Best products from r/IndianFood
We found 65 comments on r/IndianFood discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 170 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. 660 Curries
- Imported what better way to complete your Ninja costume than with your own kunai toy weapons!
- This is a set of 3 small plastic kunai.
- Each measures about 5-inches long.
- Don't go on your next Ninja adventure without all the right accessories!
- Dimension & measurement: approx. Inches
Features:
2. Kitchens of India Paste, Butter Chicken Curry, 3.5-Ounces, Pack of 1 (6 count)
- Recreate the taste of truly mouth-watering Butter Chicken with Kitchens of India curry paste which is rich and flavorful
- Convenient and easy to use, Butter Chicken can be ready in minutes; Just add water and tender nuggets of chicken to this curry paste, cook it either in the microwave or on the pan, and you’re ready serve an authentic Indian gourmet creation
- Feel like an expert chef as you whip up a rich and flavorful Indian meal in minutes; You can also use the paste to create a vegetarian or vegan option with Paneer cheese cubes or vegetables
- Kitchens of India Paste for Butter Chicken Curry is created by the Master Chefs of award-winning restaurants of ITC hotels, using robust local ingredients and an authentic Indian recipe rooted in tradition and heritage
- ITC, the maker of Kitchens of India products, is an exemplar and leader in sustainability; it has been water, carbon, and solid waste recycling positive for over a decade and makes products that positively impact both the community and the planet
Features:
4. Preethi Eco Twin Jar Mixer Grinder, 550-Watt
Eco Twin' comes with powerful 550 Watts motor that operates at 110v and makes grinding faster and simplerThe Jars and Blades are made of rust-proof stainless steel material. Product type-Stand mixer1.50 liter jar with detachable multi-purpose blade, converts to 1.00 liter jar with the flexi lid0.50 ...
6. Pakistani & North Indian Cooking: A Complete Guide for Students & Beginners
- Used Book in Good Condition
Features:
7. New Star Foodservice 38071 Stainless Steel Reinforced Bouillon Strainer, 8-Inch
- QUALITY - 18/8 Stainless Steel construction.
- COMFORTABLE - Rounded, hollow handle is comfortable to hold for long periods, and Reinforcing bars allow the strainer to rest on the bottom of the bowl without crushing the mesh.
- USES - Extra Fine Mesh allows liquid to pass through while retaining pulp, seeds, stems and skins. Also perfect to create smooth, silky soups, bouillion and stock.
- USES - Perforations allow liquid to pass through while retaining pulp, seeds, stems and skins. Also perfect to create smooth, silky soups and stock.
- Perfect for stocks, sauces, and purees
Features:
8. Oxo, Colander Large Scoop
Fine mesh for straining saucesSturdy stainless steel double rod constructionSoft, wide handle absorbs pressure from handsIncluded Components: Cooks' Tools;Colanders & Strainers;food strainers
9. 1 X Cotton Muslin Bags 3x4 Inch Drawstring 50 Count Pack
- Made In America from American Virgin Cotton
- Don;t be fooled These are The original and Made in the USA
- Great for Packaging Crafts / Soaps / Candles / Wedding Favors / Anything
- No Toxic Chemicals Used In Weaving Process Of These Bags So they are certified food safe
- If you don't buy from Celestial Gifts... None of these things could be true
Features:
10. Preethi Eco Plus Mixer Grinder
The Preethi ECO PLUS MG-138 Mixer Grinder features 550 Watt motor. The mixer comes with 100% stainless steel jars with flow breakers for fine grinding.The steel blades of the mixer grinder are machine ground and polished for maximum grinding efficiency. Super extractor - easy removal of pulp.It has...
11. Cooking at Home with Pedatha: Vegetarian Recipes from a Traditional Andhra Kitchen
- Wisom tree
- Language: english
- Book - cooking at home with pedatha
Features:
12. The Indian Cooking Course: Techniques - Masterclasses - Ingredients - 300 Recipes
- Directed towards non-Indian cooks
- 450 classic and popular recipes -techniques and step-by-step masterclasses
- Beautiful color photos
- Short number of steps that can be completed in a relatively short time
- High quality food that can be prepared with ease by the typical home cook
Features:
13. Futura Anodised Kadhai, 3.75L, Gray
- 3. 75 liter capacity
- 30 cm diameter
- 4. 06 mm Thickness
- Comes with lid
Features:
14. Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking
- Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking
Features:
16. Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast
17. Victoria 8 Inch Cast Iron Tortilla Press. Tortilla Maker, Flour Tortilla press, Rotis Press, Dough Press, Pataconera Seasoned with Flaxeed Oil, Black - TOR-003
- DO it yourself. Make your own tortillas, patacones, Rotis, empanadas, quesadillas, and Arepas at home fast and easy. Great for non-gluten and Paleo tortillas too!
- Reinforced Design. We improved the base & the handle for better resistance. Our cast iron plates are engineered to avoid pinching. Get even tortillas every time.
- Heavy-duty construction. Made of cast-iron seasoned at high temperatures with 100% non-GMO vegetable flaxseed oil. Low maintenance. Restaurant quality.
- Comes with an extra screw for the lever. Includes detailed instructions on use and care. Overall width - Side to side: 11. 25 inch, overall depth - front to back: 11 inch
- Authentic by Victoria. Tortilladora made in Colombia since 1986.
- Item Shape: Round
Features:
18. Aarti Paarti: An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul
- If you want to be fit, lean, and strong as quickly as possible without crash dieting, good genetics, or wasting ridiculous amounts of time in the gym . . . regardless of your age . . . you want to read this book.
Features:
I have the answer for you. Yes, a lot of cookbooks and videos will attempt to give you the "authentic" kind; I myself was consistently disappointed until I found the key. Or keys, actually. A few things they tend to do wrong:
The only recipe I have found to match the stuff you find in restaurants is an ebook by a British cook named Julian Voigt: The Secret to That Takeway Curry Taste. It's amazing. (I'm not affiliated with the author, just a happy customer.)
Voigt runs a small "BIR"-style (British Indian Restaurant, pretty much what you associate with Indian food in the West) takeout place in England. His own recipes come from recipes he learned by working in Indian restaurants before he started his own. And unlike many recipes which claim to be "authentic", they truly are. The book is charmingly amateurishly put together and completely unpretentious.
Voigt's recipe is basically a three-step process, from memory:
The whole book is made from the perspective of a restaurant chef, so everything is scaled to large batches. That's why the sauce bases are separate. The nice thing is that you can make 5 liters of onion base and freeze what you don't need; the onion base can be used for all sorts of dishes since it's pretty flavour-neutral.
I highly recommend the book.
Edit: Didn't read the Guardian recipe until now. Yeah, they make those mistakes. The author knows about ginger-garlic paste, but uses a can of tomatoes and doesn't sweat the onions.
I've been very happy with my Preethi Eco Twin (available on Amazon) so far. I will say that even the smallest jar with the downsizing inverted lid is still a little big for very small quantities of spices (they tend to just sort of splay out onto the sides pretty quickly), but anything over a tablespoon or two is usually alright.
I'm a little hesitant about throwing very large, hard spices (e.g., nutmegs, dried turmeric, even big cassia cinnamon bark) into it with the normal plastic lid. I broke the plastic lid of my little old Coffee grinder (from a defunct brand many years old) with that stuff :(. The "downsizing" lid on the Preethi is rubber, I think (it's kinda hard though), so maybe it will be safe.
The benefit is that it's also great fur chutneys, wet-dry pastes, and things like idly/dosa batter. The main 1.5 liter jar is pretty sizable for most purposes, but they recommend not running a ton of heavier things like wet urad dal through it--work in batches. You need some heavy duty industrial equipment (or one of those awesome spinning grinding-stone machines) to handle that sort of stuff more than a cup or so at a time.
Anyway, it was this one: http://www.amazon.com/Preethi-Twin-Mixer-Grinder-550-Watt/dp/B007T0CIVS
Trust me. Buy this: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchens-India-Butter-Chicken-3-5-Ounce/dp/B000V17MLS/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1487172075&sr=8-1&keywords=kitchens+of+india+butter+chicken
Trust me... I've been trying to make curries at home for the last 10 years. I've tried many recipes, from scratch fresh ground spices, to boxed spices, and even other pastes. This brand has become a staple for me now. I can whip up a dish in 30 minutes and it's better than a lot of restaurants around me. My favorite paste they sell is the chicken curry, tastes like an authentic dhaba style curry you can get in India.
ps) I have fond memories of helping my dad make "chicken" (usually this meant desi style curry) growing up and it wasn't until I became older that I appriciated how much I enjoyed that.
Most restaurants (not necessarily Indian food, but in general) use food processors like this for doing smooth purees and pastes. I got a Ninja 3-in-1 blender and food processor set at costco that works great.
I recommend a fine mesh strainer like https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-8-Inch-Strainer/dp/B00004OCLX or https://www.amazon.com/New-Star-Foodservice-38071-Reinforced/dp/B00LV3227O if you want to get perfectly smooth sauces. Using the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula to press the cooked sauce through the sieve will get virtually any fibers and bits out without any trouble
Its kind of cheating but the best butter chicken I've been able to make comes from a packet. Using [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Kitchens-India-Butter-Chicken-3-5-Ounce/dp/B000V17MLS?th=1) with some boneless thighs is fantastic and super easy.
As for rice I just throw jasmine rice in my rice cooker. While neither the curry or rice are authentic they taste good.
Big fan of Aarti Paarti, a definite mix of recipes with some nice fusions. You get the best of traditional Indian and delicious new dishes! Certainly won't get bored, best of all there's great info on spices, cooking techniques, and the works. https://smile.amazon.com/Aarti-Paarti-American-Kitchen-Indian/dp/1455545414/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483194802&sr=8-1&keywords=aarti+paarti
You can't go wrong with Raghavan's "660 Curries". It's where I started, 4 years ago. Since then I've probably only cooked ~20-25 of the recipes but every. single. one. has been amazing and incredibly authentic. I'm Caucasian and I've had Indian friends tell me I put their mothers to shame.
I was a little unsure of the quality available when you throw 660 curries into one book - but the quality is there. More importantly however, the book goes over how to cook and prepare each and every type of ingredient. There are huuuuge chapters catering to legumes of all varieties, your chickpea craving will be easily fixed. You're close to an international food market so you'll be in heaven.
Regarding not being able to stock a full indian / us / thai pantry. Know that stocking most spices required for Indian food is incredibly cheap. For ~$20 (provided your store is fairly priced), you should be able to stock 1 packet of each commonly used spice (go big on Cumin and Coriander seeds, they're used a lot). I've had some of the same spices for close to 18 months now as they're used infrequently. So do not fear cost, once you've outlaid for the starter spices, you'll be very low on cost.
Without further delay: http://www.amazon.com/660-Curries-Raghavan-Iyer/dp/0761137874/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406560477&sr=8-1&keywords=660+curries
And here happens to be two curries I cooked from the book this weekend! Stewed duck with Black Cardamon and Cherries, with Curried Eggs. The onions in the back (katta salan) are from vahrehvah.com, another great resource although the recipes can be difficult to follow as they're a little scattered.
that sounds wonderful. I have seen and liked the ones by Madhur Jaffery. She almost holds your hand and guides you in the kitchen in her books on Indian cuisine. And the curries turn out great too.
Edit: Is this the book you are referring to?
Toast your spices in a separate pan, and then add them in a bouquet garni. This is especially useful for spices like green cardamom and whole peppercorns, which are harder to remove after cooking. For any recipe that calls for whole spices, I usually multiply the amount by 1.5 if using a bouqet garni, since the flavors don't permeate the dish as efficiently as if just put in as is.
I use these bags from Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A4GRZNK
They're cheap enough that you can just toss them after a single use, but if you want to go the extra mile you can rinse, wash and reuse them if you're dedicated.
By using a bouqet garni, you get the flavor from your favorite whole spices, but not the undesired texture.
Got one Asian store and one Indian resto in this burg. The store's pretty good, and the resto survives because -- only one in town.
Here's what I did:
Shop online, and learn how to make a base gravy like THIS BLOKE does and take it from there into the higher orders of Indian cooking. It's BIR, not Mumbai, but you take what you can get and BIR ain't exactly chump change for Small Town, USA.
You can order just about any of the basics for Indian cooking, and cooking appliances (karai for example), online.
Indians are fantastic at blogging and putting up YouTube videos; there's a real opportunity to learn from that as opposed to when this older Redditor was expanding horizons.
The online purchases won't be cheap, but when you have a craving for quality food, you have the budget to get it.
I think this one from Preethi is about the cheapest and yet most durable one you would still want to buy. I bought a similar model 8 months ago, and I love it!
https://www.amazon.com/Preethi-Eco-Plus-Mixer-Grinder/dp/B004A2ECZI/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1485612009&sr=1-3&keywords=preethi+mixer
I have spoken to several of my Indian friends and they have said that going with anything cheaper will burn out the mortor or a bearing in the cups after a year. These things are great, and will liquify/paste-ify just about anything you need.
There isn't one Indian cuisine. There's a few dozen, at least.
For a somewhat US focused book:
http://www.amazon.com/660-Curries-Raghavan-Iyer/dp/0761137874
For a somewhat worse printing, with better recipes: http://www.amazon.com/India-Cookbook-Pushpesh-Pant/dp/0714859028
Reading the reviews will probably help.
I like the "Essential Cookbook" series from Penguin. These are definitely closer to what I would eat at home than the recipes in the more popular cookbooks.
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Kerala-Cookbook-Vijayan-Kannampilly/dp/0143029509
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Marathi-Cookbook-Kaumudi-Marathe/dp/0143068024
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Andhra-Cookbook-Hyderabadi-Bilkees/dp/0140271848
http://www.amazon.com/The-Pondicherry-Kitchen-Lourdes-Tirouvanziam-Louis/dp/9381626995
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Sindhi-Cookbook-Aroona-Reejhsinghani/dp/0143032011
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Cookbook-Maria-Teresa-Menezes/dp/0141000872
http://www.amazon.com/The-Essential-North-East-Cookbook/dp/0143030272
http://www.amazon.com/Saraswat-Mahila-Rasachandrika-Second-Paperback/dp/B00RWSJ7M0
SAMAITHU PAR (vol 1-4) is a book aimed at Tamil Iyer vegetarian cooking.
If you want authors more aimed at an occidental cook, I would suggest Madhur Jaffrey, Sanjeev Kapoor, Tarla Dalal, Vikas Khanna and Julie Sawhney
Get a tortilla press. You probably know this but tortillas are the Mexican equivalent of a roti. In fact, exactly the same, only they use either wheat or cornflour.
A tortilla press will give you perfectly round rotis in 5 seconds. Just put the ball of dough in it and press. If it sticks, use a plastic sheet above and below (cut up a ziploc bag).
https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Tortilla-Pataconera-Original-Colombia/dp/B00HWEIKZO
Edit: And if you want an easier way to make the dough or atta, put all the ingredients in a Kitchenaid stand mixer and let it do all the work.
Aah asafoetida - sometimes called Devil's Dung because of its aroma, especially when the powder is fresh! A pinch or two is all that is ever needed, and it adds a similar flavour to onions and garlic to a dish. It is commonly used with lentils and beans.
In South India it is used quite a bit. It is very common in Sambar and Rasam dishes. It is also very common in Ayurvedic cooking as that does not use onions or garlic.
The cookbook Lord Krishna's Kitchen uses it in almost every recipe, and the recipes are all great.
This is a great article on Asafoetida - and here is one of the few recipes you will find with it in the title - Salt Lassi with Asafoetida
Probably my favorite:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0761137874/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511546773&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=660+curries+by+raghavan+iyer
Easy, delicious recipes and after cooking a number of them, you won't even need a cookbook anymore!!
This book isn't much to look at, but it's amazing. Each recipe is packed with flavor and incredibly easy to follow.
https://www.amazon.com/Pakistani-North-Indian-Cooking-Beginners/dp/1518852580
I use this one. I really like it. It's easy to maintain, and I always get a good dish with it. I liked it so well, that I bought additional pans from the same company.
I'm no expert in Indian cuisine, but I have this book and I really like it. Great variety in the recipes and tons of pictures. I think it represents most of the regions cuisines.
https://www.amazon.com/India-Cookbook-Pushpesh-Pant/dp/0714859028
660 curries is fantastic. The author is a James Beard winner as well.
When looking for inspiration for Indian food I always reach for Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries or Monisha Bharadwaj's The Indian Cooking Course.
The latter has become a house favourite. We ended up buying 5 extra copies to gift friends and family.
Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India is an incredible cookbook and will give you all the tools to make top-knotch meals! It also happens to be the most beautiful cookbook in my collection. There have been times where I've just flipped through the thing just to enjoy the food photography.
I have a Preethi Eco Twin courtesy of my Indian MIL, used during her last visit. Comes with a smaller cup to grind spices and a larger one for dosa/idly batters. My kitchen makes good use out of the appliance :)
Mixed Indian / American family here. I make an instant pot biryani that both my picky kids like to eat, and it’s an easy recipe. It’s from the Indian Instant Pot Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast https://www.amazon.com/dp/1939754542/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0sjYBbP061MRF
Glad I can help! Like I said, if you decide on a specific recipe and want some tips, I can help more - I just don't know your or his food preferences, or if he'll eat garlic - which isn't used in some forms of Brahmin vegetarian cooking - etc. Otherwise I could drop a few more specifics.
From a historical perspective, it's interesting how Indian cooking benefited from/was influenced by the Columbian exchange. Pre-contact dishes were apparently primarily flavored with pepper and tamarind - the tomatoes and chilis came with the exchange.
A few good kitchen staples which will let you cook a large number of dishes from this part of the subcontinent are whole mustard seeds, urad dal (split black lentils - which are actually white), curry leaves, tamarind, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, garlic and ginger (whole or in pastes). Some recipes will also call for cumin powder, cashews, dried red chilis, or ground coconut. 660 Curries is written by a Tamil Brahmin which might be a decent place to start - I personally don't put coconut in all my curries, but that's the style of some communities. Also, he cooks his meat, puts it aside, and then cooks the spices, mixing in the meat at the end - I'd personally cook the spices, and then cook the meat in the spices so it absorbs the flavors.
Just got this one: Rasika: Flavors of India and it's pretty great, though maybe not "authentic." Rasika (and Rasika West End) are world-class restaurants here in DC. Made for an epic Thanksgiving...and one totally destroyed kitchen. :)
So a few people have recommended this book to you: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-That-Takeway-Curry-Taste-ebook/dp/B008N2B0OC
Well, you're in luck, because I've found a couple of videos on Youtube made by the author of that book that explain how to make Tikka Masala.
Here's the video showing how to make the sauce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLfhMF2WaZw
And here is the video showing how to cook the dish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1wjyOdNdSw
Some of my favourites:
Note: The authors are all British-Indians.
Hello! Do you mind me asking, is it [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Taste-India-Butter-Chicken-Sauce/dp/B00E1FSKOS) or this ?? If neither, can you direct me to the amazon link? Thanks in advance!
I recommend this book
Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast https://www.amazon.com/dp/1939754542/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZaIYCbCBB8CRA
I'm a big fan of 660 Curries. Not sure how closely that matches your parameters but its good IMO.
Best butter chicken recipe I have, that gets me closest to restaurant is the Taste of India Butter Chicken Paste... I usually add a can of coconut cream and a 1/3 cup of water to it.
I know you asked for a recipe, but I swear this stuff is really good. And it's less than $3 USD per package w/ about 3-4 servings each.
http://www.amazon.com/Kitchens-India-Butter-Chicken-3-5-Ounce/dp/B000V17MLS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422721518&sr=8-1&keywords=butter+chicken
the chefs from Rasika wrote a cookbook! It's pretty!
​
​
In short...NO.
You are better off getting one of those sumeet/preeti mixers from amazon. I got one of those fancy venturist ones...doesn't do half the stuff my sisters ninja and indian mixers do. Even when we tried the dosa batters...nope...chutney....nope... my vitamix is gathering dust and I ended up getting one of these
This is what a lot of the South Indians I know in North America recommended: https://www.amazon.com/Preethi-Eco-Plus-Mixer-Grinder/dp/B004A2ECZI/. It works well for dosa batter, chutneys, ginger-garlic paste, etc. I don't use it for dry spices because I was already using this: https://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-Electric-Grinder-Stainless-3-Ounce/dp/B00004SPEU/.
https://www.amazon.com/Aarti-Paarti-American-Kitchen-Indian/dp/1455545414 is a good book too..
I actually got a Preeti mixie blender from Amazon. The ones that you get in India. They're retrofitted with motors that work with US standards and plug sockets. Tbh, this is the only thing that worked for me when I wanted to grind hard spices. :)
Unfortunately, I paid about 90$ for it shipped. On Amazon.
Its 115$ right now and on prime. Amazon Link
660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer is comprehensive. You can also try Indian Cooking Unfolded by him but it has only 100 recipes.
I decided to buy it because it was $4 on Amazon the 2nd book is $3
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-That-Takeaway-Curry-Taste-ebook/dp/B008N2B0OC?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_
I think you mean "definitive".
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-That-Takeaway-Curry-Taste-ebook/dp/B008N2B0OC
This is an oven-adapted and expanded from the recipe in Pushpesh Pant's India: The Cookbook. It's a common deep-menu item in westernized restaurants, very tasty. Sweet and aromatic. As I mention in the post, I don't recommend hand-mashing the eggplant; it's a pain.
I'd suggest the book 660 curries - Raghavan Iyer as it covers all of the "spice blends" as well as having many many dishes that do not include mustard seeds in the blends. For those that do simply omitting them should suffice. He also has a section in the back where it explains the purpose of various spices, bitter, sweet, umami, etc. so you might be able to locate substitutes for mustard seeds as they are there to impart bitter.