Questions with this tag should be about traditional ingredients, preparations or dishes from India - such as curries, naan or butter chicken. Questions about ingredients common to Indian-style cooking, but which aren't about a specific Indian dish, should not use this tag.
-1
votes
0answers
48 views
British Shrimp / Prawn Korma Recipe [closed]
I'm British but live in the Caribbean and have been craving the taste of authentic British shrimp korma. Does anyone have the recipe? The British style korma seems sweeter and more thick and creamy ...
3
votes
2answers
145 views
What are the authentic traditional ingredients for Naan bread?
I would like to know what the authentic and traditional ingredients for Naan bread are. There are many recipes that use some ingredients but not others and the cooking method are not always the same. ...
3
votes
2answers
141 views
How do I avoid dry meat and burned masala and rice in biryana?
I have tried to make Biryani several (3, lol) times using this recipe but never got it right. The meat gets too dry, and the masala and rice often get burned. How can I avoid this?
0
votes
1answer
120 views
Using kalpasi (which is also known as Black Stone Flower) in a biriyani?
Can we ground kalpasi (also known as Black stone flower) be added to a masala for marinating chicken/mutton for making Hyderabadi Biriyani?
Will it taste really good; does this spice add good ...
0
votes
2answers
78 views
Low Salt Indian Food
Indian recipes tastes awful with reduced salt. Can anything be done to make them more palatable? Are there dishes that taste OK even with low salt?
0
votes
0answers
80 views
Is Dosa/Idli/Adai Batter Available in the US? [closed]
Dosa//Adai/Idli are South Indian breakfast dishes -- the first two are like pancakes/crepes and the last like a cake but is not sweet.
I found out some information last week that helps me answer this ...
1
vote
2answers
133 views
Metalic Foil on Indian Sweets
I want to make some authentic Indian sweets, but I have questions about the silver foil that is found on some of them. First of all, I can't seem to find it (in the United States); the closest I get ...
2
votes
7answers
178 views
What kind of onions for dal?
I'm making dal for the first time and have all of the ingredients below, but I can't decide whether to use white, yellow (vidalia), or red onions. I have all three in stock.
Here are the other ...
7
votes
2answers
289 views
Indian Mango Pickle producing gas is that normal?
I am trying to pickle some mangoes the Indian way. I boiled the jar in hot water, dried it and then added the mixture of spices, salt and mangoes to the jars after the mixture had cooled. I made the ...
7
votes
6answers
512 views
0
votes
1answer
639 views
How to make Namkeen Mathi/Mathri?
Namkeen Mathi/Mathri translates to salty, chewy, and crisp biscuits in English.
http://www.tarladalal.com/Namkeen-Mathri-10381r
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour (maida)
Method
2. Add ...
1
vote
4answers
321 views
What's a good bible on vegetarian cooking?
Some years ago I decided to eat less meat and to successively becoming a vegetarian. I haven't learnt any particular dishes though, mostly just improvising with veggies/beans/nuts/cheese as staples – ...
-2
votes
1answer
133 views
What are the different types of flours used in cooking Idly, Dosa, Halwa, Ladoo and Upma?
What are the different types of flours used in making Rava Idly, Dosa, Halwa, Ladoo and Upma in Indian Cuisine?
What are the differences between Wheat flour, Semolina flour and Rice flour in cooking ...
7
votes
2answers
285 views
Oil separating from fried onion/spice mixture, why does it happen?
I was always taught when cooking Indian dishes to fry spices in a chopped/pureed onion and garlic mixture to release their flavour and essential oils.
I was also taught that when the oil separates ...
1
vote
2answers
221 views
What is the maximum time for which the dough should be allowed to rest before making Parathas?
Have heard that dough should be allowed to rest for the Gluten formation to occur.
Question: What is the maximum time after which resting the dough won't make any difference to the taste and the ...
1
vote
4answers
676 views
When to prefer yogurt, cream, and coconut milk in an Indian vegetarian dish to make it creamy?
Firstly, I have noticed all the curried dishes we eat in an Indian restaurant feel "creamy".
Now, I don't know whether they add cream, or yogurt, or coconut milk?
In which kinds of dishes do we need ...
4
votes
3answers
673 views
Why is garam masala in many curry paste/powder recipes?
Garam masala, of course, is a blend of warming spices. However, many of those spices are listed individually in recipes for curry pastes and powders that also call for garam masala.
Since most garam ...
2
votes
1answer
287 views
Marinating in yogurt
I'm currently letting some wild turkey (the bird, not the whiskey) marinate in some plain yogurt. I saw this somewhere on TV or online. Does anyone know what's actually going on chemically when the ...
3
votes
2answers
353 views
Toasting spices with and without oil
After heading to my trusty Indian market yesterday I was speaking with the owner about how awful fenugreek seeds are uncooked. He suggested (with black mustard seeds and cumin seeds) to throw them in ...
4
votes
2answers
159 views
Clumpy yogurt conundrum
I made a delicious yogurt/cream/mint/garlic sauce the other day but the presentation was less than becoming. I simply roasted some garlic and mixed the rest of the ingredients together. I used very ...
4
votes
3answers
311 views
Can water cause fermented pickles to spoil?
I recently learned about Indian lemon pickles.
There is a lot of variation between recipes but the ones I am trying consist of chopping lemons or limes, adding salt, and letting them ferment for a ...
8
votes
5answers
2k views
How to make chapattis round and of same thickness?
I have tried making Chapatis many times. I can make dough for Chapati very well, but I am failing when it comes to structure of the roti/chapati.
I make two mistakes:
When I try to flatten it, one ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Why pressure cook rasmalai?
My wife loves rasmalai and we make it often.
I have used several different recipes and both made the paneer from scratch as well as using paneer purchased at a local Indian grocery store.
Some ...
2
votes
1answer
353 views
Balancing out saffron taste, chlorine/latex taste
I am cooking a chickpea stew and clearly used too much Saffron (high chlorine taste). Does anyone know what I can use to balance out or mask the flavour?
3
votes
3answers
269 views
Is “ghee” clarified butter or beurre noisette?
Reading the Wikipedia pages on “Ghee,” “Clarified butter” and “Beurre noisette” has left me somewhat confused as to what ghee is. Some statements on the pages seem to suggest that it's always ...
2
votes
5answers
578 views
Where do you buy Indian spices online?
I want to learn to cook some Indian dishes. It would be preferable to know that the spices are from sustainable agriculture.
Sedona, Arizona. I did some googling and didn't find any local spice ...
0
votes
1answer
163 views
How to mix the perfect amount of salt?
I take a tumbler with an ounce of water and add a teaspoon of salt to it and then add this salty water mix to the curry or dish I am preparing at the moment. I repeat with lesser quantities of salt ...
5
votes
1answer
219 views
Name the vegetable from Nilgiri hills
I bought this in Ooty market and was told that it is a Nilgiri hills specific vegetable. It is pink on the outside and white inside with two hard black seeds in the upper half of it. It tastes sour, ...
2
votes
5answers
4k views
What oils are suitable for Indian cooking (i.e. extended frying duration)?
Indian cooking basically uses oil from the beginning of the process, typically starting with sautéing ginger and garlic, then adding shallots, chillies and onions. So the oil is on the fire for quite ...
2
votes
4answers
326 views
What are the names of the breakfast spreads used in Indian cuisine?
I visited Bangalore a few years ago and much enjoyed some of the hotel breakfast dishes. As I remember they were a sort of paste that could be spread onto bread or toast, etc. I have no idea what ...
3
votes
3answers
241 views
What dishes don't stain with heavy spices?
In most Indian cooking, there is a relatively high chance of staining the dinnerware (plates, serving bowls) due to the high turmeric content. Dinnerware made of metal don't stain, but the heavy ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
Why doesn't my conventional-oven Naan bread taste authentic?
I recently tried this recipe for Naan bread in an oven, and followed it diligently, but the product that came out did not have that characteristic flavor of Naan. It was more like a pizza bread ...
4
votes
1answer
577 views
Equivalence between fresh coconut and coconut cream?
I've been enjoying my cookbook Fish Indian Style which I won in the Question-of-the-Week contest here on Seasoned Advice. However, I'm having difficulty with one common ingredient used in Atul ...
13
votes
5answers
2k views
What is a Chutney?
Chutney is foreign to my culture and the food i grew up with. Thus, the lack of sophistication and familiarity with chutney. So please forgive my misunderstanding. I often hear the buzzword on food ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
“Indian Spicy” vs. “Thai Spicy”
What ingredient(s) make the spiciness from Indian food distinct from the spiciness of, say, Thai food?
Indian good seems to have a longer, slower burn, rather than a "sharper" spiciness of Thai. I ...
2
votes
1answer
155 views
Why would rasagullas break while cooking?
My latest batch of rasagullas were a disaster. As soon as I dropped them into the cooker, they started disintegrating. I realized the entire affair will turn out to be a super waste of effort and ...
3
votes
5answers
992 views
What is an easy-to-make dessert that goes well with Indian food? [closed]
We are making vegetable curry with rice and need a dessert to go well with it. Does anyone have any suggestions?
5
votes
4answers
7k views
How can I quickly save a tasteless curry?
I made a curry last night for this evenings meal.
The main components of it are aubergines, yoghurt, ginger, tumeric, cumin and chilli.
After cooking it I tasted it and it is sadly quite tasteless. ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views
What kind of rice to serve with Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)?
What kind of rice to serve with Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)?
Are there any kind of preferred techniques, or spicing perhaps?
3
votes
1answer
330 views
Is it possible to make onion Bhajis without a deep fryer?
I love these things. Is it possible to cook them in e.g. a frying pan if I keep turning them around? Or maybe by just filling up my crockpot a little way with oil (enough to cover the Bhajis but not ...
1
vote
2answers
409 views
How spicy is authentic, traditional Palak paneer?
I have heard that the spiciness of Palak paneer is regional, but I don't have any historical or geographical facts to confirm this. So, is there anybody around here that knows if a proper, old-school ...
5
votes
3answers
905 views
What is the correct onion to tomato ratio for North Indian masala sauce?
What's the optimum — or, at least, the most widely used — tomato to onion ratio for making the tomato masala (sauce)? Masala is used as the base for a number of north Indian dishes. Onions are fried ...
0
votes
1answer
742 views
Where can I Buy Kaima or Jeerakasala Rice?
I'm trying to prepare an Indian Biriyani dish, and it calls for Kaima rice, also known as Jeerakasala. I understand that there are alternatives, like Basmati, but I really would love to try this ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
Sugar in Indian curries?
I've seen that sugar is used to balance out other flavors in a dish. I was just wondering if I could add a little sugar to a spicy curry(chicken curry, for example). Would that take away the authentic ...
6
votes
3answers
3k views
Can an American substitute for garam masala be made?
I love Indian food and have been experimenting with curry recipes, and many of them ask for 'garam masala'. I know it's a spice mix but I can't find it for sale anywhere around me. I've also read ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Temperature of tandoor for making naan
What is the temperature used in a tandoor for making naan or kulcha? I know it's higher than 500 deg. F [260 deg. C], but don't know the exact range of temperatures resestaurants use.
Update: ...
7
votes
8answers
9k views
How to ferment dosa batter?
I have never been successful in fermenting dosa batter properly in the US. I generally soak urad dal, rice and fenugreek seeds for a few hours and grind them together. Even if I leave the batter in ...
2
votes
1answer
748 views
Indian Cuisine - Atta Chicken
There was an article early march on npr called Oberoi's Kitchen: The Art Of Indian Haute Cuisine. It featured several recipes and talk of a traditional workman's lunch called atta chicken. It is a ...
4
votes
6answers
647 views
Ingredients to Get Started with Indian Cuisine
I'm interested in slowly getting started with Indian cooking and building up my store of spices. However, I generally don't have as much time to cook as I would like and really don't have enough space ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
How to make soft Gulab Jamuns?
I use Gulab Jamun mix of the Gits company. http://www.gitsfood.com/gulabjamun/
The problem is that even on low fire the balls get brown from out side, but don't get cooked "properly" within.
When I ...
