Banga - IndianCooking

Indian Cooking By Kulminder Banga 2015 Cover artwork: Candace Rose Rardon (Travel writer and sketch artist) www.candaceroserardon.com www.serendipitysketches.com also on etsy.com Cover design by: GusTyk from 99 designs Table of Contents INTRODUCTION BASIC PANTRY THE BASIC'S DRINKS APPETIZERS YOGURT DISHES SALADS RICE DISH VEGETABLE DISHES CHUTNEY/PICKLES LENTILS MEAT DISHES BREADS DESSERT/SWEETS

I was taught how to cook Indian dishes at an early age but I did not cook Indian food on a regular basis until I had children. Over the years I got to be creative and experiment with flavors and textures. In the process, I also realized that Indian food is a lot easier than it looks. People ask me all the time, teach me how to make this or that. I understand that the flavors and spices can overwhelm a seasoned cook let alone a layman. All I can say is, that if you learn a couple of recipes and some basic techniques you can expand your weekly repertoire.

This book contains authentic dishes that I cook for my friends and family on a regular basis. I tried my best to keep the recipes as simple and clear as possible. I also gave some of the recipes cooking times that will hopefully help the cook on their path to discovering Indian food. I really urge anyone to give Indian food a true effort. You will not be disappointed!

These are common ingredients found in most Indian households. These items are more readily available in supermarkets than they used to be.

If you have the time find an Indian grocer near you. It will be worth it! Allspice Almonds Amchur (unripe mango powder) Bay leaf Black cumin (regular cumin toasted) Basmati rice Black pepper Cardamom (green and black) Carom seeds (ajwain) Chaat masala Chickpea flour (basin) Chilies (red: whole, ground/ green: fresh) Cloves Coriander Cumin Cashews Curry leaves Coconut Fennel seeds Fenugreek (methi- fresh or seeds) Garam Masala Garlic Ginger Lentils (various) Mint Mustard seeds Nutmeg Nuts (variety) Onion Poppy seeds Salt Tamarind (paste) Turmeric Vermicelli noodles

Indian food is known for its complex flavors and multitude of spices. However, many of the dishes have similar techniques and steps. I have tried to break them down so they are easier to understand. In this cookbook, you will see lots of repetition especially in the curries with sauces. They all start the same, so it is important to get the method down.

Also, even though most people will opt for store made spices, there are some that I would highly recommend you make yourself. Most Indian spices are kept in stainless steel containers called a masala dhabba, also known as a spice box. Does the picture below look familiar? Most Indian households have them. The most common spices in the spice box are salt, garam masala, cumin seeds, turmeric, red chilies and fenugreek leaves. Garam Masala is one of the main spices used in most Indian recipes; it gives the dish a smoky flavor. To convince you to make it yourself, Garam Masala (or at least my recipe) is comprised of coriander, cumin and black pepper.

It is pretty safe to say you can use those spices in other dishes as well. In fact they are used quite often in Mexican, Southwestern and Middle Eastern dishes. If you make a batch it stays fresh for months, and you will end up using it in soups, stews, chilies, grilled meat, pasta salads, the list is endless. This is my recipe: (you dont have to make the amount I have listed just remember the ratio is 50:50 with a small amount of black peppercorns) Garam Masala 1 cup of coriander seeds 1 cup of cumin seeds cup black peppercorn (optional) Combine all ingredients and dry toast in a fry pan, until dark brown in color. Let the mixture cool down. Grind it in a coffee grinder until fine.

Store in an airtight container. Use as needed. Mixture lasts for months in a dark cool cupboard. Torka Most of the recipes for the main dishes start out with a torka . It is basically onions, garlic and ginger sauted. What can make it complicated is that the dishes that have a sauce (such as butter chicken, mutter paneer) have a cooked down version of the torka.

I can only compare it to making gravy. With gravy if you do not let the butter and flour brown properly, then it gives your gravy an undercooked flour aftertaste. The same principle applies to making a torka. You have to cook the onions down well past the translucent phase, and then puree them, or your dish will have an undercooked onion taste to it. This process can take time and to be honest can be a burden to many individuals who are just starting to learn how to cook Indian food. I have a solution to this which I pretty much always use.

I simply use a pressure cooker (which is a great investment) to do all the work for me. Can you believe a pressure cooker takes 3 minutes to make basmati rice and 10 minutes to make brown rice. Seriously! That alone would be a reason to get one. I basically dice up onions and place them in a pressure cooker making sure not to go past the halfway mark, cover with the lid and place on medium heat. Different cookers have different noises when the pressure begins. Some have a whistling sound others make a hissing sound.

Some high-end pressure cookers are silent; make sure you read the user manual. I cook the onions in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes (the time starts once the hissing sound begins ). Take off the heat and once the pressure dissipates, open the cooker according to the instructions. I puree the onions with a hand blender and then scoop them into ice cube trays. Once frozen, I put them into a freezer bag. Whenever I need to make a curry such as butter chicken.

I simply heat the oil and put in 3-4 cubes. Once the onions have melted (they are fully cooked), I can go ahead and add the remaining ingredients for the curry. This tip is a real TIME SAVER . Most of the curries can become frustrating because you are waiting for the onions to cook down. That process alone can take up to 25 minutes! I also freeze pureed tomatoes in ice cube molds (as pictured above). The onions and tomatoes can be used not only in Indian cooking, but also when preparing stews, soups and sauces.

If you use ginger and garlic often, grind both of them together and place them in a glass, airtight container. It stays fresh for weeks in the fridge as long as you remember to use a clean, dry spoon to take some out. Hopefully these tips will make cooking Indian food a little bit easier. Now lets get started!

This drink is the foundation of the Indian culture. It is drunk in the morning, noon and night, and the latte version has become popular in coffee shops across the world. This is the simplest version of the drink.

The tea is infused with spices then milk is added to thicken it. Once you see how easy and delicious this drink is, you will think twice before you buy it again. Remember one tea bag is usually good for 2 cups of water. 2 cups of water 1 tea bag (like orange pekoe) or 2 tsp. loose black tea 2 cardamoms, crushed (seeds and pods) or 1 generous pinch of cardamom powder 1 tbsp. white sugar or as per taste cup of milk (2% or homogenized) Place water in a small saucepan on medium heat.

Add the cardamom seeds and pods. Add the sugar and tea bag. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a boil again. Watch carefully as once the milk has been added the chai will boil over easily.

Remove from heat once chai has boiled and pour through a strainer. Enjoy. SPICED CHAI A tea that truly makes you warm from the inside out. The flavors of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves make this drink extra special. You can customize this drink according to your taste. Go ahead and add nutmeg, allspice or minced ginger.

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