Start Preparing Your Favorite Indian Dishes

Veg Platter

Do you live in a household full of Indian food fanatics? If you do, you’ve probably noticed that Indian food can get a little pricy, when you eat out at Indian restaurants all the time. That’s why you should cook your family delicious Indian dinners at home! Doing so may seem a little intimidating at first. You may be afraid that you could never cook dishes that tasted as authentic as the ones you can order in your favorite Indian restaurant. But with the right easy dinner recipes and mindset, you can definitely cook your family the delicious Indian grub they long for. Here are five easy steps that will help you start cooking authentic tasting Indian meals for yourself and your loved ones:

1. Make sure your kitchen is always stocked with the basic food products to make simple, popular dishes. You’ll probably want to keep what you need to make naan, biryanis, and chicken vindaloo, at the very least. That way you can cook your family different Indian meals a few times a week without having to run to the store to get extra ingredients.

2. Experiment with dishes you know everyone likes, so no one ever gets tired of the same old dishes. If your family is used to eating chicken vindaloo, try exposing them to lamb vindaloo or paneer vindaloo. Instead of making regular, plain naan, try making naan with garlic or even cream cheese and chives. Take a walk on the wild side and try stuffing samosas with food products you’ve never used before.

3. Discover recipes to new dishes online. For instance, you can look up recipes to South Indian dishes that make use of rice and lentils in creative ways. Look into idlis, vadas, and dosas. Feel free to expand your knowledge of Indian cuisine as much as you like.

4. Make sure you have the right appliances to cook Indian food. A blender is necessary to make chutneys and sauces. Get a knife sharp enough to cut onions and other necessities quickly. Consider investing in a vegetable steamer to steam your vegetables to perfection.  Tongs are good to handle your naan while it’s cooking. A pressure cooker is also an ideal investment because it allows you to cook beans fast.  

5. Get the whole family to chip in when it’s time to wash dishes and clean the kitchen. Cooking at home shouldn’t be a one-person job. Encourage family members to help out with both the cooking and cleaning.  This will make cooking your favorite Indian meals less stressful.

So, get all the essentials you need to cook Indian meals for the week on your next weekly trip to the grocery store. You’ll be stunned by how much money you can save eating in, and your family will be astounded by how much home-cooked Indian dishes taste like the ones in restaurants!
- James Kim

About the author:

James Kim is a guest writer for foodonthetable.com.  Food on the Table is a company that provides online budget meal planning services.  Their goal is to help families eat better and save money