1,000 Indian Recipes (132 page)

3 to 4 cups
sprouted
mixed dals, such as mung beans and green lentils (or store-bought)

1 tablespoon
Parsi Garam Masala with Star Anise
or store-bought garam masala

1 tablespoon sprouted
fenugreek seeds

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

2 tablespoons water

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tomato, cut into wedges

1.
Prepare the sprouted beans in advance. Then prepare the masala and the fenugreek seeds. Then, heat the oil in a medium nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onion, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garam masala, green chile pepper, and cilantro, and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.

2.
Add the sprouted dals, fenugreek seeds, salt, and water, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan and cook from 3 to 10 minutes, depending on the desired softness. Mix in the lime juice. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with tomato wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Spicy Dew Bean Salad

Moth Dal ki Chaat

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Dried dew beans, called
muth
(pronounced
moath
)
dal
, are smaller and duller in color than green mung beans. Cook them as you would
Spicy Dry-Cooked Split Green Mung Beans
, or transform them into this delicious street salad, often called a
chaat
in India.

This salad, though rarely made at home, is consumed all the time and is typically peddled by mobile vendors. Generally, these vendors have a big basket of boiled, salted
muthdal
, out of which they dole servings to eager customers, who choose toppings from a selection of mouth-watering seasonings and garnishes.

¹
⁄
₄
cup any
sonth chutney
of your choice (or store-bought)

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons
Chaat Masala
(or store-bought), or to taste1 cup dried dew beans (muth dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

¹
⁄
₂
cup dried split yellow chickpeas (channa dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

¹
⁄
₃
teaspoon ground turmeric

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

3 to 4 cups water

2 tablespoons peeled minced fresh ginger

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

4 to 5 scallions, finely chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¹
⁄
₃
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Prepare the sonth chutney and the chaat masala. Then place both dals, the turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until all the water has evaporated, about 25 minutes, leaving behind a soft-cooked, dry dal. Mix in the ginger and let cool.

2.
When cool, mix in the tomato, scallions, lime juice, cilantro, and chaat masala. Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with sonth chutney, and serve, preferably at room temperature.

Red Bean Salad with Tamarind

Chotae Rajma ka Salaad

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Every time my mother cooked
chotaerajma
(small kidney beans similar to red beans) in preparation for making a curry, my brother and I would ask her to set aside a bowl for us. We loved to eat them as is, but very often my mother would make them into this spicy salad, which we loved even more.

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cumin seeds,
dry-roasted
and coarsely ground

2 tablespoons
Tamarind Paste
or 1 tablespoon tamarind powder

1 teaspoon
Chaat Masala
(or store-bought)

1 cup dried red (chotae rajma) or pinto beans, sorted, washed and soaked overnight in 2 cups water

1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

2 black cardamom pods, pounded lightly to break the skin

1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon, broken lengthwise

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

2 tablespoons peeled minced fresh ginger

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves

1.
Prepare the cumin seeds, tamarind paste, and chaat masala. Then place the dal and the soaking water, garlic, cardamom pods, cinnamon, and salt in a medium nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until all the water evaporates, leaving behind beans that are soft and tender but not broken, about 1 hour. (Add more water during cooking, if necessary.) Transfer to a serving bowl.

2.
In a small bowl, mix the cumin seeds, yogurt, tamarind, ginger, green chile pepper, and chaat masala. Add to the cooked beans and mix well, adjusting the seasonings, if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish, mix in the cilantro and mint leaves, and serve, preferably at room temperature.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Lobia ka Salaad

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Black-eyed peas—called
lobia
,
ravaan
, or
raungi
—are often used in saucy curries, but they also make great snack salads, called
chaat
. In India, you'll often find this salad served in disposable, biodegradable bowls made of dried coconut leaves. In America, I serve them in one of Mother Nature's edible cups—the outer leaves of radicchio or butter lettuce.

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon
Chaat Masala
(or store-bought)

1 cup black-eyed peas (lobia), sorted, washed, and soaked overnight in 2 cups water

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 large firm tomato, finely chopped

4 to 5 scallions, white parts only, minced

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¹
⁄
₂
cup plain yogurt (any kind), whisked until smooth

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground cumin

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground black salt (optional)

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground paprika

Several outer leaves of radicchio or butter lettuce, or about 3 cups shredded greens

1.
Prepare the chaat masala. Then, place the black-eyed peas and soaking water, turmeric, and salt in a medium nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until all the water evaporates, leaving behind beans that are soft and tender but not broken, about 1 hour. (Add more water during cooking, if necessary.)

2.
Transfer to a bowl and mix in the tomato, scallions, ginger, mint, green chile pepper, and lime juice. Let cool, then mix in the yogurt.

3.
Heat the oil in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the coriander, ground cumin, black salt, and paprika, stir 30 seconds, and transfer to the black-eyed peas. Mix well. Present the salad in radicchio or butter lettuce cups, or mounded over a bed of shredded greens. Garnish with chaat masala, and serve at room temperature or chilled.