For Foodies

One of my greatest passions is sampling various kinds of international cuisine. Ranking as my personal favorites are Indian and Chinese (authentic Chinese that is, not the "egg roll" and "chow mein" you find in the West). Especially since I've had the opportunity to live in both India and China for extended periods of time, I've realized that as exotic as these foods seem the first time you try them, that feeling of eating something that really excites the taste buds doesn't have to disappear when you eat that same food a second, tenth, or hundredth time.

I suppose my love for eating Indian food (and let's not forget the fact that my better half, Rajdeep, is an Indian Chef) has really motivated me to try my hand at learning to cook. He has taught me the basics and it seems that knowing just a few simple steps is enough to create a variety of dishes. It gives me such a great feeling of satisfaction and pride when I cook an Indian meal and Rajdeep says he likes it. If the chef approves, I must be doing it right!

I know a bunch of you would love to learn to cook Indian food and this is where my cooking lessons come in. I want to share with you, every now and then, some of the recipes I've been learning. They are, for the most part, quite easy to master but you'll need to first stalk your kitchen with a few key ingredients. Without these, it just won't taste right.

Key Ingredients for Indian Cooking:

• coriander powder
• cumin powder
• cumin seed
• red chili powder
• turmeric
• whole green cardamom seeds
• whole dried red chilies

Ingredients you probably already have, but if you don't you should have some handy:

• bay leaves
• cinnamon sticks
• salt
• oil (I use vegetable oil, you can also use soybean oil or mustard oil)
• most dishes will require tomato, onion, and green chili (if you like a little zing)
• potato (optional, but I use it in most of my dishes)

I'll leave you with that basic list of ingredients for now. Get to the store and get prepared! Next time we'll start with our first recipe: a simple, yet, delicious aloo (potato) curry.