Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Henna Grover
Tarika Garg
DEDICATED TO
This book is dedicated to our father, Rajender Kumar Grover, and our mother Anila Grover.
Our success is directly linked to your love, discipline, values, and hard work. We do not know how you managed to maintain
a work-life balance while instilling in us the right values.
We would also like to thank our respective husbands, Sidharth and Rajeev, and kids Raina and Soha, without whose support
and willingness to be ignored while we worked on the book would have made this a five-year project.
CONTENTS
PREFACE .............................................................................................................................................................................. VI
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................... 1
WHAT IS INDIAN COOKING? ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Basic Indian Food System ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Basics of Indian Cooking .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Other Important Clarifications ........................................................................................................................................ 5
ESSENTIALS OF INDIAN COOKING........................................................................................................................................ 6
Spices (for the purpose of this book) .............................................................................................................................. 6
Dry Groceries (for purpose of this book) ......................................................................................................................... 6
Green Groceries ............................................................................................................................................................... 6
Poultry and Seafood ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
MYTH BUSTERS .................................................................................................................................................................... 8
HOW WE DEVELOPED AND DESIGNED THESE RECIPES FOR YOU ....................................................................................... 9
BASIC COOKING TERMINOLOGY ........................................................................................................................................ 10
TIPS AND SHORTCUTS........................................................................................................................................................ 11
YOUR BASIC INDIAN KITCHEN............................................................................................................................................ 13
Kitchen Equipment ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Spices ............................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Dry ground blended spices (Masala) ............................................................................................................................. 14
Dry Groceries ................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Vegetables ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Dairy............................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Fruits .............................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Various Fats Used for Indian Cooking ............................................................................................................................ 17
YOUR FIRST INDIAN GROCERY LIST.................................................................................................................................... 18
MEASUREMENTS, METRICS, AND CONVERSION TABLE ................................................................................................ 19
Achari Masala (Dry Pickle Spice Blend) ......................................................................................................................... 22
Chai Masala (Spices for Hot Tea) ................................................................................................................................... 23
Garam Masala (Dry Spice Blend) ................................................................................................................................... 24
Keema Masala (dry spice blend) .................................................................................................................................... 25
Pinde Chole Masala (Dry Spice Blend) ........................................................................................................................... 26
Raita Masala (Dry Spice Blend for Yogurt)..................................................................................................................... 27
Tandoori Masala (Dry Spice Blend)................................................................................................................................ 28
iv
PREFACE
There is no love sincerer than the love of food. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
The truth in this quote rings more true to us than anything else we have known. There is no love more sincere than a meal
prepared with deep love and joy, and it always comes out just a tad better than any other meal.
The warmth that spreads in your heart when your family, friends, or significant other gets that look of amazement, surprise,
and joy on eating their first bite of heavenly foodit is warmer than a shot of brandy!
We respect Bernard Shaw for recognizing this fact so many years ago, and for sharing it with the rest of us.
INTRODUCTION
Times have changed, and with that the responsibility to live a healthy life and raise a healthy family has increased
tremendously. Stress has also taken a toll on us, and we have forgotten what meals were supposed to taste like. We are
enticed every day with ready-to-eat meals and fast food, as they seem to be the perfect solution to our problems. We have
traded real flavor for salty, hot, and bland. Aromas have left the house, and pizza has taken the throne.
This book is an easy read that was designed with the novice cook in mind. It is for those who are taking the first steps to
venture into the Indian cuisine. We would like to commend all those who want to break away from the norm and start
preparing cozy, healthy meals that bring family and friends together. Create those memories in your life forever. Fulfill your
hidden desires and cravings by following these quick, easy, replicable, doable, and tasty recipes. The purpose of this book is
to enlighten you about the Indian cooking style, methods, short cuts, and tricks that turn a tasty, scrumptious, nutritional
Indian dish into a really healthy one as well. These are simple regular Indian dishes that are cooked daily in our homes for
the family.
So read on!
One can clearly see that traditionally also, the aim is to have a balanced diet.
We admit that although this is largely still the trend in India, here in the United States, most Indian households do not get
full, balanced meals.
In this book, drawing on personal experience, we have tried to cut down cooking times so that our busy lifestyles dont
impact good food habits.