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By clover kicker (Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 08:07:10 PM EST) (all tags)

Can anyone recommend an Indian food cookbook?

I'm looking for week night supper recipes, food that doesn't require elaborate prep or hard-to-find ingredients.

Veggie recipes are fine, I even have a special name for them - "side dishes".

Bonus points if they include substitutions like ricotta == paneer, good luck finding anything even slightly exotic in this town.

Although I must admit the %NATIONAL_GROCERY_CHAIN% naan is actually pretty decent.

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ask Husi | 22 comments (22 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

Where are you? by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #1 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 08:14:56 PM EST

Surely, there are some small Indian grocers' shops in your area?
I'll mail you some paneer before I condone this ricotta frippery.

General rules are: All skirts no lower then [sic] two inches below the knee (unless it's for Church) --Travis Frey

East Coast Canuckistan by clover kicker (4.00 / 1) #16 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 10:38:57 PM EST

Probably the whitest area of North America, but admittedly I've never visited the midwest US.

[ Parent ]

: East Coast by ChiefHoser (4.00 / 1) #21 Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 02:15:50 PM EST

If you are near Halifax there are a few indian food stores here. I don't know how good they are, but they provide more variety than $CANADIAN_CHAIN, who, incidently, do have decent Naan.
--------------

Chiefhoser
[ Parent ]

Anything by moonvine (4.00 / 2) #2 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 08:24:42 PM EST

by Neelam Bharata is AWESOME. Fool proof deliciousness.

You can make your own paneer. Not hard to do, fyi.

Anyway, if you see paneer and you don't have access to anything ready made, substitute it mentally for ricotta. Duh. Save some bonus points ;)

Also, tofu is a good substitution for paneer.

And some of her by moonvine (4.00 / 1) #8 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 09:10:27 PM EST

recipes can be found FREE of charge right here on the interwebs ;)

[ Parent ]

Really? by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #14 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 10:07:18 PM EST

Not that I'd do it (love paneer), but would you prep it differently?

If I'm swayed by your deposition, I shall deliver unto you 17 Internets, madame.

General rules are: All skirts no lower then [sic] two inches below the knee (unless it's for Church) --Travis Frey
[ Parent ]

Prep it differently, how? by moonvine (2.00 / 0) #17 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 11:31:11 PM EST

Boil whole milk. Add lemon. Let it curdle. Use muslin cloth to collect curds/formed cheese. Set something firm atop the curdled cheese to form. Rest overnight. Cut the cheese in the morning ;p

Paneer. Go make some! Easy peasy.

this i delivered to you freely regardless of where your sway may deposit itself

[ Parent ]

I meant... by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #18 Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 01:51:01 AM EST

what would you do, if anything, just prior to cooking tofu vs. paneer? Same cooking times?

General rules are: All skirts no lower then [sic] two inches below the knee (unless it's for Church) --Travis Frey
[ Parent ]

oh. by moonvine (4.00 / 1) #19 Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 07:41:25 AM EST

hahahahhahaaaaa!!!

gotchya!

if you allow the tofu to soak in some of the flavors of whatever dish you are making, (say, saag with tofu or tofu with matar instead of matar paneer), before you have to fry it or saute it or whatever, then it tastes so much better. nothing beats the flavor of paneer, especially homemade, but still, there is a "healthy" and lactose free alternative that can be just as tasty.

we used to use tofu in our house growing up to 1) experiment with flavors (my mama comes from a long line of award winning cookery types) and textures, 2) too tired/lazy to make paneer 3) i was usually going through some phase of "jesus! save the aneemals! don't support factory farming! boycott everything-" you know vegany stuff, and 4) it was less fattening than paneer.

Sooo.... short story long, if you take the extra step to initially season the tofu prior to using it as called for in any of the dishes requiring paneer , it turns out beautifully and you wont even be able to discern the difference.

[ Parent ]

: Thank you! by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #20 Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 09:07:25 AM EST

Sounds AWESOME!
General rules are: All skirts no lower then [sic] two inches below the knee (unless it's for Church) --Travis Frey
[ Parent ]

I have a Madhur Joffrey cookbook by toxicfur (4.00 / 3) #3 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 08:27:40 PM EST

but it's at home, and I couldn't tell you which one. The recipes I have aren't always quick and simple, but they are delicious, and pretty easily simplified. However, I'd listen to moonvine before me. :)
-----
If you don't get a Bonnie, my universe will not make sense. --blixco

: Er, that's Jaffrey, by toxicfur (2.00 / 0) #4 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 08:28:19 PM EST

with an 'a'. I can't type today.
-----
If you don't get a Bonnie, my universe will not make sense. --blixco
[ Parent ]
: If it's the one I mention below by joh3n (2.00 / 0) #6 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 08:33:54 PM EST

Your choice is spot on.
----
I just ate about 7 pounds of meat
-theantix
[ Parent ]
: I second Jaffrey by moonvine (4.00 / 1) #9 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 09:15:40 PM EST

as well. And also Sanjeev Kapoor. But I find Neelam's recipes to always hit the mark both in deliciousness and ease, and while I usually do not stick to the nuts and bolts of a recipe to a tee and tend to improvise instead, I find I rarely do that with her dishes. A++++.

[ Parent ]
: This comment thirds Jaffrey's book. by Christopher Robin was Murdered (4.00 / 1) #15 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 10:34:04 PM EST

Straight forward, nothing too tricksey, good end products. May and I use it at home. It's a good place to start.

[ Parent ]

An Invitation to Indian Cooking by joh3n (4.00 / 1) #5 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 08:32:35 PM EST

by Madhur Jaffrey

One of the best around, and super cheap.

----
I just ate about 7 pounds of meat
-theantix

Suck up the radial insensitivity by Dr Thrustgood (4.00 / 3) #7 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 09:09:50 PM EST

I only learned how to cook a decent curry after being horrifically racially insensitive and querying my local corner shop ownersalesmandude.

Apparently, it's all in the onion.

As I said to ammoniacal by clover kicker (2.00 / 0) #10 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 09:18:10 PM EST

this part of the country is as white as you can possibly imagine, including convenience store owners.

[ Parent ]

: Eh? by Dr Thrustgood (4.00 / 1) #11 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 09:26:49 PM EST

All I'm hearing is "Bigger gun."
Dunno why.

[ Parent ]

I believe the politically correct term is by chuckles (2.00 / 0) #12 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 09:32:10 PM EST

"Native American".
"[S]avings does not have to keep up with inflation in order to be useful. If you don't understand why ... you don't understand the purpose of savings."
-lm

I have a title by chuckles (4.00 / 2) #13 Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 09:41:04 PM EST

Hopi Cookery
"[S]avings does not have to keep up with inflation in order to be useful. If you don't understand why ... you don't understand the purpose of savings."
-lm
[ Parent ]

: why was that cookbook tagged with by discordia (2.00 / 0) #22 Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 03:21:12 PM EST

'hated by liberals for having facts'?

[ Parent ]

ask Husi | 22 comments (22 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback


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