Godbole - Crack the Code: Cook Any Indian Meal With Confidence

Crack The Code

Cook Any Indian Meal With Confidence

Nandita Godbole

2015

Crack The Code: Cook Any Indian Meal With Confidence
Copyright Nandita Godbole, 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Crack The Code: Cook Any Indian Meal With Confidence
ISBN 978-1-940957-06-7

1. Cooking 2. Indian 3. Recipes 4. Methods 5. Spices 6. Vegetarian 7. Non Vegetarian

Other Titles by Author
A Dozen Ways to Celebrate: Twelve Complete Feasts for the Culinary Indulgent

Connections & Queries
Email: currycravings@gmail.com
Web: www.currycravings.com / www.currycravingskitchen.com
Facebook: currycravings1
Twitter: @currycravings

Curry Cravings is a trademark of Nandita Godbole dba Curry Cravings.

Notes
Approximate time allowances are identified only as a guideline. Time required to cook a particular dish will vary by skill levels of cook and appliances used.

This publication is only intended to provide general information. The information is specifically not intended to be a substitute for diet regimens, a medical diagnosis or treatment by a health care professional. Products vary among manufacturers and regions, please check labels carefully to confirm the products you are using conform to your dietary restrictions and adjust calorie counts according to your specific choices. Not all recipes are appropriate for all people. The information included in this book should not be used for any personal, nutritional or medical decision. Please consult an appropriate professional for specific advice tailored to your specific situation.

The author makes no representation or warranties, express or implied, with respect to your use of this information. In no event shall the author be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special or consequential damages, or any damages whatsoever including, without limitation, damages for personal injury, death, damage to property, or loss of profits, arising out of or in any way connected with the use of the above referenced information or otherwise arising out of the use of this book.

Text 2015 Nandita Godbole
Book and cover design; photographs, food and prop styling 2015 Nandita Godbole
Copy Editor: Diane Wilson-Kutcher
Digital Production: R Umashankar

Second Edition

Preface

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to continue this journey of cooking Indian food with a second edition of Crack the Code: Cook Any Indian Meal With Confidence. This updated edition includes more recipes than the previous version and will allow you to fine tune your skills with spices and the methods involved in cooking most Indian dishes.

It is no secret that the Indian cuisine is filled with wondrous spices, flavors, ingredients and textures; it is made up of seemingly mysterious methods and techniques. The pieces seem to come together in a myriad of combinations, creating flavorful and aromatic dishes that have us begging for more. It all seems like magic and the one who can cook with all these spices and ingredients then takes the role of a magician! The Indian cuisine is, in fact, not a game of smoke and mirrors, but a matter of method. In order to fully appreciate Indian food, both diners and chefs must know when and how the magic wand is to be waved over a simmering pot and bring everything together harmoniously.

I owe much of my appreciation of the plant world to my grandparents, both maternal and paternal. They both were gardening enthusiasts and experts at everyday herbal home remedies. They grew many medicinal herbs and plants in their gardens, a practice we continued when my parents purchased their own land. As far back as I can remember, I spent each summer being around a garden. I was either wandering my paternal grandfathers tiny fruit orchard in a coastal hamlet, fearlessly skipping through my maternal grandmas urban garden or tending my parents coconut and mango orchard alongside farm hands, with chickens cackling in the background or water buffaloes waiting to be milked, after we our own place.

My maternal grandparents lived in our town so we visited them more often. When she was not teaching, crafting or sewing, my maternal grandma, Ba as we called her, tended to her garden and frequently returned with a handful of leaves or flowers, not for the flower vase, but to eat or add to a dish! She would calm our perplexed looks with a tip or three about what she was going to do with the leaves or flowers, and most importantly why it was good for us. My mother and grandmother continued to divulge the nuances and health benefits of our everyday spices, something that I am slowly beginning to do with my daughter as well.

In my early 20s, I was a graduate student studying economic botany (growing fruits and grains for trade), ethnobotany (local uses of flora) and Pharmacognosy (medicinal uses of plants). I learned the role of locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs in regional diets and economy as well as their health benefits and applications. I saw proof of the innumerable health benefits of everyday spices. As any good teachers would, mine encouraged me to take this knowledge to the next step. As Curry Cravings grew slowly at first and incrementally in the past decade, I have seen how all my life experiences and career paths merge into one.

Fear, stress and food are never a good combination, but they are especially best kept apart when trying to make culinary magic in the kitchen. This book is extracted from my own experiences in the kitchen, gained after many years of sweating over and around the stove, not because of the heat, but out of fear over matching the ingredients with a recipe! Perhaps it was my unconscious anxiety of making mistakes. Regardless of what it was, it took years of trial-by-fire and regular cooking to dispel the fear and resultant stress of preparing food completely from the kitchen. Knowing that the caregivers in my life employed the same methods I practice now gives me added confidence.

Everyone learns to cook differently: some attend classes; others read a recipe in a book, some learn from a parent, and still others find their drive out of sheer curiosity or hunger. The desire to feed oneself is a powerful motivator, but the desire to keep oneself healthy is even a more powerful concept. Why not cook well and eat healthy at the same time? But one has to start with the basics.

Indulge me as I share my daughters favorite mythological tale about Lord Ganeshas appetite. Vain king Kubera once invited Lord Shiva to a banquet under the pretense of honoring him. Instead he wanted to show off his wealth to the Lord of the Pantheon, gloat on the idea that his riches allowed him to even feed the Lord of the Universe, Lord Shiva. Sensing his ulterior motives, Lord Shiva sent his son to the feast instead, Lord Ganesha. However, the pompous King Kubera had a hard time satisfying Lord Ganeshas voracious appetite who was also aware of his devious motives and ate everything in sight. Not only did he consume all the food, cooked or uncooked, Lord Ganesha began eating everything in King Kuberas kingdom! Defeated and perplexed, King Kubera scrambled to seek Lord Shivas attention, asking for forgiveness and a remedy to stop Lord Ganesha from devouring his kingdom. To this Lord Shiva said: even a morsel of rice offered with love and humility will be enough to satiate the appetite of Lord Ganesha. This story serves as a great reminder that a dish is only as good as the intent with which it was created.