I'd like to learn to make a few really good
Indian dishes.  The only one I make now, 
infrequently, is Rogan Josh.  It's pretty
good but that's probably due to the fact I
use Penzey's Rogan Josh seasoning and follow
their instructions exactly.

Anyone know how to make a good tandori 
chicken in a home kitchen?  How about a good
lamb dish or cheese paneer?

I've been looking at cookbooks but I'd like
to make sure I purchase one that actually
delivers good, reasonably spiced Indian food,
with what's available in our markets.

Advice?

16 responses total.

Check at Kitchen Port.  My recollection is that there are one or two local
cookbook authors who have compiled Indian recipes into cookbooks that meet
your criteria.

IIRC, Valerie has a great paneer recipe.

STeve makes a killer vindaloo.  I need to watch him and write things down as
he makes the next one.  Tandori is hard to do properly in a home kitchen, but
STeve and Misti have managed to do passable ones, I'll check with him to see
if he remembers how they did it.

I seem to remember my mom having a plausible tandoori chicken recipe.  She
made a huge batch of it once or twice when the family was heading into a busy
week, and we'd eat the leftovers all week.  I'll ask her if I remember the
next time I see her.

I'm told the deep red of tandori chicken is mostly red food dye.  I wish I
didn't know that in the same way I wish I didn't know that the bump on
Saunder's bumpy cake is spun shortening and confectioner's sugar. 

Kind of takes all the fun out of that binge.

One of the authors cmcgee is talking about is Hemalata Dandekar (a prof in
Urban Planning).  We have her cookbook, and it's good.

Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks are also good.

(Come to think of it, my mom probably got her recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's
cookbook.  That's where she's gotten the other Indian recipes she cooks, I
think.)

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I was watching Julia Child's Modern Chefs or whatever the show is 
called on PBS... she was featuring an Indian chef and some South 
Indian cuisine... so you're supposed to eat with your hands? 

Valerie has made her own paneer.  She described the process once.

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oh, naan?  Tasty stuff.  Yes, I know, although I tend to use it with 
curries too.

I can see where eating curries with your hands would be tough.

What's paneer?  Don't think I've ever had it.

I do love chicken vindaloo.

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I have made passable naan in a regular oven.  It is high on my list of things
to mke repeatly once I have a real kitchen to cook in again.  I hate
renovating!

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It has been a while since I made it and the cookbook I got the recipe from
has gone missing so I really don't remember.  The recipe in my recipe files
has yogurt and egg in it.  It wasn't hard to make, just time consuming, sort
of like making a lot of dinner rolls.  Especially the first time, it was hard
to get the shape right.  The recipe I used showed them as geing leaf shaped
slightly pointed at one end and rounded and wider at the other.  Subsequent
makings were easier in that regard.  STeve makes a kickass chicken or veggie
vindaloo that goes great with naan.

Now I am just going to go look at the mess the kitchen is in and cry.  (I
think a trip to the Indian area of Dearborn is going to have to happen soon.)

Paalak paneer sounds good.

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