Mamta's Kitchen

Forum Thread - Recipes for beginners

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Martin, on 10/2/2016 07:07pm

Hi Mamta,

Could you suggest any recipes that might be attempted by a newbie to Indian cuisine without the results being fiery hot?

Regards,

Martin

Helen Bach, on 10/2/2016 10:05pm

I expect Mamta to give you a much better answer, but most Indian dishes are not very hot at all, and most of my Indian friends don't like their food hot at all, you just can't appreciate the subtleties if you add a lot of chilli. In fact, I don't add much spice any more, rather use less spice, but extract as much flavour as possible.

It would be helpful if you mention the kind of food you are after, snacks, main course, desserts, etc. There are a huge number that are not difficult, once you understand some of the techniques. Best of luck.

Mamta, on 11/2/2016 09:12pm

Hello Martin

Helen is right, most north Indians do not eat very hot food. My food has chillies, but only low to moderate amount. Most of my recipes are not hot. People often confuse 'heat' with spices. All spices are not hot, most are for adding flavour, except chillies and black peppers.

Is the newbie vegetarian, non-vegetarian? What sort of things they want to cook? Are we talking about starters, mains, party food, snacks? Please narrow down your question to specifics. You can cook anything mild, that is never a problem.

Mamta

Martin, on 12/2/2016 12:49pm

my 'newbie' isn't vegetarion and would be looking for main courses.

Mamta, on 12/2/2016 07:15pm

How about some slow cooker recipes? All you have to do is put everything in a cooker and let it cook?

http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10363

Lamb Curry Khada Masala

Lamb Do Pyaza 2

There are more slow cooker recipe on my websit.

Or try making a Basic Curry Sauce and master that first.

For Vegetable bhajies (no sauce) try Basic Recipe for Vegetable Bhaji (Dry Curry)

The best thing will be to start simple. Perhaps your friend can ask me what is it he/she wants to cook first. They can ask either here or on https://www.facebook.com/mamtaskitchen To reply to this question in general is hard, the choice is just too wide for even simple recipes :).

Martin, on 12/2/2016 07:20pm

But there are those who like the heat and the unique flavour of chillies.

I accept 'but most Indian dishes are not very hot at all, and most of my Indian friends don't like their food hot at all, you just can't appreciate the subtleties if you add a lot of chilli. In fact, I don't add much spice any more, rather use less spice, but extract as much flavour as possible.'

That's fine if that is what you like. I can appreciate the 'subtle differences' of various chillies. Those that for example attack the tongue straight away, those that pass the tongue unnoticed yet leave the throat tingling, those that pass down and then warm the stomach. Each in their own way complimenting the other spices in the dish. Subtly and complex.

A chacun son gout.

Regards,

Martin

AskCy, on 13/2/2016 08:01am

I'd say that Chillies,peppercorns,cayenne pepper and ginger are the most common source of 'heat' in our food. Use less chilli and most dishes become mild :-)

Steve

Helen Bach, on 16/2/2016 03:16pm

yes, each to their own, what's the point of adding far too much chilli if no-one is going to like it! But is it that simple. Some dishes are meant to be hot with chilli (some just with black pepper), like a vindaloo. If you take out the chillies, or reduce the amount dramatically, one can end up with just 'pickled pork'. Some dishes need their chilli bite. My thinking is that if you don't like it hot, try another dish, there are so many to choose from.

As regards chilli flavour, I must admit to not being able to differentiate dried chilli flavour, only the fresh ones, and that just before the bite. In the UK, most of the fresh chillies are imported from Africa, and its only the dried ones that come from India, although now we see more coming from China. As to the burn from different chillies attacking different parts of the anatomy, I'm afraid I don't go along with it. We have receptors all over our mouths for the detection of capsaicin (and other like substances) so to say one kind of chilli is detected by specific sites doesn't make any sense. If the burn is detected in different parts of the mouth, then this may be due to personal preference or the way the chilli is cooked. And I can't see how chilli heat is detected in the stomach or any part of the gut.

To get back on track, one of the things that put off newcomers to cooking Indian food is the apparent long list of ingredients (and sometimes long cooking times) and unfamiliar techniques. Maybe the dishes to suggest are those which are simpler, have few ingredients and rely on simple (western) techniques. I usually suggest tandoori style chicken breasts with a ginger and tomato sauce, with simple veg and rice. One spice mix, marinate for 24 hours, then grill, and always superb results. Rice cooked with a green veg. or even just herbs. And no chilli in sight!

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