Introduction

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 to enjoy home-cooked Indian food in the future, it's time I learn how to make at least a few dishes now. And that's the whole gist of this blog. For the next 8 weeks, I plan to make one dish, originating from all regions of India, and have my parents judge my food. I hope that in time, I may be able to confidently prepare Indian food, not only for my personal enjoyment, but for that of friends, family, and others. 

If any of you have suggestions for what you'd like me to make, please let me know! 

- Mariam Vaid

Comments

  1. HozaifaOctober 27, 2022 at 7:23 AM

    Make manchow soup please

    ReplyDelete
  2. HozaifaOctober 27, 2022 at 7:23 AM

    Also make Butter Chicken and Naan and bring it to school

    ReplyDelete
  3. AddieOctober 27, 2022 at 7:32 AM

    Yes

    ReplyDelete
  4. AditiOctober 27, 2022 at 7:36 AM

    Niceee as someone who also loves to cook it also took me a long time to try my hand at Indian food. As you say, it's weird to get behind the scenes and mess with food you've been eating pretty much the same way your whole life. But also a lot of why I started cooking was to be able to eat things besides Indian food lol so. But if you make anything that's not too spicy (I'm a weak human) pls bring it in.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My First Attempt

Image
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...
Read more

Attempt # 2: It's Slowly Getting Better...

Image
 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 ...
Read more