1,000 Indian Recipes (221 page)

2.
Place the Anaheim and serrano peppers in a bowl and toss with the salt. Set aside about 30 minutes, then wash, drain, and dry them on a towel. (Drying is essential, or the oil will splutter when you fry them.)

3.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the reserved
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cumin seeds and the mustard, fenugreek, and kalonji seeds, then the towel-dried peppers and fry (in 2 batches, if needed) until they are barely browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Leaving the oil behind, drain well and transfer everything to a bowl.

4.
In the same oil, fry the onion over medium-high heat until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Leaving the onion in the skillet, remove most of the oil and discard or reserve for another purpose. To the onions, add the tamarind paste, water, curry leaves, roasted spice mixture and 1 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat until the sauce is very thick and the oil separates to the side, about 20 minutes. Mix in the fried peppers and cook another 10 to 12 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve.

Hyderabadi Tomatoes in Spicy Tamarind Sauce

Tamatar ka Saalan

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This is a spicy, lip-smacking, soft-cooked tomato dish that comes from my friend Yasmin AliKhan's kitchen in Los Angeles. True to her Hyderabadi heritage, Yasmin makes this (and all her other
saalans
, or tamarind-flavored vegetable curries) with strong, bold flavors, starting with fresh vine-ripe tomatoes, and simmering them with a bunch of freshly roasted spices until they almost disintegrate in a pickle-like, buff-colored sauce.

This curried dish stays fresh for about 2 weeks and tastes lovely in open-face sandwiches.

¹
⁄
₂
cup
Tamarind Paste

3 to 4 tablespoons
Hyderabadi Ginger-Garlic Paste

¹
⁄
₄
cup chopped shelled raw peanuts, red skin removed

2 tablespoons grated fresh or frozen coconut or shredded unsweetened dried coconut

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons black cumin seeds

2 teaspoons white poppy seeds

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

3 tablespoons peanut oil

3 whole dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon kalonji seeds

8 to 10 small firm tomatoes (about 2 pounds), each cut into 8 wedges

2 small onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons salt, or to taste

1.
Prepare the tamarind paste and the ginger-garlic paste. Then place the peanuts in a small nonstick skillet and roast over medium heat, stirring and shaking the skillet, until a few shades darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. In the same manner, roast together the coconut, coriander, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes, until a few shades darker, about 2 minutes. (Or roast each separately, following tradition.) Transfer to the peanut bowl. Let cool, then grind the peanut mixture in a spice grinder or food processor (in batches, if necessary) until as fine as possible. Mix in the turmeric and grind again.

2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the red chile peppers, mustard seeds, kalonji, and the remaining
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil.

3.
Quickly add the tomatoes, onions, ginger-garlic paste, and salt, then mix in the roasted spices and cook, stirring occasionally, over high heat for the first 3 to 5 minutes, then over medium-low heat until the tomatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tamarind paste, and cook over low heat, stirring only once or twice, until the oil separates to the sides, about 30 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Hyderabadi Spicy Eggplants with Roasted Peanut and Sesame Sauce

Bhagarae-Baingan

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This calorie-rich dish from Hyderabad comes to me from a native—my friend Shahina Bhalla. The recipe has several steps, but once you start cooking, it's actually quite easy. Making the spice mixture requires the most time, but it can be made once (in bulk) and refrigerated up to 6 months.

I simplified the recipe technique and made this a healthier dish. In the authentic version, the onion and garlic are usually charred over a direct flame and the eggplants are usually deep-fried, but I prefer to broil all these ingredients. They still develop smoky and sweet flavors that blend well with the seasonings.

¹
⁄
₄
cup
Tamarind Paste

1 pound small Indian or Chinese eggplants

2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil

2 medium onions, cut in half (unpeeled)

1 small head fresh garlic, separated into cloves (unpeeled)

¹
⁄
₄
cup raw peanuts, red skin removed

¹
⁄
₄
cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut

3 to 5 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, broken

¹
⁄
₄
cup sesame seeds

3 teaspoons cumin seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon fenugreek seeds

2
¹
⁄
₂
to 3 cups water

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons mustard seeds

15 to 20 fresh curry leaves

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

1.
Prepare the tamarind paste. Then, preheat the broiler. Keeping the stems intact, make a long slit in each eggplant. (If using Chinese eggplants, make a slit along the length and then cut them into 2-inch pieces cross-wise around the middle.) Toss with 1 teaspoon oil, then place on a baking or broiler tray and broil 4 to 5 inches from the heating element, turning once or twice until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside and leave the broiler on.

2.
Place the onions and garlic on a broiling tray and broil 4 to 5 inches from the heating element, turning once or twice until completely charred, about 10 minutes. Let cool, peel off most of the charred skin from the onions and garlic, and process in a blender or a food processor until smooth. Leave in the processor.

3.
Meanwhile, in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, dry-roast the peanuts until golden and transfer to a heat-proof bowl. Then dry-roast the coconut until golden and transfer to the same bowl. Then dry-roast the red chile peppers, sesame seeds, 1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons cumin seeds, and fenugreek seeds until a few shades darker, and transfer to the same bowl. Let cool and grind everything together in a spice or a coffee grinder until fine. Add to the processed onion mixture, then add about
¹
⁄
₂
cup water and process again to make a smooth paste.

4.
Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons cumin seeds and the mustard seeds; they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so cover the pan and lower the heat until the spluttering subsides. Quickly add the curry leaves, stir 1 minute, and add the processed onion and spice paste. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the oil separates and floats to the top and sides, 20 to 30 minutes.

5.
Mix in the tamarind paste and the eggplants, cover the pan, and simmer until the eggplants are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Add more water if needed; this dish should have a soft, thick sauce—more sauce than vegetables. Transfer to a serving dish, mix in the cilantro, and serve.

Variation:
To make a simpler version, do not roast the vegetables; buy roasted, unsalted peanuts and dry-roast the spices, then grind the peanuts and the spices together.

Stuffed Bell Peppers in Tomato-Cream Sauce

Tamatar ki Kari Mein Bharvaan Shimla Mirch