Unlocking the Mysteries of Indian Cuisine

With a good simmer sauce, spice paste, or cookbook as your guide, even a tentative cook can enter the spicy and sensual world of southern Indian cuisine.

The Vindaloo paste we purchased at the Epicure Market in Miami called out to us. As I cracked the cover of my publisher's copy of Madhur Jaffrey's upcoming book, Climbing the Mango Tree, I thought it fitting to have a proper Indian meal.

Still a novice to Indian food, I enjoy starting with one ingredient or one dish and figuring out from there what I can learn. Once a bit of new info is anchored somewhere in the gray matter, it seems a bit easier to link new data up...

Here's what I can share about emerging knowledge...Vindaloo is a spicy curry often made with lamb or pork. It originates in the Southern part of India. Goa and Kerala are both in the Southern part of the continent. Christianity is more common in these regions, hence no prohibitions against consumption of pork as is this case in more Hindu dominated regions. Today Kerala's population is about 20% Christian.

With its long coastline and its tropical climate, it was a treasured stop along various spice traders' routes. From early Phoenicians, through Portugese, Arab and Dutch traders a rich and complex array of spices developed and new world additions increased the variety of components in the cuisine.

One of the easiest ways to enter the world of Indian food (so different from what most of us have tried in mediocre college holes in the wall)is through a good cookbook and/or a good simmer sauce. Maya Kaimal's "Curried Favors" is a beautiful book and a loving tribute to her family of cooks from Kerala. It offers a wonderfully straightforward, yet thorough introduction to many of the culinary traditions, spices, and techniques of the region. She produces commercially available simmer sauces which give neophytes like me an opportunity to make a homemade, authentic Indian dish by simply adding vegetables and meat or seafood to the pan.

Go on - give it a try. A world awaits.