Introduction to Cooking Indian Food at Home

Indian food is considered to be spicy,exotic,and mostly rich curry. It actually has a lot of variety and is very inexpensive to try at home. I cook Indian food at home almost exclusively and in large quantities. And in spite of that, it doesn't put a dent in my lowly student budget. I love to experiment with all the flavors and spices and I am able to do it without spending too much time and money.

Lets begin with a trip to a grocery store. Any international store is bound to have a vast collection of "masala" or mixed spices tailored for specific Indian dishes. If you feel that its cheating to use these, rest assured, they are very popular in India too. People don't have the time any more to roast and grind fresh spices. Masala packets don't lose their smell and taste for months if stored properly. You will find spices for curries, and flavored rice and soups easily. Just pick up a few you want to try and your experiment with India cooking is on its way already!

Rice, lentils, wheat flour and vegetables. These are the staple for making any simple Indian meal. Rice, lentils and vegetables are versatile and can feed a big hungry crowd easily. Roti, which is unleavened bread made from wheat flour takes time and practice. So thats better left for later. for now begin with making a simple meal of cooked rice, lentil soup flavored with spices and vegetables which are cooked or roasted and flavored. And to dress up the meal you can serve spicy Indian snacks or chips on the side with yogurt and pickles. Its simple and satisfying!