Single male, new to US, never cooked before, in dire need of help...!

Hi astroseeker,

I think you can post your need in US forum, iam sure that you will get reply very early too. as there are many southindians there.

madhu.

 

Hi astroseeker,

Please check cookery section,you got wonderful Chitvish amma's recipes,or try to google cooking blogs, where you can find many recipes with snaps& in some even you will get step-by-step snaps tooo....


I can understand your state, i remember my brother....but believe me within few days you will get expert.


All the best pa.


quote=astroseeker;787072]Dear forum members,

As my post title explains, I am new to the US, and in fact, have never been more than 2 hrs from my mother in the past.,..! (How I miss her..!) I am from good old Chennai (I like Madras better...!)

My biggest problem is - food. I want to eat typical South Indian dishes, at least once a day, for dinner at least. Cereal and Sandwiches for breakfast and lunch is OK, but for dinner, I hope to eat something I'm used to all my life.

I have never been inside the kitchen. So the problem compounds itself. My needs are,

1. Finding an Indian grocery store in NY, closest to where I live which is 49th street, 9th ave, Brooklyn, NY. I have no car, and need to use the subway.

2. deciding what I need to buy and how much of it. I don't want to buy too much, and waste it because it got spoiled. Especially what rice comes closest to the parboiled (puzhungal) rice, that i am used to.

3. What utensils I need, and what sizes.

3. and also, some recipes - Sambhar, Rasam, some vegetable dishes, Dhal kozhambu, idli, coconut chutney - for basic South Indian dishes.

If some of the more experienced members of this forum can help me overcome my gastronomic problems I will be most grateful.

Thanks.[/quote]

 

Hi,

Lots of newcomers to the US face this problem. Regarding recipes refer to the recipes section in this site itself. Both Chitvish and Krishnamma have given tons of south indian recipes.

you will definitely need a small pressure cooker (1.5 - 2 liters) for making dal / rice etc. A non stick cooking set with the basic saucepans etc should do. Lots of stores like Macy's, kohls, target etc sell boxed sets of cookware with ladles etc so get one of those. And other stuff like plates and spoons. You may want to get an electric rice cooker (Aroma brand is good).

Regarding rice, the jasmine rice from thailand is pretty close to south indian type rice. various varieties of sona masoori rice are also available. for idlis i recommend using idli rava instead of raw rice for the batter.

re the stores, hopefully some one from NY will respond. hope this helps.

 

One of the best ways for me even though i am a mom myself and want to try whats out there as something different or some method that someone has found an easier way to make has always been YOUTUBE, there are many many people ranging from students, bachelors to seasoned cooks who have posted a clear demo of the wonder recipes they made. so just type in your key search criteria and there should be loads and loads of good stuff in there. Good Luck..

 

hi astro seeker,
welcome to IL, and welcome to the US !

i don't know about the situation in miami, but if you are going to be in NYC for sometime, i think you'll find it much easier to get most of the indian groceries that you are used to, as well as other stuff like pickles, etc in the indian stores here. NYC also has a lot of indian restuarants(lexington ave. in manhattan in chock full of them, but dunno abt brooklyn), so you can grab some indian food for dinner even if you don't find the time to cook everyday....
reg your questions,
1. check this site for lists of indian grocery stores and restuarants in nyc.
also try googling for 'indian grocery stores nyc' and you might find more results...
2. i find many stores in nj having 'puzhungal' arisi. am not sure about stores in the city, but you'll most likely find it there too...if not, sona masoori or ponni raw rice (again, both of which i get commonly in nj) are good for cooking rice to be eaten with sambar, rasam, etc...
basic utsensils, as mythreyi has said - cooker, 2-3 pans, ladles, plates, and some small cups or boxes to store the left-overs so that you can microwave them later on if you need...
3. recipes - IL has loads, and you might have a tough time choosing ! these two links - http://www.indusladies.com/forums/ask-chitvish/22720-z-order-chitvish-recipes-easy.html

and Krishnaammas Kitchen - IndusLadies

have a comprehensive list of all kinds of south indian recipes and you'll find a lot of cooking tips too in these forums...
do go through them, and ask any more queries that you may have...

of course, in addition to rice, you'll need - toor dhaal(tuvaram parupu), channa dhaal(kadalai paruppu) udad dhal(ulutham parupu) moong dhaal(payatham parupu), red chillies, mustard seeds(kadugu) methi seeds(vendhayam) cooking oil (vegetable oil, canola oil etc) , tamarind or tamarind paste, sambar and rasam powders, chilli powder etc for making a south indian meal of sambar, rasam and a vegetable curry or kootu ...

all the best for your shopping and cooking expeditions, and do feel free to ask any other queries that you may have...

you might also find useful the forum for Indians in New York - IndusLadies