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People unfamiliar with Asian cultures are often unable to comprehend how much the joy of the Asian peoples revolves around the preparation, sharing and discussion of food. To quote a chef, "Food in Asia is an exercise in tradition, in aesthetics, mutual caring and moral lessons".
In any part of the world, it is difficult to find a cuisine untouched or uninfluenced by Asia. Chefs today, use coriander with as much confidence as rosemary and words like "chutney" and "chop suey" are now a part of modern English. Chopsticks can be found places along with the traditional forks and knives in Western restaurants and tandoori chicken and roast lamb can be seen together on menu cards. The popularity and presence of Asian food in the west has never been higher. Indian food holds a special place in the hearts of those who love to explore the many aspects of taste and to experience the explosiveness of spices. Cooking and eating Indian cuisine is like beginning a voyage of discovery of the culture, the rich history and spicy treasures of this fascinating, magnificent land.v Having been brought up with such a rich culinary tradition, how does one go about adapting it to life in the United States? We are unable to give up eating chapattis and rice and switch entirely to bread, bagels and pasta. Add to that the fact that our tongues are so used to being stimulated by the varieties of spices that we find everything here bland and tasteless, yes even the items marked "spicy".
Often, young couples moving here load their suitcases with a multitude of items they are positive they will not find in America. They lug chaklas and belans, tavas and karahis, spices and spatulas! It comes as a shock to them when, upon their arrival, they find that all these items are available here.
Cooking a good Indian meal is perfectly easy in America. Most of the common vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, coriander, mint, beans, spinach and brinjal are available in the local grocery shops. The many Indian stores carry the rest: bhindi (okra), methi (fenugreek) for example. There are a number of international markets and stores and a quick browse will yield many delights (Chinese markets have dry fish, some Mexican and Armenian markets sell pomphret).
The Internet is the most prolific source for getting information on most things. Besides websites which give you step by step recipes, there are sites which give translations. This is especially useful when looking for spices as they are labeled with the English names. Conversions of weights and measures are made easy by useful calculators. It is practical to buy a small kitchen scale, a measuring cup and a set of measuring spoons (available in almost any shop like Wal-Mart). Now you are all set to try out grandma's recipe for laddus, just enter the weights in grams and click on the button to convert it to ounces!
Sometimes many daily tasks are made easier due to the difference in temperature here. You can cook a large amount of daal and freeze it in small portion sized boxes. Simply defrost heat and give tadka to get instant great-tasting daal fry! Similarly, chapatti dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. And if you want to make bhaturas and are tired of waiting for the dough to rise, simply heat a small cup of water in the microwave and leave the dough overnight in there (switch off the microwave first). These and many similar and useful tips are to be found online.
So what are you waiting for? Pick up that spoon, click on the mouse and get
cooking!
More articles by Radhika Pradhan-Chitnis
- Culinary Quests
- Driving…Me Crazy!!!
- Life after H-4
- The Shopper's Snare
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