I need an India meal?

Question

I want to impress this hot lil classmate from India by cooking her a delicious India-meal. Unfortunantely I have no clue what people from India eat or how to make it. Please gimme a mouth watering India dish that I will enjoy as well

p.s. I have asked her if she eats much American food and she says she really prefers Indian Cuisine

Answer 1

Believe! You can do it, it's a bit of work but it's worth it

Paneer Tikka

Ingredients:
8-10 ounces paneer cheese, cut into thin horizontal slices, about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 teaspoons tandoori spice mix
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon minced coriander leaves (aka cilantro)
1/2 tablespoon minced mint leaves
3 cups vegetables (bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots)
2-3 teaspoons chaat masala
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil salt, to taste

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade with some salt and set aside.
Juliennes the veggies and add the chat masala and remaining marinade (if any) to them.
Brush the marinade on the paneer slices and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Heat 1 tbsp butter/oil and fry the paneer on both sides till well done (browned). Alternatively, you can brush each paneer piece with some oil and bake in a 350 degree F oven till done.
Heat 1 tbsp oil and stir fry the veggies till they are crisp. Just like the paneer, you can alternatively bake these in an oven till they are done.
In a platter, arrange the paneer slices in the middle and place the veggies around it. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve hot.
*****************
Chaat Masala

4 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ajwain
1 tablespoon mango powder (amchur)
2 dried chilies
3 tablespoons black salt (kala namak)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground pomegranate seeds (anardana powder)

Roast coriander seeds on low heat until fragrant.
Remove from skillet.
Do the same with the cumin seeds and the ajowan (roast them separately).
Grind all spices using a pestle and mortar.
Store in an airtight container.

Answer 2

I would strongly, strongly urge you to impress her by cooking something you already know. Make her a vegetarian lasagna if that's what you excel at. Or whatever. Not only will you be more confident with it, but she will appreciate you for your skill and will not be able to compare it to her or her mom's cooking skills. When you start cooking the kind of food she is used to, the wheels begin turning in her head, subconsciously. And it may not be positive. She may think you're stereotyping. She may WANT to try something from a different culture or cuisine. Lastly, you'll have a better idea of whether your creation has turned out good or not.

Just be mindful of the vegetarian thing - ask her. And remember that even meat-eating Hindus don't eat beef and Muslims don't eat pork.

OK, do you know what part of India's she's from?

Answer 3

She probably eats Indian cuisine all the time, so you may not be doing her any favors by making something she has every day.

But if you want to show her you are open to her culture, first find out what she likes. She may be a vegetarian and if you make her meat, big mistake. Once you know what her favorite Indian dishes are, go to foodtv.com and look up the recipies.

One bit of advice I would strongly suggest is that you don't "test" the recipies on your young lady. Make a trial run to see if the dish comes out well before preparing the recipe for her.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

If you want to prepare the food yourself you're going to spend a bundle on spices. I mean, do you already have coriander, cumin, fennel seeds and tumeric? Do you have ghee (clarified butter)? You can't skimp on these flavours when making "authentic" Indian cuisine. Could you even find a store in your area that knew the difference between mung daal and masoor daal? You'd probably save money AND end up with a better meal if you took her out to an Indian restaurant!

Answer 5

Their child meal basically means that they will give the child a healthy meal that will not be spice and will not be proper meal like adults get. If I am correct it might include a burger/pizza/french fries or something easy to eat of that sort. Child Meal Lightly Spiced, Nutritionally Balanced

Answer 6

Whole Wheat Bhakris

1 cup - wholewheat flour
1/4 cup - soya flour
1/4 tsp - carom seeds (ajwai) (optional)
1 tsp - dried herbs of choice
salt to taste
water for kneading


&

For papdi:
1 cup plain flour
2 tsp. oil or ghee
1/4 tsp. ajwain seeds
salt to taste
oil to deep fry

For chilli pakodi:
1/2 cup moong dal
1/2 cup urad dal
salt to taste
Oil for deep frying


Other ingredients:
1/4 cup tamarind chutney
1 tbsp. green chutney
crushed cumin powder
1/2 tsp. chaat masala
2 tbsp. beaten fresh curd
salt to taste
1 boiled potato chopped
1 tsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
1 tbsp. fine sev

&
Gulab Jamun

500 gms. khoya 125 gms. plain flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. cardomom powder
1 pinch saffron strands
250 gms. sugar
ghee to deep fry



Hope these help :)

Answer 7

Hi, I really can't give you anything in particular..but I can give you a couple of sites that will give you several options. This may give you some ease in trying to find some of the more 'rare' ingredients. Good luck to you :)........
www.allrecipes.com
www.recipezaar.com
just type INDIAN in the search box.

Answer 8

subsribe to about.com, for food and drink free weekly newsletter.
petrina verma sarkar gives great indian receipes, easy to make.
also, if you would write to me, i would give you some good ones, as well as some tips.

Answer 9

curry chicken lol