Indian cuisine is known for its amazing flavors, but it can be intimidating to new cooks. Many people associate Indian cooking with complex ingredients, long prep times, and dishes that require a lot of time and effort. However, modern Indian cooking often uses more accessible ingredients while still delivering delicious flavors. Let’s explore some tips and tricks to make modern Indian cooking easier and more approachable.
Start Simple & Learn as You Go
When you’re first starting out with modern Indian cooking, it’s best to start with simpler recipes or even just basic techniques. This will help you develop your skills without getting too overwhelmed by the complicated recipes that are out there. As you master tasks like chopping vegetables or making an authentic spice blend, you can move on to more advanced dishes that build on those skills.
Traditional Ingredients With a Modern Twist
When it comes to traditional dishes, consider how you can give them a modern twist without sacrificing flavor or authenticity. For example, if you’re creating a classic dish like Butter Chicken Masala, try swapping the traditional cream base for lighter coconut milk or substituting quinoa for basmati rice to make it healthier and gluten-free. There are endless ways to play around with your favorite recipes while still staying true to their origins.
Experiment With Different Spices & Spice Blends
Of course, no discussion of modern Indian cuisine would be complete without talking about spices! Spices are what give Indian food its signature flavor profile; however, many people don’t know how to use them correctly or where to buy them. To get started in the kitchen with spices, experiment with pre-made spice blends that contain all the perfect proportions of spices for your dish. That way you don’t have to worry about measuring each one out individually. Once you become more comfortable working with spices in the kitchen, you can start experimenting with creating your own
blends from scratch!
Modern Indian cooking is anything but intimidating when done right! Start simple and learn as you go – practice basic techniques like chopping vegetables and create different spice blends until they become second nature. Then apply these skills when preparing traditional dishes while giving them a modern twist – swap out heavy cream for lighter coconut milk or replace basmati rice with quinoa for a healthier option. Doing so will unlock all the amazing flavors of modern Indian cuisine!