Indian Cooking & Culture

A University Honors Project by Ryan Walker

Week 1:
Tandoori Chicken
Chicken Tikka Masala
Homemade Naan
Tandoori Chicken
Source: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a20267342/tandoori-chicken-recipe/

Ingredients:
1 c. Greek yogurt Kosher salt
Juice of 1 lime Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced 2 lb. chicken legs
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

Thoughts:
This dish involved marinating a dish
overnight in the spices and yogurt.
The next day, I put it in the oven for
about 45 minutes, and it formed a
beautiful, crispy crust.
Overall I was surprised how easy it
was to make. I wish the inner meat
had a bit more flavor; oddly enough
the marinade did not seep in. I would
consider making small cuts into the
chicken to better incorporate the
flavor.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Source: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a20151723/easy-chicken-tikka-masala-recipe/

Ingredients
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts,
cut into 1" cubes
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. freshly minced ginger
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream
Kosher salt
Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish
Rice or naan, for serving

Thoughts
Overall, this was an easy and super
flavorful dish! Everything was made in
this one pot, and the chicken was very
tasty.
I liked the heat level of the spice, but my
Mom doesn’t like spice very much. My
Dad really enjoyed the spice level. In the
future, I may try to adjust the spice
according to who I am cooking for. I will
definitely make this dish again. Tip: Be careful with the
Cayenne Pepper! A little
goes a long way.
Homemade Naan Bread Ingredients
1 1⁄2 cups warm water
Source: https://www.food.com/recipe/super-easy-naan-bread-350443 1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and water together until you get a dough-
like texture. 3 cups flour, plus a few tbsp for
workspace

2 Let the yeast rise, sitting in a warm area for 45 minutes. Then pull the
dough into small balls.

Due to COVID, Yeast is hard to find! My

local Kroger, Walmart, and Meijer all
were out. I eventually found it at ALDI.

I learned that I am not a baker. The

dough is challenging to get to be the
right texture, and yeast isn’t easy to
work with.
3 Flatten the dough balls, cooking in a pan for about 30 seconds on each
side.

In the future, I think I will stick to the

Naan found in the store.
Week 2:
Butter Chicken
Chapati
Indian Basmati Rice
Butter Chicken
Source: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a54464/easy-indian-butter-chicken-recipe/

Ingredients
1 c. Greek yogurt 1 cinnamon stick
Juice of 1/2 a lemon 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground turmeric 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
2 tsp. garam masala, divided 1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut 1/2 c. heavy cream
into 1" pieces
6 tbsp. butter, divided
1 large onion, sliced

Thoughts
This dish was very flavorful, even without
the spiciness found in many other Indian
dishes. Garam Masala definitely seems to
be a staple Indian culture, and it has a very
aromatic scent.
This is a great dish for those who don’t like
spicy food all that much (like my mom!)
Chapati (Indian Flatbread) Ingredients
• 2 cups whole wheat flour or drum-
Source: https://rasamalaysia.com/chapati-recipe/#mv-creation-82 wheat “Atta”
• 1 teaspoon salt

1
• 1 cup water
Mix the flour, water, and salt
• 2 tablespoons wheat flour, for rolling
together in a bowl.
and dusting

Thoughts

2 Knead into small balls and

flatten. Unlike the Naan bread
made in my previous
cooking session, Chapati
was made with a whole
wheat dough, The texture
was much easier to work
with and was like making

3 Cook on a griddle for 30

seconds on each side.
pancakes!
Indian Basmati Rice
Source: https://brooklynfarmgirl.com/easy-indian-basmati-
rice/#wprm-recipe-container-19403

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup basmati rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups water

Thoughts
This was a simple, but flavorful dish. I had
never used cardamom before, and it had a
strong enjoyable scent to it.
Although it did turn out OK, it was a bit dry. I
think that I still prefer simple white rice with
my dishes.
Week 3:
Chicken Curry
Mixed Vegetable Jalfrezi
Basmati Rice Kheer
Chicken Curry
Recipe from the personal files of Margery C., my Grandma. 

Ingredients
6 pieces of chicken (bone in skinless thighs)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons of curry powder
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
14oz can of diced tomatoes

Thoughts
This recipe comes from my Grandma in
England. Many think that the UK is full of
just Fish and Chip shops, but interesting
enough Indian restaurants are more
common. Other dishes, such as Chicken
Tikka Masala is also popular in the UK, with
some even considering it a national staple.
This curry has just enough spice and spice
levels can be easily adjusted based on your
personal taste.
Mixed Vegetable Jalfrezi
Source: https://www.archanaskitchen.com/mixed-vegetable-jalfrezi-recipe

Ingredients
1 cup Carrot (Gajjar) , diced vetically 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
1 cup Green beans 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania)
1 Green Bell Pepper 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala powder
1/2 cup Sweet corn 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 cup Green peas 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 Onion 2 teaspoon Oil
2 Tomatoes
1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)

Thoughts
This eye-appealing dish was both spicy and Jalfrezi was made popular during the British
colorful. When making it, I was surprised Raj, where home cooks used old meat and
with how little oil was put in to making this spiced it up with green chilies and onions.
sautéed dish. According to the recipe Jalfrezi is a popular dish across the world
source, “Mixed Vegetable Jalfrezi is a and is very easy to prepare.”
popular North Indian side dish that you can
make for your everyday meals. It is dry stir
fry prepared by sautéing vegetables of your
choice with select spices.
Basmati Rice Kheer
Source: https://www.vegetarian-cooking-recipes-tips.com/rice-pudding-recipes.html

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup Basmati rice • 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder
• 4 cups whole Milk
• 4 tbsp sugar (more or less according to
taste)
• 1 tsp Raisins
• 2 tbsp mixture of nuts chopped
(almonds, cashew, Pistachios etc.)

Thoughts

The rice pudding was different than I was

used to and was watery and the rice was
hard. It was not at all like rice pudding you
can buy in stores here. I did like the raisins,
and for some reason my Mom loved it!
Reflections
Week 1:
- How did this cooking experience help me understand more
about Indian culture?
I really learned how vital spices are to Indian Culture, as well as
differences in spices according to the region. I asked Neelakshi
about this, and she told me that her region of Kolkata (formerly
Calcutta) uses a lot of Turmeric, Cumin, and Coriander. I didn’t
realize that spices were regional, or even that Calcutta was now
known as Kolkata.
- Was this easier or harder than I expected? How will I use this
in the future?
The hardest part of these dishes was definitely the Naan. Dough
can be really challenging to work with. I will be interested to know
how the Chapati will turn out next week.
- What went wrong or didn’t turn out as planned? How can my
next dish be improved?
Like I said above, the dough and Naan was not similar to the Naan
I have had in the past. I think that the yeast gave me trouble, and I
need to ensure I use the right quantities.
- Are there any new questions I would like to ask Neelakshi?
I want to learn more about her experience in America vs. India
when considering food spice level. Does she find American food
bland?
Week 2:
- How did this cooking experience help me understand more
about Indian culture?
I learned that despite adding spices typical to Indian cooking that
dishes can still turn out not to be spicy. The Butter Chicken did not
turn out spicy at all but was very flavorful. Neelakshi told me that
Garam Masala used in this dish is a very mellow spice.
- Was this easier or harder than I expected? How will I use this
in the future?
Overall, I felt this week was easier than expected. The Chapati
bread came out much better than the naan did last week.
- What went wrong or didn’t turn out as planned? How can my
next dish be improved?
I think that overall all of my dishes came out well , however I think
that by better organizing I would be able to have all of the dishes
come out together as one meal rather than them coming out
separate like they did.
- Are there any new questions I would like to ask Neelakshi?
I was talking to Neelakshi and was curious to learn more about
how her commute worked in India. I know she never learned to
drive (however her brothers did, but its not as common for
women) and she was interested when I told her that I learned at
16.
Week 3: Cultural Differences
- How did this cooking experience help me understand more United States India
about Indian culture?
I learned that Indian rice pudding is different than American rice
pudding and involves a spice called Cardamom. I learned that you
could use a “Dry pot” stir fry where you add the spices to the Less spice used in cooking Many different spices used
cooking vegetables with no liquid. Chicken Curry, and Indian food by region
in general, is very popular in the United Kingdom due to the large
Indian population. Less women in STEM Many women in STEM
- Was this easier or harder than I expected? How will I use this majors majors
in the future?
The stir fry vegetables were challenging, as you had to coat all the
vegetables in the spice while trying to avoid any sticking or Large theme park Small theme parks
burning. I think that the chicken curry will be a convenient dish to attractions
make in the future, and easily adjustable to any spice level.
- What went wrong or didn’t turn out as planned? How can my Men and women commonly Men typically learn to drive
next dish be improved? learn to drive in India, women less
Nothing went wrong, and I think this was the best week so far.
frequently
Neelakshi said that I will have to cook for her when back in Clifton
. Frozen food is common, and Frozen food is rare, and
- Are there any new questions I would like to ask Neelakshi? people go less frequently to fresh food is important,
I was talking to her about things to do in India, and she told me the grocery store leading to more frequent
how small theme parks are there. I may take her to King’s Island visits to markets
sometime in the future.
International Student Opportunities at UC

The University has an International Student office which helps

students with understanding how to be successful in their transition to
the United States.

The University has various organizations for Indian students including:

The Indian Students Association

Bengali Students Association
University of Cincinnati Laya (Indian Dance)

Neelakshi is part of an organization (UC International) that provides

support to International Students and every year sponsors a “prom” for
international students that allows them to experience this part of
American culture.