We have been living in India for two months now and I already know so much more about Indian food than I ever knew before living here, even having visited India over ten times and been to many Indian restaurants around the world.

Now, I know the names in Hindi and Marathi of many vegetables and spices, I also learned about and tasted ingredients I have never used or even heard of before (such as fenugreek, asafoetida and jaggery), and I learned that coriander and cilantro is the same thing.

I am still learning about new ingredients and their names, and I have added a few Indian food blogs to my RSS reader. I used to cook many times a week back in the U.S. and I found myself stumped when I got here when I couldn’t #1 – just hop on the car and drive to the grocery store by myself, and #2 – find most of the ingredients I am used to. So I naturally started learning Indian cooking and looking for recipes online and saving the ones I would like to try out, including:

Kesar Chawal – Saffron Rice

Kele Ki Sabzi- Banana/Plantain Curry

Beetroot Raita

Poha – Flattened Rice Breakfast or Snack

Daddojanam – Yogurt/Curd Rice

Gajar Halwa – Carrot Pudding

Kheer – Indian Rice Pudding

Kaju Barfi – Cashew Sweet

Here is Part I:  List: Indian Dishes I Want To Learn How To Make (so far)