1,000 Indian Recipes (42 page)

This book covers all types of Indian foods—dishes you may have eaten in restaurants, regional and classic home-cooked Indian foods, street foods, as well as modern dishes with Indian flavorings and universal appeal. So there are a range of recipe options to cook and enjoy.

You'll find that the recipes balance traditions with real-world cooking concerns. Although I always strive for authenticity in my dishes, I have strayed from old-world traditions of hand-grinding, sun-drying, and of course, cooking in a tandoor; modern conveniences allow for wonderfully suitable substitutions. I rely on the stove and the oven, on a grill and a pressure cooker, and even get a little help from the microwave. I gravitate toward the food processor, the blender, and the spice grinder, and I use the freezer a lot—not to pull out store-bought frozen foods, but to freeze my spice pastes, puréed chutneys, and other basic ingredients—so when I'm actually cooking, most of the busy work has been done and my time is focused on cooking and creating. As a general rule, I keep my home recipes quick and healthy, and this is how you too probably prefer to cook. Here are some hints and shortcuts for using my recipes and for being an efficient cook of Indian cuisine:

•
Always read and understand the recipe before you start. Some recipes have cross-references to other recipes—for needed ingredients such as spice blends, chutneys, and sauces, or for suggestions for accompaniments. Decide if you need to coordinate making them or if you can substitute a store-bought item. (I mention if a purchased product can substitute for homemade.)

•
Ingredients to keep on hand, preferably fresh or homemade: cilantro; dry-roasted cumin, sesame seeds, and black peppercorns; ginger paste, garlic paste, and ginger-garlic paste; green chutney; crispy fried ginger and crispy fried onions; fresh lemon juice;
paneer
cheese; pickles, especially mango and lemon; chutney preserves, especially mango and tomato.

•
Have all the ingredients ready so you're not opening drawers and bottles when your attention should be on food on the stove or in the oven, or that you have to stop cooking to make a basic preparation.

•
To make food go further in the event of unexpected company, make an extra vegetable or quickly cook some frozen peas, chopped fresh vegetables, potatoes, or rice in the microwave, then add them to an existing dish to increase its volume.

•
To salvage over-salted or over-spiced foods, add a peeled and chopped cooked or mashed potato; the spud will absorb most of the extra salt and/or chile heat. Or, mix in some yogurt, cooked plain white rice, or another vegetable—the idea is to increase the volume of the dish, so the saltiness and/or heat dissipate.

Spices and Other Seasonings

When European explorers went to India in the 16th century, they found the country fragrant with spices and they capitalized on the opportunity for trade and wealth. What they didn't realize was that the Indian people held the secret to the true value of these spices—it lay not in their monetary worth, but in the way the spices could be altered, blended, and coaxed into producing intensely flavorful and satisfying foods.

Even today, the first encounter with the colorful, fragrant Indian spice rack is a beguiling experience. But, once you get past their unusual names, Indian herbs and spices are quite easy to use and, for the most part, are readily available. Look for them in well-stocked supermarkets, in local Indian markets and other ethnic markets, and from catalogs or reputable Internet sites (see the
Sources list
).

The following is a list of popular Indian seasonings. (I include ayurvedic—health-affecting—properties because this is integral to how Indians cook.) Buy what is needed for specific recipes and then expand your collection as you feel more comfortable.

= Vegan
= Pressure-Cooker Quick

Ajwain Seeds

This spice is known by various names—carom, lovage, omum, or Bishop's weed, with no one single English name. However, the name
ajwain
or
ajowan
is universal, so
ajwain
is what I call it throughout the book. These tiny brown or green-brown, ridged, celery seed look-alikes are deceptively fragrance-free, but when crushed, they release a strong and highly aromatic, thyme-like fragrance, which mellows down after cooking. When eaten raw, they have a hot, strong, pungent bite.
Ajwain
seeds are prized as a home remedy to relieve gas and stomachaches, and are often chewed raw by people with seasoned palates.

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