Stock up Your Kitchen for Making Indian Food
For those who love Indian food, but don't know how to go about making some, this is more of a starting guide. The effort is to make a comprehensive list of various items that the Indian kitchen cannot be without. However, there will always be other ingredients required which may not be on this list. Locate a good Indian grocery store, in and around your area. You can either Google for it, or just ask an Indian friend, he/she will surely know of one. Then start stocking up!!!!
Steps
- "SPICES"
- "Zeera/Jeera" or Cumin Seeds: These are seeds that have a lovely smell and add a unique flavour to the food. It is one of the "spicy" elements. Zeera is usually added to the "tadka", (tempering) a little hot oil, with various spices. This Tadka forms the base of most Indian dishes. Zeera is used as a whole or in the powdered form. The powdered form can be mixed with Yogurt to make a good raita or salt lassi.
- "Haldi" or Turmeric: This yellow root is mostly used in the powder form. It adds to the color of the food. Turmeric is also well known for its medicinal properties. It can be used for curing various skin ailments.
- "Sarson/Saasvi" or Mustard: This spice is used mostly in the whole form. Usually added to hot oil, so that it sparkles. Some recipes call for grinding mustard, do not at any time try to use mustard paste available off the counter. It does not suit Indian cooking and ruins the flavour.
- "Mirchi" or Chillies: This is also what forms a part of the Tadka. This of course is an extremely spicy item. If you are not used to spicy food then use it sparingly. The red chillies are also used in the powder form. Do not bother making it at home; buy it from the store. It works best that way. South Indians have a different sort of dry red chili, which is very spicy and very small. However, powders can be chosen on the basis of potency (the spicier the better), color (redder is better) and texture (finely powdered).
- "Methi" or Fenugreek Seeds: These seeds are slightly bitter, but they are quintessential to south Indian and Bengali cooking. They are also a part of the tarka. Powdered methi is sometimes added to dosa (Indian salty pancakes) batter so that the dosa comes out crisp.
- Ajwain or Carom Seeds or Bishop's Seeds: This spice is generally roasted and powdered and used a masala. It is also used for making garam masala.It has a sharp smell and only tastes good after it is roasted.
- Saunf or Fennel seeds: These seeds look almost like jeera, but are not as spicy. They taste really nice and are used as mouth fresheners in India. They are also known for their digestive quality, and ability to clear blood. Saunf is also used to make up the famous Bengali blend of spices called "panch phoron".
- "FATS"
- Oil: Several varieties of oils are used in India, depending upon the region. In some areas of Kerala, coconut oil is used. In Bengal, mustard oil is used. These oils are quite pungent and give their own flavour to the food. If you do not like their smell or flavor, then you can always use vegetable oil, sunflower seed oil, or peanut oil. The lighter the oil the better the flavor.
- Ghee or Clarified butter. Ghee is available off the counter also. However, the preferred ghee is always home-made. You can find the method for making ghee here.
- Garam Masala: The mixture of many spices is called as garam masala.
- Coriander powder: A perfect spice for giving taste and aroma.
- Cream: Cream is mostly favored in the North Indian style of cooking. You can again find this off the counter. You can find it in any shop, not just an Indian grocery store.
- "FLAVORS"
- Indian food in a lot of parts (Gujarat, Bengal,Karnataka, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra) is a blend of all flavors, sweet, sour, spice and salt. Indian food has a unique standing because of this blending.
- Imli/Hunshehannu or Tamarind: This is the "sour" factor in our food. In the south, it is used for making sambhars/sambars, rasams and some daals. It is extremely mouthwatering, and is a favourite of many a pregnant woman!!!
- Amchur or Dry Mango Powder: This is actually exactly that. It is dried powdered mango, before it ripens. It is quite sour and has a tang to it. However, it has a sweetish note, also.
- Lemons: This refers to the tiny green things that in America is called Lime. So when in Indian recipes we say use 1 lemon, we are actually referring to around 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. We use this as the "sour" in our food. Again you can find this anywhere.
- Kaala Namak or Black Salt: This pungent salt is one of the major features of most chaat items. It is used for making "chaat masala" and churans. If you find the smell offensive you can use plain salt, but the flavor of this salt is quite different.
- Rock Salt: Many south Indian houses still use rock salt for cooking. It gives a subtle flavor, and is less salty than processed salt. You do not HAVE to buy this.
- Gud or jaggery: This is actually the by-product of boiling sugar-cane juice to make sugar. This also refers to the by-product of date-palm sugar. This is the "sweetness" in indian food and often used for making many varieties of sweets.
- Sugar: Indian sugar is made of cane juice and hence is really very sweet, compared to sugar made from beet juice or any other source. Therefore, if you find sugar in Indian stores, buy it once and try it. You can accordingly adjust the quantity of your local sugar up to the sweetness of Indian sugar.
- "HARDWARE"
- Rolling pins: Indian rolling pins are thinner, with a good grip. If you are comfortable using your own rolling pin, go ahead. If you don't have one, then get the one from the Indian store.
- Kadai/Wok: Indian kadais, are almost like the Chinese wok. However, woks have a rounder base than our kadais. However, you can safely buy a kadai.
- Tawa or Skillet: This can be your flat omelette making skillet, the shape rarely matters, except when you are making dosas. Try to go for a skillet without edges.
- Pressure Cooker: Every Indian household swears by this item. A bit noisy, but the most viable and eco-friendly items (it takes less time to heat and cook items). The pressure cooker comes in a variety of sizes and the sizes are {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, to {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}. You can boil potatoes, meats, veggies, dals, etc. in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, Indian recipes will speak about the number of whistles for cooking food. This is when the weight is placed on the lid, and the pressure builds up. The cooker "whistles" loudly, as in lets off steam in one go. To cook rice, you need three whistles, same for potatoes. So and so forth. If you buy this from an Indian store, it sometimes comes with a booklet containing recipes. You can also use those to get used to your pressure cooking.
- Idli stand: This useful item is used for steaming idlis, momos, modaks and can be used for steaming idiappams etc. Non-stick and stainless steel versions are available. They also come in various sizes. Depending on the size of your pressure cooker.
Tips
- You can read up recipes on the Internet, and of course Wikihow, which you can use for starting up your own Indian Kitchen.
Warnings
- This list is not exhaustive!!!
