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Indian cooking in India vs. Indian cooking in the West
The average middle-class Indian housewife can get away with minimum cooking, if she knows
the way out. The average American housewife can't, unless she has the will power to suffer
insipid frozen/canned dinners, day after boring day.
The reason -affordable and easily available labor back home. My mother in Calcutta has had a
cook for years and a maidservant for as long as I can remember. Whenever I stayed away from
home, I had no difficulty in locating some caterer who would deliver my meals to my doorstep at
no extra charge.
So on my second day in the US, I realized that I had one serious disadvantage. No household
help whatsoever. Most middle class Indian housewives have maidservants who will come in,
clean up the kitchen and do the dishes. For a few extra rupees they will wash and chop the
vegetables and grind the spices. For a monthly salary most of us can afford to pay, they will cook
entire lunches and dinners, every day. In America, I had no such luxury. I had to look for ways to
make things easier for myself, or else spend the whole day in the kitchen.
Gradually I learnt what to look for in the Western supermarket, and I wasn't disappointed. I
found chopped onions in the frozen vegetable section, sparing myself the time, trouble and tears
involved! I found shredded cabbage tucked away in a corner on the salad shelves, and so on and
so forth.
(A note of caution: don't overdo it. Sooner or later every one discovers that canned potatoes are a
poor substitute for boiled, baked or microwave-cooked potatoes. Yes, there are certain
necessities I try not to compromise on. For instance, there is no substitute for the flavor of
freshly chopped tomatoes, however strong the temptation to buy tomato paste or canned
tomatoes may be. The same goes for fresh garlic- no amount of garlic powder or bottled garlic
will have the same effect.)
Agreed, compromises have to be made - chopped onions, shredded cabbage etc. Like I've
mentioned before, the solution lies in making the most out of all the products the Western
grocery store has to offer, and knowing what to do and what not to do with them to come up with
a great meal!
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0 minute Indian Cuisine
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