How to Cook Indian (110 page)

Sookhi Dal Amritsari

Lentils with ginger

The city of Amrtisar lies in the state of Punjab. Punjabi cooking traditionally uses a lot of ginger and onion, and this lentil dish illustrates this. Ginger adds flavor, of course, but since the lentils used here can be a little hard to digest, it also acts as a digestive aid. In most of Punjab, this is a typical wintertime dish.

Serves 4.

1 cup (200 grams)
dhuli urad dal
(split skinless black gram)

1 teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

3 (1-inch/2½-cm) pieces fresh ginger, cut into thin strips

¼ cup (50 ml) vegetable oil

Pinch of asafetida

1½ teaspoons cumin seeds

2 small red onions, chopped

2 to 3 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

2 small tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon red chile powder

¾ teaspoon
garam masala
(spice mix; page 27)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Place the
dal
in a bowl, wash it in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 2 cups (400 ml) water and soak for 1 hour. Drain the
dal
in a colander.

2. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over high heat. Add the dal, 2 cups (200 ml) water, ½ teaspoon of the salt, the turmeric, and half of the ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until the
dal
is soft but the grains are separate. Drain the
dal
in a fine sieve and set aside.

3. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, lower the heat to medium and add the asafetida and cumin seeds. When the seeds begin to change color, add the onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Add the remaining ginger, the chiles, and tomatoes, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chile powder and sauté until the oil comes to the top.

4. Add the drained
dal
to the tomato mixture and stir. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the
garam masala,
cilantro, and lemon juice, and stir again. Cook for 2 minutes.

5. Transfer the
dal
to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Varan

A dish made of split pigeon peas

The pure taste of comfort! This simple lentil curry is a staple in Maharashtrian homes in western India. To serve, press steamed rice into small round molds and turn the molds over onto serving plates. Remove the molds, and pour the hot
dal
over the rice with a generous drizzle of ghee.

Serves 4.

½ cup (100 grams)
toor dal/arhar dal
(split pigeon peas)

½ teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ghee (page 37)

Pinch of asafetida

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

1. Place the
dal
in a bowl, wash it in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 1 cup (200 ml) water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain the
dal
in a colander.

2. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over high heat. Add 2 cups (400 ml) water, the dal, salt, and turmeric, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the
dal
is completely cooked and soft. Purée thoroughly using an immersion blender.

3. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ghee. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the asafetida and cumin. When the cumin seeds change color, add to the
dal
and cover to trap the flavors.

4. Serve hot.

Dal Dhokli

Strips of spicy dough cooked in flavorful lentils

My wife, Alyona, made this for me when we first got married. She grew up eating it and served it to me with much fanfare. While it was not love at first bite, over the years the dish has grown on me, and I have developed a great love for it.

Serves 4.

¾ cup (150 grams)
toor dal
(split pigeon peas)

¾ cup (100 grams)
atta
(whole-wheat flour)

2 tablespoons
besan
(chickpea/gram flour)

1 teaspoon table salt

¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 pinches of asafetida

½ tablespoon vegetable oil

1½ tablespoons peanuts

1 tablespoon ghee (page 37)

¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 fresh curry leaves

3 fresh
kokum
petals, or 2 dried (see page 588)

1½ teaspoons grated cane jaggery

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Put the
toor dal
in a bowl, wash in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 2 cups (400 ml) water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain the
dal
in a colander.

2. Put the
atta
and
besan
in another bowl. Add ½ teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the turmeric, a pinch of asafetida, the oil, and ¼ cup (50 ml) water, and knead to make a stiff dough.

3. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add 1½ cups (300 ml) water and when it comes to a boil, add the
dal
and lower the heat to medium. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the peanuts and the remaining ½ teaspoon turmeric, and stir. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the
dal
is tender and completely cooked.

4. Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll into balls. Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a thin
chapatti.
Using a sharp knife, cut 1½-inch (4-cm) diamond-shaped pieces. Set aside.

5. Place a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add the ghee. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, the remaining pinch of asafetida, the garlic, and curry leaves. When the seeds begin to sputter, remove from the heat and add the mixture to the
dal.

6. Add
3
cups (600 ml) water, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and the
kokum
to the
dal
and bring to a boil. Add the jaggery and stir. Cook until the jaggery is completely dissolved and the
dal
is slightly thickened, then add the dough pieces and cook, stirring the
dal
occasionally and gently so that the dough pieces do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

7. When the dough pieces are cooked and the
dal
has thickened further, transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with the cilantro and serve immediately.

Aamras Ki Kadhi

Buttermilk-and-mango curry

This lovely sweet-and-sour buttermilk curry is rich with the flavors of green and ripe mangoes. It is better to make the mango pulp yourself than to buy it, since most ready-made pulp is heavily sweetened.

Serves 4.

¾ cup (210 grams) green mango pulp

¾ cup (210 grams) ripe mango pulp

2 tablespoons
besan
(chickpea/gram flour)

¾ teaspoon table salt

¾ cup (150 ml) buttermilk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Pinch of asafetida

½ teaspoon black mustard seeds

¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

6 to 8 fresh curry leaves

2 green chiles, stemmed and slit

½ cup (50 grams)
boondi
(see Note)

Steamed rice

1. Place the green and ripe mango pulp, the
besan,
and salt in a large bowl, and whisk until smooth. Add the buttermilk and whisk again. Set aside.

2. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the asafetida, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds and sauté for 1 minute or until the seeds begin to sputter. Add the curry leaves and chiles and sauté for 2 minutes more; the curry leaves and chiles will turn slightly dark.

3. Add the mango mixture and stir slowly. Add 1½ cups (300 ml) water and stir until it blends well with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the
boondi
and simmer for 5 minutes or until the
boondi
are soft and immersed in the curry. Remove from the heat and pour the curry into a serving bowl. Serve immediately with rice.

Boondi
are small deep-fried dumplings made from
besan
(chickpea/gram flour). They are available in Indian grocery stores.

Gujarati Kadhi

A simple yogurt curry

This yogurt-based curry can be served atop rice or on its own as a soup.

Serves 4.

¼ cup (25 grams)
besan
(chickpea/gram flour)

2 cups (500 grams) plain yogurt

3 tablespoons grated cane jaggery

2 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

1¼ teaspoons table salt