Food

Let’s see where do I begin with Indian food? Well Indian food varies significantly depending on where in the country you are, so I really can only speak for North Indian food. A home-made meal typically consists of a main dish, dal (lentil dish), salad (raw chunks of carrot, onion, radish), and a bread or rice.

Some of the most delicious dishes are made in a Tandoor (clay oven). For example, Nan is a bread that is made by skillfully slapping dough against the walls of the tandoor, and is absolutely delicious…especially if covered in garlic and butter.

I took a three day cooking class here with a woman who owns one of the best restaurants in town, so I now know some of the secrets of North Indian cooking. The most distinguishing trait of Indian food is the array of spices that are used: almost every dish—and I mean everything from the main course to the sweets to the chai—contains some combination of cardamom, cinnamon, chili pepper, cloves, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, ginger, paprika, and just a few others I’m forgetting. It amazes me how such a variety of seemingly complex dishes are made with very little equipment. Just about everything is prepared on a very basic gas stove—no ovens, no microwaves, and rarely refrigerators. I’m excited to try my hand at a few dishes when I return home!