Basic Indian food for Beginners- What you should know before cooking for guests
Hi All,
Today we will discuss the basics of Indian cooking that you need to know before cooking for yourselves but most importantly if you are cooking for others / guests / Potlucks / parties etc.
Indian cuisine is one of the most popular and flavorful cuisines in the world. But its also one of the most diverse and complex cuisines. From north to south ,East to west, Indians are united by a diverse culture. Each state ,region and community has their own recipes . Each one of these recipes are of course connected by the common Indian love for spices or the Curry.
Today we will discuss key points before cooking for guests:
1. Selection of the Type of Indian cuisine
2. How to make dishes easy to carry and serve- compact and tasty
3. Basics of the Indian Spices and the basic spices - What you need in your pantry before cooking.
4. Selection of recipes based on Audience
5. Elaborate dishes Vs simple Indian Food
6.Utensils and other items that you need in Kitchen for Indian Cooking.
7. How to throw together a Simple North Indian Thali
8. How to throw together a Simple South Indian Thali
9. Storing Indian Food
10. Dishes to impress
*********************************************************************************
To make things simpler, lets break it down to two broad versions of Indian cooking. North Indian and south Indian. North Indian cooking is by far more popular than south Indian cooking globally, The Garam masala is true to the north Indians. The north Indians usually prefer rotis/ chapatis / Indian bread to Rice while the south Indians are hardcore rice fans( this does not means only one type of grain is consumed, its simply a preference). What one sees in an Indian restaurant outside is mostly North Indian food which is also easier and faster to cook and is usually the party favorite. South Indian food is more homely and elaborate and usually not a "Pick and Go" style food. I'm a south Indian and honestly a big rice lover :D .
A typical North Indian meal would be Chapatis or a bread variety with Dal, Subzi / Baaji( Vegetable Dry or gravy dish) or Chicken / Fish dish . They normally have a simple second course of very little Rice( plain steamed / Pulav / Biriyanis) with a simple raita or salad . To end the meal they gorge on heaven on earth type of desserts
A typical south Indian meal ... well that is a blog post by itself. While Rice is the central theme, the side dishes you eat with rice will vary. Typically a Lentil based gravy( either plain dal or sambar or lentils with some vegetable) will be mixed with rice and eaten first with a stirfry Vegetable or dry dish and Papad. Second course is usually a spicier gravy .There are a great number of varieties like Kozhambu / Kootu / Teeyal / Erisheri / Moorucurry in vegetarian and all the non vegetarian dishes also come in this category. This is usually eaten with plain rice. Third course is usually a simple Rice with curd / Rasam , both of which are easier on the stomach.Sweet dishes are optional and is normally served for occasions and not a daily affair. South indian themed dinner parties usually serve a variety of Breakfast items and not the above meal plan.
The above menu plan was for Dinner / lunch . However if you are looking to serve a breakfast menu, then south indian breakfast menu would be the best option. Its quick, versatile and usually even served as starter courses in parties due to its popularity.
A typical south indian breakfast would mostly be Idly or Dosa( varieties are endless) served with a type of Chutney or sambar. Other breakfast menu would include Upma( any type of grain can be used like semolina, Broken wheat, Millets/ ragi, Beaten rice / Poha, Sago balls,semiya / vermicelli),Pongal , Puttu or steamed rice powder with grated coconuts ,Appams , Idiyappams - these are usually served with a spicy / coconutty dish mostly made with Chickpeas /Mixed Veggies/ Chicken( Non vegetarians). There are a variety of accompanies for a south Indian breakfast, typically along with the side dishes, you will be served a type of Vada / wada or Papad / Banana etc.
No south indian breakfast is complete without a strong cup of Coffee( Filter coffee , chicory based adimaly kapi, karipetti kapi all these are varieties ). Tea is not very popular.
A typical North indian breakfast would be Upmas/ Parathas( endless varieties but Alu parathas are the most popular). Another option is Pavs or Buns which are either served with a spicy mixed vegetable baaji / Curry or stuffed with a potato based Patty. Go to eastern side and you will be eating pooris served with Potato gravy or Non veg gravy. Normally tea is served during breakfast. Coffee is not very popular.
Hence before entertaining a crowd, you must first plan out a theme. It will be fine I suppose to mix up North indian and south indian dishes but it will be simpler and more elegant to stick to a theme and plan the menu.
If you are preparing for the first time, then I would suggest keeping to the simplest menu possible sticking to the courses I mentioned above. We will talk about the menus and recipes further below don't worry.
While entertaining or cooking for others, one of the key aspects in how convenient it is for you to serve the food. Keeping this in mind among other factors, you should select your recipes.
Grilled Paneer / Chicken tikka is a mind blowing starter and an instant hit in all parties .The same paneer / chicken tikka masala which is in gravy form is not very popular in parties as it can be very messy to carry and loses its flavor if its cold.
If you are taking food to another location, it's always better to prepare less gravy rather dry dishes . this will ensure that you don't need to worry about spillage. Another problem is always carry food that doesn't lose its flavour/texture if kept for a while, for example naans of any type will turn rubber like if it gets cold or stored for a while, hence if you need to carry indian breads, always go for whole wheat atta items like phulkas, chapatis etc.
Rice /fried rice/biriyani/pulavs are excellent for potlucks as they pack well, but keep in mind that any rice item with oil or ghee can taste different and the texture turns sandy once cold , hence always use airtight casseroles that retain heat.
When it comes to sidedishes , if you do intend to take gravies or liquids, make sure that after you transfer your dish to an airtight container seal it with a plastic wrap and cover with a cloth or towel . By doing so you can ensure that even if the dish leaks, it won't spill to the other items and your bag is less messy.
Most indian dishes can be made either as a liquid gravy a semi dry / thick gravy even dal. Dal is usually very liquid but the same is in semi dry form if you make dal fry or dal tadka. Similarly if you are making idly vada, it's better to serve them with a variety of chutneys than sambar which tends to spill. Chutneys can be like coconut/red chilli /green coriander chutney/ peanut chutney etc.
To make any dish thick, add less water and also add thickening agents like besan / gramflour powder or maida or corn flour. Spice powders also thicken the gravy. Ensure that if the. Vegetables or chicken are boiled/ pressure cooked, then excess water be removed first before continuing the cooking. Most meat will ooze out water upon cooking, similar is the case with some vegetables like cucumbers, lauki, ash gourd and leafy. Veggies etc while other ingredients like lentils , peas will absorb water and thicken.
For a beginner, a simple dish or alu jeera , kadai paneer and some phulkas would be excellent to serve and packing these would be very easy . Alu jeera and phulkas are dry and you can transfer them to any containers. Normally phulkas are wrapped in silver foil to retain heat but that's optional.Kadai paneer is a thick gravy and you can thicken the gravy and make it more rich by adding some ground cashews to the dish. This can be packed in an airtight container and sealed with Some plastic bag.take your travel bag or basket, put a layer of plastic or cloth now place both the dishes vertically upwards and then the phulkas and you are ready to go.
I will continue the next topics in a separate post ...
Today we will discuss the basics of Indian cooking that you need to know before cooking for yourselves but most importantly if you are cooking for others / guests / Potlucks / parties etc.
Indian cuisine is one of the most popular and flavorful cuisines in the world. But its also one of the most diverse and complex cuisines. From north to south ,East to west, Indians are united by a diverse culture. Each state ,region and community has their own recipes . Each one of these recipes are of course connected by the common Indian love for spices or the Curry.
Today we will discuss key points before cooking for guests:
1. Selection of the Type of Indian cuisine
2. How to make dishes easy to carry and serve- compact and tasty
3. Basics of the Indian Spices and the basic spices - What you need in your pantry before cooking.
4. Selection of recipes based on Audience
5. Elaborate dishes Vs simple Indian Food
6.Utensils and other items that you need in Kitchen for Indian Cooking.
7. How to throw together a Simple North Indian Thali
8. How to throw together a Simple South Indian Thali
9. Storing Indian Food
10. Dishes to impress
*********************************************************************************
1. Selection of the Type of Indian cuisine
To make things simpler, lets break it down to two broad versions of Indian cooking. North Indian and south Indian. North Indian cooking is by far more popular than south Indian cooking globally, The Garam masala is true to the north Indians. The north Indians usually prefer rotis/ chapatis / Indian bread to Rice while the south Indians are hardcore rice fans( this does not means only one type of grain is consumed, its simply a preference). What one sees in an Indian restaurant outside is mostly North Indian food which is also easier and faster to cook and is usually the party favorite. South Indian food is more homely and elaborate and usually not a "Pick and Go" style food. I'm a south Indian and honestly a big rice lover :D .
A typical North Indian meal would be Chapatis or a bread variety with Dal, Subzi / Baaji( Vegetable Dry or gravy dish) or Chicken / Fish dish . They normally have a simple second course of very little Rice( plain steamed / Pulav / Biriyanis) with a simple raita or salad . To end the meal they gorge on heaven on earth type of desserts
A typical south Indian meal ... well that is a blog post by itself. While Rice is the central theme, the side dishes you eat with rice will vary. Typically a Lentil based gravy( either plain dal or sambar or lentils with some vegetable) will be mixed with rice and eaten first with a stirfry Vegetable or dry dish and Papad. Second course is usually a spicier gravy .There are a great number of varieties like Kozhambu / Kootu / Teeyal / Erisheri / Moorucurry in vegetarian and all the non vegetarian dishes also come in this category. This is usually eaten with plain rice. Third course is usually a simple Rice with curd / Rasam , both of which are easier on the stomach.Sweet dishes are optional and is normally served for occasions and not a daily affair. South indian themed dinner parties usually serve a variety of Breakfast items and not the above meal plan.
The above menu plan was for Dinner / lunch . However if you are looking to serve a breakfast menu, then south indian breakfast menu would be the best option. Its quick, versatile and usually even served as starter courses in parties due to its popularity.
A typical south indian breakfast would mostly be Idly or Dosa( varieties are endless) served with a type of Chutney or sambar. Other breakfast menu would include Upma( any type of grain can be used like semolina, Broken wheat, Millets/ ragi, Beaten rice / Poha, Sago balls,semiya / vermicelli),Pongal , Puttu or steamed rice powder with grated coconuts ,Appams , Idiyappams - these are usually served with a spicy / coconutty dish mostly made with Chickpeas /Mixed Veggies/ Chicken( Non vegetarians). There are a variety of accompanies for a south Indian breakfast, typically along with the side dishes, you will be served a type of Vada / wada or Papad / Banana etc.
No south indian breakfast is complete without a strong cup of Coffee( Filter coffee , chicory based adimaly kapi, karipetti kapi all these are varieties ). Tea is not very popular.
A typical North indian breakfast would be Upmas/ Parathas( endless varieties but Alu parathas are the most popular). Another option is Pavs or Buns which are either served with a spicy mixed vegetable baaji / Curry or stuffed with a potato based Patty. Go to eastern side and you will be eating pooris served with Potato gravy or Non veg gravy. Normally tea is served during breakfast. Coffee is not very popular.
Hence before entertaining a crowd, you must first plan out a theme. It will be fine I suppose to mix up North indian and south indian dishes but it will be simpler and more elegant to stick to a theme and plan the menu.
If you are preparing for the first time, then I would suggest keeping to the simplest menu possible sticking to the courses I mentioned above. We will talk about the menus and recipes further below don't worry.
2. How to make dishes easy to carry and serve- compact and tasty
While entertaining or cooking for others, one of the key aspects in how convenient it is for you to serve the food. Keeping this in mind among other factors, you should select your recipes.
Grilled Paneer / Chicken tikka is a mind blowing starter and an instant hit in all parties .The same paneer / chicken tikka masala which is in gravy form is not very popular in parties as it can be very messy to carry and loses its flavor if its cold.
If you are taking food to another location, it's always better to prepare less gravy rather dry dishes . this will ensure that you don't need to worry about spillage. Another problem is always carry food that doesn't lose its flavour/texture if kept for a while, for example naans of any type will turn rubber like if it gets cold or stored for a while, hence if you need to carry indian breads, always go for whole wheat atta items like phulkas, chapatis etc.
Rice /fried rice/biriyani/pulavs are excellent for potlucks as they pack well, but keep in mind that any rice item with oil or ghee can taste different and the texture turns sandy once cold , hence always use airtight casseroles that retain heat.
When it comes to sidedishes , if you do intend to take gravies or liquids, make sure that after you transfer your dish to an airtight container seal it with a plastic wrap and cover with a cloth or towel . By doing so you can ensure that even if the dish leaks, it won't spill to the other items and your bag is less messy.
Most indian dishes can be made either as a liquid gravy a semi dry / thick gravy even dal. Dal is usually very liquid but the same is in semi dry form if you make dal fry or dal tadka. Similarly if you are making idly vada, it's better to serve them with a variety of chutneys than sambar which tends to spill. Chutneys can be like coconut/red chilli /green coriander chutney/ peanut chutney etc.
To make any dish thick, add less water and also add thickening agents like besan / gramflour powder or maida or corn flour. Spice powders also thicken the gravy. Ensure that if the. Vegetables or chicken are boiled/ pressure cooked, then excess water be removed first before continuing the cooking. Most meat will ooze out water upon cooking, similar is the case with some vegetables like cucumbers, lauki, ash gourd and leafy. Veggies etc while other ingredients like lentils , peas will absorb water and thicken.
For a beginner, a simple dish or alu jeera , kadai paneer and some phulkas would be excellent to serve and packing these would be very easy . Alu jeera and phulkas are dry and you can transfer them to any containers. Normally phulkas are wrapped in silver foil to retain heat but that's optional.Kadai paneer is a thick gravy and you can thicken the gravy and make it more rich by adding some ground cashews to the dish. This can be packed in an airtight container and sealed with Some plastic bag.take your travel bag or basket, put a layer of plastic or cloth now place both the dishes vertically upwards and then the phulkas and you are ready to go.
I will continue the next topics in a separate post ...
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