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Indian cooking: Being the bahu who throws down in the kitchen

SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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in South Asian Weddings
How many of you guys cook Indian food? Or are learning?

I'm learning. My rotis no longer look like Africa...holla!

I can make a few things.

What about you girls?

I think it'd be cute if we post our favorite recipes. I can't wait for my BF to get here. As modern as he is, he likes to eat his shaak and rotli like a good Gujarati boy. So, I'll be making him a proper dinner! Learning to cook is something I fought so hard before but it's not so hard if you stop trying to fight the concept of domestication so hard and just practice. It's a sense of accomplishment for me.

I can cook other things, but Indian cooking...it's more of a labor of love, you know?
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Re: Indian cooking: Being the bahu who throws down in the kitchen

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    raangoliraangoli
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    edited December 2011
    Hahaha! My rotlis totally look like Africa, I feel you on that one! I honestly can't remember the last time I made them, though.

    My mom made sure I learned how to cook growing up, but I am more of a follow recipe girl.

    But give me some tindora shaak and I am in heaven!
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    Ughh...TINDORAAAAAA.

    I like other things much better...bhinda, especially!
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    raangoliraangoli
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Mmmm bhinda...haha! I love vegetables. Well except for karela. Not good. Ever.
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    There are more than a few I can't stand, and he is the same way. We dislike / like the same things, so whenever we go out, I'm  never worried about dinner...we share everything!

    I don't do dhoodhi...karela...tindora...mushrooms...ringan...

    But...every other dhaal, bhaji, anything else I'm all good!

    I'm a texture person...sometimes, the texture of things freaks me out. The look of Oro is the worst.
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    raangoliraangoli
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Oh I love ringan! I am weird, haha! Oro is pretty bad, I will agree with you there!

    I think pitlu (the stuff made from the channa flour) is not good either. Who thought that was a good idea? :)
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    His Mom is really cute...during one of the first few times we met, I was at their house and she asked me if I can cook. I honestly said, you know...I'm learning.

    And her response was funny...she's like, it's okay, I can cook. That's not why you'd be here, to cook and clean.

    It's still nice to know how, though :)
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    PS: Befriending the pressure cooker was a good idea.

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    raangoliraangoli
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    edited December 2011
    Oh that is so nice of her to say! I think it will be ok, even with the joint living arrangement :)

    Pressure cookers scare me, but I see their value.
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    Bhanu&AnujBhanu&Anuj member
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    edited December 2011
    LOL @ Africa map rotis

    My rotis are circle...(...finally!)

    I've cooked a few indian dishes here and there...nothing too crazy...paneer and butter chicken lol

    I need to learn to make daal...and bhindi...he loves bhindi...I never really liked it but  it's funny I've started to want to eat it more too

    I also never really cared about cooking, but it wasnt until my FI got serious that I felt like I wanted to 'fill that role' so to speak.  I'm always going to be an independent woman of the world, but I also want to make him happy with my cooking!
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    HinajHinaj member
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    edited December 2011

    Well I am learning how to cook, but I don't get much time to practice it adn as my mom says it will only get better with practice.  My mom is an amazing cook, so my FI has high standards on my cooking ability, which I dont have.  But he is a really good cook.  So I am hoping I get better before the wedding. 

    My FMIL is not as nice as your Sonali, even though she hates cooking, I am sure she expects me to be great at it. 

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    jnsainijnsaini
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    LOL @ Sonali's comment about roti, your FMIL is soooo sweet!! how nice

    I learned to cook at the beginning of us dating I tell my FI he is a lucky man I only cooked for him and never for any other guy I dated..haha..and I made like palak panner, gobi, fish tacos (this recipe is a hit with him and his roomate they tried to make it when I wasnt around, they were so dissapointed haha and asked me to cook it for the third time, made me feel quite good)..and roti and biryani..I kinda taught myself these things, you tube comes quite handy but he doesnt know..he was at work so I went and bought the groceries and cooked up a storm..to my surprise he loves my home cooked stuff. My latest invention was Nicky style Aloo paranthas..haha..they didnt fall apart..I never though aloo paranthas required so much work..but added whole load of pepper he likes it hot..I am american when i comes to spicy food..lol my mom raised me on bland food lol
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    He's from Surat so their whole family eats REALLY spicy food. I, on the other hand, don't have as heavy of a tolerance. I need it a tad less spicy.
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    HisBelovedOneHisBelovedOne
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    edited December 2011
    I'm still learning. FMIL won't teach me, and authentic recipes in formulas I understand- as in, measurements - are hard to find. I haven't tried breads yet, but there are a few that I'm interested in attempting.

    It turns out that I'm REALLY good at sweets (no surprise, I'm a baker by hobby), much to FMIL's chagrin. FI didn't tell me this until a few days ago, but she's been trying to get the family off of sweets, and what am I doing but sending carrot halwa (my best dish, according to FFIL) and besan ladoo and all these other confections. Little wonder she doesn't want me anywhere near a kitchen. She's probably afraid I can't make anything nutritious!

    I've been trying - cautiously - FI's favorite dishes. Trouble being that I'm vegetarian and his favorites are all bird-based, and everything's too spicy for my family, most of whom get heartburn at the mere mention of cumin and curry. So my FILs wind up with it, and it's always found lacking in some way or another. So it's a work in progress.
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    And yes! She is nice. She didn't have it so easy with her in-laws, so she doesn't want to be at all the same.

    She only knew how to make two shaaks when she got married and now, like my Mom, people go to her for cooking advice. So...I don't feel so scared :)


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    kavita85kavita85 member
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    edited December 2011
    I started cooking in college and asked my mom if she could teach me how to make her awesomely delicious palak paneer. I like to follow recipes and it drove me crazy how she kept saying "oh, just add however much turmeric you think is good" and "just add enough whipping cream." Of course, my food never comes out as good as hers. I don't say enough to my mom how tasty her cooking is :)  If anyone has a recipe (with actual measurements) for bhindi or daal, let me know!
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    I have one for a channa dal. Would that work? It's written out.
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    kavita85kavita85 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Sure! I tried clicking on your name to PM you, but it isn't working.
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    kavita85kavita85 member
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    edited December 2011
    Oh, I'm dumb. Can you tell I haven't sent a PM before?
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    LOL. You are not dumb.

    I kept writing to write TrueLeo one but it wouldn't send...

    I finally realized writing a subject heading was mandatory.

    I'm a winner sometimes.
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    trueleo818trueleo818
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I WISH I CAN COOK... PERIOD!

    I was at a friends house and they asked me to cook bacon... I thought I knew what I was doing... I added the oil in the pan...waited for it to get hot.. then threw some bacon on there... FAILED!

    :)
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    SonaliPopSonaliPop member
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    edited December 2011
    Hisbeloved one - I am a vegetarian and I can send you recipes with exact measurements. Do not be concerned that your FMIL is not being helpful. It is her loss. You can always ask us, and I bet you'll have the last laugh, cup cake.

    Dude... how do you make that halwa? Send me the recipe!!!
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    HisBelovedOneHisBelovedOne
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    PM is on the way for the halwa. Be prepared, though - it calls for a LOT of sugar.

    And thank you so much for any recipes you can send. I'd really appreciate it. I don't necessarily want to outshine her, but I do want to have at least some basic skills down. My mom never taught me how to cook. She was a busy career woman so dinners were seldom made from scratch. I do all my baking from scratch, though, because my gramma told me it was "cheating" to bake from a box. (Haven't got the hand of frosting or icing, but I can make a killer vegan rum raisin cupcake!)
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    HinajHinaj member
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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_south-asian-weddings_indian-cooking-being-bahu-throws-down-kitchen?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:430Discussion:d5d2c1b0-9405-44a1-9953-9a8d079c5facPost:9e34a530-b413-4808-a381-ee147512aa72">Re: Indian cooking: Being the bahu who throws down in the kitchen</a>:
    [QUOTE]I started cooking in college and asked my mom if she could teach me how to make her awesomely delicious palak paneer. I like to follow recipes and it drove me crazy how she kept saying "oh, just add however much turmeric you think is good" and "just add enough whipping cream." Of course, my food never comes out as good as hers. I don't say enough to my mom how tasty her cooking is :)  If anyone has a recipe (with actual measurements) for bhindi or daal, let me know!
    Posted by kavita85[/QUOTE]


    Kavita, That's my mother saying!!!!  It frustrates me because I want exact measurement but she is just says oh a little....What is a little bit??? LOL.


    His Beloved - Can you forward me that recipe as well???  I never tried Indian sweets before....It could make for an interesting experience!!!
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    HisBelovedOneHisBelovedOne
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_south-asian-weddings_indian-cooking-being-bahu-throws-down-kitchen?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:430Discussion:d5d2c1b0-9405-44a1-9953-9a8d079c5facPost:9e34a530-b413-4808-a381-ee147512aa72">Re: Indian cooking: Being the bahu who throws down in the kitchen</a>:
    [QUOTE]I started cooking in college and asked my mom if she could teach me how to make her awesomely delicious palak paneer. I like to follow recipes and it drove me crazy how she kept saying "oh, just add however much turmeric you think is good" and "just add enough whipping cream."
    Posted by kavita85[/QUOTE]

    My grandma was the same way about her recipes. "Till it looks right" was a favorite saying. I have exactly ONE recipe that I can apply the "till it looks right" principle to (deviled eggs), but everything else has to be measured. I'm just totally inept without my measuring cups and spoons, lol!

    Hina - recipe should be in your PMs soon:)
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    mrs.khanmrs.khan
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    edited December 2011
    My rotis still look like Africa!  I have decided that they look better that way. Wink

    I am a pretty mean cook and can make some pretty amazing SA dishes, but I throughly enjoy cooking and it is a hobby of mine. I think my specialties are bangladeshi style birayni, also tadka daal, and palak paneer (or so I'm told.)

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