Having
the right spices and ingredients in your kitchen will help you get
started to try out the wonderful Indian recipes out there.
Once
you have some of the very basic spices and ingredients needed to make
Indian recipes then you can expand your horizons and fill your kitchen
with other exotic Indian ingredients and have fun experimenting with
the wonderful Indian cuisine.
Indian cuisine
uses an extensive variety of herbs, spices and ingredients. Most
recipes can be made with a basic group of ingredients. You will learn
what you will need to get started and what are the most common
ingredients to have when cooking Indian food.
Getting
Started
The
basic spices and ingredients that you need to have in order to
get started are :
Onions
: The regular yellow onion goes a long way in the Indian kitchen. You
may also use the sweet Vidalia onions for making salads or the Red
onions to cook with. Onions - sliced, diced chopped, pureed are used
extensively in Indian cooking.
To
reduce tearing when peeling or slicing an onion, chill for 30
minutes or cut off the top, but leave the root on. The root has
the largest amount of sulphuric compounds, which is what causes
tears when the onion is peeled or cut.
Ginger
: Ginger can be bought fresh or in the form of Ready made pastes. Many
regular grocery stores have a "Stir Fry Mix- Ginger and
Garlic" which is a great substitute when a recipe calls for both
ginger and garlic pastes.
Garlic
: Sometimes whole garlic cloves are used and sometimes a recipe will
call for chopped or minced or for garlic paste. Most "Sam's"
stores or warehouses do carry chopped garlic in plastic bottles. Some
Indian grocery stores do carry ready to use garlic pastes - Nirav
brand.
Green Chilies : There are many green chilies available in the
stores, starting from finger hot chilies, jalapeno peppers, Anaheim
peppers and more. In Indian grocery stores you will find very small
hot green chilies. These are very hot and therefore you must use
caution when using them in a recipe. The ones that work well for
Indian cooking are the Anaheim hot chilies.
Fresh
Cilantro leaves (commonly known as coriander leaves in India)
These are an integral part of Indian cuisine and "THE"
garnish used in Indian cooking. They are found in almost every grocery
store and can be bought for $0.59 to $0.99 per bunch. If you get it
from an oriental grocery, you will frequently find that it comes with
roots.
To
store the fresh herb which is sold in bunches complete with roots, do
not wash or cut off the roots. Simply put into a plastic bag,
eliminate as much air as possible and close the bag with a twist tie.
It will keep, in the refrigerator, for more than a week. Wash just
before using. When 'fresh coriander' is an ingredient in a recipe, use
the leaves and the stalks, chopped.
Onions
: The regular yellow onion goes a long way in the Indian kitchen. You
may also use the sweet Vidalia onions for making salads or the Red
onions to cook with. Onions - sliced, diced chopped, pureed are used
extensively in Indian cooking. 
Ginger
: Ginger can be bought fresh or in the form of Ready made pastes. Many
regular grocery stores have a "Stir Fry Mix- Ginger and
Garlic" which is a great substitute when a recipe calls for both
ginger and garlic pastes. 
Garlic
: Sometimes whole garlic cloves are used and sometimes a recipe will
call for chopped or minced or for garlic paste. Most "Sam's"
stores or warehouses do carry chopped garlic in plastic bottles. Some
Indian grocery stores do carry ready to use garlic pastes - Nirav
brand. 
Green Chilies : There are many green chilies available in the
stores, starting from finger hot chilies, jalapeno peppers, Anaheim
peppers and more. In Indian grocery stores you will find very small
hot green chilies. These are very hot and therefore you must use
caution when using them in a recipe. The ones that work well for
Indian cooking are the Anaheim hot chilies. 
Fresh
Cilantro leaves (commonly known as coriander leaves in India)
These are an integral part of Indian cuisine and "THE"
garnish used in Indian cooking. They are found in almost every grocery
store and can be bought for $0.59 to $0.99 per bunch. If you get it
from an oriental grocery, you will frequently find that it comes with
roots. 
