Exploring Indian Flavors by Sommer

During my teens and early twenties, I had the opportunity to spend three summers of my life in India.

I have so many fond memories of those months in India. In fact, I consider some discoveries I made there as life-changing. Among many personal internal changes, my eyes were open to an extensive culinary history of balancing flavors and layering ingredients over time to create depth and intrigue.

This certainly does not make me an expert on Indian cooking, but it has spurred on a life-long appreciation and exploration of Indian flavors.

 
 

India cooking is serious business. Unlike modern American dinner prep, quick-cooking is not really a consideration if it has the potential of affecting quality. I love that level of commitment.

I’ve noticed most people in the USA have a strong reaction to Indian food—or at least, what they think Indian food is. They either love it, declaring it one of their favorites, or they absolutely hate it.

I would like to suggest that if you dislike Indian food, it’s just that you’ve never had the opportunity to enjoy good Indian recipes.

 
 

Also, it’s important to take into consideration that India is a huge country with countless regional specialties and cooking styles. The dishes served in northern, central, and southern Indian are extremely different, and they vary just as much as you go from the east to west coast.

Most Indian restaurants in the USA serve northern Indian cuisine with a British influence due to the fact that India was under British rule for so long.

If heavy cream-based curries aren’t your thing, that doesn’t mean there aren’t Indian dishes you would love and appreciate. In fact, right now, popular restaurants all around the USA are using Indian-inspired flavor combinations and techniques in standard American eateries. You might have enjoyed Indian fusion food without even knowing it!

 
 

You can experiment with Indian flavors at home by integrating traditional Indian ingredients in your go-to dishes. Let’s discuss the Indian culinary mindset a bit to get a better feel for how to do this.

Indian cooks are masters of creating balance. As mentioned above, Indian cuisine is all about balancing extremes tastes and textures and layering flavor.

Using traditional Indian spices is imperative, yet keeping them in check with elements like fat, dairy, herbs, and acidity to provide richness, contrast, or cooling qualities. That’s why you commonly see spicy dishes served with a light yogurt-based sauce to keep your mouth from burning up.

The same goes for texture. Soft curry dishes are served with fluffy rice, crispy crackers, flat bread, and a variety of filling sides to create a textural balance.

 
 

Let’s get back to herbs and spices. You can use any of these popular Indian seasonings at home on your grilled meats, and in rice, pasta, potatoes, soups, and dips.

• anise
• black pepper
• cardamom
• cilantro
• cinnamon
• clove
• coriander
• cumin
• curry leaves
• fennel seeds
• fenugreek
• garlic
• ginger
• mint
• mustard seeds
• nutmeg
• saffron
• turmeric

Most of these ingredients can be found whole or ground in most major grocery chains.

 
 

Fresh curry leaves are a little harder to find in most American cities, but you can find curry plants at some nurseries and farmers markets.

 
 

“Curry powder” as we think of it, is not something used in India. It is comprised of several of the above spices, focusing on fenugreek and curry leaves for its prominent flavor and turmeric for color. Curry powder is sort of a generic seasoning to offer Indian flavor. It’s great in some recipes, but doesn’t allow the cook as much room to customize the flavor.

Indians do create their own spice blends but they vary regionally. One of the most well-known authentic Indian spice blends is called garam masala and is focused on cinnamon, cardmom, cumin, and cloves. It is also found in most major grocery chains in the USA.

 
 

Other common Indian ingredients to incorporate:

• basmati rice
• chickpeas
• chiles
• coconut milk
• dal (looks like yellow split peas)
• eggs
• ghee (clarified butter)
• lentils
• lime
• mango
• nuts
• onions
• paneer cheese
• potatoes
• tomatoes
• yogurt

 
Exploring the exotic flavors of India at home doesn’t have to be daunting. Focus on adding:

• 2-3 spices (or a spice blend)
• a fresh herb or fruit for contrast
• lime or tomatoes for acidity
• an element of richness like coconut milk or butter

You can use these elements to revive mundane mid-week dishes, or layer them into slow-cooked weekend meals like stews and braised meats.

 
 

Today I’m sharing a simplified version of Indian potato cakes, often called aloo tikki, or vada pav based on the region. These little pan-fried patties are a great party snack dunked in vibrant green chutney, but are also traditionally served (vada pav) on little yeast rolls with the green chutney and yogurt on top.

 
 

This is a great starter recipe for those new to Indian cooking. You get the earthy comforting qualities of garam masala and potatoes balanced with a bright spicy herbaceous sauce that tastes amazing on nearly everything!