Easy Indian Food Recipes
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Anyone can make delicious Indian food at home.
The first Indian food dish I ever tasted was Butter Chicken, I loved it and from that moment on I was hooked on Indian food. Once I learned how easy Butter Chicken was to make I started looking for more Indian recipes. I discovered several really good Indian cookbooks and now we eat Indian food a couple of nights every week. I love the flavours and aromas of the spice blends and how easy the meals are to make. I use Monisha Bharadwaj's Indian in 6 cookbook quite often because, as the title indicates, the recipes don't take a lot of ingredients but you still get delicious results.
How to Make Garam Masala
Garam Masala is used in many Indian dishes and can be easily made at home
- Serves: N/A
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cumin and coriander seeds
- 1 tsp peppercorns and cardamom seeds
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 2" piece of cinnamon broken up
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
Combine spices and roast over medium high heat. Stir constantly until seeds have darkened, approx. 5 minutes.
Add ground nutmeg.
Grind the mixture in a coffee mill or mortar and pestle and store in an airtight container.
Chickpea and Peach Salad
Delicious Hot or Cold!
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
My new favourite! This recipe is adapted from Monisha Bharadwaj Indian in 6
Ingredients
- 1-14 oz can of chickpeas
- drained
- 2 fresh peaches
- skinned
- pitted and sliced or 3 tbsp canned peach slices
- Pinch of garam masala
- Salt
- 1 onion finely sliced
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
Instructions
Combine the chickpeas and peaches in a mixing bowl
Sprinkle in the spice powders and salt. Add the onion. Mix gently and transfer to a serving bowl.
Heat the oil in a small skillet and fry the fennel seeds for 1 minute until they start to turn brown. Pour the oil along with the seeds into the salad.
Serve immediately.
Note: If preparing salad in advance add salt at the last minute or it will make the peaches watery
My Favourite Indian Cookbooks
The books I use to make delicious Indian food
Cucumber Raita
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 5 min
This is a nice and easy side dish for summer. It's cool and refreshing with just about anything.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain non fat yogurt
- 1 cup diced
- peeled and seeded cucumber
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cumin
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Chill until ready to serve.
Most Common Equipment Used For Indian Cooking
There is no fancy equipment required to whip up a delicious Indian meal. The only equipment necessary is what most people already have in their kitchen.
Heavy non stick saucepans and frying pan
Food processor or blender for making curry pastes and chutneys
Small coffee mill or mortar and pestle for grinding spices
Beef Buffad
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 2:25
Spicy Beef Cubes in a Coconut Milk Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions
- sliced
- 2 garlic cloves
- minced (I usually only use 1 clove and I find it to be plenty)
- 1 1/2 inch ginger root
- grated
- 1 1/2 lbs cubed beef
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 1/4 coconut milk
- 5/8 cup vinegar
- salt
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and cook until lightly browned. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute, then add the beef and remaining spices. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the coconut milk, it should just cover the meat, if not add a little water. Salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, until meat is almost tender.
Stir in the vinegar and continue cooking for about 30 minutes, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Spicy Beef in Yogurt
- Serves: 3 - 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef cubes finely sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 c plain yogurt
- 3/4 c ghee or 3 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
Instructions
Place beef in a bowl and cover with yogurt. Cover and leave to marinate in refrigerator over night. (I don't always have time to do this so it often only gets to marinate an hour or so and it's still delicious!)
Heat the oil (or ghee) in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add spices and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the beef and yogurt to the pan and stir well. Cover tightly and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
Serve over rice.
Chapatis
- Serves: 12
An Indian Bread served warm with meals
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ c whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 c water
- Vegetable oil (or ghee)
Instructions
Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir in water to form a soft dough
Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes, cover and let rest for 30 minutes
Knead again and divide into 12 equal parts.
Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to form a circle.
Heat a heavy flat bottomed pan over medium heat and grease lightly with ghee or oil.
Cook chapatis one at a time until they start to blister and then turn over. Cook until golden. Remove and keep warm.
Fold into quarters. can be served with butter.
The Tools You Need
Easy Homemade Chai
- Serves: 1
- Prep Time: 2 min
- Total Time: 25 min
Ingredients
- 1/2 c milk
- 1/2 c water
- 5 whole cloves
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1tsp honey (optional)
Instructions
This can be made two ways. I personally prefer the microwave method since it's faster and less dirty dishes but the it's normally made in a pot on the stove.
Heat all ingredients in a glass measuring cup in the microwave for 2 minutes. Let steep for about 20 minutes (it can steep longer, I have left mine for over an hour before and it was still excellent), strain into a mug and reheat in the microwave until it's the right temperature for your taste (usually about 40 - 60 seconds). Add honey if desired. If you have some way to steam milk available then you can be fancy and top it with foam and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.
If I'm really chilled I add a little more ginger for some extra heat.
"....the most wonderful aspect of Indian cooking is that complex flavourings are achieved by non-complex cooking techniques. In other words, Indian cooking is uncomplicated , quick and inexpensive. All you need is a desire to awaken your senses with aromas and flavours"
Julie Sahni
Award winning
How to Make Ghee
Many Indian recipes call for ghee which is simply butter melted to separate the liquids from the solids.
Ingredients
- 1 pound unsalted butter in small pieces
Instructions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once it is completely melted and has a white foam on it increase the heat slightly. Skim off the foam as it rises to the top. Continue until the foam subsides and you are left with a clear golden liquid, this is the ghee. Discard any solids left in the bottom of the pan. The ghee can be strained to remove any solid residue.
Ghee can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several months.
"Historically, home cooking in India has always been simple and unfussy."
Monisha Bharadwaj
Award winning author and food writer
Butter Chicken
- Serves: 6
One of my favourite recipes. It's super simple and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 full chicken
- cooked and de-boned
- 2 tbsp ginger
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 litre of 1/2 and 1/2 cream
- 3-4 tbsp tandoori masala (it will be quite hot so for less spice add 2 tbsp)
- 1 can tomato paste
- coriander
Instructions
Fry ginger and garlic in oil.
Add cream and bring to a boil over low heat.
Add tandoori masala, tomato paste and
chicken and simmer for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with fresh green coriander.
Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt on the side to cut the
Gobhi (Potatoes and Cauliflower)
Potatoes and Cauliflower never tasted so good!
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin
- palm ginger coarsely chopped (I usually use 1 tbsp ground ginger)
- 2 large potatoes (cubed)
- 1 cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Instructions
Brown cumin and ginger in olive oil.
Add potatoes and cauliflower. Stir.
Add remaining ingredients, stir, reduce heat.
Cover and simmer 30 - 40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
Spices to keep on hand for Indian Cooking
Keep these spices in your pantry and you'll always be ready to whip up an easy and delicious Indian meal!
Cardamom (pods and/or ground)
cloves
Cumin seeds
Curry (leaves and/or ground)
Ginger
Chilli powder
Turmeric
Garam masala
Peppercorns
Tandoori masala
Saffron strands
There are other spices that will be called for in certain recipes but these are the main ones used on most Indian recipes.
Reader Feedback
Thanks for stopping by! Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions you may have. If you have a favourite Indian dish why not let everyone know about it?
Thanks!
Lisa
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preetam91
Jan 22, 2012 @ 12:29 am | delete
- interesting recipes... If you find time visit my lens on indian snacks at http://www.squidoo.com/ten-yummy-delicious-indian-snacks.
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bman227
Oct 21, 2011 @ 12:10 am | delete
- The Chai looks great!
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Jeff_McRitchie
Dec 13, 2010 @ 4:55 pm | delete
- These recipes look amazing! I can't wait to try them. Kudos
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theminuette
Dec 12, 2010 @ 8:09 pm | delete
- Awesome lens.
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scar4
Nov 17, 2010 @ 12:13 am | delete
- I've long heard the name of Indian food, dynamite!
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