The Indian Food Thread

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I only had 8 limes, they were decent sized so I chopped them into 8 pieces each. I need to get some more, even though I reduced the amount of salt/spice, I think I used a bit much. About half of the limes are covered in juice right now. I did replace about half the cayenne with paprika, figured I should take it easy on the heat my first time.
 
Don't adjust anything right now, once the juices start coming out the sour will balance out the salt. Adjust if you need to on day 4.
 
They are an acquired taste, a bit, O. Don't let them put you off Indian food if you don't like them right off the bat. My best friend loves Indian and eats everything - when he visits my mom he goes right into her refrigerator and starts helping himself - but he does not like pickles as much as those of us who grew up with them.
 
I agree with B, these are not your typical pickles in vinegar. But limes are not typical pickle material either. Anyways, be sure to have some yogurt kind of thing at hand when you try these.
 
I expect I will really like these. I love limes and lemons, I always eat them raw instead of oranges. There is a mexican spice that is a combo of cayenne, lime powder and salt, its one of my favorite flavors.
I can't eat yogurt, I'm lactose intolerant and the rice or coconut milk yogurt is really nasty.
 
That is odd that yogurt disagrees with you. The fermentation of yogurt breaks the lactose down. Alton Brown had a show about yogurt once and mentioned it
 
Dairy in any state messes me up. I can eat a little yogurt once in awhile and occasionally have a milk based dessert like pudding or whipped cream. I can take those lactose pills but I have a tendency to forget, its easier to just stay away from dairy.
 
just another reason this forum rocks

I love it. I went to a forum about making soap and got distracted by a 13 page thread about Indian food that was started by a member named Irishlass. :D

I've only had Indian food a few times, my fav was something called saag ghosht--which I probably spelled wrong--it looked like something you'd find in a diaper, but it was soooooo good! And naan, mmmmm, naan.

We're not really foodies but we do cook a little more than average, I guess. Hubby tends to get caught up in that whole try-to-copy-the-restaurant-dish thing more than I do. For me, there are some things that I just want left in that realm of special rather than turning it into home-cooking and being able to have it any time I want.

Maybe in part because growing up we were too poor to go out to eat and I still have an odd little, "OOOO, special!" kind of reaction to restaurants--even just getting coffee at Starbucks. :crazy:
 
This thread inspired me to try my hand with Indian food. Wow - what a success! I made three dishes plus a mint-cilantro chutney. My two girlfriends were in awe, and now they think I'm some kind of culinary wonder. But it was super easy, and may i say, super healthy. Other than the paneer (cheese) and a little avocado oil to heat the garlic/ginger/spices, everything was a whole food. So many fresh vegetables and very little fat or simple carbs. While I've always loved Indian, I was tugged slightly more by Thai food, which is also very flavorful. But now I see huge advantages in the lack of coconut milk and more readily available spices that go with Indian food. I'll never look at cumin, coriander, turmeric or ginger the same way again. Now I know the possibilities!

I intended (and was prepared) to make three dishes from this thread, but was a bit ambitious (because I had 5 total in queue). I ended up making only the palak paneer from this site, which I prepared as a hybrid between IL and Kumadini's recipes. That was the first dish out of the pan and my friends went nuts on it! Then came aloo matar (potato and pea curry) and chana masala (spiced chickpeas). That was it, they were floored and there was no reason to assemble the other two dishes even though I was organized to do so (the dishes were not_ally's Masoor Dal and dorittefarm's Mayai Wara Bhinda). I will save them for another day. My husband won't know what hit him before "this is good" slips from his lips!

The biggest thing I learned from cooking so many dishes at once was to be organized and keep recipe "piles" separate since many of the same ingredients are used (in different proportions) for different recipes. Also, I started to get the hang of how to bring each dish together, and can see how this can be very fast cooking when you know what you're doing. Can't wait to get better at it :)

In the spirit of this thread, I share with you the aloo matar recipe I made last night. It came from the vegrecipesofindia website and goes like this:

Aloo Matar

stick blend to a smooth paste:
1 medium onion, 80 grams or ½ cup chopped onions
2 medium to large tomatoes, 150 grams or 1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used one can fire roasted)
½ inch ginger/adrak, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic/lahsun, chopped
Set this paste aside

Other ingredients:
2 tbsp oil (I used avocado)
½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1 tbsp fresh malai or low fat cream or almond or cashew powder (optional) (I used cream since it was on hand)
250 grams potatoes or 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (I used about 8 small red)
⅔ to ¾ cup green peas/matar, fresh or frozen (I used 1 bag frozen)
a generous pinch of asafoetida/hing (I didn't have/didn't use)
½ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
½ tsp garam masala powder
1.5 cups water
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
salt as needed

Instructions
Make a smooth paste with the onion, tomato, ginger and garlic in a grinder or blender; Put aside. Heat oil in a pot and crackle the cumin seeds, then add the ground onion-tomato paste. Stir and then add the cream (or ground nuts). The mixture sputters so cover partly with a lid. When spluttering stops, remove the lid and saute. Then add the dry spices (except garam masala). Stir and then add the peas and potatoes. Saute for a minute. Add water and salt, stir well, and cover the pot. Simmer till the potatoes and peas are cooked well. Lastly, stir in garam masala powder and cilantro, then serve.
 
Congratulations on your success! Prepare to be addicted to Indian cuisine now. lol That aloo matar recipe sounds so yummy! Thanks for sharing! I need to make that!


IrishLass :)
 
I am currently making leftover turkey and random vegetables curry. It's very British and not really remotely Indian. We like to steal food from other nationalities! ImageUploadedBySoap Making1451569875.375869.jpg
 
My favorite vegetable curry is Aloo Gobi, a potato and cauliflower curry from the movie Bend it like Beckam. My next favorite is Aloo Matar, a potato and pea curry (I also add carrots to this classic recipe). I just bought a nice, small head of cauliflower so I think i'll use it to make the Aloog Gobi in a couple of days. Here's the recipe i found on line for this wonderful dish!

ALOO GOBI - FROM BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM Yield8 servings
Ingredients

vegetable oil - I just use a little spray
1 large onion, peeled, finely chopped
1 large bunch of cilantro
a few green chilies, cut up small
1 cauliflower cut up into small pieces
3 large potatoes, peeled & cut into ¼ inch slices
1 tin of peeled tomatoes, grated (she actually uses a cheese grater in the movie)
fresh ginger to taste, peeled & grated
fresh garlic to taste, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garam masala
Preparation

She doesn't bother with very precise measurements from time to time. Use taste & discretion when putting this together. Heat oil in large pan (you'll need a lid later - keep that in mind). Fry up chopped onions & cumin seeds. Don't brown the onions, you want them to start turning translucent. Finely chop stalks of cilantro bunch up to the leaves. Add to onions in pan with turmeric and salt. Let the turmeric heat up a bit, then add chilies. Pour in liquids from can of tomatoes, then pulverize your tomatoes and add them in too. Mix in ginger & garlic. Now your ready for the main ingredients, the potatoes & the cauliflower. You'll also want to add a few tablespoons of water at this time, but keep in mind that aloo gobi is supposed to be a dry dish, not a saucy one. As Chadha clearly says in the featurette, the last thing you want is watery aloo gobi. Make sure that the liquid in the pan has covered everything, then cover & simmer for 20 minutes. Then stir in garam masala and chopped cilantro leaves. Turn off the heat and recover the dish. Leave it standing for about 20 minutes before serving. This allows the veg to really soak up all the liquid in the pan, making for a more savory dish in the end.
 
Trick to adding flavour to Palak Paneer

Okay, all you Indian food lovers, here's our thread! Everybody join in and contribute! :-o

One of my favorite dishes from our favorite Indian restaurant is their Palak Paneer. After many tries at trying to duplicate it at home (by much guessing and tasting and guessing and tasting and scouring through the internet), this is what I came up with. To us, it tastes very, very close to the one we enjoy at the restaurant- not 100% exact, but close enough for us to scarf it down with gusto, lol. It might seem long and complicated, but looks can be deceiving. It's so easy and quick once everything has been prepped:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. ghee (for sautéing the onions/spices, etc.)
20 oz. frozen spinach, thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 dry red chili peppers, whole
1 c. finely chopped onion
4 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
8 oz. can crushed tomatoes
8 oz. block of paneer (Indian cheese)
2 tbsp. ghee (to cook paneer/cheese in)
1/2 c. plain yoghurt (lowfat or full-fat)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. lowfat buttermilk
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground turmeric
3 tsp. curry powder (I'm partial to Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder)
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)


Directions (prep):

1- In a small prep bowl, add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, curry powder, gram masala, cayenne, and salt. Set aside.
2- In a separate small prep bowl, add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Set aside.
3- In a separate small prep bowl, add the chopped cilantro. Set aside.
4- In a medium bowl, add the yoghurt, buttermilk, and heavy cream. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Directions (cook):

A- In a medium-sized Dutch oven or pot heat 1 tbsp. ghee over med-high heat until shimmering. Turn heat to medium and add onions, cooking until soft and golden (about 8 to 10 minutes).
B- To the pot, add the prep bowl of dried spices, the prep bowl of garlic/ginger and the 2 whole chili peppers. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until very fragrant.
C- Add the crushed tomatoes. Cook for about 3 minutes or so, and then add the bowl of yoghurt, buttermilk and heavy cream, cooking and stirring on medium until heated through.
D- Add the thawed spinach and cook until heated through (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
E- In 2 batches, puree the spinach mixture in a food processor for about 15 pulses or so until it is of a consistency you like. Pour back into the pot and cover to keep warm while you prepare the paneer.....
F- Cut the paneer into cubes.
G- Heat the 2 tbsp. of ghee on med-high heat in a frying pan until shimmering. Turn heat down to medium and add paneer, cooking and stirring off and on until just barely golden. Watch very closely so it does not burn, which it will do in the blink of an eye if you're not careful.
H- Drain cooked paneer on paper towels and add to the palak (spinach mixture). Heat through, add the chopped cilantro, and serve.

How do you folks make yours (inquiring minds want to know!)?


IrishLass :)


The final trick to turn a decent Palak Paneer into that something that you tasted in a restaurant is - Mix 2 tablespoon of yogurt (sour if possible) with 1 tablespoon of chickpea flour (besan in Hindi) and add to the cooked spinach. Cook further for 3-5 min on low medium heat stirring all the while till raw smell of chickpea goes away.

Voila, your palak paneer has that silky texture that restaurants give you. (No need for cream when using this trick)
 
The final trick to turn a decent Palak Paneer into that something that you tasted in a restaurant is - Mix 2 tablespoon of yogurt (sour if possible) with 1 tablespoon of chickpea flour (besan in Hindi) and add to the cooked spinach. Cook further for 3-5 min on low medium heat stirring all the while till raw smell of chickpea goes away.

Voila, your palak paneer has that silky texture that restaurants give you. (No need for cream when using this trick)

Thank you so much for that tip, Asmita! I will try that out. And welcome to the forum! :D


IrishLass :)
 

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