For all images courtesy of Google
This section is for you if you have never prepared a single Indian food in your life. Learn the fundamentals, heed my advice, and keep practising till you succeed.
Once you get the hang of it, Indian cooking is fairly simple.
If you’ve never cooked before, there are a few fundamental principles that you might need to master to prepare Indian food. Fortunately, you don’t need to do these things by yourself because pre-mixed spice mixes and products that have been dry-roasted are readily available on the market. However, if you want to create them on your own and want to have a bit more control over your ingredients in the future, I can tell you how to do it. Oh, and I find these activities enjoyable for me, so give it a try—who knows? Dry roasting could just become your new passion!
Most of the basic gadgets and appliances will call for are
quite common even in the American kitchen. I will still list these basic
tools below. Feel free to improvise if you don’t have one of these,
and don’t wish to invest in one yet.
Concave cast-iron tava griddle to make bread
Non-stick or cast-iron
Round-bottomed wok (called kadhai in India)
Pressure Cooker
Food processor
If you can’t find these in a store nearby, they are easily available on
amazon.com.
BASIC TECHNIQUES
BLANCHING RAW NUTS
In essence, this method entails submerging the materials in water until their skins become soft, at which point the skins are peeled off. Although you may get pre-blanched goods in the market, where is the pleasure in that?
The freshness is missing. The most crucial question is: Where is the Indian vibe?
ALMONDS (BADAAM) Almonds can be blanched in one of two methods.
Conventional Approach
- Soak 12 cups of shelled raw almonds for 8 to 24 hours in water that is at least two inches deep. This enables the nuts to soak in the water and become softer.
- Drain each one and use your fingers to scrape the skin off.
Quick Approach - Boil 12 cups of almonds in water for five minutes or until the skins are loose and have absorbed the water.
- After cooling, peel.
PISTACHIOS (PISTA) When compared to almonds, pistachios are simpler to peel.
- Fill a small stainless steel (not nonstick) saucepan with at least one inch of water, 12 cups shelled, raw pistachios, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Turn off the heat and leave the food out for about an hour to soften. They should be drained and placed on a clean kitchen towel.
Use a new towel to cover (or fold the previous one over), then rub your hands all over it. The skin that has become loose will be taken off as you do this.
