Reconnecting With My Indian Roots, Through Food

 Hello everybody,  I had the chance to make the palak paneer over the weekend, and honestly, it wasn't too shabby. I think it's a great meal to sneak in your vegetables, and it's super tasty too. I began by sauteeing some green chilies, cashews (I've begun to sense a pattern with the cashews-- they're in so many recipes), and spinach in a pan with some oil. This was an extremely fast process as spinach doesn't take a long time to cook. And anyone who has cooked with spinach before knows that almost immediately it reduces down to nothing. I then added this mixture to a blender with some water and blended until it made a thick and smooth puree.  Next, I made a tadka. For those of you who do not remember, making a tadka is simply the process of frying various spices in some oil, to bring out all of the flavors. I made a tadka using whole cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and cumin, after which I added chopped red onion, ginger-garlic paste, and chopped tomatoes.  The fina...

 So... I have a confession to make. I actually didn't  get the chance to make anything this week. I know, I'm sorry. I've officially let everyone down. But , on the bright side, this gives me a chance to do something different with the blog. This week, I'll share my thoughts about a dish before I make it, and then edit the blog with my thoughts after. This will be interesting (not only for me but for you as readers) to understand my thought process before and after making a dish.  This week (hopefully over the weekend), I plan to make Palak Paneer and Naan. Paneer is a commonly used ingredient in Indian cooking. About a quarter of the population identifies as vegetarian, and thus, paneer is somewhat like a meat alternative. Paneer has the textural properties of tofu, but the taste of cottage cheese. It looks something like this:  Palak, on the other hand, translates to spinach. And so, Palak Paneer is a dish consisting of paneer in a thick paste made from puréed...

Hey everybody! This week I attempted to make a popular Indian dish that most of you have probably already heard of: Butter Chicken. Unlike the past two dishes I made for this blog, Butter Chicken is something that I've eaten many times; every time I visit India, the first thing I ask my grandmother to make is Butter Chicken. And although she makes, in my opinion, the best Butter Chicken of all time, I wanted to see if I could successfully recreate it.  For context, Butter Chicken, or Murgh Makhani is an Indian dish originating in New Delhi. Simply put, it is a type of curry made from chicken, with a spiced tomato and butter (makhan) sauce. In making this, I began by marinating some cubed chicken breast in a mixture of yogurt, spices, fresh garlic, and ginger.  After ~ 12 hours, I grilled the chicken in a pan with butter. Next, I blended a can of tomatoes with soaked cashews (the cashews serve as a thickener). This serves as the base of the curry. I added the mixture to a pan a...

 Hi everybody, this week I tried my hand at making an Indian dish for the second time! I decided to make Sabudana Khichdi, a popular Indian dish made with tapioca pearls, whole spices, roasted peanuts, potatoes, and fresh curry leaves. Sabudana (tapioca pearls) are high in carbohydrates and have the ability to boost energy quickly. Thus, it has been classified as one of the best fasting foods by the traditional Hindu community and is most commonly eaten during Navrati, Ekadashi, and other Hindu fasting days. It looks a little something like this:  Despite not being Hindu, my parents grew up occasionally eating Sabudana Khichdi for breakfast. My father made it about a month ago, and I thought the overall flavors/textures of the dish were great! Likewise, Sabudana Khichdi, a savory dish made with primarily tapioca pearls, contradicts and challenges my view of ingredients and their uses. I typically associate tapioca with bubble tea or mochi, but to see the ingredient being used ...

Hey everybody, you'll be happy to know that I actually followed through on my promise to start making Indian dishes. I began with a relatively simple dish to make (at least that's what I initially thought): Khaman Dhokla. I'm going to guess that most of you probably don't know what that is. Simply put, Khaman Dhola is a savory cake made with a batter of chickpea flour and a leaving agent. The batter is steamed in a mold and topped with a flavorful tempering made with mustard seeds, green chilies, sesame seeds, asafoetida, and curry leaves. It looks a little something like this:  Now, getting into my own experience with making Khaman Dhokla. At first, it seemed easy enough: I combined the chickpea flour, some seasonings/aromatics, baking soda, and water. Then, when it came to placing the batter in a mold and steaming it, things started to go downhill. I, for one, have never steamed anything in my life. Consequently, I had to "phone a friend" aka ask my mom for...

Anybody who knows me, probably also knows that I love to bake and cook. What began as an attempt to cure my endless boredom during the pandemic, has transformed into a passion. I love both the process of baking/cooking- measuring out the ingredients and seeing how they interact with one another - as well as witnessing the looks of enjoyment on people's faces as they taste what I've made. For some reason, however, despite having made countless recipes from a diverse pool of cultures and cuisines, I've never found myself trying to make Indian dishes. I consume Indian food constantly- whereas I can make anything but  Indian food, it seems to be the only thing my mom can  make- but I think deep down I'm scared to experiment with the cuisine. I'm scared to ruin what I've grown up eating, to, in some way, tarnish the cuisine.  But, now, with college looming over me, I think it's time to get over that fear. I won't always be living with my parents, so if I want...