How to Cook Indian (121 page)

1 cup (130 grams) dry milk powder

2 tablespoons
maida
(refined flour) or pastry flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup (60 grams) plain yogurt, whisked

1¼ cups (250 grams) sugar

1 teaspoon milk

¼ teaspoon ground green cardamom (see Note page 559)

Pinch of saffron, threads

2¼ cups (450 grams) ghee (page 37)

1. Put the milk powder in a bowl. Add the
maida
and baking soda, and stir well. Add the yogurt and stir to make a soft dough. Divide into 16 equal portions and shape them into round, smooth balls. Set aside.

2. To make the sugar syrup, place a nonstick saucepan over high heat and add 1 cup (200 ml) water. Add the sugar and cook, stirring continuously, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk and stir. The scum containing the impurities in the sugar will rise to the top. Gently gather it with a spoon and discard. You will get a clear syrup. Add the cardamom and saffron, and stir. Cook until the syrup reaches 130°F/54°C. Remove from the heat and cover to keep the syrup warm.

3. Place a nonstick wok over medium heat and add the ghee. Heat until the ghee reaches a temperature of 160°F/71°C or until it is fragrant.

4. Gently slide in four dough balls at a time and cook, gently spooning hot ghee over the balls with a slotted spoon, until the balls are deep golden, about 2 minutes.

5. Drain the balls in the slotted spoon and transfer them to the sugar syrup. Repeat with the remaining balls. Soak the dumplings in the syrup for at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.

The temperature of the ghee should be low or the
jamuns
will cook only on the outside and will remain raw on the inside. You may stuff
gulab jamuns
with saffron and pistachio nuts, sugar crystals, or
gulkand
(candied rose petals, available at Indian grocery stores).

Jalebi

Deep-fried dough spirals soaked in sugar syrup

These syrupy spirals are the most popular fresh
mithai
(dessert) in most of northern and western India. I have seen them being made at sweet shops, and now they are even cooked in front of guests at weddings.
Jalebis
might be common and innocuous, but they tug at the strings of many hearts.

Makes 30.

1½ cups (195 grams) plus 2 tablespoons
maida
(refined flour) or pastry flour

¼ teaspoon yellow or orange food coloring

2½ cups (500 grams) sugar

½ teaspoon ground green cardamom (see Note page 559)

2¼ cups (450 grams) ghee (page 37)

1. Put 1½ cups (195 grams) of the
maida
in a bowl, add 1½ cups (300 ml) water, and knead the batter, with your hands, until completely smooth. This will take some elbow grease. The batter should not have any lumps at all. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place to ferment for 20 hours.

2. Knead the batter again for 15 minutes. Add the food coloring and the remaining 2 tablespoons
maida,
and knead again for 10 minutes.

3. Place a nonstick saucepan over high heat and add 2 cups (400 ml) water. Add the sugar and cook, stirring continuously, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cardamom and cook, stirring, until the syrup reaches a one-string consistency (see Note page 570). Let the syrup cool to lukewarm.

4. Place a wide nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add the ghee. Pour some of the batter into a squeeze bottle. When the ghee melts and small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, lower the heat to medium. Hold the bottle over the hot ghee and gently squeeze the batter in round 4-inch (10-cm) spirals, starting from the outside and working to the inside.

5. Cook, gently turning with a slotted spoon, for 8 minutes on each side or until the spirals are evenly golden and crisp. Remove with the slotted spoon to the sugar syrup and soak for 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Drain and serve hot.

Traditionally the
jalebis
are fried in a special pan called a
jalebi tawi,
which is wide and not too deep, and the batter is squeezed through a
jalebi
cloth, which is a piece of thick cloth with a 1/8 inch (3-mm) hole in the center.
Jalebi
making takes some practice and patience. To start, make one at a time, and when you have perfected that, try making several at a time. To make crisp
jalebis,
add a little rice flour to the
maida.

Kalakand

An exquisite milk-based sweet

Milk is God’s gift to mankind and a cook’s dream ingredient. For Indians, it is the basis for many sweets,
kalakand
being just one of them. A good-quality
kalakand
will be a little grainy on the palate and not cloyingly sweet. One tip:
Kalakand
does not have a long shelf life, so it’s best to make only as much as you can consume in a day.

Makes 16.

10 cups (2 liters) buffalo milk (or cow’s milk)

¼ teaspoon alum, crushed (see Note)

¼ cup (50 grams) sugar

½ tablespoon ghee (page 37)

20 pistachios, thinly sliced

1 sheet
chandi ka varq
(edible silver foil; see page 188)

1. Place a deep, heavy-bottomed nonstick saucepan over medium heat, add the milk, and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring continuously, for 8 minutes or until the milk thickens slightly.

2. Add the alum and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, for 20 minutes or until the milk becomes grainy.

3. Cook for 20 minutes more or until most of the moisture evaporates and a solid mass remains.

4. Add the sugar and stir well. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens again.

5. Grease a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking pan with the ghee. Pour the milk mixture into the pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the pistachios on top. Set aside in a cool, dry place for 1 hour or until firm.

6. When completely set, decorate with the silver foil, cut into squares or diamonds, and serve.

Alum is often used in processing pickles, and as a flocking agent.

Kheer Kadam

Cheese balls covered in condensed milk, Bengali style

This is as exotic as it can get: one dessert combined with another! Bengalis, from the eastern part of India, are indeed masters at making milk-based sweets. These will not keep well for more than a day—nor will they need to.

Makes 16.

16 mini
rasgullas
(Indian pressed fresh cheese dessert; store-bought)

2 cups (300 grams) plus 3 tablespoons finely grated
khoya/mawa
(unsweetened solid condensed milk; page 37)

¼ cup (25 grams) confectioners’ sugar

½ teaspoon rose essence or rosewater

1. Remove any excess sugar syrup from the
rasgullas
by draining them.

2. Put 2 cups (300 grams) of the
khoya
in a bowl and stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Knead to make a smooth dough.

3. Place a nonstick sauté pan over high heat, add the khoya-sugar mixture, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

4. Add the rose essence or rosewater and knead well. Divide into 16 portions and shape into balls. Lightly flatten the balls by pressing in the center with your thumb and thinning the edges. Place a
ras-gulla
in each. Gather the edges of the dough to enclose the
rasgulla.
Roll into a ball.

5. Put the remaining 3 tablespoons
khoya
in a mini food processor and grind to a powder. Roll the balls in the powder.

6. Chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.

Khubani Ka Meetha

A rich and delicate dish with dried apricots

Peaches and cream, strawberries and cream, apricots and cream … fresh fruit and cream seem to create magic. The doyennes of Hyderabadi cuisine did it a bit differently, using dried apricots
(khubani)
to create a masterpiece that wowed the royal Nizami household. These days it is traditionally served at weddings.

Serves 4.

1 pound (500 grams) dried, pitted whole apricots

1 cup (200 grams) sugar

¼ cup (50 ml)
malai
(see Note) or heavy cream

10 to 12 almonds, blanched (see Note page 40), peeled, and sliced

1. Put the apricots in a large bowl, add 3 cups (600 ml) water, and soak overnight. Drain the apricots and reserve the water.

2. Place a large nonstick saucepan over high heat and add the reserved apricot water. When the water comes to a boil, add the apricots and cook for 9 minutes. Add the sugar and boil until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Reserve some of the apricots and transfer the rest into a food processor, and process to a purée.