Six Simple Tips To Make Authentic Indian Recipes at Home
1) Make sure you have the right equipment
There are lots of ingredients when cooking Indian dishes so it is always important to make sure you have enough pots, pans and other utensils to hand. Some of the items, which are useful are as follows: – A wok or large, deep frying pan to fit all your ingredients in – A colander for draining purposes – A liquidiser or food processor when you need to finely mix some herbs, spices and other ingredients together – A large serving spoon with spoon measurements. Indian cooking requires a lot of spices, so it is useful to have these near you at all times, so you don’t make your curry too hot, or (by extension) too mild.
2) Keep an eye on your ingredients
Spices and herbs are extremely important when cooking Indian food – and there are a lot of them! Some of the most common ones used to help make your curries extra delicious are listed below:
– Tandoori masala: This is a combination of salt, coriander, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, black pepper, cumin powder, ground cloves, chilli powder, bay leaves, mace, nutmeg, garlic and ginger powder. – Garam masala: This is combination of coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper, bay leaves, ground cloves and nutmeg.
– Madras curry powder: This is a combination of cumin powder, chillies, turmeric powder, ground mustard seeds, ground poppy seeds and garlic powder.
– Other spices: Ginger (both fresh and powder form), garlic, chilli powder, green chillies and coriander (both fresh and powder form) are all widely used in Indian recipes.
3) Don’t be afraid of marinating
Indian recipes are known to be extremely flavoursome, and marinating foods in yoghurt and spices is the reason why. – The minimum amount of time to marinate food is about four hours, but for tandoori dishes, the meat needs to be marinated for between eight and twelve hours. – Marninating helps to make the meat tender.
4) Include lots of vegetables
There are a wide variety of vegetables used when cooking Indian dishes, which are available in most shops. These include:
– Potatoes
– Peas
– Aubergines
– Peppers
If you are vegetarian and enjoy experimenting with your cooking, there are other uncommon veggies used in Indian dishes such as tindora, kadu and guaer.
5) Include pickles and chutneys with your dishes
Pickles and chutneys are common on an Indian table – and they come in lots of different forms. Many of these are readily available in the shops or you can make your own.
6) Serve your meal correctly
If you want to be really authentic, make sure you serve your meal in the same way a typical Indian would be served. – Start with drinks and an assortment of savoury snacks – Next comes the starter, followed by one or two meat dishes, and a rice dish with one vegetable curry or dhal – Poppadums and a variety of pickles and chutneys should also be placed on the table, along with a fresh salad – Once the main is finished, the sweet is served followed by tea or coffee
