Grew up on Indian food - thinking of going back to it

[Anonymous]

How about we post videos or links to our daily go to recipes, that are tried and tested and kid loved?

Here's one that I do at least once a week. I don't cook spinach quite as long as he does. It comes out good and my kids just gobble this up

Dal Palak recipe

http://youtu.be/vEw1CxzXGyg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting -- didn't realize diabetes was prevalent among Indians. I grew up in a home with boring, bland Indian food -- NOTHING was drowning in oil; veggies were cooked in like 1-2 spoons of oil, just with Indian spices so they didn't taste like American food, and daal was basically just boiled lentils w spices -- no oil at all.

My South Indian SIL cooks like this. I think it is delicious! Of course her kids are all about pepperoni pizza ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting -- didn't realize diabetes was prevalent among Indians. I grew up in a home with boring, bland Indian food -- NOTHING was drowning in oil; veggies were cooked in like 1-2 spoons of oil, just with Indian spices so they didn't taste like American food, and daal was basically just boiled lentils w spices -- no oil at all.

My South Indian SIL cooks like this. I think it is delicious! Of course her kids are all about pepperoni pizza ...

My child has been eating the occasional pepperoni pizza. Now I'll need to rethink

[Anonymous]

Non-Indian person here -- finding this thread so interesting because I have come to LOVE South Indian food as I have become more health and nutrition focused in my own eating...had no idea diabetes was common in Indian populations -- assumed (wrongly!) it was most prevalent due to our standard American diet.

Perhaps it's different based on the genetic makeup as one PP has suggested, but for me, a lot of S Indian food fits perfectly into how I eat to avoid metabolic symdrome (goal being to regulate blood sugar, boost good cholesterol measures) Focus on whole grains OR fermented/sprouted; mostly plant-based; reasonable use of good fats (including dairy -- ghee, paneer). For example, I love dosa and idli because the fermented grains don't spike blood sugar and digest easily.

[Anonymous]

PP above, if you're ever looking for more recipes, try the Dakshin cookbook. Recipes are all vegetarian and from South India, and are delicious! I'd even venture to say that a handful even taste like what I grew up eating.

[Anonymous]

My go to rajma (red kidney beans) recipe. Has English subtitles and recipe below the video

http://youtu.be/rYG6unQaQrM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why so testy that most Indian food is oily. It's a simple fact. It might be that YOU have modified recipes, but generally speaking whrn I go back home to Bangalore (which is about 4xs.a.year due to work travel) I'm always working hard to avoid the excessive oil and vegetables cooked until they are dead. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but when I'm home it really stands out to me how the educated wealthy of India look like the uneducated poor in the US. And Indians are still eating Indian food, you can't blame it all on McDonald's. It's access to more rich foods and food in general.

Home cooked South Indian vegetarian food is not oily. And the vegetables are not cooked until they are dead. A lot of old world cultures have the tradition of slow cooking vegetables until they melt in your mouth.

North Indian vegetarian food is richer but that's what suits their cooler climate. Home cooked North Indian vegetable dishes are not done to death either.

Your facts are wrong as many on this thread have pointed out.

Well my North Indian MIL's vegetables are super oily AND cooked to death. That's my experience with it.

[Anonymous]

I had no idea about Indians and diabetes. Is this all just rice or also combined with genetics?

My genetics are the sweet-lovers of England. The pure sugar in our diets is major compared to a little white rice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why so testy that most Indian food is oily. It's a simple fact. It might be that YOU have modified recipes, but generally speaking whrn I go back home to Bangalore (which is about 4xs.a.year due to work travel) I'm always working hard to avoid the excessive oil and vegetables cooked until they are dead. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but when I'm home it really stands out to me how the educated wealthy of India look like the uneducated poor in the US. And Indians are still eating Indian food, you can't blame it all on McDonald's. It's access to more rich foods and food in general.

Home cooked South Indian vegetarian food is not oily. And the vegetables are not cooked until they are dead. A lot of old world cultures have the tradition of slow cooking vegetables until they melt in your mouth.

North Indian vegetarian food is richer but that's what suits their cooler climate. Home cooked North Indian vegetable dishes are not done to death either.

Your facts are wrong as many on this thread have pointed out.

Maybe you all are so used to eating oily, overcooked veggies so you don't realize that they are indeed oily and overcooked?! It's 'normal' for you since you grew up with it and therefore you don't recognize it for being what it is.

Well my North Indian MIL's vegetables are super oily AND cooked to death. That's my experience with it.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you all are so used to eating oily, overcooked veggies so you don't realize that they are indeed oily and overcooked?! It's 'normal' for you since you grew up with it and therefore you don't recognize it for being what it is.

[Anonymous]

There's a lot of both healthy and unhealthy choices in Indian food. If you want to be healthy, just choose the healthy ones, and see if any of the unhealthy ones can be modified with less oil, etc. That's what we do.

It's true some things like chaat are basically junk food, and eggplant dishes often use a ton of oil. But my family's food (Maharashtrian) also include lots of really healthy things, like water-based curries made with whole sprouted legumes, or millet with peanut-based sauce, or yogurt-based curry with spinach. Bonus points that this food is easy on the budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why so testy that most Indian food is oily. It's a simple fact. It might be that YOU have modified recipes, but generally speaking whrn I go back home to Bangalore (which is about 4xs.a.year due to work travel) I'm always working hard to avoid the excessive oil and vegetables cooked until they are dead. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but when I'm home it really stands out to me how the educated wealthy of India look like the uneducated poor in the US. And Indians are still eating Indian food, you can't blame it all on McDonald's. It's access to more rich foods and food in general.

Home cooked South Indian vegetarian food is not oily. And the vegetables are not cooked until they are dead. A lot of old world cultures have the tradition of slow cooking vegetables until they melt in your mouth.

North Indian vegetarian food is richer but that's what suits their cooler climate. Home cooked North Indian vegetable dishes are not done to death either.

Your facts are wrong as many on this thread have pointed out.

Maybe you all are so used to eating oily, overcooked veggies so you don't realize that they are indeed oily and overcooked?! It's 'normal' for you since you grew up with it and therefore you don't recognize it for being what it is.

Well my North Indian MIL's vegetables are super oily AND cooked to death. That's my experience with it.

No one will argue with your experience. But when you present your experience as facts, you are in the wrong. There are a few oily dishes involving eggplant, like the pp mentions, special occasion dishes, and snacks but that is not the everyday norm. It did occur to me that since you visit your relatives in India, as opposed to living there, they are mostly making special occasion food for you.

In any case, I am out of this conversation. I think I know who I am dealing with.