5 Indian Spices that make Indian food "Indian"

Have your ever thought about what makes Indian food taste "Indian"? It's the unique "ingredients" below, that when used in recipes, will make a dish taste very Indian..... Try experimenting with these spices in your regular recipes.... For example...try tempering your pasta with black mustard seeds and curry leaves and add your fav pasta sauce....voila !! you have a new dish!

BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS (English) RAI (Hindi) :These are tiny round reddish brown to black colored seeds.They are used whole or broken to pieces or made into a paste or even in powdered form. Its paste has a very pungent taste. In India, mustard seeds are commonly used to flavor vegetables, pulses and pickles while tempering (Tadka). In north India, mustard plant leaves are used as a vegetable (Sarsoon).

ASAFOETIDA (English) HING (Hindi) It is the dried gum resin of an east Indian plant. It has a strong odor and the flavor is a little like "spicy garlic". Do not attempt to taste it raw, not a pleasant experience! Although do not be afraid to try using it in the recommended recipe. Usually just a pinch is used for cooking mainly fish, vegetables and making "Indian pickles". It is available in a yellow powdered form. Look for "Vandevi Hing" TM in an ethnic grocery store or on-line.

CURRY LEAVES (English) KADI PATTA (Hindi) Curry leaves are available fresh or dried. These almond shaped dark green very aromatic leaves are used fresh in many Indian dishes. They are used to flavor mainly vegetables, lentils and breads or ground with coconut and spices to make a wonderful chutney. Curry leaves are usually added to hot oil for tempering. Like bay leaves, they are added for their flavor and kept aside while eating. To dry the fresh leaves, place leaves between two kitchen towels and microwave on high for a minute or two.

TURMERIC (English) HALDI (Hindi) Turmeric has a very intense, bright yellow-orange color and bitter taste. It is used in "almost" all vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations in Indian coking. It has been known to have antiseptic properties.

Note : Turmeric stains are very hard to remove so be careful when using it in the kitchen as it stains clothes and some plastic utensils. Turmeric should not be used as a coloring agent or flavor substitute for saffron.

The root, or rhizome, has a tough brown skin and bright orange fresh roots that are boiled or steamed and then dried. These dried roots are ground to a fine powder. The powdered turmeric is used in Indian cooking.

TAMARIND (English) IMLI (Hindi) It is the fruit of tamarind tree. The ripe brown pods are cleaned and the brittle brown skin and hard seeds are removed. The de-seeded tamarind is stored with salt. How to make tamarind pulp? Break up the tamarind and pulling it apart into marble-sized pieces. In a bowl, cover with 1 cup boiling water and leave to soak for at least 2 hours or overnight. Strain the liquid through a medium-mesh sieve into a large saucepan, pressing down hard on the solids. Discard the solids.The pulp is now ready for use in the recipe. The tamarind pulp is sour and dark brown in color. Tamarind is used in many vegetables, pulses, snacks, sauces and to make Tamarind chutney.

Use any one of these in your recipes at the right time during cooking...and they will surely change the flavor of your dish...it will be Indianized!! :)

More on spices...... http://www.cuisinecuisine.com/IndianSpices.htm

Beat the Summer heat with "Dahi Vadas"

Walk the streets of Mumbai on a hot summer day and you would want to cool off with a cool snack like Dahi vada. A popular snack all over India. It is very cooling as the fried lentil balls are dipped in a flavored yogurt and topped with a tangy tamrind date chutney. A treat if there ever was one. Tangy, sweet, cooling, filling !

It is also a good accompaniment with Biryani. To add more flavor it can be topped with chaat masala. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, a sweet taste to the dahi is preferred, in North India they like the yogurt to be plain. South Indians like it with a bit of freshly grated coconut seasoned with a "vagar" of curry leaves and black mustard seeds.

For the Vadas

1 cup black gram lentil (urad dal without skin) washed, soaked for 3 hours and ground to a fine paste adding very little water

2″ piece of ginger grated2-3 green challis finely chopped

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

Combine the ground urad dal paste with grated ginger, chopped green chilies and salt. Heat oil, drop teaspoon sized balls of the batter into the oil and deep fry on medium heat until golden brown.

Transfer the deep fried vadas into a bowl of luke warm water and place them in it for 15-20 seconds. Gently press the soaked vadas between your palms so that excess water oozes out, remove from the water. Keep them aside. Finish making vadas with the rest of the remaining batter and follow the same procedure. They should look like this ...

For the Dahi

Yogurt 5 cups

Note : You can use homemade yogurt or full fat yogurt from the store.

Ginger grated 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Sugar 4-8 tsps (yogurt should taste little sweet)

Blend the yogurt with little water until it is smooth. Add sugar, salt and ginger. Keep the yogurt in refrigerator until it is chilled. Arrange the squeezed vadas in a deep dish. Pour the yogurt on the vadas such that all the vadas are covered well by the yogurt. Sprinkle red chili powder, roasted jeera powder and chaat masala.

Chill the vadas for sometime before serving. At the time of serving, take 2-3 vadas and place them in a serving plate and sprinkle some chaat powder and garnish with coriander leaves and serve with sweet tamarind-date chutney.

Memorial Day - Indian BBQ Recipes!

Memorial day marks the beginning of summer....The smoke that rises from a hot grill, the tall glasses of Nimboo Pani spiked with vodka, the hot off the grill tikkas and kebabs is what I yearn for all winter long.....

When it comes to grilling for this weekend, the cuisine possibilities are endless from the regular American fare to the exotic tapas of Mexico, even recipes from very tip of the South of France. But I do like to bring a little bit of traditional Indian recipes to my table.

One of my favorite traditional Indian BBQ recipe is the very red Tandoori Chicken...Tandoori Murgh - Barbecued whole chicken with tandoori masala It's mild flavor always wins me over.

Also, Grilled corn spiced up with lemon juice, red chili powder and salt! Yummmmm

Here are some suggestions for your Memorial Day Weekend - Indian iShtyle :)

Meats

• Malai Murgh Tikka - Mild yogurt marinade for boneless chicken

• Sali Seekh - Succulent meat kebabs on a skewer

• Chicken Reshmi Kebab

Rice 'n Naan

• Saffron Pilaf - Saffron flavored buttered rice

• Naan - Indian Flat Bread

Vegetables

• Bhutta - Indian roasted corn

Salads 'n Chutneys

• Kachumber - Indian Salsa type salad

• Aloo Ka Raita - Indian Potato Salad

• Mint Chutney

• Mint Raita - Mint flavored spicy yogurt dip

• Onion Salat - Pickled onions

Fruits 'n Desserts

• Mango Ice cream

• Lassi - Cool flavored yogurt drink

• Mangoes - King Of Fruits

• Grilled Pineapple with Cool Whip

Indian Summer Salad with Mint & Cumin

I make a lot of salads in the summer and I think the trick to making a great salad is in its simpleness and the use of a unique combination of ingredients. This Indian summer salad makes for a fun yet simple meal. Have it for lunch, brunch or dinner. I make it with left over grilled chicken.

Indian Summer Salad with Mint & Cumin

This Indian summer salad has the colors of summer - orange, red, green. The bright tastes of lime, mint and the rich sweet aroma of the toasted cumin seeds raises a toast to the beginning of summer. Pair it with Naan for a complete meal.

1/2 cup grilled chicken chopped into ½ inch pcs

1 ripe papaya, cut into ½ inch cubes

4 tablespoons dried cranberries

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 small potatoes, boiled, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 tablespoon sugar or sugar substitute

2 teaspoons coarsely ground toasted cumin seeds

1/4 cup finely chopped mint leaves

2 green chilies, seeded and sliced

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup oil

salt to taste

2 cups Romaine lettuce chopped roughly

Mix all of the above ingredients except the lettuce in a big bowl.

Toss well. Place the lettuce on a place and spoon the mixture on to the lettuce. Serve Chilled.

Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Chutney & Cold Coffee with Ice-cream

Summer is about enjoying the outdoors. Relaxing with a tall glass of your favorite drink and conversing with good friends. What better way to combine the three than to grill some easy Indian recipes. Pair sheesh kebabs with your favorite crisp salad greens. Here are 2 of my favorite recipes.

Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Chutney

In this recipe, I use skinless chicken thighs, smother them with a green cilantro chutney, and then grill them .

8 to 12 skinless chicken thighs (2 to 2-1/2 pounds), skin removed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup Green Cilantro Chutney - Store bought

Fork each piece of chicken on both sides. Combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and salt and rub it over the chicken pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator. About 1 to 2 hours before grilling, add the chutney to the chicken pieces and mix it in with your fingers, making sure that each piece is well covered. Grill the chicken over medium-hot until it is tender and no longer pink inside, 20 to 30 minutes. Turn the pieces occasionally to ensure even cooking.

Cold Coffee with Ice-cream

Kids love it on a hot day!

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup crushed ice

3 teaspoons sugar or Sugar substitute (Splenda)

1 teaspoon of your favorite instant coffee(caffineated or de-caffinated)

Blend at high speed till frothy. Serve chilled. Top with 1 scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream. Yummmm