Indian food ideas?

Question

I've recently been experimenting with Indian cooking (made some pretty decent chana masala the other night). I've been on the lookout for easy recipes, but most things have insanely difficult-to-find ingredients or a need for special equipment. Complicating this, I'm a vegetarian. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Badami Chicken (chicken in a rich almond curry)

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into small pieces
1 cup yogurt
6 onions, chopped
1 inch ginger
10 cloves of garlic
6 cloves
2 inch cinnamon
10 almonds
4 cardamoms
10 cashew nuts
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp. turmeric powder
Cilantro for garnishing
Salt and chili powder to taste

Serve with Naan or Parathas.

Method:

1. Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cashews and almonds.
2.Heat oil in a big vessel, add the chopped onions and fry until they turn golden.
3.Then add the ground masala and fry very well
4.While frying this paste, add 3-4 tbsp. of water-You will notice that oil floats on top.
5.Now add yogurt and the chicken
6.Season it well with salt, turmeric, and chili powder. Cook for 10 minutes.
7.Add coconut milk, cook till done.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves.
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Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani)

2 to 3 tablespoons of butter
1 onion
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of crushed garlic
2 teaspoons of crushed ginger
½ teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 to 2 teaspoons of chilli powder
1 tablespoon of coriander
14 oz of skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts
¼ to ½ cup ground almonds
8 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
½ cup of unsweetened yoghurt

With chicken there is always a risk of food poisoning, so it is important to clean your hands, board and knives before and after working with the raw meat. Trim and cut the chicken into small cubes, cover and put aside. With a clean knife and board slice the onions into thin wedges.

Heat a large saucepan or frying pan and melt 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter until it is frothy. Add the onions and the cinnamon to the pan and fry lightly. When the onions are soft stir in the crushed garlic and ginger. Then add the turmeric, chilli and coriander, and sauté over a medium heat. The spices are fried first to release their maximum flavour and this really enhances the dish. Add the cubed chicken and sauté stirring constantly until the chicken has turned white. Pour in the ground almonds, tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix thoroughly. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the yoghurt and heat through. Serve on rice with a salad and Indian bread if desired.
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EGG CURRY

Ingredients:
Eggs - 6
Cooking oil - 1 tablespoon
Onions,minced - 2 large
Tomato,minced - 1 large
Canned puree - 1 tablespoon
Chopped fresh ginger - 1 teaspoon
Chopped fresh garlic - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped - 1 tablespoon
Water - For gravy(curry)
Salt - According to your taste
Method:
Hard boil eggs and cut in half. Heat oil in pan. Add onions and garlic fry until gets brown. Add turmeric, coriander and chilli powder,minced tomato, tomato puree, ginger and salt. Cook until spices is like a paste. Add enough water for gravy(curry). Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Add hard boil egg and cook for few minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with rice or bread(roti or nan).
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GOAN CRAB CURRY

Ingredients:

Big size crabs - 6
Onion paste - 1/4th cup
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/4th cup
Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
Curd - 1/4th cup
Water - 1 cup
Whole jeera - 2 tsp
Bay leaf - 4
Garam masala powder - 2 tsp
Termaric powder - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Salt - as per your taste
Fresh cilantro leaves chopped - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Clean the crab and use only its fleshy parts. Boil it for 2 minutes.
2. Heat a pan add oil.
3. Now add whole jeera & bay leaf .
4. Add all other masalas and fry it for few minutes untill oil removes from pan.
5. Now add crab and mix with all masalas.
6. Add water and turned to boil.
7. Coverred it for 10 minutes in a very slow flame.
8. Garnish it with fresh corriender and serve hot with rice or chapaties.
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DUM GOBHI

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 1 lb.
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Tumeric - 1/4 tsp
Ginger root - 2 tsp grated
Tomatoes - 1/3 cup chopped
Chili, chopped - 1 green
Nonfat plain yogurt - 1 tbspn
Cilantro leaves - 2-3 tbsp chopped
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Wash, drain, and cut cauliflower into 1 inch flowerets, including stem. Combine chili powder, ginger, tomato, green chili, tumeric with the yogurt in A small bowl. Spray with pam, use nonstick pan, use a little water, whatever you do to nonstick yourself. Put Cauliflower into pan then pour spices over the top. Cover pan tightly and cook over LOW heat for 10-15 minutes (Cauliflower will steam in the spicy mixture). Stir in half the cilantro leaves, increase heat to medium, and cook with lid off, for another 5-6 minutes, to drive off excess moisture. turn off heat and sprinkle with garam masala and reamaining cilantro. Make sure all liquid is driven off, serve with basmati rice.
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HYDERABADI BIRYANI

Ingredients:
Pulao rice - 2 Cups
Mutton - 500 gm
Lime - 1
Almonds or Cashewnuts - 15-20 (1/3 cup)
Mint - a few sprigs
Fat - 6TBSP
Coriander leaves - 1/4 bunch
Onions - 1Cup
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green chillies (finely Chopped) - 3-4
Garlic - 3 flakes
Curds - 1 cup
Milk - 100 ml or approx. 1/2cup
Red chillies(without seeds) - 4 to 5
Turmeric - a pinch

Method:

Ingredients continued :
Cardamom - (2-3)
Cloves - (2-3)
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Bay leaf - 2
Sweet cumin a pinch
Saffron a little
Wheat flour paste enough to seal pan

Method

Wash, clean and cut the mutton into small pieces. Peel and slice the onions, coriander leaves and mint. Peel ginger and garlic. Grind ginger, red chillies, garlic and nuts into a fine paste. Heat fat. Fry onions till golden brown and crisp. Remove. Add bay leaf, ground masala, and fry. Add tepid water and cook with lid on till meat is tender and gravy is thick. Boil rice till three-fourths cooked. Add salt. Strain curds with a fine piece of muslin. Add powdered cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, sweet cumin, turmeric, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves and mint. Add lime juice and mix well. Add curds mixture to mutton. Stir well. Dissolve saffron in some milk and sprinkle over half the rice. In a strong pan put in layers of rice, mutton and fried onion. Repeat till all ingredients are used up. Pour remaining milk and fat over the rice. Cover pan and seal edges with wheat flour paste. Place in an oven 143 C (300F) for one hour and serve very hot.
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SPICY EGGPLANT

Ingredients:
Eggplant (slit lengthwise into four without cutting tops) - 8 to 10 small
Boiled Potatoes, peeled and mashed - 2
Gram flour (Besan), sieved and lightly roasted - 2 tbsp.
Grated onions - 2
Tomatoes chopped fine - 2
Cumin powder - 1 tsp.
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp.
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Powdered Sugar - 1 tsp.
Salt - 1 tsp.
Dried mango powder (Amchur powder) - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander Leaves, minced - 1 tbsp.
Method:
Keep eggplant ready. Mix all ingredients except onions and tomatoes with very little water to make an almost dry filling. Stuff this in the prepared eggplant. Arrange in a shallow dish. Steam in a pressure cooker, without weight for 10 to 12 minutes till tender. Allow to cool. Lightly roast onions, add tomatoes and stir. Add a cup of water and little salt. Add the eggplant, cover and allow to simmer on a low flame till gravy is thick. Sprinkle coriander leaves. Serve with bhakri or jawari roti.
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Stuffed Green pepper

Ingredients:

Green pepper (slit each into 4 sections and remove centres) - 6 small
Gram flour (Besan), sieved and lightly roasted - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Grated Onions - 2
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander leaves, minced - For garnishing
Salt - 1 tsp
Jaggery - 2 tbsp.
Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp.
Tumeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Method:

Soak green peppers in warm water for 15 minutes. Then drain off the water. Roast mustard seeds till they pop. Add asafoetida, onion and stir till dry. Remove from heat. Add chilli powder, garam masala, roasted besan, salt, jaggery, tamarind pulp, tumeric powder and some of the coriander leaves. Mix well with a little water. Stuff green peppers with this mixture. Place these green peppers in a shallow vessel. Spread any remaining mixture on top. Pressure cook without weight for about 5 minutes or till tender. Grill in a hot oven till browned. Sprinle rest of the coriander leaves. Serve with jawar or bajra bhakri.
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Vegetable Jalfrezi

Ingredients:
Carrots - 2
Cauliflower flowerets - 8 to 10
Green beans - 12 to 15
Green peppers - 2 small
Tomato - 1 small
Onions - 3
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Ginger - 4 to 5 flakes
Tomato pulp - 2 tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves, chopped - For garnishing

Method:
Cut all vegetables into thin 1 inch long pieces. Grate onions. Grind ginger and garlic to a paste. Roast cumin seeds till they pop. Add half of the onions and stir till lightly cooked. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomato pulp, lemon juice, chilli powder, coriander powder and stir on low flame till dry. Add carrots, cauliflower and green beans and a cup of water. Cover and let boil for about 5 minutes. Then add the green peppers, tomato, green peas and remaining onions. Let cook for another 5 minutes or till vegetables are tender. Add salt. Boil for a minute more. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves

Answer 2

Wow!! Chana Masala :-) you must love cooking then... I like women who love to cook as I like to cook too.

Ok here is what you can do... There are plenty of Indian cooking sites you can visit.

http://food.sify.com/fullstory.php?id=13287329
Here the cooking is classified by the regions. Usually Punjabi and Tamil dishes are very popular across the world. Cooking from Andhra, Rajasthan tends to be high on HEAT index, but you can always reduce the amount of chilies and Cloves used to reduce the HEAT index.

http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/
This guy cooks Indian food understanding the fact that western people may also cook the same and his recipes are easy to follow and suited to western palate and are easy on HEAT index.

http://www.tarladalal.com/
Grandma of Indian cooking, now has both Indian and international foods, mostly vegetarian. Focuses more on North Indian food.

Generally search for "Indian recipes" and google will also help you find what you are looking for.

Have fun and invite me when you cook something. Also, visit the site below to understand the Indian spices and utensils.

Spices:
http://www.indianspices.com/html/s0620cge.htm
http://www.foodsubs.com/SpiceInd.html
http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Submit/IndianSpices.htm

Utensils:
http://library2.nalis.gov.tt/Default.aspx?PageContentID=367&tabid=204

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Boka Dushi (Dutch West Indian Chicken Kebabs):

This is the Dutch West Indian version of the classic Indonesian saté. Boka means "mouth" and dushi means "sweet" in Papamiento, the musical dialect that blends Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and West African languages. Kejap manis, the ancestor of modern ketchup, is a thick, sweet soy sauce; you can substitute equal parts soy sauce and molasses. Sambal ulek is a fiery paste made of red peppers. Look for both in Asian markets.

1/4 cup kejap manis or 2 tablespoons soy sauce plus 2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sambal ulek or Thai chile paste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips, or 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
Cooking spray
Dutch West Indian Peanut Sauce

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag, and discard marinade. Thread chicken strips onto 18 (8-inch) skewers.

Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with Dutch West Indian Peanut Sauce.

(Totals include Dutch West Indian Peanut Sauce)

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3 kebabs and 2 tablespoons dutch west indian peanut sauce)

Answer 4

Check out recipezaar.com

My husband makes indian food a lot and swears by it.

You can also buy a lot of the strange spices at an Indian store or online.

Answer 5

Saag Paneer

Answer 6

Fry Bread

Answer 7

Here is a site where you can find those hard to purchases, and it gives a nice description of each

http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Submit/IndianSpices.htm

Here are some links to some recipes

http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/wchuang/cooking/Indian.html

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/indian/indian-coll-1.html

http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/3925/startup_multi.html

Answer 8

Indians make pretty good food.
I prefer them grilled myself.
Perhaps with a nice cream sauce, or Bernese.

Answer 9

if ur in US so u can go to pakistani or indian shops n every thing is available

Answer 10

ditch the italy stuffms, try whip cream..

Answer 11

could you specify which type of indian?