Appliances for any American kitchen in India

When you first move to a foreign country, the looming task is to fill your home with furniture, appliances, linens, books, beds, mattresses, towels, kitchen utensil and plates. It's overwhelming to make thousands of decisions in a few short days or weeks. Many of us that have gone before you have learned a thing or two along the way (by making mistakes!).  Whenever you're in a hurry to set up a home, it's tempting to make quick decisions, or uninformed decisions.  To help avoid making the same mistakes I did, here's my advice as new families are sorting through the options.

The first thing to know is, you can get more than you might think.  You can buy a dishwasher.  You can buy a clothes dryer.  The dryer is only about $300.  It's highly worth it, especially if you live in a humid climate.  Especially the more kids you have, and even more especially if you are using cloth diapers. :)  If there's something you want, and even if other foreigners in your city say you can't find it, ask stores and google for it anyway.  Maybe they set up their house five years ago and you couldn't find that particular thing then. Things are changing every year in India, and more and more is available. I can think of three things off the top of my head that have come available in the last year that I would never have thought could be found!

Back to the kitchen.

Let's talk about appliances.  The biggest purchase for the kitchen is usually the refrigerator.  My advice: go as big as you possibly can.  I've upgraded twice, because I bought something that looked kind of mid-range in the store we were shopping in.  (Also because our family has grown by two kids since we came!)  Mid-range in the store is TINY by American standards. : )   For we Americans that like to shop once or twice a week, we need a larger refrigerator.  One great place to find larger refrigerators at a better price is at GreenDust.  It's a scratch and dent chain store all over India.  If there's one in your city, you can get a much bigger fridge there for the same price as you'll pay at a retail store for a smaller one.  If you look hard, you can get one with just a few dents around the back side.  We've had several appliances from GreenDust and have been really pleased with it all.

Now for smaller appliances.

There are several different routes to go for ovens.  There are convection ovens (a.k.a. fancy microwave ovens that will bake small cakes and cookies).  There are "normal" gas ranges with four burner tops and an oven underneath that stand on the floor.  And there are counter top ovens, which are called OTG's.  (Oven-Toaster-Grill).

So what I'm about to say is my opinion based on my experience. : )  I chose the OTG for a lot of reasons. It has a more predictable and flexible path to baking anything and everything.  The OTGs are electric and behave very similarly to the ovens I was used to in America. I didn't have to re-learn anything.  Now, you can get 40, 52, and 60 litre capacity OTGs from Morphy Richards.  I have the 52, and I can get two pans of pizza, two trays of cookies, two loaves of bread baking at the same time.  I believe that the counter top ovens are just as big (if not bigger!) than the full range ovens.  And I KNOW they are far cheaper!  The temperature seems easier to control (and keep at a low level for warming, etc.) in an OTG than in a gas oven.  Also, OTGs are more flexible in that not every apartment will have a space for a range.  The reality is, whatever house you move into your first year will most likely not be the only house you live in on this side of the world. : ) The one biggest advantage I see to the gas full ranges is that they can keep baking when the power is out.  If power is a big issue where you are, that may be a heavier factor for you.

My Morphy Richards OTG

We chose to get a simple microwave for heating up leftovers in addition to the OTG.  This is probably not necessary, but it sure was nice when I was heating up baby food! :) 

Speaking of baby food, I think another appliance that is really useful is pictured below:

These are known as food processors here.  I use this just about everyday.  It comes with all kinds of attachments.  In the polycarbonate bowl on the right, there is a chopper blade attachment (like a traditional food processor in the states), a dough kneader (which works great for a single loaf of bread, cake or cookie dough, pizza dough, etc.) a vegetable shredder (great for cabbage, carrots, cheese), a lemon juicer, an egg beater, a centrifugal juicer, and a french fry slicer.  On the left portion, the jar pictured is great for grinding nuts (making peanut butter!), coffee, chicken, or making sauces from tomatoes.  There's also a smaller jar that's a "chutney" jar that is great for pureeing onions, cilantro, making pesto, etc.  Did I say that I use this almost everyday? :)  There's also a blender to put on the left side.  I had a Bajaj brand my first five years, and it was great. Very similar to this, but after five years the motor went out. I've had this Lumix now for almost three years, and I think it's more powerful than the Bajaj.  It has been fantastic!  You can't beat the price of these, they typically are between Rs. 5,000-6000.  

There you have it!  The most important appliances for an American kitchen in India!  Feel free to comment with questions, and especially differing opinions for a balance perspective! 

Cream Cheese!!

I was at my local dukan today, the only place in town that carries any kind of import things. To my shock and glee, there was this in the refrigerator:

Yes, that's right, a locally made cream cheese, in a tub, that's spreadable. Seriously. And look at the price!

150. 150 Rupees. I would make a cheesecake with this. It's good enough. So look for it in stores near you. And if you don't see it soon, print these pictures out and take it to your dukandar and tell him to get it! :)

Liquid Glucose!?

Last week when I was doing some shopping for Thanksgiving, I found a jar of liquid glucose, by Solar, an Indian company. It looks just like Karo Syrup, though it's not made from corn syrup. I'm planning to use it soon to make a batch of caramel almond popcorn and substitute it for the karo syrup and see how it does. I'll let you know.

Have any of you ever used it? I'd never seen it before, but it's locally made and about Rs. 50 a jar! I'm really hoping it works! :) Let me know if you have experience with this liquid glucose...

Andrea's Daal Crash Course

Daal (lentils) is a staple dish in South Asia. South Asians eat this nearly everyday, and depending on how it's cooked, it can be really delicious, or... not so much. :) There are so many more varieties of daal here than we have in the west, so here is a pictorial crash course on the different varieties and their names. But don't ask me how to use them or cook them. :) My house helper cooks our lunch, and I couldn't tell you how to make her delicious daals. One of these days I'll watch her and post a few recipes.

Such a huge thanks to AndreaS for sending these pictures of all the varieties of daal with their names in Hindi. I still have yet to master all these different varieties! :)

Split green moong daal

Whole green moong daal

Tur daal

Left to right:

-Whole urad daal

-Split black urad with skin

-Split washed white urad daal

Whole Masoor daal

Channa daal (split chickepeas)

Starting at one o'clock and going clockwise:

- Split Masoor daal

-Tuvar daal

-Moong daal

Below is Split Masoor daal again...

What to Say to Get What You Want

When you first come to South Asia, figuring out the new terms for food items can take months. Many of us struggled to figure these out on our own, but we love you newbies too much to put you through that. So here's a list of items from the experienced minds of South Asian American cooks. :) Thanks to all those who helped compile this list! Please feel free to email/comment if you think of anything that's left off.

almonds = badaam

asafoetida = hing

baking powder = baking powder or pakaanay ka soda

baking soda = bicarbonate of soda from chemist, or meeta soda at the local store

barley = joe (but I have not found it like pearl barley, only in the husk)

basil = kali tulsi

bay leaves = tej patta

black eyed peas = lobia

black pepper = kali mirch

brown sugar = jagari (this is local and not quite the same, but might work depending on what you’re making)

butter = makkan

cardamom = elaichi

carom seeds = ajwain

cayenne powder = lal mirch

celery seed = anjwan

chick peas/garbanzo beans = channa or chola/chole

chick pea flour = besan

cilantro = dhaniya

cinnamon = dal chinni

cloves = laung/lavang

coconut oil = naryal ka til

coriander powder = dhania powder

coriander seeds = dhania

corn meal = makki ka atta/makka atta is as close as you’re gonna get, but works great for cornbread :)

corn starch = corn flour

corn syrup = Solar brand Golden Syrup

cream = malai

cream of tartar = potassium acid tartrate at the chemist

cumin powder = jeera powder

cumin seeds = jeera

curry leaf = kari patta

dill = soya

dough = gunda huwa atta

egg/eggs = anda/ande

fennel seeds = saunf

fenugreek = methi

fenugreek leaves, dried = kasoori methi

fish = muchli

garlic = lussun

ginger, fresh = adrak

ginger powder = sohnth (but it’s stronger here, so beware) :)

green bell peppers = shimla mirch

ground meat = keema

honey = shahed

kidney beans = rajma

lemons = nimboo

lentils = dal* (see post on dal, detailing the types with names)

mace = javitri

mango powder = amchur (for Indian cooking, really potent)

mint leaves = hara pudina

mustard seeds = rai/sarsoon

mustard oil = rai ka til/sarsoon ka til

nigella seeds = kalonji

nutmeg = jaiphal

onion = pyaz

olive = zaitoon

peanut oil = groundnut oil

poppy seeds = khus-khus (lighter colored and smaller here)

powdered sugar = icing sugar

raisin = kish mish

refined sugar = boora or breakfast sugar or castor sugar

rock salt = seendha namak

saffron = kesar

salt = namak

semolina = sooji/rawa

sesame seeds = til

shortening = no equivalent, but see note*

star anise = chakriphool

turmeric = huldi

vinegar = sirka

walnut = akrot (great substitute for pecans)

wax paper = butter paper

wheat germ = try boosa? my helper called it that today

wheat gluten = possibly seitan, not sure yet... let me know if you figure it out :)

wheat flour = atta

white flour = maida

yeast = khameer

yogurt, plain = dahi

Seasonal things:

-Makki ka atta tends to only be available in the cold months

-Strawberries come for only 6-8 weeks in November-January, so stock up, puree and freeze!

-Mangoes are so delicious, but only available during the hot season. These are also good pureed and frozen.

-Jagari is also only a winter thing

Notes on Milk:

-Doubled Toned Milk is like 1%

-Toned Milk is like 2%

-Slim Milk is skim

-You can also get full cream milk

-(In Rajasthan at least, where Saras milk is sold, they have skim, 1.5%, 3%, 4.5%, and 6% milk, all different colored bags. Can you guess how long it took me to figure THAT out!? Some days the milk bag was purple, some days green, some days blue...) :)

-The milk sold in bags (Mother Dairy, Amul, Saras, etc.) is pasteurized and does not need boiling, but if it makes you feel better, knock yourself out. :) Seeing a few chunks of cream in this milk is normal and fine. Don't plan on keeping this milk in the fridge longer than a few days, it will start to spoil quickly. So don't buy too much at once.

-The milk sold in boxes (Nestle, Amul, etc.) is pasteurized and homogenized. Because of this it will keep a lot longer and you'll never see chunks of cream.

-You can also get fresh milk straight from the cow or buffalo. Ask your neighbors and find someone who has milk delivered to their house everyday. Just make sure to ask where it's coming from, so you can rest easy it's not coming from that cow across the street eating your trash. :) In Delhi, you can get organic milk delivered to your house if you want!

Notes on Ghee/Shortening/Dalda

There is no equivalent of shortening in South Asia, but some things can be substituted.

Pure butter can be substituted.

Ghee is also an option, it is a clarified butter made from milk fat, we think. :) It has a strong flavor though, so may not work in certain recipes. Also, the brand of ghee makes a big difference. (Katrina P says, “I strongly recommend using one of the name brands like Nestle, Milk Man etc... the ‘desi ghee’ is just a little too ‘desi’ and still tastes a little too much like the buffalo.” ) You’ve been warned. :)

Vanaspati is another option, made from vegetable oils, which is more like shortening. Experimenting might be necessary for you to figure out what you like best. Dalda is one company that makes this, and you can find others in the oil/ghee section. Makes a good substitute for Crisco in biscuits, pie crusts, etc.

For a more exhaustive list including fruits and vegetable names, check out: (thanks to ErickaS for the tip)

http://www.angelfire.com/country/fauziaspakistan/recipes