daabomb2002
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2007
- Messages
- 2
hmmmm i like indian food. try butter chicken
BBQ Mikey said:I enjoy Thai Noodles, some indian guy I work with turned me onto them, dunno if its indian food, but theyre good.
Claire said:By the way, BBQ, yes, Thai food often does have a heavy Indian influence. As does Indonesian, some Hawaiian, etc. Indians in the 1800s moved across the globe in search of employment. So much of New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, Southeast Asia, etc, have a cuisine with that lovely influence. When I lived in Hawaii, one of my favorite things to do was Thursday afternoons at the Willows. The dish to order was Hawaiian curry. It was rather blatantly Indian influenced, although it was considered a "native" dish. I think it was Indian via Indonesia. We loved it. There were some lovely older ladies who would wander around with guitars and ukuleles. I learned many years ago that it was lost, but my goodness, what fun it was. I would put on my best muumuu, and a straw hat with a lei on it. So, yes, Indian food has made its influence known around the world.
India just like other countries has a wide range of foods from South to North. Southern food uses bright spices with coconut and a lot of rice in their diet. Northern food is milder, creamier and prefer roti (wheat tortilla) in their diet.
If you would like to experiment with Indian food I would suggest trying a couple of things - One is more southern influenced and the other more northern.
Spicy Potatoes:
These Potatoes are delicious and eaten as a stuffing in Dosa but you can eat it just by themselves and inspired by Southern style of cooking
3 large potatoes (idaho are fine) boiled, peeled and cut into cubes
1 large onion cut into large cubes
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp of salt and turmeric powder
1 tsp of lime juice
cilantro to garnish
For tempering
Oil
2 dry arabol chillies broken into small peices (discard the seeds)
1 small green chili
Handful of curry leaves
2 tsp of whole brown mustard seeds
2 tsp of whole cumin seeds
2 tsp of raw urad dal (optional)
In a pan add the oil. When the oil is super hot, throw in the curr leaves, red chillies and reduce the heat. Now add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dal. Next add the garlic and onions and cook it for a few minutes. Add the diced potaotes, turmeric, salt and lime juice. Stir carefully. Cover and let it cook on low for 15 minutes or so.
Garnish with cilantro and serve as a side or with roti bread (available in Indian stores)
Baingan ka Bharta
This is a northern dish and very popular in India.
1 large eggplant roasted : I place it in a foil, drizzle it with some canola oil, hit with some salt and close the foil and place it in an oven pan and let it roast until it's soft
Once the eggplant is cooked. Let it cool and then peel the charred skin and discard the seeds. Rough chop the eggplant (it will be mushy) and put it in a bowl and reserve.
Now you need the following:
1 small onion finely diced
2 medium tomatoes finely diced
3 cloves of garlic finely diced
2 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tsp of cumin and corrainder powder freshly ground (toast the seeds lightly and then powder it in a spice grinder)
salt to taste
1 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1/2 cup of yogurt
1 green chili
cilantro for garnish
1 tbsp of oil
1/2 cup of water
In a pan add oil and temper it with cumin seeds. Next add the onions and cook them until they are golden brown. Next add the garlic, chili and all the ground spices and tomatoes. Cook this until the tomatoes release their water and turn into a pulp. Next add the water (1/2 cup tap water) and reduce the temperature. Add the yogurt and stir it with the water to ensure it's not lumpy. The reason to add the water first is so that the yogurt does not curdle. If you add the cold yogurt directly to the spices it will curdle.
Now add the eggplan and cover and cook on low for 15 minutes or so. Garnish with cilantro and serve with roti
I will share a few recipes later for Chicken and a ground lamb/beef kabab preparation that is delicious. You can send me a PM if you are looking for specific recipes.