Give Your Takeout Delivery Guy a Break and Make Great Indian Food at Home! All You Need to Know Plus What to Buy to Cook Indian food!

Indian cuisine is well known for its unique blend of spices and aromatic ingredients in recipes. Cooking up an Indian dish involves several elaborate and time-consuming steps. So, if you are a beginner at cooking, it is a no-brainer that this task may turn out to be cumbersome. Here, we provide you with the very basics you need to know and get before cooking Indian food. Also, this info is going to be useful if you are planning to get a gift for a friend who loves cooking Indian food.

Indian cooking may look lengthy and troublesome in the beginning. However, with time and practice, you can master this art like any other. Unlike other cuisines, Indian cuisine requires you to dedicate some extra time and a little more effort. So, if a friend or family is interested in learning to cook Indian food, then it is best to get a gift that motivates them. The following pointers should help while selecting the perfect gift.

Indian cooking requires certain typical spices and ingredients that are common to almost all dishes. Hence, it is necessary that the pantry is equipped with the very basic ones to start with. However easy or complex the dish is, basic spices like cumin, coriander, pepper, turmeric, and garam masala are mostly part of the recipe. Alternatively, instant spice mixes for specific dishes are also available in the market. This would also be a great idea for a gift.

Any type of cooking or baking requires you to take account of two major considerations- the quality and quantity of the ingredients. Indian cooking, in particular, is very specific of the measurements as more or less of any spice, would affect the whole dish. We suggest you get an item that helps in the accurate and measurement of ingredient, especially if your friend is a novice at cooking. They will definitely appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Certain pots and pans are must-haves in the Indian kitchen. Basic steps in all Indian recipes are almost the same. This includes sautéing, steaming or frying. Although these processes can be done using any type of utensil, it is best to have the right ones to get the perfect end results. Some of the typical Indian cookware are kadai or wok, tava or skillet, and a tadka or the seasoning pan.

The importance of the steps in Indian cooking cannot be overemphasized. They are numerous and elaborate than any other type of cuisine. Hence, a beginner may find it difficult to carry out all of them at once. It is a good idea to prep in advance and gets a few steps done, even before you start with the actual cooking. Get a few containers for meal prepping, because your friend is going to be grateful for that!

Given the range of diversity in the culture, tradition, and ethnicity within India, cuisines of typical regions differ in the spices, herbs, vegetables, grains, and legumes used. However, there are certain ingredients that are commonly found in most of the cuisines across India. The staple food of Indian cuisine includes rice, wheat, ragi, millet, whole-grain flour, and various legumes and lentils. Basic spice and flavourings used are turmerics, chilly, pepper, cumin, coriander, and garam masala. Indian dishes are mostly cooked in vegetable oils like coconut oil, mustard, gingelly or peanut oil. Butter-based ghee or desi ghee, as most commonly called, is evitable in most of the dishes.

If you are planning to surprise a loved one with a gift they are going to appreciate, then get something that suits their interests. Read along as we give you some interesting gift ideas for a friend who likes to cook Indian food.

Sanjeev Kapoor is a renowned chef and a well-known name in Indian cuisine. He is an expert at vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian dishes and is conversant in the precise blend of spices and masalas. This ready masala combo is undeniably one of the best gifts you could get a person who likes cooking Indian non-vegetarian dishes. The masala combo set includes ready to cook fish, chicken, mutton and egg curry spice mixes and is ideal for saving time in cooking. The set is available on Amazon for a good deal costing Rs. 329.

Indian dishes in general, requires a whole lot of ingredients and spices, as you would have guessed by now. It is a good idea to gift a spice rack set that allows all ingredients to be within easy reach while cooking. This revolving spice rack set by Floraware also adds as a décor piece for the kitchen. It can conveniently hold 12 different spices and looks beautiful on a kitchen countertop. The refillable jars are made of high-quality plastic and are dishwasher safe. It is now available at a reasonable rate of Rs.459 on Amazon.

It is always a good idea to gift a recipe book to a novice at cooking, although an expert would also be delightful to receive one. This cookery book by Ranjit Rai is ideal for anyone looking forward to cooking any sort of Indian curry. The book gives interesting recipes on various curries in Indian cooking. It focuses on newbies at Indian cooking and also features the preparation of three basic sauces for beginners. You can get this recipe book on Flipkart for Rs.391.

A pressure cooker is an essential part of Indian cooking. Almost all recipes call for some sort of steaming or the other. Besides, the main staples like pulses and legumes are cooked the best in a pressure cooker. It helps to cut down on time and effort in cooking. Prestige is a well-known Indian brand and is famous for the high quality of standard maintained in products. This 2-litre cooker is perfect for a beginner who cooks with small amounts. It is available on Snapdeal at a discounted price of Rs.880.

Kadai is a wok or a vessel ideal for sautéing and tossing of ingredients. Cast iron utensils have been a part of Indian cooking for a long time. They are chemical free and are said to add iron to the food being cooked in it. An iron Kadai is convenient to use and easy to clean, though a little heavy to carry. This handmade kadai is pretreated with heat and oil for immediate use and is perfect for holistic traditional cooking. The cast iron kadai from Siva naturals are made by traditional rural artisans is now available on Amazon for Rs.449.

You couldn’t obviously imagine cooking without cutting and chopping ingredients. A handy kitchen tool that helps to cut, slice and grate vegetables and fruits would be a great gift. It reduces the time in prepping and is ideal for cooking Indian dishes. This kitchen gadget from Kitchen bazaar is robust and durable and is very easy to clean. It is made of BPA free material and can be mounted to any surface for quick use. Check out Amazon to get this product for Rs.372.

Measuring ingredients and spices in small quantities is a vital part of Indian cooking. This set of measurement spoons of 4 different volumes are ideal as a gift for a beginner at Indian cooking. Besides, stainless steel spoons are resistant to the stains from the usual spices and masalas used in cooking. The spoon features easy to read measurements and are hence a very practical gift. This measuring spoon set is available on Flipkart for a 71% discounted price of Rs.155.

As said before, meal prepping goes a long way in Indian cooking, especially for a beginner. So, it is a practical and useful idea to get food storage containers. This glass bowl set contains 4 bowls of different sizes and has lids for easy storage. Besides, the white bowls are beautiful prints are also perfect for serving dishes. The high-quality glass material is lightweight and thin, compared to ceramic wear and is also dishwasher and microwave safe. You can get this product from Flipkart for a discounted price of Rs.685.

Roti and khakhra are typical Indian dishes that are easy to prepare if you are familiar with it. For a beginner, it may not seem easy as it involves both kneading of the dough and spreading them out in symmetrical shapes. This roti machine press and khakhra maker set is an amazing gift for a friend who is fond of cooking them. It is made of stainless steel and is a very durable product. It is a perfect addition for an Indian Kitchen and is now available on Flipkart for Rs.798.

South Indian cuisine is typically known for its flavoursome and aromatic filter coffee. You need specific ingredients and utensils to prepare authentic filter coffee. Grounded coffee powder needs to be brewed in the traditional filter and is then infused with boiled and frothed milk in fixed proportions to get the perfect south Indian filter coffee. This innovative product has reduced the stress and time required to make filter coffee. It is ready to use liquid decoction from Bayar’s coffee, a well-known brand in Bangalore. You can get 250 grams of this product for Rs. 140 at delightfoods.com.

Typical south Indian dishes like dosa and idli are tasty and healthy to eat. However, the preparation involves tasks like soaking of the rice, grinding, and fermentation of the batter. Don’t forget that these steps are to be done even before the actual cooking. This thought itself may through off beginners from cooking, if not ready for it. Ready-made mixes or instant mixes are a hit among Indian consumers. It surely does take a lot off your shoulders when it comes to cooking Indian food.

The MTR ready made dosa mix is a dry powder that comes in a pouch. Simply add water to the mix and follow the instructions to cook perfect dosas instantly. MTR is a well-known brand in Indian households and has several other instant recipe mixes. You can purchase 500gm of the MTR Instant Dosa Mix at Rs. 105

Another one of the favourite instant mixes from MTR Is the instant Upma. Upma is a breakfast dish that wholesome, tasty and makes up for a filling meal. The actual cooking process consists of cooking suji with preferred vegetables and is topped with a flavorful seasoning. It is now easy to prepare Upma with the instant mix available in the market. You can purchase 180 gm of the MTR instant Upma mix at Rs.84.

Motivating a friend leads a long way in friendship. Someone who is passionate about cooking, especially Indian cooking, would be happy to receive any gift that helps them in it. We recommend you to explore more and dig deeper to make a mindful purchase. The tips mentioned in this article should help you in selecting the right gift for that friend of yours, who is new to Indian cooking. It is no doubt that mastering the art of Indian cooking is a serious matter after all!