There are three tricks to making delicious Indian food: Don't use canned beans or lentils thinking they will taste as good as fresh Don't use pre-ground spices they will taste as good as freshly toasted and ground whole spices Follow the freaking recipe! At least the first … [Read more...] about Chana Masala from “My Indian Kitchen”
my indian kitchen
Chicken Curry in a Hurry from “My Indian Kitchen”
When I see a cutely named chicken curry recipe I get scared. It usually means commercial "curry powder" (NOT powder curry leaves...) made of a mix of ground spices ground who knows how long ago. It takes a little more effort to make your own, but you can't argue with results. So … [Read more...] about Chicken Curry in a Hurry from “My Indian Kitchen”
Chana Masala: Northern Chickpea Curry
I usually stay away from the recipes in Indian cookbooks that you find on every restaurant menu. I'd rather try something different - different spices, different textures. But sometimes you want a classic. You want to know what the homemade version is really supposed to taste … [Read more...] about Chana Masala: Northern Chickpea Curry
Lemon Rice with Peanuts from Hari Nayak’s “My Indian Kitchen”
I like the idea of lemony rice. So often rice is a foil - for a curry sauce, for a meat dish, for dinner's protagonist, etc. But if you add some protein to a rice dish it almost becomes a meal on its own, and then it needs some flavour. Most often in Indian cuisine that means … [Read more...] about Lemon Rice with Peanuts from Hari Nayak’s “My Indian Kitchen”
Best Roasted Eggplant Dip (Baingan Ki Chutney)
Another winner from "My Indian Kitchen". The recipe is here, so I feel okay about reprinting it loosely below. For more precise instructions see author Hari Nayak's website. So I mentioned I'm obsessed with eggplant in my last restaurant review of Bombay Choupati just outside … [Read more...] about Best Roasted Eggplant Dip (Baingan Ki Chutney)
Goan-Style Indian Squid (Goa ki squid kari)
From Hari Nayak's "My Indian Kitchen", this squid curry is a pan-Asian flavour combo of soy sauce, coconut milk, and Indian spice blends. Says Nayak, street vendors add soy sauce to the dish in India now too. I made the dish because a friend gifted me fresh curry leaves from a … [Read more...] about Goan-Style Indian Squid (Goa ki squid kari)
The Other Dal: Yellow Mung Beans with Spinach from “My Indian Kitchen”
I guess I wasn't settled in yet because I had to make another dal. That, and/or I didn't want to spend any money and this is a ridiculously inexpensive dish. Or maybe I just wanted to review yet another cookbook, and that only happens one recipe at a time. "My Indian Kitchen" by … [Read more...] about The Other Dal: Yellow Mung Beans with Spinach from “My Indian Kitchen”