Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with indianfood

Feel the burn

media_itoku — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:52:21 -0800

How can I make this delicious Indian food a little less spicy? My awesome Indian neighbor just stopped by my house and gave me a bowl of food. It's chopped angelhair noodles mixed with peas and a very spicy brown/yellow condiment - tastes like chilli to me, not the kind of tomatoey flavors you get in restaurants. I'm liking it a lot but it's *really* hot - I can actually see large chunks of what looks like chilli paste.

How can I tone it down a bit for my Anglo palate? I'm eating it with Greek yoghurt but even that is not enough!

She Who Controls The Spice, Controls The Universe

jbenben — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:52:57 -0800

Indian spice recipe -- please give me your tastiest! Following up on my Chicken Tikka Masala recipe question, I'm stumped by what spice combination will give me the flavor I desire.... Last week I asked this question about making Chicken Tikka Masala at home. Because there is no "set" recipe for Tikka Masala, I found it difficult to implement your advice. I couldn't decide what spices to use.

Please help me decide what flavors and spices I want on hand in my home kitchen to replicate that Indian restaurant flavor.

I realize I am probably looking for a curry combination informed by Mughlai cuisine. When you cook Indian food at home, what spice combinations do you reach for most often?

Thanks in advance for your input!!

Chicken Tikka Masala @ Saffron in Downtown Los Angeles - recipe please!

jbenben — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:16:46 -0800

Chicken Tikka Masala @ Saffron in Downtown Los Angeles - recipe please! I'm from NYC (where the good Americanized Indian food is from:) and I do understand that Saffron is not the height of Indian Cuisine.

But their Chicken Chana Daal & Chicken Tikka Masala were outstanding for a small shop next to a McDonald's. Fresh, flavorful (maybe more spice for the masala, but the overall YUM made up for the lack of heat...) I loved it. I want to make this at home!

Specifically, I am interested in the Masala Sauce. It was tomato based. I know that chicken tikka masala is a British riff on traditional Indian food and that there is no "set" recipe.

Give me your favorite Masala recipe. Bonus Points for posting about your fav Indian restaurant in LA. Super Bonus Points if you can shed some light on this particular restaurant's recipe or technique.

Thanks!!

They explode in 50's sitcoms... what else do they do?

Methylviolet — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:59:28 -0800

Pressue Cooker 101: Which one do I want? And what do I do with it? What do *you* do with yours? I want to buy a pressure cooker primarily to make Indian food: dals, pulses, etc. But that's as far as I've got. I've never used one before, and the options are many. Stoptop or electric? What features are important? Do you use yours? A lot? What is great about it? What don't you like?

I'm looking for any schooling you can give me on the pressure cooker experience. Of course, if you have killer pressure cooker recipes, please share.

Silicon Valley Girl

bread-eater — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:13:16 -0800

San Jose/Silicon valley recommendations for spas *or* veggie restaurants for getting a gift certificate. Please help me! I am trying to get a gift certificate for a friend leaving the east coast to work in Santa Clara. She's vegetarian and from India, so one idea was to get a gift certificate at an Indian restaurant (don't worry, she won't find it offensive). I'm having trouble figuring out which ones are actually good. And it would have to be one that actually bothers to do gift certificates (by mail, no less).

An alternative is to get her a spa gift certificate. Any recommendations for spas with good service? We want it to be a treat!

Other information: She'll be working in industry research, is generally proud of her nerdiness, is really really looking forward to the good weather but isn't a particularly outdoorsy person.

I would really appreciate any recommendations for Indian restaurants or spas or any other things that you can think of for me! Thanks!

Indian food allergies?

zeek321 — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:33:56 -0800

Which Indian restaurant dishes never have wheat or dairy (or corn or eggs)? I have seriously annoying but not dangerous food allergies to wheat, dairy, eggs, and corn. I know cream is in a bunch of Indian dishes, but I've also had some amazing Indian food that hasn't given me any problem at all. (Trace amounts of allergens don't seem to cause a reaction for me, i.e. as long as it's not an official ingredient.)

Can you help me compile a list of the "types" of dishes that I can eat? (e.g., if the dish has X in the name or it's cooked in way Y, then it's definitely safe. If it has Z in the name, then it's cooked with cream, etc...)

Dosa in Chicago?

crush-onastick — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:52:35 -0800

Where do you eat dosa in Chicago? The internet offers only two places on Devon (Mysore Woodlands and Udupi Palace). I've got no problems going to Devon (and will check these places out although I suspect one of them was the place we went to get dosa that did not have them), but are these really the only two places in Chicago that serve dosa?

I'm desperate for kidney bean curry

showbiz_liz — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:02:57 -0800

I have a recipe for kidney beans which calls for a pressure cooker. How can I modify it to be made without one? The recipe is from an Indian cookbook, and in the introduction the author says that many recipes call for a pressure cooker 'in order to make traditionally slow-cooked dishes in less time,' so I assume this can be done without one. I'm just not sure exactly how.

The relevant part of the recipe:

"Soak the kidney beans overnight in water to cover by 2 inches. Then drain and place them in a pressure cooker, along with the cardamom pods, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and 4 cups water. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker, place over high heat, and cook until the gauge indicates high pressure, then cook about 1 minute more. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook another 3 minutes. Then remove from the heat and allow pot to depressurize on its own, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully open the lid and check to see if the beans are very soft, with some of them broken; if not, cover, bring up to pressure again, and cook under pressure another minute. Or cover and boil until soft, about 1/2 hour."

Onion-free Indian food?

crazycanuck — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:53:37 -0800

Is it worth making Indian food without onions? My husband is on an onion-free diet and I am wondering if I should bother attempting an eggplant bharta recipe this weekened, or if I should forget it and move on to a natively onion-free cuisine.

Wtf is a pompadon?

ZaneJ. — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:33:09 -0800

What's a pompadon? My girlfriend and I have been watching a lot of Red Dwarf and Lister eats a lot of Indian inspired foods. One thing he mentions on a regular basis are 'pompadons'. Since he speaks Liverpudian, it can be hard to actually tell the spelling of the food item. Anyone have a clue what the hell he's referring to? I'm thinking something along the lines of pot stickers, but I don't know. M'lady thinks biscuit.

As a side note, I have discovered that vindaloo is delicious. Thanks television show character!

Intro to Indian chaat and snacks?

kdern — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:29:01 -0800

I need an beginner's introduction to Indian chaat and snack food. We've just discovered an Indian "fast food" buffet here in St. Louis. We went once and the hostess helped us to make Delhi Chaat (she also called them Indian Nachos). We're hooked.

They also had puri and other items on the buffet to make other chaat combinations. Can anyone point me towards a beginner's guide to chaat and snacks?

All the ingredients are there on the buffet (including sauces, spices, etc.), I just need to know what the combinations are and how to assemble them.... can someone point me to a website or book that will guide us? Or can someone give us an intro to the most common combinations?

Also - are the combinations called chaat? Or are the crunchy, fried things chaat?

Thanks!

A bucket of mangoes

TungstenChef — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:21:21 -0800

Help me make the best mango lassi in the world. I've just discovered a trove of the most flavorful mangoes imaginable at my local veggie mart, and coincidentally am invited to a dinner of Indian food this weekend. I want to whip up a pitcher of the ultimate mango lassis, but the one other time I tried this I failed miserably. Please help me with some tried and true lassi recipes!

What's Indian about buffets?

escabeche — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:26:34 -0800

Why do "Indian restaurant" and "all-you-can-eat lunch buffet" go together? It seems that all or most U.S. Indian restaurants offer all-you-can-eat buffets at lunchtime. There are other buffets -- I can think of some Chinese places and some "American" places that have them, and when I used to live in Baltimore there was a place that served a $7 all-you-can-eat sushi buffet that in retrospect I feel lucky to have survived. But for no other genre of restaurant does the buffet seem as nearly compulsory as it does for Indian.

Why is this? Is there something about Indian food as opposed to Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Thai, etc. that makes it particularly suitable for the steam-table treatment? Are there buffets in restaurants in India? In Indian restaurants outside India and the U.S.? Was there some single entrepreneur in the U.S. who opened the first Indian lunch buffet and inspired everyone else to get on board?

Indian cooking staples in NYC?

gwint — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 09:18:40 -0800

Best place in New York City to buy Indian staples like ghee and garam masala? I'm happy to travel anywhere in the five boroughs (Jackson Heights, etc.) but a friendly staff that could help out a beginner is a definite plus.

food that takes the roof of your mouth off

the luke parker fiasco — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 04:27:51 -0800

Looking for good Indian food recipes. I've cooked Indian food in the past, but haven't been very happy with the results. Whether that's because the recipes haven't been very good or because I haven't acquired the requisite skills for preparation of this type, I can't say. But I'd like to keep trying, and want to find out if any other MeFites have recipes they've liked that they can recommend, be they greatest hits like Chicken Tikka/CT Masala, Aloo Gobhi, Vindaloo, Chana Masala, Daal Makhni, etc., or something completely different.
(I've perused this thread, but would like additional suggestions ... bonus points for recipes on the web, as I don't have easy access to cookbooks at the moment, but no other restrictions apply.)

Curry and Chips! Curry and Chips! I need to find Curry and Chips!

kendrak — Thu, 03 May 2007 18:42:37 -0800

Where can I find curry and chips (fries) in the (SF) East Bay? I've been home sick and dreaming about greasy food. I know I won't go for the Buffalo wings because they're not vegan, but I can't stop thinking about a Veg Dupiaza and chips I had when I was in England this past winter. I know curry and chips aren't exactly common in America, but I figured the Bay Area would be a good place to try.

So are there any places I can get curry and chips in the Bay Area? I live in Berkeley, so the East Bay would be best, but I'll drive as far as San Jose if need be.

I'll have the rice. But could you ask chef to add a little extra foot?

popcassady — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 07:14:47 -0800

What was in my pilau rice, human skin? I found this little treat in my pilau rice.

Not wanting to cause a fuss, I put it (and its friends) to one side. No one else on my table had anything similar in their food.

I'm not sure what it is but it has the look, feel, texture of human skin -- the thick stuff that foot pickers like to peel off.

I had a close look at it this morning. I couldn't make out any noticeable 'fingerprints' nor could I see anything like plant cells. It doesn't smell of anything other than the general aroma of the dish in which it was served. I am reluctant to taste it.

What is this thing? Is it the rind of some exotic fruit, or was I the target in a cruel game of humiliation.

Why must I cook Patak's Curry Paste?

Yogurt — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 13:00:04 -0800

Why must I cook Patak's Curry Paste? Patak's Curry Paste comes with this warning on the jar in capital letters: "It is important that this product is prepared as directed in the usage instructions and must not be consumed uncooked." The instructions call for about 20 minutes of simmering.

None of the ingredients leap out at me as clearly needing cooking: vegetable oil, salt, coriander, turmeric, water, concentrated tomato puree, chilli, ground ginger, garlic powder, corn flour, tamarind, spices, acetic acid, sugar, citric acid, lactic acid.

When I'm lazy, I like to throw some curry paste on leftover rice and just microwave it, rather than cooking it properly. Am I taking my life in my hands?

(I know there are better ways to eat Indian-style food, so no need to detour down the cuisine side of this topic, thanks!)

Cookin' Easy First-timer Indian Food

shokod — Tue, 23 May 2006 23:47:48 -0800

I need help cooking a dynamite Indian dinner for my girlfriend who has never had Indian food before. Of course, there is I am a pretty decent cook but have never entered the daunting realm of Indian Cuisine. It's my girlfriend's birthday soon and I had some questions about preparing a nice meal; there are some special requests and requirements that limit me from using the other posts and cooking websites.
- I live in a country where a lot of spices are not available (South Korea). I can get a hand on most veggies, but the only spices I have are Garam Marsala that someone bought me, and some stuff simply labeled "Curry Powder" (purchased at a Wal-Mart (I know, sorry)), I also have a bit of fresh cilantro but I don't think that helps. I might be able to find cumin or bay leaves somewhere but haven't yet. Also, no na'an.
- She loves seafood, I don't like it but I will cook with it. So a dish that incorporates seafood but isn't so seafoody would be a plus. No problem with spiciness.
- A couple dishes (small appetizer, main dish, maybe an interesting dessert) maybe incorporating different tastes so she gets a sort of spectrum of Indian food, but also something that's a good introduction.
- I have no oven and only 2 ranges on my stove, so things that are fairly one-panned or can be okay kept warm by other means.
- What wine should I serve?
Thanks a lot in advance!

Easy malai recipe?

Morrigan — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 12:39:44 -0800

I'm looking for an incredibly easy recipe for malai kofta. Does this exist? I have several Indian cookbooks but little time in my life right now to spend on food preparation. How can I approximate the wonderful malai sauce for fast, everyday meals? I'm willing to do without the koftas themselves and I am not averse to Patak-style shortcuts.