Food products preferred in USA

Thanks Folks !
Thanks for the pics Krithika ! That was very sweet of you. I'll hunt for them during my next grocery shopping.

hi Jitiks,

I don't know how to prepare ghee here.In India my mom and MIL used to prepare.I know that procedure.Here i donnow...Could you please tell the procedure...

Add to that list,

Indian Kantola (aakakarakaya) frozen,dalda ,Jaggery,Manchurian mix,pani poori pack(Swad) and many more from indian stores.As far as Bhavani atta is concerned i have seen this in Patel Brothers, Maryland as well.Not sure whether it is available all over or not.

Thanks for the info

Vasera:
The flours in USA are for different purposes and often act very differently depending on what you have. The kind called Bread Flour is for making yeast breads and especially for use in bread machines (dabal roti), all purpose is for making cookies, quick (using baking powder) breads, for making gravy (American term gravy), etc. I used to use that for handmade yeast bread no problem but the machines are far more touchy. There is pastry flour for use in various cakes and deserts....there is also cake flour which is a special kind for making the lightest most delicious cakes. Whole wheat pastry flour is what a friend of mine always used for Indian breads. A kind of flour called Hudson Cream is especially prized in the south for making biscuits (American biscuits which are a type of bread).

The reason for all these kinds are the varieties of wheat that they are made from. Some are hard wheat and some are soft wheat, each having different gluten contents. The higher gluten varieties are necessary for yeast breads.

You mention that the flour you bought in India is different from what you have purchased here. You might want to check the country of origin printed on the bag. I know Golden Temple is from Canada.

Just so you know: there is a preference for hard wheat varieties in western countries as it is safely stored for longer periods. The famous example of the downside of soft wheat is from the Napoleonic war. The soft wheat fed to the French troups was used even after it got a fungus (went bad) which makes that wheat mind altering (in a very unsafe manner). Napoleon's troup became unable to function and were killed an masse during their invasion of Russia, thus Napoleon losing that war.

Kritika:
Tomatoes prices here are outrageous. A really good solution for Indian dishes are the tomotoes canned with green chillies. They are available in the Mexican section (Rotel is the famous brand). I have also found they in a store label at Aldi's for $0.49 a can which would make them 1/6 the cost of using fresh and you don't need to add chillies!

You are most welcome Ranchu! Do look for them the next time you go for shopping! :)

Originally Posted by Ranchu

Thanks Folks !
Thanks for the pics Krithika ! That was very sweet of you. I'll hunt for them during my next grocery shopping.

Hi madhuri,

Preparing ghee at home is quite easy. Look for unsalted butter in the stores. So far, I've used Land-O-Lakes unsalted butter, Kirkland butter and Trader Joe's. All are of good quality. So, choose the one you want and proceed.

The butter can be refrigerated if you use it often or best bet will be to freeze it.

Preparation of Ghee:

Take the required amount of butter and add them to a hot pan.

Keep the heat to medium-high.

The butter slowly starts to melt and keep stirring it every now and then.

After a few minutes, it starts to bubble with noise. Keep stirring it and wait for the noise to subside.

Once it starts foaming on top, reduce the heat to med-low.

The cue is to wait for the golden brown colour (it should not be white or yellow) and switch off the heat at that point.

Remove the pan from heat, wait for sometime.

Then filter the ghee using the stainless steel filter and transfer it to another container.

To start with, try with 2 sticks of butter. If it comes out right, then you can prepare a little more. :)

Do try and let me know. Good luck!

Hi Tina,

That was a complete guide about the flours! Wow! So informative.

As for the all purpose flour, I didn't get it from India, it's just that my mom felt that the Maida she gets in Chennai is different from the one I get from the Indian store. She felt this especially when we were making Polis.

As for brand name, it is Deep Brand and it says 'All purpose flour' (Maida) on the packet.

You are right about the tomatoes. I do find the canned tomatoes are reasonable and even gives a better taste. Looks like I don't have Aldi's near my residence. Need to check out where it is. If it is going to be far, like say, 15-20miles, then i can as well get the 89cents can from the store closer to me. What do you think?

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions and lots of ideas!

Keep jumping in whenever you can Tina! You seem to have a wealth of info!

Tasidelek2002,
Thanks for the detailed information about various flours and their uses..the historic connection too was intersting
I used to buy flour for making chappathis, puri, or batura..so I ended with buying Chapathi flour and Maida from the Indian stoes.. But when I try my hand on baking other stuffs your post will definetily be a help to me..
I know Golden temple brand is made from canada..But didint notice abt All puropse flour..When I check what I have , you are right..it is also a make from canada..

Vasera:
I fully understand your frustrations with flour....I have the same when I am in India. I tried to make biscuits (the American small breads) and had a resounding disaster with Indian maida. It would be very helpful is flour suppliers would label the wheat types so that cooks might know the nature of the flour's usefulness.

Happy cooking!
Tina

Regarding Non-Veg Items, we used to buy

Frozen Tilapia Lions from Costco..(sometimes fresh ones)
Chicken from Whole foods..
At present we dont have Whole foods near by, so we buy in near by American's grocery stores..But my dh says chicken from whole foods tastes better..
Meat (goat) from Halal stores