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Gather round children. I know that Indian food seems really scary. All those spices are intimidating to cook with. And if you don’t have them already, expensive to purchase. But since your local Indian buffet has shut down (remember those?), you’ve been wanting your fix. The good news is that Indian food is never as hard as it seems like it would be. Those expensive spices? You are buying them from the wrong store!

When buying spices, avoid Walmart. Avoid Kroger. Avoid any normal store you usually shop in. Get on the internet and find your local Asian or Indian grocery store. Buy the spices whole, not pre-ground (they are way better, but there are some exceptions). You can get a lot more spices for way cheaper if you do it this way. Store the leftover spices in whatever jars you have; remember how I said I’m partial to Talenti containers?

Rows and rows of Talenti ice cream containers filled with spices.
It’s called up-cycling. Someone from Talenti should sponsor me. I have a problem.

They really are the best. So. Your basic spices for any Indian food would be:

  • Chile Powder – preground
  • Haldi (Tumeric) – preground
  • Mustard Seeds
  • Cumin Seeds
  • Coriander Seeds

You probably already have cumin and coriander powder at home right? And some kind of chile powder? Cayenne perhaps? So that would leave you needing the turmeric and mustard seeds. Easy peasy!

While you’re at the store, grab some cinnamon sticks, cloves, anise, and cardamom. Find the loose black tea (we like Society, but Red Label is good too.) Snag you a strainer, making sure it’s a fine mesh.

Add some whole peppercorns, then order you a pepper grinder. You can’t beat freshly ground pepper. Finally, grab you a mortar and pestle. That’s it for the basics. Future recipes may call for other spices, but now you know where to go.

Before you leave, snag a head of cauliflower, some thai (bird chiles), cilantro, and ginger. Do you have tomatoes, onions, garlic, and potatoes at home already? If not, go ahead and grab them now. If you don’t feel like making your own naan, store-bought is fine, and actually really good. I am partial to Malaysian style puff paratha, so see if you can find those and give them a shot.

Alright, now we are home with our spices and our veggies. Are we ready to do this? I believe in you! You will be amazing at this! Let’s cook some vegetables!

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Aloo Gobi

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 white onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
  • chile powder to taste
  • 2 small thai chiles, finely chopped to taste, less is more, these tend to be HOT
  • 1 large tomato, medium diced
  • 1 large cauliflower, separated
  • 3 potatoes, large dice
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot. When it's hot, add the onion, cooking until translucent.
  • When the onions are cooked, fry the ginger garlic paste until it no longer smells raw.
  • Add the whole spices, stirring in the oil and ginger garlic paste until they start to pop.
  • Stir in the dry spices. The mixture should be looking pretty dry right now, so be careful not to burn the spices.
  • Quickly cook the thai chiles. They will only take like 30 seconds because they are so small.
  • Add the potatoes, cauliflower, and tomatoes, making sure they are coated in the spice mixture.
  • Add a 1/2 a cup of water to the pot and quickly cover. Allow the vegetables to steam for 15 or 20 minutes or until soft. Taste for salt.
  • Serve with naan, roti, or paratha.