AboutDina Street Expertise I am a long-time fan of Indian cooking. I specialize in curries and presentation. I can help beginners with knowledge of spices, methods and menu planning.
Experience I am self-taught and have traveled to India twice to learn more about local cuisines and methods.
Expert: Dina Street Date: 5/1/2008 Subject: menu planning
Question Hi,
My kitchen is nicely stocked for Indian cooking, and I have been cooking mostly Indian for the past few years. But now I've gotten into a rut and am bored with my basic recipes. I have plenty of cooking books, but I find that most everything comes out tasting the same (cumin/coriander/tumeric/ginger garlic). Can you give me some ideas or examples of planning a vegetarian menu to keep my family inspired?
Answer Hello Latierra,
I had exactly the same problem. Here are some ideas to bring variety into your Indian cooking:
Using the same basic spice mixture that you have been using, try it with very different vegetables. For example, try turnips, beetroot, swedes, parsnips, fennel and mustard greens instead of the standard potatoes, cauliflower, etc. Madhur Joffrey has some good ideas in her cookbook.
Try using recipes with fenugreek and tamarind. Look through the books to find recipes which marinate in tamarind overnight for a very interesting flavor.
Have you explored the recipes which use coconut milk? The Kerala fish dishes wrapped in banana leaves with coconut sauce are fantastic.
Look at the Gujarat recipes which generally do not use any garlic or ginger and still somehow taste wonderful. There is a carrot/cabbage Gujerat dish which I never tire of. (Just google Gujerati cooking).
Have you considered looking further into Thai cooking? The Thai kitchen is more subtle and delicate and uses a bit more peanut, coconut and lemon grass.
Last, have you experimented with biryanis?
I sure hope this helps, and another way to keep your kitchen exciting is to build a tandori oven for yourself in the garden!
