Cooking Recipes

How to Get Started Indian Cooking

If you are an Indian cuisine lover but don’t know how to get started, this article will help you giving the much needed boost. Diverse and delicious Indian cuisine is one of the leading cuisines in the world. Every State in India boasts its own regional cuisine. Each city has its own delicacies and every household has that one connoisseur who has the best recipes in its own way. Though it may look intimidating but it’s not that hard to cook Indian food at home.

Healthy Options

Many Restaurants around the globe offers Indian cuisine in their menus. But a very common concern arise that how healthy is this food. What is the medium these restaurants are using for cooking? How many times in a week or month can one actually try it outside?

If Indian cuisine is tried at home then the healthy options can be incorporated with the cooking. It’s not always laden with chilli, curry and oil. Home cooked food can be healthy and appetizing at the same time.

Vegetarian and Non vegetarian options

This awesome cuisine offers multiple options for both vegetarians and non- vegetarians. Indian cuisine can be split into two parts vegetarian and non- vegetarian. These two sections have their own appetizers and main entrees. There are a variety of vegetarian and non- vegetarian snacks, the recipes and style of making these may differ from region to region. Amongst them some are highly popular snacks throughout the country, while some are only admired in a particular sector.

Cooking is an Artistry

Cooking in India is taken very seriously. It’s like learning any other art form. People take pride in their own concocted recipes and sometime the recipes which are family secrets are passed down through generations.

Amalgamation of different cultures

Since India was invaded by different invaders since ancient times, its cuisine has their imprints on it for sure. Due to these factors Indian cuisine has so much to offer to satisfy the palate. Regional cuisine is so much enjoyed all over the country that different states love to have delicacies from the other states.

Get to know the spices for cooking

Before you want to start with an Indian dish, one thing that you have to know thoroughly is the spices used, and how much of these spices will go in that particular dish. Though spices at first can overawe you but know it that they are no rocket science. Nearly every Indian meal is cooked with using just about the same spices. Sometimes less sometimes a little more, but the main spices are ubiquitous in Indian kitchen.

List of main spices

Here is the list of main Indian spices that can be used for Indian cooking. They can be used in whole, ground and powdered form. Many of these are dry roasted in a pan, so that they release their flavors and can be more aromatic.

Sometimes these spices are added in the oil first, so that the flavors of the spices are released. This process is called Blooming.

  1. Hing
  2. Cumin (powder and whole)
  3. Coriander (powder and whole)
  4. Red chili (powder and whole)
  5. Turmeric powder
  6. Fennel (powder and whole)
  7. Bay Leaves
  8. Mustard Seeds
  9. Nutmeg
  10. Cinnamon Sticks
  11. Mace
  12. Dried Fenugreek leaves
  13. Garam Masala

Some must haves required for cooking

  • Yogurt
  • Ginger Garlic paste
  • Fresh Coriander leaves

Utensils For Cooking

Not a lot of utensils are needed for the cooking. Make sure you have a nonstick wok, a nonstick deep dish, a frying pan. These are the pots and pan which are found easily in every household. Pressure cooker is one utensil which is used often in cooking lentils and beans and chickpeas. It is also used in making Mutton dishes as it cuts the cooking time by half.

Traditional way VS Modern Techniques

The debate over traditional way of cooking vs use of modern gadgets is omnipresent in India. But both the ways are used in cooking. If you have less time then please make use of the blenders and food processors. And some days when you have to enjoy the traditional cooking then go ahead with the mortar and pestle. Yes, the gadgets will definitely make cooking a breeze, but the old traditional ways of cooking has also its own charm and beauty.

Readymade Mixes of Spices

Indian cuisine has become so famous worldwide that now readymade spice mixes are easily available at your local grocery stores and also online. Though there are lots of spice mixes available in the market, my personal favorite is Lucky Masale . They have a wide range of spice mixes and covers a lot of delicacies. Their recipes are also pretty easy to follow.

Conclusion

At the end just would like to add that don’t get scared with the thought of cooking Indian dishes. They are very simple and once you get to know the spices, you’ll be seeing yourselves experimenting with new recipes every day.