Even though Indian cuisine is popular in the US, I have been to an Indian restaurant only once. Actually, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. But honestly, from the wide selection of dishes there, I could eat only buttered chicken, bread and mango lassi. The rest of the food was too spicy. So the real obstacle for me (and my family) getting more closely acquainted with Indian cuisine, I believe, is the hot pepper. I asked a couple of my Indian coworkers, and they all told me that hot spicy food is typical for Indian restaurants but they cook much milder versions of these dishes at home.
Thus I haven’t added any cayenne pepper in any of the Indian dishes I’ve made. No regrets. The dishes turned out to be very flavorful and rich in taste, so I don’t understand why one needs to spoil everything with hot pepper. 🙂
Indian Dinner Menu
| Raita with Indian Bread |
Unfortunately, we don’t have tandoor oven, so  we bought Indian bread (made in India in tandoor oven) from Trader Joe’s. It’s frozen and it takes only 5-7 minutes to heat it in the conventional oven. The bread is oh so very tasty. Especially with raita. Raita is a yogurt based dish that goes well with bread, chips, veggies, and whatnot. I made it in order to substitute a salad course and it was well packed with vegetables (in the amount equal to a usual medium size salad). But since it didn’t look like a salad, my son Matthew asked me if is there going to be a salad. He was kind of puzzled about the claim that this is a salad. Anyway he liked it and so did we. Here is how I made it.
Ingredients
Drain excess liquid from cucumbers and tomato. Combine cucumbers, tomato, and yogurt and 2/3 of cilantro. Add salt and mustard. Mix. Garnish with the rest of cilantro leaves. |
| Chicken Tikka |
The chicken turned out smooth and tender like butter and it marinated only for an hour instead of overnight. For my personal taste the spaces were a little bit too overwhelming. Next time I will cut the amount of spices for the marinade. My guys haven’t eat all of it so definitely it needs to be less spicy. Here is the recipe I’m going to use next time.
Ingredients
To prepare marinade, combine all the ingredients except chicken. Alternatively, you can blend them in the food processor. Cut chicken into 1 – 1.5 inches cubes. Combine with the marinade and let it stand covered in the fridge for at least 1 hour.Preheat oven to 400F. Put your chicken onto skewers and roast in the oven (or grill) until chicken is cooked (about 15 – 20 minutes). Leftovers can be saved to prepare buttered chicken. |
| Fragrant Rice |
I got this recipe from my friend, and it turned out to be a winner.  Matthew demanded that I cook this rice from now on. Next day he ate all leftovers and then when I asked if he wants me to make some more he said of course. I had to make this rice two days in a row, but it is really easy to make, just need to keep the ingredients handy. Have to stock up! |
| Mango Lassi |
Mango lassi is the only dish from Indian cuisine that was  adapted by our family. Thanks to my only visit to Indian buffet. To make it, I usually use Trader Joe’s plain lassi and frozen mangoes. This time around I topped it with ground cocoa beans. Here is how to make it.
Ingredients
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend it on high for 30 seconds. Tip: I usually let mangoes defrost a little bit, and then it is easier to blend them. |
| Rose Ice Cream with Mango |
Eugene, my younger one, tasted it and said that it was somewhat yummy but he was not going to eat it. He demanded vanilla ice cream with mango on the side. Matthew ate a little but clearly wasn’t impressed. Well, it’s OK, because my husband and I loved it. I don’t know about everybody else, but for me the rose petal flavor is an aphrodisiac. Oh… ahh. I love my husband! |