Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Getting Started


JSD

Recommended Posts

I picked up an Indian Cookbook from the library yesterday - Easy Indian Cooking by Suneeta Vaswani. I couldn't follow any recipe exactly last night because I don't have the full complement of Indian spices, but I did make a chicken dish with yogurt, curry powder, hot peppers, onion and garlic. Although it was very tasty, I would like to be more authentic. So today I went to two international markets in my town to look for ingredients. I couldn't find mustard seeds or poppy seeds or fenugreek. I bought some coriander seeds, and basmati rice from Thailand. I did see lots of curry powder. Do the average Indians make everything from scratch, or do they use curry powder? What basic spices should I get? The book recommends whole seeds rather than already ground. Can you recommend any mail order companies?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

here's where i would start:

Chili Powder

Ground Turmeric

Ground Coriander

Ground Cumin

i've always bought already ground, but i suppose if you want to grind on your own, well there you have it.

And maybe mustard seeds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure. I went to two international markets, but one turned out to be Chinese, Thai and Japanese, not Indian. The other one had a section with some Indian items, but not much in the way of unground spices (seeds). I found out today about two other markets, so I'm going to check them out tomorrow. We have Indian people here so they have to get their spices somewhere!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure.  I went to two international markets, but one turned out to be Chinese, Thai and Japanese, not Indian.  The other one had a section with some Indian items, but not much in the way of unground spices (seeds).  I found out today about two other markets, so I'm going to check them out tomorrow.  We have Indian people here so they have to get their spices somewhere!

if worst comes to worst, you can always order your indian spices online...Namaste.com and Ishopindia.com are two of the many out there...

That's what I have to do since it is almost 50 miles to the nearest asian market, and that is mostly Vietnamese...

Another thought is health food stores, you should be able to buy cardamom pods and some of the other stuff from their bulk containers...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I picked up an Indian Cookbook from the library yesterday - Easy Indian Cooking by Suneeta Vaswani. I couldn't follow any recipe exactly last night because I don't have the full complement of Indian spices, but I did make a chicken dish with yogurt, curry powder, hot peppers, onion and garlic. Although it was very tasty, I would like to be more authentic. So today I went to two international markets in my town to look for ingredients. I couldn't find mustard seeds or poppy seeds or fenugreek. I bought some coriander seeds, and basmati rice from Thailand. I did see lots of curry powder. Do the average Indians make everything from scratch, or do they use curry powder? What basic spices should I get? The book recommends whole seeds rather than already ground. Can you recommend any mail order companies?

First welcome to the India forum and I am so delighted you are here.

Second.. I am looking for a victim :laugh::laugh: . I am designing a 21 day course in Indian cooking and am looking for someone to pilot it with.. would you be interested? We could do it in a private forum and then post the results.... just a thought

up for it?

Monica Bhide

A Life of Spice

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I picked up an Indian Cookbook from the library yesterday - Easy Indian Cooking by Suneeta Vaswani.  I couldn't follow any recipe exactly last night because I don't have the full complement of Indian spices, but I did make a chicken dish with yogurt, curry powder, hot peppers, onion and garlic. Although it was very tasty, I would like to be more authentic.  So today I went to two international markets in my town to look for ingredients.  I couldn't find mustard seeds or poppy seeds or fenugreek.  I bought some coriander seeds, and basmati rice from Thailand.  I did see lots of curry powder.  Do the average Indians make everything from scratch, or do they use curry powder?  What basic spices should I get?  The book recommends whole seeds rather than already ground.  Can you recommend any mail order companies?

First welcome to the India forum and I am so delighted you are here.

Second.. I am looking for a victim :laugh::laugh: . I am designing a 21 day course in Indian cooking and am looking for someone to pilot it with.. would you be interested? We could do it in a private forum and then post the results.... just a thought

up for it?

If you need more than 1 "victim" please let me know. I have one Indian cookbook, given to me by a friend, written by her mother of their family recipes. I have tried a few, but many of the recipes have been changed for ease of ingredients, or for the North American palate. Although I cook all kinds of different foods I have never done any Indian, even though we eat it at least once or twice a week out.

I admit to lurking and drooling frequently on the Indian board! :biggrin:

Barbara Laidlaw aka "Jake"

Good friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Second..  I am looking for a victim  :laugh:  :laugh: . I am designing a 21 day course in Indian cooking and am looking for someone to pilot it with.. would you be interested? We could do it in a private forum and then post the results.... just a thought

up for it?

I would love to have some instruction! I hope I can find the ingredients, though. I'm really clueless on menus, too. For instance, with the chicken dish we had last night I served watermelon! BTW, I have the Time-Life India books, which I'm starting to read. Because I've only eaten at Indian restaurants a few times, I don't have a frame of reference. The first time we were with a friend who ordered everything for us. We loved everything, and more and more I'm craving the heat. The peppers in the dish last night came from our garden.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and then post the results

i hope none of you are shy. this is a great blog in the making.

do share with us!

in some ways, some hows.

you don't have to give away everything--

--just almost everything! :raz:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not an utter novice, Monica, but I've accumulated things here and there haphazardly over the years. I'd certainly be interested in an orderly exposition of basic principles, combinations, etc.

I'm also (he says modestly) one king-hell proofreader.

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...