Create your Indian Inspired Kitchen in America!

From Vegetarian Cuisine

Many recipes from India can be made using everyday cooking utensils that Americans use for American cooking in their kitchens. However, there are some special utensils that can be added to the kitchen to make Indian cookery easier or more authentic tasting. I am offering below a store with a wide listing of utensils, gadgets and appliances I use to make Indian food in my kitchen in America. It is not exhaustive as Amazon has yet to add things like idli pans (right), tumblers,

From Vegetarian Cuisine

south Indian coffee filters, chapati tawa, dosa griddle, dhokla pans, Indian size and shape metal and wooden frying utensils, and more regional items like the Kerala chirattu puttu maker (right) or the tubular puttu maker. Luckily for some items, American utensils can be replaced- such as for dosa griddle or chapatai tava, we can use a regular frying griddle pan. It would cook differently and sometimes better on the Indian made ones, but we can get a good outcome with the American cookery gadgets, too.


The most popular dish of south India is the dosa or idli. This is made by soaking rice and dhal, then grinding into a fine paste, and setting out about eight hours in a good, hot climate to rise and ferment. It is either placed in the idli pans (above) and inside a pressure cooker with water (no weight), or in a special idli steamer, or spread on a griddle just like any American pancake. In the past I have used American blenders like Oster, and the Magic Bullet (which I also used to grind dosa powders and masalas or curry powders) with descent outcomes. However, it was only when I purchased the Butterfly mixie grinder, the results have been outstanding.


Here are a few other American bought items I have integrated into Indian cookery:
The Oxo Good Grips 3-Inch Mini Strainer, I have used to strain tea leaves.
To strain pieces out of oil after making pakodas, bondas, vadas, I use the Norpro 5 1/2-Inch Stainless Steel Funnel .
When I buy those huge bags of Ponni or Idli rice, I store it in these large Sterlite Locked lid containers.
Likewise, I like to store dhals, dried beans like chole, rajmah (kidney beans), kadala, and even flours, like rice, maida, atta and besan in lock and lock boxes or sterlite lock lids, smaller size boxes.
I have started to grind dosa podis, currys, masalas, spice mixes and sambar powders in the Butterfly mixie grinder. However, before I had this, I used a coffee grinder and a mortar and pestle with descent results.
Pressure cookers are used for many items in Indian cooking. I have a small Hawkins Aluminum Pressure Cookers - 1.5 Liters cooker, I like to make small quantities of dhal and chole masala. For making sambar, larger quantities of dhal, steaming dhokla and idlis, I use a bigger PRESTIGE POPULAR- 6 Liter Pressure Cooker. Though you can use a pressure cooker to make rice, dhal and steam veggies all at once by adding in pressure cooker insert pans, one can also make rice and steam veggies in this handy dandy Joyce Chen 4 in 1 Microwave Rice Steamer. I read the directions say popcorn can also be made in this! Have yet to try. Another option for making rice is an electric rice cooker.


If you're looking for a pot with a dual purpose of cooking and serving sambar, stew, pongal or similar dishes, try the pot to the right! I got it a few weeks ago, and love it! When I saw the pot, I wanted to go back again and again for more sambar, mostly because the pot is so cute! I like how the pot handle's have a silicone coating on the inside part (think that is it). Because of that I did handle the pot without potholders.


These are just a few ideas I have experience with. I would like to learn more. If you have creative solutions to integrating American utensils into Indian cooking, please leave your comments below. I really appreciate you reading my blog and sharing your thoughts and experience with me!!



To see this store in another browser, click here (the code given overflows this frame)

Sambar Inspired by Viji Varadarajan

A few months ago, on this blog, I introduced you to Tamil Brahmin Cookbook Author, Viji Varadarajan in the interview, Insights and Inspirations by Viji Varadarajan.

Viji has encouraged me since to not only continue to try her recipes in my own kitchen but has given me permission to republish some recipes on this blog. I will share the first recipe in this post, the recipe for Vengaaya Sambar as found in her book, Samayal: The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking (Winner Gourmand World Cookbook Award)


Sambar is a thick, lentil based vegetarian stew. I am translating 'sambar' as stew, because often it has a lot of lentils, and sometimes these lentils are cooked and mashed then placed into the sambar, creating a thick variety. Some sambar, however, is a bit thinner, still having dhal, but not as much, and not mashed in. (Incidentally, I have learned too that sambars with mashed dhal in it should be eaten quicker as if it sits longer as leftovers, it becomes thicker and thicker; almost pasty and hard to eat as a usual 'topping' to rice.) This thinner sambar is very watery, and could be considered a soup. Often this sambar is served with rice or idli. The thicker variety, I think would go well with rice or dosa. Some sambars, called kozhumbu, are thicker gravies that are often more tangy because of concentrated tamarind and a bit more spicy. Some eat this kozhumbu straight with rice. However, for me, who likes spicy, flavorful food, but may not be able to handle this 'straight on rice' because it is a bit more hot due to concentrated peppers (green and red chilies), love to eat this rather as a side with curd rice (thayyir sadham).

Lastly, it must be noted that all varieties of sambars and kozhumbus on my site are not only vegetarian but vegan, they contain no meat, meat broth or eggs. There are sambars and kozhumbus in India, particularly, I think in Chettinad cuisines that do contain meat products.

Now that your taste buds are tempted, here is Viji's recipe for Vengaaya Sambhar (shallot and gram gravy) as found on pages 16-17 of the book, Samayal: The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup	Red Gram/Thuvaram Paruppu/Thuvar Dhal (Toor Dhal)
2 teaspoons	Thick Tamarind Pulp
1/2 kilo/250g	baby onions/shallots pealed
1/4 teaspoon	Asafoetida/ Hing powder
1 ½ teaspoon	Sambar powder*
a few	curry leaves/Karuveppalai/Kari Patha torn or crushed
½ bunch	cilantro/coriander leaves
½ tsp	Salt
For Seasoning (tadka)
¼ teaspoon	Mustard seeds/kadugu/rai
½ teaspoon	Black gram/ulutham paruppu/urad dhal (optional)
¼ teaspoon	Fenugreek seeds /Methi/mendhiyam
A few	Curry leaves/Karuveppalai/Kari Patha torn
1 tsp	oil

Method:
1. Soak the toor dhal in hot water for 15 minutes and cook in 2 cups of water to a very soft consistency. Or, pressure cook for four or five whistles.
2. Heat the hoil and pop the mustard. Stir in the urad dhal and fry for 8 seconds until brown. Now add the fenugreek sees/methi and brown.
3. Into this add the onions and stir for 1/2 minute. Add sambar powder and a cup of water. Cover and simmer on medium flame for ten minutes.
4. Add the tamarind pulp, asafoetida powder, salt and some curry leaves.
5. Simmer over a medium flame for a couple of minutes until the onions are soft.
6. Add the cooked dhal. When it thickens slightly, remove from fire.
7. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and remaining curry leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice, kootus, and avial and karis, and assorted tiffens.

Tasty tip: This dish can be prepared with okra, eggplant, radish, brussel sprouts, turnips, capsicum, carrot, potato, bitter gourd, cabbage or spinach. You can also prepare a kadamba (colorful) sambhar adding a few of the vegetables of a much lesser quantity. Each vegetable still retains its own flavour.

*Viji has her own homemade sambar powder recipe in the book that she refers to for this recipe. However, you can use ready made sambar powders from the store also. You may want to experiment with the amount you want to use by adding what she's recommended, and taste throughout and see if you get a good flavor. It should be flavorful, adding more should not make it more hot spicy unless the sambar powder has as it's first ingredient red chili. Try and taste for yourself!

I have made this sambar as above and with my own flair, to be posted soon!


Related Posts/Sites:
Join Viji's fan page at Facebook
Insights and Inspirations of Viji Varadarajan
Viji’s website- Viji Samayal
Brahmin Recipes by Viji Varadarajan on Magic Chef Hat, October 2008
Fusion in the Kitchen – The Hindu, March 2009
The tradition continues – Harmony Magazine, September 2007

Related Posts/Sites:
Sambar Varieties - Recipes
Vathhal Kozhumbu
Besan (Chick pea flour) Sambar
Savory Sambar
Mysore Sambar
Homemade Sambar Powder
Eggplant Sambar

tags : "cookbook authors", "south indian food", "tamil brahmin", "tamil food", "vegetarian samayal", traditional cookery "indian cooking" vegetarian "Indian vegetarian cooking" "pure vegetarian cookery' sambar stew vegan vegetarian gravy