Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [indian-cuisine]

Questions with this tag should be about traditional ingredients, preparations or dishes from India - such as curries, naan, chaats, chutneys and desserts. Questions about ingredients common to Indian-style cooking, but which aren't about a specific Indian dish, should not use this tag.

Questions with this tag should be about traditional ingredients, preparations or dishes from India - such as curries, naan or butter chicken. Questions about ingredients common to Indian-style cooking, but which aren't about a specific Indian dish, should not use this tag.

283 questions
10
votes
1 answer

Why fry a teaspoon of dal to start an Indian dish?

Some Indian recipes ask the cook to fry a very small quantity of dal, e.g. "3/4 teaspoon of urid dal", at the beginning of cooking a dish which doesn't otherwise contain dal. Examples here and here, and I have enough examples in my cookbooks to…
FuzzyChef
  • 58,085
  • 18
  • 142
  • 218
10
votes
4 answers

Does toasting and grinding whole spice really improve curry flavor?

It seems to be common knowledge that "toasting is better" when it comes to spices. But the other day I noticed my toasted-and-freshly-ground coriander smelled pretty weak, and I ended up boosting the flavor with pre-ground stuff that packed a lot…
mpoisot
  • 282
  • 1
  • 3
  • 9
10
votes
1 answer

Why is the chicken in Indian food so tender?

I used to go to an Indian restaurant that had the most tender chicken I've ever had. In general, it seems like Indian curries have very tender chicken. Could somebody explain if there is a secret? Is it marinading in yogurt, the tandoor, an…
Kevin Nowaczyk
  • 1,840
  • 14
  • 20
10
votes
6 answers

What are the authentic traditional ingredients for Naan bread?

I would like to know what the authentic and traditional ingredients for Naan bread are. There are many recipes that use some ingredients but not others and the cooking method are not always the same. These are the ingredients which usually differ…
Vass
  • 807
  • 8
  • 14
  • 21
10
votes
3 answers

Papadum sauces - making my own

In Indian restaurants you get usually Papadum as appetizer. It is often served with 3 sauces, one green sauce with a light peppermint taste, one red a bit sweet sauce and one very hot sauce. These sauces seem to taste often (but not always) very…
Amenti
  • 203
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
10
votes
4 answers

What's Fruit Salt?

A recipe I am trying out (for khaman dhokla) requires fruit salt. What is it? What can I use as a suitable substitute?
Avinash Bhat
  • 1,772
  • 5
  • 17
  • 18
9
votes
1 answer

Name the vegetable from Nilgiri hills

I bought this in Ooty market and was told that it is a Nilgiri hills specific vegetable. It is pink on the outside and white inside with two hard black seeds in the upper half of it. It tastes sour, very similar to unripe strawberry. Now, I'd like…
rlab
  • 286
  • 1
  • 2
  • 9
9
votes
6 answers

What is the correct onion to tomato ratio for North Indian masala sauce?

What's the optimum — or, at least, the most widely used — tomato to onion ratio for making the tomato masala (sauce)? Masala is used as the base for a number of north Indian dishes. Onions are fried in oil and then tomatoes and spices are added and…
Avinash Bhat
  • 1,772
  • 5
  • 17
  • 18
9
votes
9 answers

Sugar in Indian curries?

I've seen that sugar is used to balance out other flavors in a dish. I was just wondering if I could add a little sugar to a spicy curry(chicken curry, for example). Would that take away the authentic flavor? If no, then how much can be safely added…
Uday Kanth
  • 1,063
  • 8
  • 18
  • 24
9
votes
1 answer

What was the original "Lea & Perrins" recipe from Bengal?

In the history of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce it is claimed that The story of Lea & Perrins famous Worcestershire Sauce begins in the early 1800s, in the county of Worcester. Returning home from his travels in Bengal, Lord Sandys, a nobleman…
DrMcCleod
  • 207
  • 1
  • 3
8
votes
3 answers

Does jaggery need to be soaked?

One of our TV chefs has done a show on India, and one of the ingredients he has used in a few recipes is jaggery, a sugar made from palms. In the show, it appears to be soft, like soft brown sugar. However,the jaggery I have found at the…
ElendilTheTall
  • 43,460
  • 13
  • 118
  • 177
8
votes
6 answers

Baking naan without an oven?

Is it possible to make eggless naan without an oven?
Sunishtha Singh
  • 689
  • 1
  • 8
  • 20
8
votes
4 answers

When to prefer yogurt, cream, and coconut milk in an Indian vegetarian dish to make it creamy?

Firstly, I have noticed all the curried dishes we eat in an Indian restaurant feel "creamy". Now, I don't know whether they add cream, or yogurt, or coconut milk? In which kinds of dishes do we need which kind of substance to make it creamy?
Aquarius_Girl
  • 7,275
  • 60
  • 155
  • 206
8
votes
3 answers

Why doesn't my conventional-oven Naan bread taste authentic?

I recently tried this recipe for Naan bread in an oven, and followed it diligently, but the product that came out did not have that characteristic flavor of Naan. It was more like a pizza bread without topping. Also, it was a bit puffier than the…
Kaushik
  • 985
  • 7
  • 14
  • 22
8
votes
3 answers

Why does my Indian food taste bland?

I recently tried an Indian recipe and event though it was spicy hot, it didn't have much flavor which surprised me for how much seasoning I put in. Does anyone know why this might be so bland? 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite…
Brandon Kauffman
  • 183
  • 1
  • 6
1 2
3
…
18 19