Questions tagged [indian-cuisine]
Questions with this tag should be about traditional ingredients, preparations or dishes from India - such as curries, naan, chaats, chutneys and desserts. Questions about ingredients common to Indian-style cooking, but which aren't about a specific Indian dish, should not use this tag.
285
questions
1
vote
0
answers
91
views
How to figure how many whistles to put in a pressure cooker? [duplicate]
Being from nepal where pressure cookers are the norms, it is tough for me to determine if something has been cooked "properly" or not.
Mainly, I cook rice, beans (peas etc) and cereals.
How ...
- 11
0
votes
2
answers
187
views
What would be the benefit of folding and rerolling chapati dough?
I am a new person to cooking. My mom used to make chapathis, and I saw, that sometimes, she used to fold them up and rolled them out again in an attempt to make softer chapathis.
I just wanted to know,...
1
vote
3
answers
507
views
How do I make beef go soft for Indian beef curry?
I am trying to make Kerala style beef curry using a pressure cooker and I'm struglging to figure out how to make the beef go soft. To what I understand, the more we cook beef, the more harder it get, ...
- 1,137
4
votes
2
answers
933
views
Are packaged masalas to be used in combination with or instead of other spices?
My grocery store sells a variety of masalas, or spice mixes, marketed for various dishes. For example, there is chicken masala, korma masala, chana masala, goat masala, etc.
Are these packaged mixes ...
- 175
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What to do with insoluble tamarind parts found in a paste pouch, to prevent them appearing in dishes
When I use tamarind paste, which I buy in a pack that looks like this, ..
.. I end up with seeds (which I can remove), with paste (which I can dissolve on low heat), but also with what seems like ...
- 695
1
vote
2
answers
219
views
Garam masala in meat curries
In South Asia, Garam Masala means a mixture of cinnamon, clove, black peppercorn, and cardamom either in whole form or in powder form. This is an essential ingredient in meat (chicken, beef, lamb, ...
- 849
4
votes
3
answers
436
views
Alternatives to mustard oil?
Is there an accessible, legal product in the USA that will impart the sinus-tingling sensation of mustard when preparing spice blends for Indian cooking?
No sooner did I discover the sinus-heating ...
- 1,237
2
votes
1
answer
187
views
Do chickpeas and kidney beans absorb salt when boiled in water with salt?
As I've read here, rice absorbs some salt when cooked/boiled. I'm interested about similar thing but about chickpeas and kidney beans.
So when I boil them in water, and add some salt, would the salt ...
- 157
7
votes
1
answer
705
views
This dal makhani recipe has two water discard steps. Any idea why?
I’m following the dal makhani recipe by Dishoom in London.
The recipe has two steps where the water the lentils are in is discarded and replaced with fresh water.
The first is the water the lentils ...
- 171
1
vote
1
answer
281
views
Can the dumming step of biryani be skipped by pressure cooking biryani rice and chicken separately and mixing them after cooling?
Although I figured out the right amount of water and salt for making biryani, at times, it still gets messed up if the amount of water in the cooked chicken is too high or if the rice cooking duration ...
- 1,271
1
vote
1
answer
720
views
why do we use ginger and garlic in meat curry?
Garlic and ginger are a staple in South Asian meat (chicken, beef, goat, lamb, duck, etc.) curries.
I am just wondering, why.
What attributes of garlic and ginger made them essential ingredients for ...
- 849
2
votes
1
answer
902
views
How to reduce the taste of tomato in a tomato sauce?
I did butter chicken for the first time. It was good but I felt that the tomato sauce had too much tomato flavour.
The sauce was made of tomato passata and liquid cream (and what remained from the ...
- 613
8
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Why does my Indian food taste bland?
I recently tried an Indian recipe and event though it was spicy hot, it didn't have much flavor which surprised me for how much seasoning I put in. Does anyone know why this might be so bland?
1 ...
- 183
0
votes
2
answers
253
views
How does the idli or dosa preparation process help in ensuring it is cooked and the bacteria+yeast are killed?
Background:
If I use two or three cups of rice to prepare rice in a pressure cooker, I have to add plenty of water, pressure-cook it until one whistle and wait for around 1.5 hours until I open the ...
- 1,271
22
votes
5
answers
9k
views
Why does my curry taste flat
I made a curry using onions, garlic, tomato passata, coconut milk, coriander (leaf and ground), cumin, cardamom, star anise, ginger and chilli powder. I tasted it and it felt like it was missing ...
- 371
1
vote
3
answers
1k
views
How to retain the saltiness and spicy flavour of biryani rice?
When preparing chicken dum biryani, the chicken and rice are first partially cooked separately. The steps for cooking the rice go like this:
Wash the rice.
Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
For ...
- 1,271
0
votes
1
answer
190
views
My mango and lime achar is fermenting in the mustard oil
I made several bottles of lime and mango achar using this recipe https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/8400937-mango-and-lime-pickle
I put it all in glass bottles and they are completely covered in mustard ...
- 103
2
votes
0
answers
105
views
How is Paneer Melting in Cheena Poda dessert?
In this (16:09) Video the Master Chef Chintan Pandya has made a delicious dessert "Cheena Poda" in which the cheena (Paneer) seems to melt. Which is not possible because while making paneer ...
- 121
4
votes
1
answer
458
views
What is considered "mild" vs. "hot" in different countries? (measured empirically)
In different countries, what is generally considered "hot" for local residents dining on local cuisine?
I'm an American and have experienced this at a number of Thai, Korean, and Indian ...
- 159
2
votes
1
answer
131
views
What are the best practices when making chapathi like a pancake or dosa?
Normally, chapathi/roti is made by kneading wheat flour, letting it rest a while, then making balls of them and rolling them into flat circular shapes and then heating them.
This answer describes how ...
- 1,271
6
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is this seed pod?
Every now and then I come across this seed pod when I order Baingan Bharta (aka Punjabi Eggplant) from my favorite Indian restaurant. They're roughly 2cm (3/4 inch) long and about as thick as a ...
- 63
3
votes
0
answers
275
views
Dosa on clad stainless steel pan
Has anyone had success at making dosa on a clad stainless steel pan?
I mimicked the method for frying eggs on clad stainless steel (medium heat, when drops of water dance, add fat, spread room-...
- 131
2
votes
1
answer
193
views
What causes a food to become tough as opposed to crispy or flaky when pan frying or baking?
When making dosa or pizza, I like to try to get the dosa or pizza crust to be crispy, so I often cook or bake a bit longer. I can achieve crispiness, but it seems to come at the expense of making ...
- 173
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Grinding toasted spices without cooling
It is recommended when roasting whole spices in Indian cooking to cool them before grinding into a powder. Why do you need to wait for the spices to cool and what happens if you don’t?
- 246
2
votes
1
answer
625
views
Pressure Cooker bottom and whistle got burned while cooking "Lasooni Dal Tadka", what could have gone wrong?
I was cooking Lasooni Dal Tadka (an Indian Lentil curry) following this Hebbar's Kitchen Recipe.
I followed everything as stated but only changed the water quantity based on what I usually follow ...
- 141
4
votes
1
answer
412
views
Cause of Spoiled idli?
I have prepared idli which was spoiled after steaming.
I followed the following process:
Soaked idli rava (coarsely ground rice) along with whole black gram(without skin).
Grinded with mixie to ...
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What determines spice level in Indian cuisine?
When I dine out for Indian cuisine, I prefer to order my food hot on the mild/medium/hot/spicy scale. This question is two-fold.
For cooking Indian cuisine at home, what ingredient do I adjust
(from ...
- 217
1
vote
2
answers
759
views
In what order should I put various "masalas" in chicken curry?
In what order, should I put the various masalas (en:spices) in my general Indian-style spicy chicken curry?
I have the following:
Chicken masala
Garam masala
Jeera masala
Chilli powder
Dhaniya masala
...
- 113
0
votes
2
answers
239
views
How to get rid of raw onion smell while doing Gojju when forgotten to fry the onions
I forgot to fry the onions before grinding it. Now I have added the ground raw onions with masala to make semi liquid sambar(gojju), how do I get rid of raw smell? Should I keep heating the Bindi ...
- 1
1
vote
4
answers
1k
views
Reducing acidity in Northern Indian Cuisine (chana masala)
I have been buying various spice mixes to make Pakistani/North Indian food myself. My issue is that in dishes with yoghurt and/or tomatoes, the end result always winds up being too sour. It happens ...
- 113
-2
votes
1
answer
249
views
Are these both ways okay to lower the flame in these types of gas stoves?
Before asking this question, I really tried to find an answer online, but I failed. Basically, we mostly have manual igniting gas stoves. If you press and turn the button on left (90 degree) and use a ...
- 157
13
votes
6
answers
8k
views
Are cardamom husks edible?
I have a recipe for a South Indian "allspice" mixture that includes cardamom among other spices. One begins with whole spices, toasted, and in the end they are ground in a coffee or spice ...
- 2,070
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What cut of beef to use for Indian curries?
I am wondering what part/cut of the animal is best to make Indian/Pakistani dishes like curries, Biryani, fry etc.
This post says Chuck steak. But wanted to get more opinions.
Which cut of beef should ...
- 151
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What was the original "Lea & Perrins" recipe from Bengal?
In the history of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce it is claimed that
The story of Lea & Perrins famous Worcestershire Sauce begins in the early 1800s, in the county of Worcester. Returning ...
- 207
1
vote
1
answer
664
views
Toasting and blooming spices
From what I've read, to make some spices more "potent", you have to toast or bloom them. Take cinnamon stick for example, in most Indian recipes, they call for it to be fried in oil (...
- 111
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
How to scale Indian cooking?
What are the best practices for scaling up Indian dishes such as chicken curry, butter chicken, palak paneer, etc. that follow these generic steps (albeit with different ingredients):
oil -> whole ...
- 246
1
vote
1
answer
783
views
How much "compounded" asafoetida to use?
I have a UK-Indian recipe that calls for asafoetida (1/4 teaspoons). I have bought this:
This says it is "compounded" asafoetida powder. Is this any different from what would be used for my ...
- 253
1
vote
1
answer
80
views
How many types of Roti are there?
I'm really interested in what the different types of rotis you may find in India. Is the roti basically at a base flat-bread made with wheat flour and then basically flavored with any other flour. Off ...
- 4,644
2
votes
1
answer
167
views
I found a tamarind that was mostly powder, how do I avoid buying these?
As someone new to tamarind I'm learning new things about the fruit, and discovered something off in one (it was hallow with some black powder inside). Why did this happen, and how can I avoid ...
- 589
3
votes
1
answer
340
views
Base gravy for British Indian food - is it useful at home?
The UK has a lot of 'Indian' restaurants, which tend to be staffed by people from Bangladesh.
The menu will often have 100+ dishes available, which they need to cook using as few staff as possible, so ...
- 1,103
0
votes
1
answer
125
views
Any books that teach the science of Indian cooking? [closed]
Can someone please suggest good books to understadn the science of Indian cooking ?
- 21
0
votes
1
answer
356
views
whole spices vs garam masala?
There are usually two ways of adding khada masala spices(cloves, cardamom etc) to a curry:
Add the whole spices in the beginning in oil
Add garam masala in the end
What kind of difference in flavor ...
- 41
2
votes
1
answer
165
views
Different ways of making the gravy in butter chicken.. which is better?
Can someone tell me the science behind the following scenarios:
a. Boil tomatoes, onions along with other dry masalas and then make a puree
b. Stir fry tomatoes, onions along with dry masalas and then ...
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
251
views
Ghee vs. butter in Indian curries
It seems that butter is not good for frying things over high heat
because it can burn
However it IS widely used for sauteeing in many cuisines, and works well.
I looked at the cost of butter, which e....
- 1,103
1
vote
2
answers
340
views
How do people make fried onions as an ingredient as opposed to a snack? Should I coat them with flour, milk, and spices?
A Pakistani dish I am learning to make calls for fried onions as an ingredient. The recipe says "golden fried onions" and later "fried onion paste", referring to the same thing. ...
- 433
1
vote
2
answers
192
views
What are those spices?
I was organizing and labeling my spices cabinet when I run into those two spices that I cannot recognize. I'm assuming one of them is fenugreek. I'm quite sure I bought them when I had 'Indian cuisine'...
- 499
16
votes
6
answers
4k
views
How to deal with strong, sizable spices?
I've been making a lot of Indian food, and I've repeatedly had problems with certain spices being "overpowering" when you get a bite of them. I'm talking specifically about cardamom and ...
- 271
6
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Is using hot water to make chapathi dough a good idea?
One of these days, I accidentally used hot water in place of cold water on wheat flour to make chapathi dough. Coincidentally I found the dough to be much softer than usual. Also the kneading process ...
- 61
4
votes
4
answers
5k
views
What gives Indian curries the sweet and creamy taste and fragrance?
I am experimenting with various curry recipes coming from chefs and roadside "dhaba" cooks on youtube, but i cant figure out what exactly is the ingredient/combination of ingredients that ...
- 173
2
votes
4
answers
5k
views
dhungar method: How can I make smoky dal tadka without charcoal?
Normally one is to get a piece of charcoal red-hot, put it in a small metal cup, put some ghee on it to burn/smoke, and put it in the pot with the finished dal tadka curry.
I don't have charcoal. And ...
- 439