Veena’s Market: Cook Indian Food at Home

This is no exaggeration: I’ve been trying to make Indian food at home for years. And each time, I’ve been disappointed by the outcome. It’s not that the food hasn’t been good, it’s just always been lacking something that I can never quite put my finger on.

A few weeks ago at a food writing conference, the attendees went around the room and gave a brief introduction of themselves. My ears perked up when I heard a woman named Veena say that she “...makes Indian cooking easy and accessible through her online store.” I checked out her online market, contacted her and set up a meeting for coffee so I could hear more about what she’s doing to bring Indian food to all of you.

We’ve all been there. We get home from a great trip or a friend’s dinner party and spend all day running around town to pick up unique ingredients and spices to recreate a dish…only to be disappointed by the outcome and left with a number of obscure items that sit untouched for months on end. No longer.

Inspired by her love of traveling and tasting different world cuisines, Veena launched Veena’s Market in February of this year. Growing up in South India, Indian food was never foreign to her but upon moving to the States, she quickly realized that a level of mystery and intimidation surrounded it. Veena’s Market aims to change that.

Veena’s website concept is simple:

• Check out the kits ($6.50-$8.99), which include curries like Vindaloo and Indian staples like Tandoori. The difficulty meter lets you know where to begin. Start off easy and progress to harder kits as you hone your skills.


• After you buy and receive your kit, which includes pre-rationed spices and rice, check the instruction guide for what you’ll need to buy on your own. All the fresh ingredients are readily available at your local grocery store and include items like meat, eggs and onions.


• Gather your ingredients and get cooking!


• Enjoy your food and brag to your friends about your homemade Indian cuisine.

Veena was kind enough to give me a sample of the Vindaloo and let me taste test her new recipe for Saag.They both came out beautifully and I can’t wait to stock up so I’ll be able to have Indian food as easily as a plate of pasta. Once you start cooking ethnic foods and see how easy they can be, you’ll never want to stop experimenting!

For more tips, recipes and info, head over to Veena’s Market blog.

Did you know? Indian food is inherently gluten-free and can easily be made vegetarian!