The Desi Food Thread

[deathbydalbhat 0]

In the same spirit as the religion thread, I'm starting a thread about everybody's favorite subject(or maybe second favorite ) - food, specifically South Asian or 'desi' food. What are your favorite dishes? Which ones do you know how to cook? If you are non-desi and your SO is desi, what does he/she think of your culinary efforts? I'll start with myself - I adore almost all S.Asian vegetarian cuisine - fortunately I'm spoiled because I live in the desi food capital of the universe - you can get everything from Nepali dal bhat to S. Indian and Sri Lankan food here and I have tried them all! my favorite dishes would be chili masala dosa, samosa chat, chili chips(KTM style ghetto junk food baby!), dal bhat with achar and gundruk(especially when my fiance makes it for me ), fried yak cheese momos, Bhaktapur dahi, paneer makhani, paneer tikka masala, aloo gobi... I haven't had the chance to cook for my fiance yet but I hope he likes it - I can make a pretty nice dal bhat and aloo gobi, also tried to make paneer tikka masala for my folks last Christmas - the taste was good but I think I marinated or cooked the paneer too long, it fell apart, better luck next time...

[deathbydalbhat 0]

I forgot to add my #1 favorite: pakoras hot and sizzling from a stall in the middle of nowhere when you've been traveling in the montains by bus for 7+ hours and would eat anything... maybe culinary Russian roulette but I've been lucky so far...

[ELW 5]

Well I'm one of the laziest cooks in the world (only cook on the weekends if that, rest of the time fruits, nuts, salads, chocolate & crackers – hee hee thought I was a health nut after the first three, huh!), but when I do cook, it is usually vegetarian South Indian (rice, curry, sambar, rasam, biryani, pulav, yellow rice, daal, etc.). Whenever my guy visited me in India, our favorite would be making a huge potful of pulav together – with plenty of veggies, Soya chunks, cashews & spices. Together with raita of course (yoghurt with raw tomatoes, cucumber & spices). My favorite though are the Indian breakfast items – homemade idlee, dosa, upma, bonda, puri with delicious peanut & coconut chutney! Yum Yum.

Since I'm really not a cook by any stretch of the word, I would get worried that my cooking could never stand up to his village mom’s culinary skills. But he would always gulp down my food and say, “It is really good! Yes, I like it!”

[lak&ajm 0]

I really have not had much opportunity to eat much of this type of food yet. When he was still here in the states he cooked for me a couple of times and showed me a couple of things. I generally cooked for him and I will admit I HATE TO COOK! He did like everything I made for him even though I am sure the overall taste was quite "boring" for him. I generally made "Americanized" food. I did learn how to spice things up a bit more and experimented a little more while he was still here. I really am looking forward to learning more!

For years I have said I would love to marry a man that will cook and I will do the dishes! I think I have finally got lucky in that regard. He assures me he will have no problem doing the majority of the cooking especially until he gets a job! I am so looking forward to this!

Before he left we ate one meal together at a friend's house. His friend's parents immigrated from India back in the 70's. I will say this was my first real Indian meal and it was vegetarian, but it did not make any difference. It also was my first experience using just my hands to eat. I was offered a spoon, but I thought "when in Rome....."

I will admit I was clueless. I was waiting until someone else started to eat before I tried anything. Abhay realized what I was waiting for and showed me a little. I did eat the rice with a spoon. I did not think I would be very successful with my fingers and I did not want to embarrass myself. Plus his friend's father also used a spoon for rice.

It also was the first time I saw Abhay eat with his fingers. Whenever he was at my house he always used silverware. When we first started getting closer he told me they do not use utensils at home - just their fingers. I told him he could eat like that at my house if he wanted, but he still used the utensils. I am not sure what he will do when he actually gets here, but either way is fine with me.

Lori

[The_dip_sticks 0]

I posted this up in another forum but being that the food here is more south Asian I think I will repost it here:

I am Mexican American and all I know is how to cook authentic Mexican dishes but I would really love to learn some other dishes so that when Adiel and I live together I can cook things that he grew up eating. My husband is British born and raised in London but his parents are Asian. His mom is Pakistani and his dad is also 1/2 Pakistani 1/2 Afghani with a dash or Irani in there LOL. So as you can imagine I have big shoes to fill when it comes to the cooking. One of the things that I would love to learn how to cook so that I can surprise my hubby is Haleem. I have never eaten it nor seen it and Adiel always talks about it so I’m really intregued about this dish because my husband brags so much about how his moms Haleem is the best in the world. One time I tried to look up the recipe online but there were so many different ones and when I showed him a few of the ones I found he just cracked up. He said those were generic funny versions that were westernized by other chefs. He especially cracked up at the part of putting raisins in the Haleem. Adiel loves Morrocan and Italian food too so I am open to learning any thing and every thing. To start out if any one has great recepies for

Haleem

Samoosas

Humus

Falafels

butter chicken

Chicken tikka masala

bhiriani

butter chicken

that spinish with cheese in it. is it paneer? Not sure

I would be very thankful.

I don’t even know if I spelled any of that that correctly but Im trying my best to as if I was writing it out as it sounds in spanish LOL.

I would be forever indebted to you for any tips and help you can lend me.

Oh yeah he also brags that his mom makes the best rotis and what not. I tell him that Im not going to make that if I can just buy it from the store im not goign to slave as I will have lotsof things to do, but every once in a while I would like to suprise him with the whole shabang of homemade freshness. We make something similar called tortillas in Mexico but I would like to know how you make your version of roti or naan. =0) As you can see I have my work cut out for me but its ok I have all the time in the world to learn and I will use my family as lab subjects. The MENA ladies have a thread pinned where they share all there good regional and yummy recepis maybe we can start one here too. =0)

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Yes, the cheese in the spinach is paneer (the dish is called saag/paalak paneer).

For ALL paneer dishes, you can buy ricotta cheese (ANY supermarket) and bake in a Pam-sprayed non-stick pan for about 30 minutes @ 350^oF; then let cool down for a few hours (this will remove excess water) and cut into cubes with plastic knife (one of the rather limited number of uses for these). and put into your curry sauce (or in the case of saag paneer, fold into the cooked spinach).

DO NOT substitute American "cottage cheese" for the ricotta--as doing this always results in disaster. If you use feta--ok if you like LOTS-AND-LOTS of salt generally.

For basic roti, your basic homemade whole-wheat-flour tortilla is identical; and non-fried homemade corn (masa) tortilla is identical to maki-ka-roti (which, FYI, is traditional with saag paneer).

Edited January 29, 2007 by CherryXS

[chri'stina 190]

That is how I make paneer if we don't have the real stuff, with ricotta. Sujeet doesn't really like it too much though, he says it's too sweet compared to real paneer. But he'll settle for it. Sometimes I add in some seasoning to the ricotta before I bake it to make it less sweet. I usually bake it 40mins to make sure it's more firm.

I love Indian food! I started learning how to cook it before Sujeet moved here, but I like to cook so that's probably why I started learning so early.

I am learning more all the time, because there is so much to know! Sujeet is a great cook IMO, and makes delicious food. I know sometimes the Indian boys don't know how to cook, lol. But Sujeet lived on his own for years before we met, and cooked his own food. He enjoyed it. He watched his mom and sisters cooking while growing up and learned through that. It's awesome when the man knows how to cook too!

My most favorite dishes are mostly North Indian/Mughlai creamy dishes...

Chicken Makhani (butter chicken)

all types of Kormas

But I love so many things, thank God I fell in love with an Indian. I never had Indian food before I met him. After meeting him I started going to Indian restaurants in Tampa to see what the food was like. I can't believe I went so many years without having it!

I can make samosas, aloo gobhi and all different vegetable curries, sambhar, Palak Paneer, Matar Paneer, Butter Chicken/Butter paneer, cocunut curries, I basically will try to cook any recipe I can if I find it. The only thing I have not been able to do well is make roti and naan, so Sujeet does that when we want it. I am not good about making doughs sometimes. And I cannot roll them into round shapes. Mine come out all weirdly shaped.

Sujeet is a vegetarian so I only cook vegetarian dinners at home, but I sometimes offer to cook dinner for my parents and make fish, chicken, or beef Indian recipes.

Here are some websites I use if I am searching for tips or recipes

http://food.sify.com/

http://www.ndtvcooks.com/default.asp

Here are others I haven't used yet but found through searching

http://www.indiaexpress.com/cooking/

http://www.recipesindian.com/

http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/

[The_dip_sticks 0]

Is there a good recepi that you recomend in particular for Chicken Makhani (butter chicken)

[deathbydalbhat 0]

It's awesome when the man knows how to cook too!

But I love so many things, thank God I fell in love with an Indian.

Agreed 100% on both points....

[The_dip_sticks 0]

Yes, the cheese in the spinach is paneer (the dish is called saag/paalak paneer).

For ALL paneer dishes, you can buy ricotta cheese (ANY supermarket) and bake in a Pam-sprayed non-stick pan for about 30 minutes @ 350^oF; then let cool down for a few hours (this will remove excess water) and cut into cubes with plastic knife (one of the rather limited number of uses for these). and put into your curry sauce (or in the case of saag paneer, fold into the cooked spinach).

DO NOT substitute American "cottage cheese" for the ricotta--as doing this always results in disaster. If you use feta--ok if you like LOTS-AND-LOTS of salt generally.

For basic roti, your basic homemade whole-wheat-flour tortilla is identical; and non-fried homemade corn (masa) tortilla is identical to maki-ka-roti (which, FYI, is traditional with saag paneer).

Is there a way in particular to cook the spinach for this dish?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Yes, the cheese in the spinach is paneer (the dish is called saag/paalak paneer).

For ALL paneer dishes, you can buy ricotta cheese (ANY supermarket) and bake in a Pam-sprayed non-stick pan for about 30 minutes @ 350^oF; then let cool down for a few hours (this will remove excess water) and cut into cubes with plastic knife (one of the rather limited number of uses for these). and put into your curry sauce (or in the case of saag paneer, fold into the cooked spinach).

DO NOT substitute American "cottage cheese" for the ricotta--as doing this always results in disaster. If you use feta--ok if you like LOTS-AND-LOTS of salt generally.

For basic roti, your basic homemade whole-wheat-flour tortilla is identical; and non-fried homemade corn (masa) tortilla is identical to maki-ka-roti (which, FYI, is traditional with saag paneer).

Is there a way in particular to cook the spinach for this dish?

Just add a little ginger-garlic paste and 1 tsp chili powder to your normal cooking method.

[JanaknJanet 0]

Wow Ladies.. this is going to be good..

I am in for it when it comes to cooking for Jan .. augh .

I dont cook much as is.. usually I prefer putting a piece of Salmon on my George Forman along with some salad and Im good...

Once Jan is here.. it will be a bit different... I dont have a problem with him being Vegitarian..

I rather do enjoy Indian food.. but... faced with the thought of pleasing him ... aughh..

Janak say no worries... it will all be fine...

However... you know how it is ladies... we wish to please our men..

SOOO.. any of this information is going to extremely helpful for me.. and yes all of us..

Thanks for the info on Paneer... the ricotta.. and baking it...

One thing i have trouble with .. is not only the conversion of recepies that is measurments.. but.. many of the recepies that I see have the ingrediants with things I have no clue what they are here in USA...

photo is of my honey .. with my first class on eating Gujarati way hehehe. fingers and all..

[chri'stina 190]

Is there a good recepi that you recomend in particular for Chicken Makhani (butter chicken)

Sometimes the online recipes are confusing when they use the metric units. I have not tried this particular recipe myself but I think it looks good and clear to understand.

http://www.ndtvcooks.com/showrecipes.asp?i...&dishtype=N

Butter Chicken:

Chef: Deeba

Ingredients:

1 kg(about 2 lbs) boneless chicken-cut into small cubes

5 to 10 almonds

1/2 cup butter

2 diced tomatoes

ginger garlic paste

salt to taste

turmeric powder

chilli powder

2 diced onions

1 cup of yogurt

Method: In half a cup of butter put onions till light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and cubes of chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon of chilli powder and salt as per taste.

Keep stirring for 2 minutes. Add yogurt and stir. Add the diced tomato and 1 cup of water.

Keep on low heat till chicken is tender. Garnish with some butter and coriander leaves(Cilantro) before serving.

Here's a metric conversion website

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/weight_conversion.php

One more thing I'll add for now, is that when you read Indian recipes they will sometimes use the Hindi or British name for something that we are not used to hearing, and have to translate.

Here are some off the top of my head:

Coriander leaves = Cilantro leaves

Amchur powder= Mango Powder

ghee= clarified butter

Jeera=Cumin

I found a website that translates recipe ingredients from Hindi to English and to several other Indian languages. It could be useful.

http://www.informationcorner.com/recipeglossary.asp

[deathbydalbhat 0]

I wish I could find a good Chili Chips recipe - have looked all over the net but can't find it - wonder if I could just use a recipe for Chili Paneer and substitute potatoes for the paneer?

I can't wait 3 months, dangit, I want 'em NOW!!!

[ELW 5]

I found a website that translates recipe ingredients from Hindi to English and to several other Indian languages. It could be useful.

http://www.informationcorner.com/recipeglossary.asp

Wow thanks for that website - it is great! Sometimes I'm looking at recipes and I forget what the English name is... so used to speaking only the Telugu!

I wish I could find a good Chili Chips recipe - have looked all over the net but can't find it - wonder if I could just use a recipe for Chili Paneer and substitute potatoes for the paneer?

I can't wait 3 months, dangit, I want 'em NOW!!!

Ask your guy if it is known by a different name? Maybe that's why you can't find it! Good luck!