If you read my article, Curry - A Journey, published on the Curry page of this site, you will know that my first experiences with this dish were of the generic variety that the British cooked and ate invariably while living abroad.
A few decades ago you will also know that I discovered real Indian cuisine and decided that I could not afford to eat so much at the restaurant and needed to learn how to cook.
My first stop was in a local bookstore, where the selection of books on Indian cuisine was somewhat limited. However, I was lucky and discovered a book titled Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey,
what a find. Written in simple language but with beautiful descriptive text and recommendations on what to serve with what, that was exactly what I was looking for.
However, there was an obstacle, which was the endless list of spices, condiments and aromas that appeared at the beginning of the book. I did not know where to start.
After watching some TV shows about Indian cuisine, I've heard a lot about Indian cuisine, but I thought buying at the same time would cost a fortune. If you think the same thing, do not panic. Check in your store cabinet. You probably already have some of the items you will need.
For example, look for black peppercorns, bay leaves, chili powder (if it is already a pepper), ground ginger, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon if you cook apple pies or cakes. You can find mustard seeds if you make your own pickles and sesame seeds if you cook or cook Chinese dishes.
This leaves only a few basic ingredients found in many Indian recipes: cumin, coriander, turmeric and cardamom. You often need ground cumin and coriander, but if you buy whole spices, you can grind them as much as you like (and they will last longer too).
The other thing I did was pick a simple recipe to start and I just bought the spices I needed for that. The next time I wanted to cook an Indian meal, I chose another recipe with similar ingredients, so I had to buy two other things. Soon, I built a whole wardrobe of things I needed and it did not have such a dramatic effect on my wallet.
Then nothing stopped me, I even know some memory recipes now and you can do the same if you wish.
You do not need special equipment for Indian cooking, although I do not need my electric coffee grinder (for grinding spices) and it is nice (but not necessary) to have dishes traditional to serve your food. Aside from that, you need a little patience and enjoy Cooking with a friend to share the hash and hash or read the recipe step by step so you do not go wrong in the middle.
The flavors are excellent, a curried evening is really sociable, so go ahead, try it.
Cooking Indian Food at Home # Cooking Indian Food # Indian Food # Indian # Food #
A few decades ago you will also know that I discovered real Indian cuisine and decided that I could not afford to eat so much at the restaurant and needed to learn how to cook.
My first stop was in a local bookstore, where the selection of books on Indian cuisine was somewhat limited. However, I was lucky and discovered a book titled Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey,
what a find. Written in simple language but with beautiful descriptive text and recommendations on what to serve with what, that was exactly what I was looking for.
However, there was an obstacle, which was the endless list of spices, condiments and aromas that appeared at the beginning of the book. I did not know where to start.
After watching some TV shows about Indian cuisine, I've heard a lot about Indian cuisine, but I thought buying at the same time would cost a fortune. If you think the same thing, do not panic. Check in your store cabinet. You probably already have some of the items you will need.
For example, look for black peppercorns, bay leaves, chili powder (if it is already a pepper), ground ginger, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon if you cook apple pies or cakes. You can find mustard seeds if you make your own pickles and sesame seeds if you cook or cook Chinese dishes.
This leaves only a few basic ingredients found in many Indian recipes: cumin, coriander, turmeric and cardamom. You often need ground cumin and coriander, but if you buy whole spices, you can grind them as much as you like (and they will last longer too).
The other thing I did was pick a simple recipe to start and I just bought the spices I needed for that. The next time I wanted to cook an Indian meal, I chose another recipe with similar ingredients, so I had to buy two other things. Soon, I built a whole wardrobe of things I needed and it did not have such a dramatic effect on my wallet.
Then nothing stopped me, I even know some memory recipes now and you can do the same if you wish.
You do not need special equipment for Indian cooking, although I do not need my electric coffee grinder (for grinding spices) and it is nice (but not necessary) to have dishes traditional to serve your food. Aside from that, you need a little patience and enjoy Cooking with a friend to share the hash and hash or read the recipe step by step so you do not go wrong in the middle.
The flavors are excellent, a curried evening is really sociable, so go ahead, try it.
Cooking Indian Food at Home # Cooking Indian Food # Indian Food # Indian # Food #
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