The flavors of India are vast and diverse, with many unique ingredients and dishes that are unfamiliar to the average American. Indian food often features many spices including cardamom, turmeric, cumin, and coriander. Legumes like chana (chickpeas), lentils, and mung beans are also incredibly popular. Indian food is often noted for its fragrant aroma and variety by region. Through our Indian cooking class, participants got to learn new recipes and expose themselves to some mouthwatering cultural dishes.
The dishes and accompaniments we made were:
Chicken Makhani (butter chicken)
Paneer Makhani
Roti
Veggie Pulao (rice)
Sambar (lentil soup)
Gulab Jamun
Rasgulla
Scroll for pictures and a link to the recipe guide!
With mouthwatering aromas wafting out of the kitchen, we split up into 5 stations and began rolling out roti dough, practicing knife skills while chopping loads of veggies, and assembling deeply flavorful soups and sauces. Students listened to traditional Indian music while sampling butter chicken, fresh roti, and various Indian snacks.
Once the food was finished, everyone got to try each dish and decide on their favorites. The sambar was aromatic, slightly spicy, and hearty with large chunks of potatoes and carrots. The paneer and chicken makhani were rich, creamy, and spicy with tender chicken and delicious crispy paneer. The fluffy pulao and chewy roti tied all of the dishes together for an incredible representation of both well-known and less common Indian cuisine.
To finish off the event, we served some common Indian desserts called Gulab Jamun and Rasgulla. The Gulab Jamun (pictured on the left below), soft dough balls soaked in a sweet syrup, were decadent and floral. The Rasgulla (pictured on the right below), cottage cheese balls soaked in aromatic cardamom milk, were perfectly spongy, sweet, and soft.
Recipes:
Thank you for coming out to our event and learning about Indian cuisine with us. Check us out on Instagram @casu.uf to stay up to date on our upcoming events!
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