Indian food cookbook for beginners

[zelda_pinwheel]

you know, it seems to me that we already had a conversation about indian recipes and some links were bandied about... i can't for the life of me remember where but try doing a search in the lounge for "indian" and / or "recipe" and see what comes up (be warned, we seem to talk about food quite a lot around here, and not *all* of it is indian...).

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

heh. google ad on this page right now :

Indian Food Direct
Indian spices and cooking
ingredients direct to your door
www.spicesofindia.co.uk

I feel a spending spree coming on... except for the fact I stocked up recently!

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

hare krishnas don't eat onion and garlic ? i didn't know that. what is the reasoning behind that ?

Here is some reasoning from a Hare Krishna:

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/spirit...ges/17420.html

To exerpt from the above a quote from the Bhagavad-gita:

"Foods in the mode of passion, which are bitter, too salty, or too hot or overly mixed with red pepper, cause misery by reducing the mucus in the stomach, leading to disease. Foods in the mode of ignorance or darkness are essentially those that are not fresh. Any food cooked more than three hours before it is eaten (except prasadam, food offered to the Lord) is considered to be in the mode of darkness. Because they are decomposing, such foods give a bad odor, which often attracts people in this mode but repulses those in the mode of goodness." (from Bhagavad-gita 17.10)

Of course, onions and garlic being in the "mode of passion" just make me want to go out and suck on a bulb or two.

Cheers,
Marc

[rowjimmy]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

heh. it did seem to me that i had read that asafoetida has a foul odour... but then seeing it as a spice in a recipe made me doubt (anyway, i put onion and garlic in everything).

Ohhh. Now I've got to dive into the pantry and take a whiff! Let's see . . . hmmm. Shoes I think. Limburger like? Yep, that's it! Asafoetida: Limburger stuffed into tennis shoes. Add it to a little melted ghee, though, and the smell disappears. My container actually has a warning on it.

Tumeric could use a warning - stains everything.

Also, chili powder (we have Swad and Deep chili powder in our indian markets). These powders are easily 5 times hotter than the common supermarket chili powder. Not too hot to eat, but strange flavor results. Unbalanced cumin is a bad thing.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by rowjimmy

Ohhh. Now I've got to dive into the pantry and take a whiff!
...

I like the sound of your pantry. Chuck in some galangal and coriander, palm sugar and fish sauce, and so on...and I do declare "DINNER PARTY AT ROWJIMMY'S PLACE!".

Cheers,
Marc (trying to segue to Thai)

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Here is some reasoning from a Hare Krishna:

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/spirit...ges/17420.html

To exerpt from the above a quote from the Bhagavad-gita:

"Foods in the mode of passion, which are bitter, too salty, or too hot or overly mixed with red pepper, cause misery by reducing the mucus in the stomach, leading to disease. Foods in the mode of ignorance or darkness are essentially those that are not fresh. Any food cooked more than three hours before it is eaten (except prasadam, food offered to the Lord) is considered to be in the mode of darkness. Because they are decomposing, such foods give a bad odor, which often attracts people in this mode but repulses those in the mode of goodness." (from Bhagavad-gita 17.10)

Of course, onions and garlic being in the "mode of passion" just make me want to go out and suck on a bulb or two.

Cheers,
Marc

As a confirmed meat eater, and crockpot fanatic, I'm so going to hell, or whereever people like me go.
Altho, the first time I read Shogun, I almost changed my eating habits.......almost.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

As a confirmed meat eater, and crockpot fanatic, I'm so going to hell, or whereever people like me go.
...

Will you hold my hand? We can go there dancing-across-the-hillside-with-Death The Seventh Seal-style (movie spoiler in link) if you wish?

Cheers,
Marc (the Fool bringing up the rear with his lute)

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Will you hold my hand? We can go there dancing-across-the-hillside-with-Death The Seventh Seal-style (movie spoiler in link) if you wish?

Cheers,
Marc (the Fool bringing up the rear with his lute)

Did you ever see "Michael", with John Travolta? the ending?
If we could go out dancing like that, I would be content.....

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Did you ever see "Michael", with John Travolta? the ending?
If we could go out dancing like that, I would be content.....

I think I may have, though via a "clip" rather than the whole movie. As such, I'd call it a deal. I'm all for contentment rather than paradise anyway.

Incidentally, and though not vegetarian, the local Bistro C restaurant down on Noosa Main Beach does a magnificent duck and pineapple curry (with mango-lime chutney, macadamia flat bread, jasmine rice). As long as I could also retain the dessert option, I'd be content with that as my "last meal".

Cheers,
Marc

[HappyMartin]

"Indian Delights" is a large and quirky bible of South African Indian cooking. I have seen it for sale in the U.S. It was put together by the Durban Indian community to preserve and pass on their cooking traditions. The recipes are terrific and not the quirky part of the book. The quirkiness comes from the odd little stories, anecdotes and very old fashioned design and layout. There are well over a million Indians in South Africa and they are a precious part of the culture.

The book assumes no knowledge of Indian cuisine and gives many ideas for adaptation to local conditions.

[vivaldirules]

Ooooo, I'm so happy to see this thread. Keep the recipes coming. One of my favorite restaurants has a buffet and I just load up on dal makhani, saag paneer, a little chicken tikka misala, and naan. Mmmm. Don't bother me, I'm busy dreaming now.

[bbusybookworm]

My (and My Family's) personal go to Website for recipes is www.Tarladala.com

We have been using recipe's from her cookbooks for years, and lover her style. It tends to be a mixture, with strong Punjabi and Gujarati influences. She also has a lot of special recipes, such as for Diabetes, Cholesterol, etc. as well as recipes aimed at novices and people who have little time.

It is more aimed at an Indian audience, so the flavours and recipes are aimed to cater to that palate.

While some of the recipes are free, to get full access you have to subscribe, but for us it's more then worth it, as you can also send in questions, if something is not covered in any of the sections, and you can usually get a reply in a day or so.

Another Good source, especially if you want step by step instructions is www.videojug.com, where they have a ton of Indian recipes in the food section.

[mtravellerh]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

heh. it did seem to me that i had read that asafoetida has a foul odour... but then seeing it as a spice in a recipe made me doubt (anyway, i put onion and garlic in everything).

Garlic, yep. Keeps the vampires out of my taxi

And some other patrons, too, I guess

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

Garlic, yep. Keeps the vampires out of my taxi

And some other patrons, too, I guess