I am originally from India. Most people I meet tell me that they LOVE Indian food but are too afraid to try cooking it at home. Indian curries and all the spices that go into them can be overwhelming.
It is important to know that Indian cuisine is a delicious combination of simple as well as complex dishes. Everyday dishes like lentil soups (typically eaten with rice or whole wheat flat bread), or stir fry vegetables need just a handful of ingredients to prepare.
On the other hand, fancy meat curry recipes could call for up to 10-15 ingredients to get the job done. Add to that the complexity of spices with unfamiliar names… and it is easy to scare off the most determined of home cooks.
So, where do you start? Where do you go for all the spices that the recipe calls for? Happily, the answer lies in a wonderful Indian grocery store in Norwalk called Patel Brothers.
A bright, spacious, well organized grocery store with isle after isle of well marked shelves bursting with all kinds of ingredients. You name it and they have it! And if they don’t – chances are that they can get it for you.
Every time I walk in there, I feel like a kid in a candy store. All the food items bring back happy memories of my childhood in India and I find myself fighting the urge to buy one of everything. :-)
Rice and chapatti (whole wheat flat bread) is the staple of every Indian kitchen. So you will be surprised to see giant bags of those. Would you like 15lb bag of basmati rice? :-)
I like to buy my whole spices in bulk from here. For instance, it is so much easier and cheaper to buy a big bag of black peppercorns and use it to refill my peppermill at home, as often as I need to. Looking for unsalted and shelled pistachios for a dessert recipe? Patel Brothers has them.
For those who wish to take baby steps when it comes to eating Indian at home, I want you to know that Patel Brothers carries many dry spice mixtures as well as prepared and frozen food packets. Shaan, Swad and MTR are well known brands and therefore a safe bet.
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