Serves: 5
This book covers all types of Indian foods--dishes you may have eaten in restaurants, regional and classic home-cooked Indian foods, street foods, as well as modern dishes with Indian flavorings and universal appeal. So there are a range of recipe options to cook and enjoy.
You'll find that the recipes balance traditions with real-world cooking concerns. Although I always strive for authenticity in my dishes, I have strayed from old-world traditions of hand-grinding, sun-drying, and of course, cooking in a tandoor modern conveniences allow for wonderfully suitable substitutions. I rely on the stove and the oven, on a grill and a pressure cooker, and even get a little help from the microwave. I gravitate toward the food processor, the blender, and the spice grinder, and I use the freezer a lot--not to pull out store-bought frozen foods, but to freeze my spice pastes, puréed chutneys, and other basic ingredients--so when I'm actually cooking, most of the busy work has been done and my time is focused on cooking and creating. As a general rule, I keep my home recipes quick and healthy, and this is how you too probably prefer to cook. Here are some hints and shortcuts for using my recipes and for being an efficient cook of Indian cuisine:
* Always read and understand the recipe before you start. Some recipes have cross-references to other recipes--for needed ingredients such as spice blends, chutneys, and sauces, or for suggestions for accompaniments. Decide if you need to coordinate making them or if you can substitute a store-bought item. (I mention if a purchased product can substituted for homemade.)
* Ingredients to keep on hand, preferably fresh or homemade: cilantro dry-roasted cumin, sesame seeds, and black peppercorns ginger paste, garlic paste, and ginger-garlic paste green chutney crispy fried ginger and crispy fried onions fresh lemon juice paneer cheese pickles, especially mango and lemon chutney preserves, especially mango and tomato.
* Have all the ingredients ready so you're not opening drawers and bottles when your attention should be on food on the stove or in the oven, or that you have to stop cooking to make a basic preparation.
* To make food go further in the event of unexpected company, make an extra vegetable or quickly cook some frozen peas, chopped fresh vegetables, potatoes, or rice in the microwave, then add them to an existing dish to increase its volume.
* To salvage over-salted or over-spiced foods, add a peeled and chopped cooked or mashed potato the spud will absorb most of the extra salt and/or chili heat. Or, mix in some yogurt, cooked plain white rice, or another vegetable--the idea is to increase the volume of the dish, so the saltiness and/or heat dissipate.
This 04- Helpful Hints recipe is from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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