i want to make authentic indian food?

Question

i love indian food but when i try and cook it, it never ever tastes the same as from the take away. any good tips?

Answer 1

Vegetable Koftas
Submitted by: princess_Delkie

"This is a very authentic Indian recipe found on Indian menus the world over. It is served during formal dinners, festivals and weddings. Generally it is made with cream or 'malai' as it is called, but I have given a low calorie version which is equally tempting. Making it may sound tedious, but let me tell you it's worth the effort! Get ready to impress your loved ones, with this recipe you just can't go wrong!"

Prep Time:50 Minutes
Cook Time:40 Minutes
Ready In:1 Hour 30 Minutes
Servings:4

INGREDIENTS:
For the Koftas
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 slices bread
1 1/4 cups mashed potatoes
1 serrano pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil, for deep-fat frying

For the Gravy
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup milk
salt to taste
1/4 cup cream (optional)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cashews

DIRECTIONS:
Boil the mixed vegetables till soft. Drain, and allow to cool to room temperature. When cool, chop fine and set aside.
Moisten the slices of bread with a little water and squeeze out the excess. Stir together the vegetables, bread, mashed potatoes, serrano, onion, ginger, cilantro, and salt. Form into 8 balls.
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Fry the koftas in the hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and allow to cool to room temperature.
Make the gravy by melting the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, ginger, garlic, ground coriander, turmeric, and garam masala; cook until the onions have softened. Mix in the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the milk and season with salt; cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
To serve, reheat the koftas in the gravy. Garnish with the cream and chopped cashews

Chicken Curry (Murgh Masala)

A Punjabi specialty from North India, this chicken curry is fragrant with cumin and cilantro. It is this distinctive aroma that is often associated with Indian food and that has captured the hearts and palates of people around the globe. This curry can also be made with other birds. Serve it with a rice dish or bread.

Ingredients:

1 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 to 10 pieces and skinned with skin
1-1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons grated or crushed fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1-1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, puréed
Coarse salt
1 cup water
2 teaspoons ground toasted cumin seeds or Garam Masala
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems

Instructions:

Heat a large heavy nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and sauté, turning until they lose their pink color and are seared, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Sauté, stirring, until the onion is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. It will brown unevenly, which is as it should be for the complex flavoring of the finished sauce. Add the paprika, red pepper, tomatoes, and salt to taste.

Pour the water over the chicken and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is very tender, about 30 minutes. If the sauce is too thin, increase the heat and boil rapidly, uncovered, until it reduces to the desired consistency (like a pasta sauce). Stir in the cumin and half of the cilantro and transfer to a warm serving dish.

Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve.

Yield: Serves 4

Answer 2

Are you in UK? I like to make my own Indian, but its never the same as the take-away. The best one i've made is a recipie for Butter Chicken, and its on the back of a jar Sainsburys spice mix. Its near all the spices and has a purple lid! They also do a Madras mix which is good. I normally add a few extra chillis to the recipie though - as i like them hot.

Answer 3

The key to make delicious indian food is spices. You need to use right quantity and quality. There are some very good websites to make delicious indian food.

Here are few I normally use.

http://recipes.indiaserver.com/
http://www.tarladalal.com/
http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/

The last web site has become paid but it still has some free recipes and some with very very less oil.

Let me know if it helps..

Enjoy cooking...

Answer 4

Indian restaurant food is prepared with highly seasoned and flavoured. Indian home cooking is never like that in the Indian house hold. People who work in the restaurant don't eat, what they serve to the costumers, They cook separate curry called staff curry not so strong in flavour. I cook at home and it never is the same as the restaurants

Answer 5

Find an Indian friend and go to their house and watch them cook and learn how to cook any dish from them. Seriously. This is the best way to learn authentic cooking from any country.

Answer 6

Chicken Tikka

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb Chicken breast; boned & -skinned
Salt; to taste
1 ts Chile powder
1 ts Coriander seeds, ground
2 T Lime juice
2 Garlic cloves
crushed Ginger, fresh; grated
2 T Oil
2/3 c Yogurt
plain Lime slices; to garnish

Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels and cut into 3/4-ich cubes. Thread onto short skewers.

Put skewered chicken into a shallow non-metal dish. In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, gingerroot, garlic, chile powder, coriander, salt, lime juice and oil. Pour over skewered chicken and turn to coat completely in marinade. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight to allow chicken to absorb flavors.

Heat grill. Place skewered chicken on grill rack and cook 5 to 7 minutes, turning skewers and basting occasionally with any remaining marinade. Serve hot, garnished with lime slices.

Answer 7

Spices are the things that make a curry.

Have agood supply of fresh spices, keep them in an airtight container in the dark.

Not all spices release their flavour at the rate so use them in the correct order.

Leave the curry for a day and reheat it, this will enhance the flavour.

Answer 8

learn the indian cooking for many indian grocery stores which offer courses. in that way they will teach in all methods possible to do a single dish and you can learn faster and try at home.

Answer 9

If you use the correct spices and prepare the recipes as indicated, you should be able create some authentic-tasting food.

Here are some links to sites with a lot of good recipes:

http://www.food-india.com/ ( I have made dozens of recipes from this site)

http://www.syvum.com/recipes/incindex.html
http://www.syvum.com/recipes/infindex.html
http://www.syvum.com/recipes/ivrindex.html

http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/

http://www.cuisinecuisine.com/IndianRecipeBox.htm

http://www.indiaexpress.com/cooking/

Good luck!

Answer 10

it won't taste the same coz in restaurants and for take-aways they use strong spices n food colourings to change the actual product... you'll find home-made food tastes better anyway :)