Simplified Indian Cooking
Matar or green peas and Paneer, also called Farmer’s Cheese or Home Made Cheese compliment each other in this dish. Paneer always tastes better in a curried sauce since it does not have a strong flavor of its own. I do not use baby peas because I find them too sweet; I usually buy shelled […]
Many Indian recipes call for cooking or marinating with yogurt. There are some things to keep in mind when cooking with yogurt: Always use full fat yogurt, low fat yogurt can curdle with heat. You can substitute low fat sour cream for yogurt. Greek style, thick yogurt works well since it does not have the […]
There are several theories why a dish is called ‘Do Pyaza’. ‘Do’, (pronounced like the word ‘though’) means two in Hindi and ‘Pyaz’ means onion. One theory suggests that the weight of the onion is twice that of the meat; another that only two onions are used. The most practical theory is that the onions […]
When a recipe calls for fried onions in Indian cooking, it means that the onion is fried until brown in color. The browning gives a beautiful caramel color and flavor to the curry and because the onion is well cooked, it easily dissolves in the gravy. When sprinkled on a rice dish such as Chicken […]
Gul Gula or Pua is a deep fried, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, sweet treat that my mom made on my birthday and other special occasions. It is also one of the sweets prepared on the festival of Karva Chauth. Even though Gul Gula is deep fried, it does not soak up much oil if the temperature […]
Laddu is a very popular Indian sweet. The word literally means ‘ball’ so anything sweet and balled up is a Laddu. You can make Laddus out of almost any flour, puffed rice or other puffed grains, seeds such as sesame or any combination of nuts and coconut. The basic ingredients are the same-butter/ghee and sugar […]
There are many kinds of Indian breads. Most of them are unleavened flatbreads made with whole wheat flour and water, like puri (pronounced POO-ree). Puri is rolled out, deep-fried, and served fresh out of the hot oil. It’s not only fun to make, but fun to watch the puris puff up as they cook. I love the […]