By: Shreya Suresh
Growing up, I always thought Indian food was disastrously complicated to make. As a result, I stuck to instant noodles and mac ‘n’ cheese for a few weeks when I moved abroad. When they lost their charm, I made many long distance calls to my mother, asking her for recipes and ignoring time zones. As it turns out, she wasn’t appreciative of my late night phone calls and asked me to get creative. I did the next best thing—I found these great food blogs to copy from. They feature simple Indian recipes using ingredients you’d find anywhere.
Chitra Agrawal, of ABCDs of Cooking, mixes traditional, vegetarian, Indian recipes with influences from around the world. A bona fide ABCD (“American Born Confused Desi”—a term used to describe South Asians raised in the U.S.), her recipes include old family favorites mixed with the best of whatever’s in season. She’s been featured in The New York Times, The Huffington Post and Real Simple, among many others and is working on her first cookbook.
Anupy Singla, of Indian as Apple Pie, got her blog’s (and now also her company’s) name from her approach to cooking: Indian food from an American point of view. She caters to homesick Indian foodies all over the world, and keeps her recipes healthy and delicious. Her first two books, The Indian Slow Cooker and Vegan Indian Cooking, remain best-selling Indian cookbooks in North America.
Mallika Basu, of MallikaBasu.com, started out like most Indian kids who move abroad. Armed with a total of two recipes, she moved to England for college. Since her master’s degree, she has tried to replicate the comforting taste of her home in Kolkata, in India’s West Bengal. Her shortcuts, cookery tips, and tricks fit simple Indian recipes into busy schedules.
Anjali Shah, of The Picky Eater, features recipes from across the world, including a large variety of Indian entrees. Raised as an obsessively healthy eater, she ended up married to a “white bread guy” from Chicago. She bridged the wide gap in their eating habits by cooking healthier versions of the food her husband enjoyed. She guarantees that the recipes on her blog are delicious—after all, they’re certified by a couple with a “picky palate and picky food preferences.”
Happy cooking!