I love all sorts of cuisine, but Indian is the double edged sword of sooooo good but also sooooo much of a pain to make. Look up an Indian recipe and you’ll see they generally contain a plethora of ingredients which have to be added at various times. You need to shop for things like whole cumin seeds and asafetida. You will need up to five different little containers to put the pre-measured spices into so when it’s time to say add the ginger, garlic, and chili you can pick up the right container and hurl in the contents at the right time. Picture them if you will, carefully lined up on the counter so you add them in the right order. Also, you have to constantly start timers so you know when to put in the next container. And you stir, stir, stir, stir, STIR!

I hear you ask, “Why torture yourself Joan?” The answer is simple. I am allergic to tomatoes and coconut AND mustard so the only safe thing to do is make it myself. Except I know a few restaurants where the staff know enough English that they can reliably steer me towards dishes I can eat safely. Tonight I have eaten such a meal and it was amazing. Such a joy to eat Indian without all the work! Too bad this joint isn’t close to our house, but when I’m near it I always stop by.

For the record, if you want to try your hand at cooking Indian I recommend the book “Indian-ish” which makes the recipes as easy as they can be. That’s not easy, just easier. There are only three non-vegetarian dishes in the whole book so if meat is your thing maybe try a different book out. If you do like your veggies though, this book is for you!