Curry - Curry is the English description of any of a general variety of spiced dishes. Curry is a generic term and although there is no one specific attribute that marks a dish as a curry, Indian curries generally have tomato in them and have “gravy” or sauce as a result of adding water toward the end of cooking.
Dahl’s (lentils) – These are used to make a dish called pappu or dahl. The dish can be very watery (like soup) or thick (like refried beans). Dahl is typically served with rice. Dahls are a common source of protein for Indians as many of them eat little or no meat. Dahl’s are also very inexpensive and are affordable for everyone. Dahl’s can be cooked very quickly in a pressure cooker. In a pressure cooker, the dahl will usually be done after about 6 long whistles. If you do not have access to a pressure cooker, dahl can be cooked with the same procedure you would use to cook any dried beans. Follow the recipe and boil for a long time. You may even need to mash them or use a blender or food processor at the end to get them to the desired consistency. There are several main types of Dahl’s.
• Chana – large split yellow lentil (chick peas)
• Masoor- Split red lentils
• Moong- Split yellow lentil
• Urad – black gram
• Toor – Yellow
Flat breads – Almost every Indian meal has either rice or some type of flat bread as a main component. Sometimes both are served for a special occasion. North Indians typically eat more flat breads while South Indians rely more heavily on rice. There are many types of flat bread including, chapatti, roti, naan and others. Indian flat breads do not contain any yeast and are typically mad with flour, water and a bit of oil. Flat breads can be very time consuming to make for the beginner. You can by a number of different varieties of Indian flat bread at the Indian Grocery store. Although they are quite different, Mexican tortillas and pita bread can also be used as a substitute.
Fries - Fries are very similar to curries. However, they do not have any tomato in them and are more dry then a curry (they do not have “gravy”). Fries are typically served with flat bread instead of rice.
Rice - Almost every Indian meal has either rice or some type of flat bread as a main component Rice is a basic component of many Indian meals (especially in the Southern part of the country). Rice can be served plain with curries or for special occasions special rice (talimp annum) is made. There are also many different rice dishes (such as lemon rice and tomato rice) which can be served alone or with chutney, or pickles for a simple meal. Most Indian rice is dry long grained rice. Basmati and Soona Masoor rice are probably the most common types of rice used in India.
