peanut oil and a very hot grill, spread mixture into hot oil.

turn frequently with flat spatula until onions and tofu are crispy brown all over.

serve on plate of rice.

 

 

 

 

next I have to tell you how to prepare turmeric.

Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac

In those days, here in the States, turmeric was an exotic thing normal people didn't buy. Divu would drive 3 hours to New York City where there was a store he could get whole dried turmeric root. He would soak them in water in the refrigerator for a few days, until they looked like tiny carrots. then we would peel the tiny carrots, with exacto knife, I kid you not. then the peeled turmeric roots would be fragrant, and you could begin to see why we did this. these were then minced, and pounded in a mortar and pessal with a little water until a paste that would spread.

 

Today you can buy jars of these roots in Whole Foods, and it is widely considered a super food. Alternately, you can just buy the powdered stuff, and mix it with water until it is like yellow paint, and it has plenty of flavor.

Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac

Indian spices. The spices are the real story. 

The spices that one finds widely across India, and make food taste Indian are

Cumin seed

Coriander seed

Turmeric root

Asafoetida root

Tamarind rind

fenugreek

 

Garlic

Onion

Red pepper

Black pepper

Ginger root

 

Clove

Cinnamon

Cardamom

 

I divide these into groups, instinctively.

The first group is the mainly Indian group.

The second group is the welcome addition all the world over group, 

The third group is the use advisedly group. Things are getting complex. 

 

As described above, simple and satisfying curry needs but one or two of these.

 

 Divu's peas curry contained all of the above. The preparation of the curry mixture took an apprentice an entire evening the day before any though was given to heating a pot, and he would make a weeks worth, and put in the fridge. 

If you want to get to this level, you need a mortar and pessle and be willing to work it. Powdered spices will give good results however, in the modern world. 

Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac

Paratha is a flat bread cooked by frying on a grill or frying pan.

very simple ingredients and easy for anyone to make, and delicious and fun to eat.

bread flower

water

pinch of salt 

peanut oil

 

To make bread dough, mix flour and salt in to water in a big bowl. Use your hand to mix, and squeeze out any lumps, keep adding flower until it thickens to paste and by adding dry flower you can eventually get your hand out. now you have a ball of dough. kneed it, stretch it fold it get it as uniform as possible. depending on how big your fry pan is, you will pluck off a hunk.

 

We had a grill 2 feet by 4 feet. we made a paratha that would cover a table, and four people could eat from it at once. this would require a ball of dough the size of a tennis ball.

If you have a regular big frying pan, you will want to make gold ball sized pieces. 

 

you need a clean counter top as big as your fry pan and a rolling pin. a beer bottle will do.

you need a jar of oil, and a brush. any small paint brush will do, or go to the dollar store and find one in the kitchen area.

you need a jar of flour at hand. 

spread flower on the counter and begin flattening and rolling the dough in to a circle as thick as card. flour it to prevent it from sticking!

paint it with oil except for the outside inch, then fold it in half. roll it out again, oil it again, fold it again, roll it out to the shape of the frying pan. make a stack of them separated by wax paper.

 

get the pan hot. 

Oil it,  and toss the raw bread on. push it around constantly with a spatula to prevent it from sticking or burning.  a couple of minutes at least, you will se  it start to bubble up when the inner layers begin to cook. let it cook, but dont let it burn!

paint the top with oil and flip it over and cook the other side. should be crispy brown at the edges, and puffy and steamy inside!

fold into a decorative shape on a big plate

tear off pieces and use it like a spoon to scoop up dal, rice or sauces.

Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac

@Mr Midnight, that’s very nice how you’ve retain all those notes on making the various things you learnt from that chef. 

 

I grew up in india and at home we typically had coconut fish/chicken curry with rice. Dal of course is standard as well. Vindaloo or pork sorpotel were reserved for occasions like Christmas or family events. For breakfast typically dosa with chutney and Baji. We didn’t eat much chapati/roti at home because being of South Indian origin, rice is preferred. I hadn’t tried paneer till I was probably in the 8th grade lol. Again, paneer being a more North Indian preference. 

 

When I cook now, I of course take short cuts and I use coconut milk/cream in place of dessicated coconut for instance. Or I won’t grind down my own masala anymore, neither will I put in too much elbow grease with a grinder vs using a food processor. Sure it’s not the best it can be, but it’s more practical and the taste is more than passable :)

 

Here’s a simple dish I make… it’s called Missri Pulao (Missr = Egypt)

 

500g basmati rice (washed)

3-4 green chillies slit. Remove seeds as needed

Knob of butter

1 bunch fresh coriander/cilantro chopped

500g chicken ( on bone or if boneless, then chicken thigh) 

4 gloves garlic minced

1 inch peeled garlic minced

200g Dahi (or any plain yogurt) whipped

1.5tsp turmeric powder

0.5tsp cayenne chilli powder

1tsp coriander/cilantro powder

1tsp cumin powder

1tsp Garam masala powder

1tsp salt (or to taste)

1 large red onion chopped to long strips 

2 medium potatoes, cubes into approx 2” pieces 

 

 

1. Marinate chicken and potato in the minced garlic, ginger, dahi and powdered spices. Mix well so that chicken/potato is fully coated. Marinate 30mins to an hour. 

 

2. Now the rice, After the rice has been washed and most of the starch water drained, add to 1.5L boiling water, add a couple tablespoons salt , a touch of oil, one or 2 green chillies. Cook the rice for about 4-5mins. It should be parboiled and still a bit raw. Drain the excess water. Add a knob of butter and half the chopped coriander. Fork through and mix  gently. Set aside

 

3. Set a heavy base deep pot/pan/Dutch oven on med-high heat stove top. Add a couple table spoons of oil (the more you do, the tastier it gets). When the oil is hot, throw in the onion and a pinch of salt. Fry until the onion is golden and carmelised. Remove from pot/pan and set aside. 

 

4. In the same pot (no need to clean), add the marinated chicken with all the sauce and juices, cook on high heat for 5-7mins. Then lower to medium, add a splash of water/chicken stock, another 1 or two green chillies, cover and cook for 15-20mins. You should see a thick gravy/sauce later. If too dry, add a splash of water or chicken stock. It’s a bit of trial and error to get the right consistency of the gravy that you like. Don’t worry if it looks like the yogurt has split from gravy. Just stir it around a bit, it will more or less come together.

 

5. Once the gravy is thick, change the heat to lowest setting. spread the remaining coriander and half the friend onion. Then layer the rice and spread the remaining onion on top of it.  You could add little knobs of butter on top. Cover fully so that the steam is trapped (you could use a foil and then put the lid). 

 

6. Leave it on low heat for 10mins. At no point once the rice is layered should you remove the lid to even chexkZ Then turn off the heat, leave the lid on for 10mins. After that, remove lid, fold the rice with the now very thick gravy at the bottom so that you have a nice mix of coated and still white rice. You can add some more fresh coriander and serve on the side with raita 

 

Outings administrator

Ashlobo, that,s a fine chicken rice recipe! That one pot would be welcome in every place in the world.

This thread has some substantial content, I hope it will get read. 

 

Divu was also from south India, but I dont recall where, though I remember him telling me about it.

The masala dosa was Divu's favorite thing he could make, he would go nostalgic about his mother's dosa. He wrote to her often. 

 

The dosa requires day-ahead preparation.

 

The dosa batter is made from black gram. this must be milled somewhat course. meal, rather than flour. This was another task Divu undertook on a solo weekend road trip to Brooklyn NY in his VW beetle - to get the whole black gram at a certain market, and take it to a miller to be ground. He dreaded those trips, and we were often out of stuff weeks,  because he owed them all money, and had to pay his bill in cash every time, as well as buy gas, and he was always skint.

 

The gram meal is mixed with water in a deep bowl, with the bare hand, in up to the elbow, maticulously smashing any lumps. it should be runny enough to pour like gravy.

When thoroughly mixed, the bowl is covered with a plate and a damp cloth, and pushed to the back of the counter over night. 

 

The filling is parboiled potatoes and onions, and broccoli, or cauliflower or cabbage if you like, mashed together, for spice, we used minced garlic, cumin seeds and red pepper, toasted together on the grill and then rolled into the mash.

 

To make a dosa requires a large grill. we could made them about 18" across. As with the paratha, you can scale it down to your largest fry pan.

The grill is heated, and painted with oil. A big ladle full of batter is begun at the center, and poured carefully in a spiral from the center toward the outside. when the ladle is empty and the whole dosa is browning, gently work a metal spatula around the edge toward the center until the whole thing floats free. when the batter is cooked through, the finished dosa is put on a plate with a big lump of masala potato. This can then be artfully rolled, or folded. 

Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac

ashlobo

 

Here’s a simple dish I make… it’s called Missri Pulao (Missr = Egypt)

 

 

Definitely going to try this ashlobo - looks great

Mr. Midnight

 

The dosa requires day-ahead preparation.

Always impressed with the traditional method of prep.

The warm climate in India allows good fermentation - the dosa tastes better and looks awesome. 

This was a few weeks ago - made by my mother.

In the colder climes of UK - this is occasionally possible during summer. 

In case you want an easy way to make these - try the MTR dosa mix. We use it occasionally.

https://shop.mtrfoods.com/collections/mtr-dosa-mix

 

 Indian cuisine has a huge range. Just can't get enough of it.

Store-bought dosa mixes have come a looong way.  There is no reason to by MTR dosa mix anymore.  Most stores now have pre-made dosa batter, including the US…

 

Kesar Grocery - Online Indian Grocery Store in USA
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BluHawk

ashlobo

 

Here’s a simple dish I make… it’s called Missri Pulao (Missr = Egypt)

 

Definitely going to try this ashlobo - looks great

Nice, glad you liked it! 

Outings administrator

you can buy fresh dosa batter anywhere. Truely the world has improved in some ways, we have much to be proud of.

When I started telling these stories of Divu, I did also think, that it is ancient lore - I am a grandfather, and I am telling of grandmother's, not mine but my master's mother's ways. c. 1930s-40s.

 

I have to amend my dosa batter prep story . The dosa batter ferments. I said it was placed on the back counter, thats wrong, it was placed on the gas range, over the standing pilot - that may require explanation - between each pair of burners, there was a tiny lamp, one little jet that stayed lit all the time. when you opened the gas to a stove burner the draft brought the pilot flame over and ignited the burner.

that spot stayed just warm enough to simulate the South Indian night, even during New England winter…

Jamais l'or n'a perdu la plus petite occasion de se montrer stupide. -Balzac

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