Dining In[dian]

Hey D3 Diners In! Our Dining In[dian] Luncheon is coming up, and I suspect that some of us don't know roti from lassi yet, so I'm posting some information that will help you get started on the road to Indian cooking greatness.

Cooking Indian food can seem daunting at first because of the sheer number of ingredients and spices required, many of which you may never have heard of. You can get smaller amounts of spices at Weaver Street, which sells them by weight, and A Southern Season (because you WILL feel buyer's remorse if you buy a $15 bottle of cardamom powder). I have turmeric, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, a garam masala, fenugreek seeds, chili powder, amchoor powder, brown mustard seeds, gram flour, and a few others, if you'd like to borrow some for Dining In. Spices, vegetables, and other ingredients that are commonly used in Indian cooking are also sold at Asian food stores like the one next to Guglhopf or (obviously) the Indian grocery behind Target on 15-501.

I am also including some links to recipes of varying degrees of difficulty. And just remember, you can always just bring rice or naan (flat bread)!

(Disclaimer: I haven't tried any of these particular recipes, but I didn't want to put the recipes that I use up for fear of copyright infringement...)

Simple recipes: Channa Masala (curried chickpeas): http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianindianrecipes/r/quickchickpeas.htm; Mango Lassi (mango yogurt drink): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLYcksxOgzM ; Indian Rice Pudding (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/indian-rice-pudding-recipe/index.html)

Less simple recipes: Aloo Paratha (potato-stuffed flat bread): http://www.ivcooking.com/p269_75.php; Dal Makhani (lentils and kidney beans) http://www.sailusfood.com/2006/07/01/dal-makhani/; Tandoori chicken: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/grilled-tandoori-chicken-recipe/index.html

Bring it on: Vegetable Biryani: http://www.recipesindian.com/south_indian_recipes/rice/Vegetable-Biryani.html; Samosas: http://www.manjumalhi.co.uk/recipes/vegetarian/baked-samosas.html

Happy cooking! I can't wait to see what you all bring!

~R