My dear friend Supriya Raman wrote today drawing my attention to her weblog, Ode2Food which again highlighted for me how far Indian cooking has come in the United States! Once there was a time where you couldn’t find a Indian recipe book in the local library. But today, there has been a tsunami of Indian cuisine weblogs, each showing the reader that there are a myriad Indian ways in which food can be cooked and enjoyed. Power to the people!!

Alas, some one needs to tell this to my local Indian restauranteurs in New Jersey, for despite how many restaurants I visit, I find the same run-of-the-mill food that goes under the all encompassing “Punjabi” cuisine! Or go to the south Indian restaurants and you will find the same “Idli” or “Dosa”! So frustrating, to say the least.

But Supriya’s weblog demonstrated for me once again that one need not look too far to find delicious ways of enjoying Indian cuisine. Take the Sesame seed powder recipe that Supriya discusses on her blog. Would it be so difficult to offer this in the restaurant?

So why is it that Indian restauranteurs don’t want to offer the authentic Indian cuisine? I think there is one and only reason…restauranteurs are mortally afraid of veering away from the true and tried formula. If the clientele doesn’t like what is served, they may never return, so why take a chance on something new when the run-of-the-mill will earn you a quick buck? I sympathize with the restaurant owners, but come on, some body’s got to lead the way out of this!

Fat chance of that happening. So, I say to my American friends, if you want to taste the “real” Indian cuisine, don’t expect much from the local Indian restaurant. Instead, head over to the speciality Indian food blogs that discuss how food was “really” cooked in their household by their mothers and grand mothers, and try it out in your own kitchen. You may make a mistake or two, but once you have mastered the alchemy of Indian cooking, you will never need to taste the bland food that passes up for “authentic Indian food” in your local restaurant.

Thank you Supriya, for making my life just a bit more interesting with the Sesame Podi. I will try it immediately with my family.

BTW, I googled Gingelly Oil, and learned that its Sesame Oil, of which I have plenty in my kitchen since I use it in Chinese cooking.