Easy Indian Cooking (29 page)
Read Easy Indian Cooking Online
Authors: Hari Nayak
3
Add the drained rice and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the water and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pan and cook until the rice is done, 10 to 15 minutes. Do not stir the rice while it cooks. Remove from the heat and let the rice rest for about 5 minutes.
4
Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle the toasted cumin and the remaining mint on top, and serve.
spicy eggplant rice with mint
Serves
6
Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
15 minutes
A childhood friend often used to make this dish for me—Vaangi Baath, as it is known in India. I have added a twist—mint—for extra flavor. You can use Asian baby eggplants or the regular ones for this recipe. Serve it with a Potato Raita with Chives and Cumin (page 19).
1 cup (75 g) dried unsweetened coconut
8 dried red chili peppers, broken
1½ teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
½ teaspoon seeds extracted from whole green cardamom pods
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon minced fresh curry leaves
1 lb (500 g) eggplant, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) pieces
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups (800 g) basmati rice, cooked (follow recipe for Basmati Rice with Dry-Roasted Spices, page 77, omitting the spices)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1
Toast the coconut, red chili peppers, coriander, cumin, sesame seeds, cardamom and black peppercorns in a medium pan over medium heat, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove the spices from the pan and let cool. Grind the spices to a fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder. Place in small bowl and mix in the turmeric, cloves, and cinnamon.
2
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds; they should splutter upon contact. Quickly add the curry leaves, eggplant, salt, and half the ground spice mix. Cover the pan and cook over medium-high heat the first 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the eggplant is quite soft, about 10 minutes.
3
Add the tomato paste and cook about 2 minutes. Gently mix in the cooked rice, mint and the remaining ground spice mix. Cover and cook over low heat, 5 to 7 minutes, to blend the flavors. Serve hot.
Serves
6
Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
15 minutes
Leafy vegetables aren’t a common addition to rice-based dishes in India—red chard, in fact, is unavailable there—but the food value from these greens is a good reason to include them. They also provide a great contrasting color. If you can't get red chard, try rainbow chard or even spinach or kale. Serve this alongside Grilled Sea Bass with Coriander Chipotle Ketchup (page 60) or Roasted Red Snapper with Fresh Green Chili Cilantro Pesto (page 61) and a green salad.
2 cups (500 ml) water
1½ cups (300 g) uncooked basmati rice, rinsed and drained
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
3 tablespoons oil
1 lb (500 g) white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 lb (500 g) red chard, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 fresh green chili peppers, deseeded and minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
1
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, and then add the rice, salt and cumin seeds. Bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and keep warm.
2
Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil and cook until they are golden and release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes. Reserve in a bowl.
3
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the red chard to the same pan and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the chard is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, green chili peppers and salt, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook until the leaves are soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Mix in the mushrooms.
4
Spoon the mushroom and red chard mixture on top of the rice and serve hot, garnished with fresh coriander leaves.
Serves
4
Preparation
10 minutes, plus 30 minutes (dough rest)
Cooking
15 minutes
For best health, deep-fried foods should not be eaten very often, but these Indian breads are great for special occasions. Mint adds to the color and flavor of this bread, and makes for a great presentation. I would serve this with a portion of Street-Style Spicy Black Chickpea Masala (page 90), Hot and Sour Chickpeas (page 88) or Mustard Potatoes with Dill (page 96).
1 cup (135 g) whole-wheat flour ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, coarsely ground
¼ teaspoon salt
10 fresh mint leaves, minced
3 tablespoons oil
1/
3
to ½ cup (80 to 125 ml) water
Oil, for deep-frying
1
Blend all the dry ingredients and the fresh mint leaves together in a food processor, or mix by hand in a bowl. Add the oil and, when blended, add 1⁄3 cup (80 ml) of the water and mix until a dough is formed, adding more water if needed.
2
Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.
3
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Apply oil to both sides of the dough balls and flatten each into discs about 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) in diameter with a rolling pin.
4
Fill a medium saucepan
1/3
with oil for deep-frying and heat oil on high. Deep-fry the bread, turning once to ensure that it puffs up. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
Serves
6
Preparation
45 minutes
Cooking
1 hour
Biryani, as this is known in India, is a labor-intensive preparation. Hence, reserve this for special occasions. This is a one-pot meal, but adding a simple raita to it will make it even more nutritious. Leftovers of this dish are even more flavorful, so make an extra portion!
2 lbs (1 kg) chicken, skinned and cut into serving pieces
4 cups (1 liter) water
1½ cups (300 g) uncooked basmati rice, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons oil or clarified butter
4 whole mace
6 cardamom pods
1 (1-in/2.5-cm) cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
