class-musings

Can you tell me about a good Indian Cookbook?

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:12:45 +0100

This question is actually much harder to answer than you think, there are several amazing cookbooks that are out there, and therefore it does really depend on what you are looking for. To get started it is worth looking at two very different cookbooks, there books are spaced in time and style but what both have in common is a good collection of very well written recipes.

A starter book in Indian cooking should offer you an overview of the food with some idea of familiarity and concise descriptions so that you can get used to working with the different spices. The book that I think fits this category is Madhur Jaffrey’s book simply labeled Indian Cooking. The book was produced as a companion to her BBC series on Indian Cooking. The title of the book actually leads you onto to what you can expect through the rest of the book. Unpretentious, clear and a small collection of classic recipes! I inherited my first copy of this book from my husband who wanted a guide to help him when he was single and a cooking novice. Those were also the days when his work days were exceptionally long. This book offers you a great start to Indian Cooking. The book has simple recipes for Garam Masala, Tandoori Chicken and a basic collection of rice, lentil and bread dishes.

The second book that is definitely worth picking up is 660 Curries by celebrity chef Raghavan Iyer. This book serves your need if you are looking for a good all exhaustive Indian cookbook that you can keep on your shelf and work through for many days or actually that matter many weeks. The book is intense and might take some leafing through to get used to the sheer richness and diversity of recipes covered in the book. The author’s approach is intense, but detailed and meticulous. There are plenty of recipes that are labeled as basic and beginner that offer a good starting point, following which the reader can work through the other recipes to get a good knowledge of the intricacies of Indian cooking. Raghavan’s writing is very interesting and makes reading the head notes and text as much fun as the recipes.

Question: Can I Substitute Tofu for Paneer

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:35:49 +0100

I am trying to bumble along with this blog space, naturally since I have the blog, I cannot do more of the same however I do love this form of communication. I shall let this evolve, do it's own wonderful thing. One of the regulars of my life is that I do get a lot of questions, so I shall on occasion feature the essential ones.

My recent question was on Paneer. We loosely translate Paneer to Indian Cheese, in the strictest sense of reality, paneer entails no fermentation or does not melt. It is milk solids that separate from milk, when a souring agent is added to boiling milk. Paneer is sold in blocks and available in most Indian stores, it is also available in places such as Whole Foods Market.

I use extra firm tofu in paneer recipes quite frequently. Tofu is more readily available, and has less fat than most whole paneer varieties. Tofu does a great job of absorbing flavor, so I actually cut tofu into smaller pieces. I share here a variation of everyone's favorite Indian Paneer recipe - Palak Paneer, Creamed Spinach with Indian Cheese.

Here Goes, Rinku's Tangy Palak Paneer

If you try it, tell me what you think...

Orderly Me?

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 06:33:15 +0100

Believe it or not, I am tracking another blog. Well this one is really for the class, cookbooks and stuff. I think it might actually help me to jot down these toughts in a separate forum. Yes, I love to stratify, must be a part of that database class I took ages back. Anyhow, a part of this startification is my trying to organize these crazy recipes that I have taken, written done bad things with in myriad places. My goal is to have them indexed and sorted before thanksgiving. Wish me luck!