Easy Indian Cooking (9 page)

CHAPTER ONE

accompaniments

 
 
They don’t call them “accompaniments” for nothing! These sauces and dips add that little “something extra” to every bite of a meal. When we are hungry, we eat not only to fill our bellies; we eat so that we can savor a combination of flavors that satisfy our taste buds. That’s where these accompaniments step in. They are usually made with fruits or vegetables, and are often flavored with sugar, vinegar, yogurt or a blend of different spices. They can be made into pastes, like
sambal
,
and enjoyed with rice-based main courses; or have the consistency of a thin dipping sauce, like
chutney
,
which works as a perfect accompaniment for
samosas
,
which are stuffed and fried turnovers. Then there are the
raitas
—the most common and popular Indian accompaniment—a delectable cross between a sauce and a dip that act as a coolant for curries and other fiery-hot Indian dishes. Some accompaniments are made with crushed fruits or vegetables and can contain a marriage of different flavors. Some are even cooked, and their spices tempered, to give them a different dimension.

No Indian meal is complete without at least one accompaniment, and fancy meals may have as many as five or more. Throughout this chapter, I suggest classic pairings for these accompaniments, but please don’t rely on my taste buds alone. I urge you to trust your culinary instincts and try experimenting with seasonal fresh fruit or produce, and basic spices and herbs that are readily available at your favorite local grocery store. Often, the results are surprising and good.

In India, chutneys are usually freshly made each day because they contain no preservatives. I often make them in batches and refrigerate or freeze them for those times when I need that extra bit of flavor to zing up my menu.

potato raita with chives and cumin

Serves
4
Preparation
10 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes

If there ever was a staple accompaniment on the Indian table, it is raita. Various vegetables, sometimes cooked, sometimes raw, are used in making raitas. Here, I have added chives for a flavor that’s slightly different than the runof-the-mill raita. Enjoy this with Spinach and Thyme Roti Flatbreads (page 76).

1 large potato or 2 medium potatoes (½ lb/225 g), scrubbed clean with a brush

2½ cups (610 g) plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, toasted and ground

½ cup (16 g) minced chives

½ red bell pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

1
Peel the potato before or after cooking. Place the potato in a pan, cover with lightly salted water, and boil until tender, about 25–30 minutes. Drain. (Alternatively, you can fork-perforate and microwave the potato for 4–8 minutes.) When cool enough to handle, cut the peeled potato into 1-in (2.5-cm) dice.

2
Place the yogurt in a serving bowl, mix in the potato, salt, and half of the ground cumin seed and peppercorns. Add the chives and red bell pepper. Garnish with the remaining ground spices, and serve.

spiced hummus with almonds

Makes
3 cups (800 g)
Preparation
10 minutes

Dried or canned chickpeas are a basic item in any Indian pantry. For this dip, you can use canned garbanzo beans, which are also called chickpeas. The addition of Indian spices makes this recipe delightful, and—when used as a dip for finger snacks, plain tortilla chips, or potato chips—it is an unusually easy-to-pull-off appetizer for your guests when you are in no particular mood to spend hours in the kitchen!

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 cup (140 g) sliced almonds

2 cups (300 g) rinsed and drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas) from one 19-oz (583-g) can

5 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup (2 g) fresh mint leaves

¼ cup (65 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt, to taste

½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

1 teaspoon prepared garam masala

1
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until slightly toasted and brown, about a minute. Set aside.

2
Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until slightly toasted and brown, about a minute. Set aside.

3
Blend the almonds, garbanzo beans, sesame seeds, and garlic with a little water in a blender or food processor to make a smooth paste.

4
Add the mint, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper, cumin and garam masala, and blend. Serve cold as a dipping sauce.

wasabi and green chili chutney

Makes
1 cup (300 g)
Preparation
10 minutes

Don’t let the words “wasabi” or “green chili” scare you away from this chutney. The mayonnaise and lime juice cut through the heat of these immensely spicy ingredients to give you a dip that isn’t too dangerous for your palate. Enjoy this spread on basic vegetable sandwiches or smeared on a plain flatbread or Potato and Dill Stuffed Parathas (page 74).

1 tablespoon prepared wasabi paste

2 small fresh green chili peppers, deseeded

5 green onions (scallions), coarsely chopped

1 cup (8 g) fresh mint leaves

3 cups (120 g) coarsely-chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

¼ cup (65 ml) fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt, to taste