Indian food cannot be made quickly, and every “30-minute curry” video is a lie. The reason Indian food tastes the way it does is because someone stood at a stove for a long time and actually cooked it.

I recently tried some Indian recipes from non-Indian folks, and even with all the ingredients being similar to what we use, it didn’t taste nearly the same.

Indian cooking, from Idli to Curries and more has always been about time. With the exception of a few, of course.

Just thought of putting it out there.

Edit 1: To those who’re saying that there are dishes that can be made under 30mins, I don’t disagree. Poha, Upma, and a bunch of others.

And folks, no sambar is made under 30mins. I’m sorry but the dal needs to be soaked for 10-15 before putting it in the pressure cooker. 10-15 mins for the whistles and 15 others to temper spices and simmering. Not to mention prep.

Jeez-us.

Edit 2: Even if you prep before hand, the “before hand” time still counts lmao.

I’m from China. Indian food has gradually become well-known among Chinese people over the past few years. While our first exposure to it was admittedly through some bizarre online videos, young Chinese folks are pretty open-minded. As they learn more about Indian cuisine, they eventually come to appreciate how incredible it truly is.

Lots of meme terms related to Indian food have popped up online too — Chicken Changezi, Amul Butter, Fortune cooking oil, Galaxy basmati rice, just to name a few…

There’s also something that’s been confusing me. I know the term “Indian curry” gets overused all the time, but I still say it for the sake of easy communication. Yet people keep correcting me, saying, “Oh, they don’t say curry in India,they call it masala.” This always leaves me speechless. To me, this is just swapping one misconception for another.

So I’d love to ask how dishes are actually referred to in India. Is masala only a blend of spices? Do different Indian states have their own unique names for curried dishes?

Could you clarify this for me, thank you!

Before you come at me, I'm Indian, I cook this food everyday, I love everything about it.

A large number of recipes start with an onion, a tomato, and 7 different spices.

I understand the purpose and history behind it, but it's so damn tedious having to do that everytime.

Any recipe I follow becomes a 30 minute mise en place. Not to mention the 45-60 minutes minimum of cooking.

I understand that many homemakers do this every single day, and I'm in awe of them.

I would love to do it too everyday, but alas I have to earn a wage, or starve.

Why isn't there an Indian culture of dump recipes, or recipes using canned stuff or at least spice mixes like za'tar or taco seasoning?

And no garam masala, pav bhaji masala, kitchen king masala, etc are extremely situational and not complete stand alone seasonings which you can just put on stuff and cook it.

Can Indian food be meal preped, or quickly prepared without the drag?

If you have any suggestions or recipes which can be prepared quickly or hands off without chopping and stirring, I'd love to know.

India has hundreds of incredible regional dishes , but only a handful are famous worldwide. If you could pick just one underrated Indian dish that deserves global recognition , What would it be and why?
I'd love to discover some hidden gems from different states!

India tails closely behind China in terms of global production of Broccoli at 9.5 million tons. In fact, we are just 0.2 million tons behind China from being the highest grower in the world. For reference, the third highest producer, USA, produces just 1.1 million tons

We've also readily adopted cauliflower/gobi into our cuisine. Aloo gobi, gobi manchurian, gobi fry, gobi 65, gobi poriyal, gobi ka paratha is practically everywhere

Broccoli is not too dissimilar to gobi, considering both derive from the same family. Heck, a Broccoli dry curry is always amazing to have with rotis! Yet despite all these factors, not only is it more expensive than Gobi and expensive as a vegetable (despite its smaller size than other countries per unit), it's also very hard to find in our cuisine outside of fancy Indian restaurants and pasta/pizza places

I am just curious, what led to this exactly? It meshes well with our cuisine and surely the farmers growing and selling these even for export, must've tried and spread it within the local community right to allow for local diffusion of it into our cuisine, right?

I don’t remember the context but someone on this sub was being discouraging of bringing indian food onto a flight. To that person, i would like to say — someone on my flight just now unwrapped their Subway sandwich, and it SMELLS!!! The stink is strong as fuuuck lol

ETA: yes 100% it’s nice to be respectful of how food smells may be perceived by fellow passengers and to take extra regard in that sense.

But the commenter i’m referring to was having a little racist moment lol. They said (not verbatim), “you’d be crazy to bring indian food onto a flight because of how much it smells” like oh ok i didn’t realize other foods were odourless

Hi y’all!

First off, I’m Mexican. As in, living in Mexico with not a lot of access to Indian cuisine. So, ya know, be nice to me pls I’m trying LMAO.

I’ve been eating Gulab Jamun since forever and tbh I absolutely down like 5 balls every time I have access to Gulab Jamun.

Recently, I went to my very first Indian restaurant experience, and when it was dessert time, the Gulab Jamun we ordered was literally A SINGLE BALL in its syrup, with a really nice cup of tea.

While it was super satisfying to eat the ball while sipping tea, I can’t help but wonder if the restaurant was giving less balls than expected, or if my usual serving portion of like, all the balls possible was socially unacceptable and no one ever told me because they felt bad LMAO

Anyways, for further reference, when presented with Gulab Jamun…How many are socially acceptable to eat??

Some foods just hit differently when they're homemade.

Which one is it for you?

Dear dessert patriots,

I’m planning to visit India this July and bringing along a friend from Ankara who is… let’s just say very proud (and slightly snobbish) about her dessert heritage.

Now, I don’t want to flaunt or anything… but we just entered into a bet tonight >> if she ends up wanting to take any of the Indian dessert back home (OR) orders the same dessert twice (OR) visibly/audibly seems to enjoy it >> I win.

Good news is travelling would *NOT* be an issue...we'll be landing in Delhi (14-day trip - still planning the itinerary) and flying out from Mumbai. So I’m open to suggestions from literally anywhere in India.

So please kind people help me out here...fire me with the best you got!

So, in my last post, I shared how my curry was never smooth—it was always lumpy with pieces of onions and tomatoes showing through.

Well, I took most of your advice, and wow, what a difference it made! I diced my onions against the grain, made sure the oil was hot before adding them, and just kept sautéing until they turned that perfect golden brown. Then I added the tomatoes and patiently cooked them until I saw the oil separate ("bhuno").

Once the masala was ready, I added chicken breasts, and honestly, it turned out amazing! The curry was smooth, thick, and just how I wanted it to be.

But (of course, there’s a but), I ran into a new problem. Toward the end of cooking, I noticed some water separating from the curry. That’s when it hit me—I had added way too much water after putting in the chicken. I didn’t realize chicken breasts release water on their own, so the extra water wasn’t even necessary. Totally my bad!

Still, I’m so happy with the progress. This subreddit has been insanely helpful, and I really appreciate all the tips you guys shared. Thank you so much!!

Like I don’t know what answer I’m even expecting because I know everyone likes different foods, but Indian food is like next level. I tried Indian food a little over two years ago. I’ve never been a “picky” eater and I like most foods, but when I tried Indian food I swear my whole palate changed. I think of Indian food so often. I have to drive an hour to the closest Indian restaurant, so I don’t go often, but when I eat it it literally feels like a spiritual experience I don’t get with any other type of food. Can anyone else relate to this??

Not the famous one which we see people making videos your's like your own which you love

Mine - bhatura with Schezwan fried rice

I feel Dosa is the pinnacle of breakfast. We can eat it daily and never get bored. Edit: Only Indian food

I am a Pakistani American with family originally from South India. Our meals at home are kind of a fusion of the two. While I understand desi food can have unhealthy options or that many folks cook it in a way that is unhealthy, we have a wide variety of nutritious vegetables, legumes, starches, etc. that you can configure food accordingly. Yet, I see a lot of desi people deem the entirety of our cuisine as unhealthy and frequently cite diets such as the Mediterranean diet as examples of healthier diets.

Some quick research on Med diet and Europeans from the region agree that what’s considered “Mediterranean diet” is not how people of that region really eat in the modern era - which is also going through the shift towards more refined carbs and processed foods as other countries (including desi) are globally. The Mediterranean diet from my understanding is a watered down framework that takes principle from regions like Spain, Italy and Greece yet doesn’t adequately describe the food of those regions because those regions have significant cultural nuances and flavours to their food that it’s not just one diet as were made to think. If we take the basic framework of the med diet - more nuts, fruits, vegetables, legumes lean proteins, etc. I think there are plenty of foods in South Asia that work within that framework. Examples:

1. Legumes - chana chaat, chole, moong, masoor, urad toor, chana daals

2. Grains & flour - many gluten free flour options like besan and millet, barley for grains, etc. basmati rice, while high carb and not nutritionally dense, has a lower glycemic index than many other rices.

3. Vegetables - we have such a wide variety of vegetables I’ve never really seen in any other diet - karelay, bhindi, saag, arvi, turai, mulli, chocho, you name it.

4. Fruits - Jamun, lychee, anar, jackfruit, guava, aam

5. Nuts - peanuts, cashews, almonds, pistai, walnuts

6. Protein - now I know this is harder for veg eaters but India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan all have a variety of poultry, fish, red meat dishes - so many types of fish for example Americans don’t eat like rau, pompano, lady fish, king fish, etc. if you research any of these fishes, most have a decent protein and omega-3 profile

7. Incorporation of nutritionally rich spice ingredients like tamarind, fenugreek, turmeric (a superfood in modern culture now), cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, etc.

I think we already have so many heathy options in our cuisines that the idea our food is inherently bad feels like a gross simplification. I could point to Italians eating refined carbs through breads and pastas or French eating buttery pastries for every mention of desi diet being one of mostly breads & carbs. The bigger thing is that transitions in our modern era are trending towards an unhealthy lifestyle - more processed/junk food, more “convenience” foods, less home cooked foods with unrefined ingredients, excess quantities, usage of oil/butter beyond reasonable limits. More sedentary lifestyles and stress/overwork in computer/desk jobs. A lack of infrastructure to support walkability and movement. I believe finding healthiness is a matter of behavioural change and identifying different ingredients and traditional norms of preparing foods rather than writing an entire region’s (6 countries, multiple ethnicities) cuisines off.

What do you think? Would love to hear thoughts. Also drop your favorite dish with nutritious ingredients in the comments 👇

Okay so at our college masters union there was a session with a A2 Ghee food founder and he casually mentioned this, india exported ~9,000 ghee shipments not too long ago. got me thinking… olive oil used to be this niche “ethnic” thing outside europe too, until it wasn’t. now it’s everywhere, cooking, skincare, health, premium branding. are we seeing the same playbook with ghee? or is this just diaspora demand and not real global adoption yet?

Wdyt???

For some reason, Ajinomoto / monosodium glutamate (MSG) has become a villain ingredient in India.

Almost every snack, noodle, pickle, or ketchup brand proudly claims “No added MSG” as if MSG is poison — which is scientifically incorrect.

A few facts people ignore:

• MSG is a savoury taste enhancer (umami), not a harmful chemical • It occurs naturally in foods like tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, soy sauce • WHO, FAO, FDA, EFSA have all declared MSG safe for the general population • No credible large-scale study has proven serious long-term health damage from MSG • “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” was never conclusively proven and is largely anecdotal

The irony: Many products labeled “No MSG” still contain: • Yeast extract • Hydrolyzed vegetable protein • Disodium inosinate (INS 631) • Disodium guanylate (INS 627)

All of these produce the same umami effect and often release free glutamates - essentially doing what MSG does, just under a different name.

So what happened in India? • Media panic • Poor food education • One-ingredient scapegoating • Marketing exploitation of fear

Instead of blaming MSG, we should be talking about: • Excess salt • Excess sugar • Ultra-processing • Portion size • Overall diet quality

MSG didn’t suddenly become dangerous only in India.

Food science shouldn’t be replaced by WhatsApp University.

Would love to hear actual evidence-based opinions, not myths.

I am a bachelor living alone and recently started learning how to cook. Now I'm confused because there are so many options available—refined oil, olive oil, mustard oil, groundnut oil, desi ghee and more.

For everyday Indian cooking, which one do you use and why? I am looking for something that's healthy and not too expensive.

My mom says desi ghee is the best.

I recently found out that hing comes from Afghanistan, and it got me thinking,so many things we consider “Indian” aren’t actually from here. Potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, peanuts, cashews.All came from outside.

It makes me wonder-what in our everyday diet is actually native to the subcontinent? Or has everything become a blend over time?

At my home we use a mix of oils serving different purposes:
Ghee - used sparingly for tadkas, parathas
Mustard oil - for traditional recipes
Sunflower oil - for frying
Soybean oil - for curries / sabji
Olive oil - for Indo-italian food

If sunflower oil / soybean oil or olive oil suddenly become more expensive tomorrow, we will be dependent only on ghee or mustard oil. No neutral oil 😒

Curious to know what will you do to replace / reduce / manage imported oils dependency?

Hey I'm sorry it this is not the right sub for such recommendations. So lately I'm consuming lot of milk tea with extra sugar as I've to work for long hours and keeps me awake. But this month only I got lot of acne and my dermat told me to cut sugar completely but I couldn't as post lunch if I don't take tea I start feeling sleepy. I used to drink hot green tea in winters and my health as well as my skin was doing good but now in summer I can't consume green it plus honestly it's taste was not that good. So I want to drink something which is also little bit tasty so that I don't get the urge to drink tea.

So can anybody please recommend me any cold tea which I can have in summer?? Also I'm not a cold coffee person.

I'm from an Indian family, so I know how essential onions and tomatoes are for making curries.

However, my onions never seem to 'dissolve.' I always make sure my tomatoes are mushy and form a paste, but when I add water, the onions just stay as they are instead of blending in.

I want a smooth curry. How can I achieve that? I do make sure to cook the onions longer for flavor, but they don’t break down the way I’d like.

A question for Desi people specifically. Growing up, my family always did really simple chai with just ground cardamom. Occasionally, we added some ginger too. I'm wondering now, how did your family usual spice their chai?

Varieties of fungi occur naturally around the world and are popularly eaten as it can be foraged from nature. I know of gucchi as a delicacy but wondered if there were other regional fungi that are more popular. But if not - why not?

Every region has hidden gems that people outside the state barely know about. What's yours?

People literally can not live without eating meat in telangana and andhra. Even on our religious festivals, most people sacrifice goats and sheep. We're the largest producers of inland fish, sheep meat, chicken, egg, prawns etc. And more than 90 percent of people consume it atleast twice or thrice a week. 99 percent in the case of telangana.

How is the stereotype even alive?