How to Cook Indian (34 page)

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

½ teaspoon table salt

½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 sprig fresh mint

1 medium red onion, cut into thin rings

1. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the caraway, green and black cardamom, clove, and cinnamon stick, and dry-roast until fragrant. Let cool, then transfer to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

2. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the cashews and melon seeds and dry-roast until lightly colored. Let cool, then transfer to a clean spice grinder or mini food processor with ¼ cup (50 ml) water and grind to a fine paste.

3. Soak the saffron in the
kewra
water in a small bowl.

4. Place a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chiles and sauté for 1 minute.

5. Add the beans and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cashew paste and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the
khoya,
white pepper, and salt. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

6. Mash the bean mixture to a smooth paste. (If the paste is not firm, cook it further in a nonstick pan to thicken it.) Sprinkle with the roasted and ground spices and soaked saffron. Add the lemon juice and stir well. Divide the mixture into 8 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and then lightly press into patties.

7. Place another nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and grease it lightly. Put the patties in the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until lightly colored on both sides.

8. Garnish with the mint and onion and serve immediately.

Posto Boda

Poppy-seed fritters

White poppy seeds have a mild nutty flavor that is enhanced by crushing; when ground to a paste, they provide creaminess in curries. This typical Bengali preparation is the simplest and easiest way to become familiar with poppy seeds as an ingredient. Serve the fritters with rice and
dal.

Serves 4.

½ cup (100 grams) white poppy seeds

3 or 4 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

5 or 6 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon table salt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Soak the poppy seeds in 1 cup (200 ml) water for 1 hour. Drain off the water and put the soaked seeds in a mini food processor. Add the chiles, garlic, salt, and 3 tablespoons water, and process to a smooth paste.

2. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Divide into 8 portions and shape them into flat patties.

3. Place a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the patties and cook, turning gently, until both sides are lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

4. Serve hot.

Raunaq-E-Seekh

Vegetable kebabs

Raunaq-e-seekh
is an Urdu word that refers to a glamorous kebab. Kebabs, a gift of the Mughal era, are considered high quality if the meat practically melts in your mouth in a perfectly balanced mix of spices. Vegetable kebabs are a challenge, but this popular version lives up to its name.

Makes 8.

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

6 green chiles, stemmed and minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste (page 12)

1 tablespoon fresh garlic paste (page 12)

3 medium carrots, grated

12 thin green beans, strings removed and chopped

¼ cup (125 grams) grated cauliflower

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup (150 grams) fresh or frozen green peas, blanched and mashed

2/3 cup (100 grams) fresh or frozen corn kernels, blanched and mashed

3 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled, and mashed

1 teaspoon
garam masala
(spice mix; page 27)

1 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

¼ cup (35 grams) ground
dalia
(roasted
chana dal,
store-bought)

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons
chaat masala
(spice mix for
chaat;
page 24)

1. Place a nonstick wok over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the caraway. Sauté for 10 seconds. Add the chiles, ginger paste, and garlic paste, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the carrots, beans, cauliflower, and bell pepper, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until all the excess moisture has evaporated.

2. Add the peas, corn, and potatoes, and stir well. Add the
garam masala,
salt, and white pepper, and stir. Add the
dalia
and lemon juice, and stir. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

3. Divide the vegetable mixture into 8 portions. Take a portion of the vegetable mixture and shape it neatly around a satay stick or wooden skewer, making a long sausage shape. Repeat to make 8 kebabs.

4. Place a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Working in batches, and adding ½ tablespoon of the remaining oil to the pan for each batch, place the kebabs, two at a time, on the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until light golden brown on all sides.

5. Slide the kebabs off the satay sticks and place them on a serving platter. Cut each in half on the diagonal. Sprinkle with the
chaat masala
and serve hot.

Rawa Dosas

Crisp semolina pancakes

When I was a child, crisp semolina
dosas
(thin pancakes) really fascinated me, especially at eateries where you could see the cooks making them. They would sprinkle the batter onto the hot skillet instead of pouring it, yet somehow it would all come together into a crisp—
really
crisp—savory pancake! I have long since learned that the secret lies in tempering the skillet before you begin: melting ghee on it and then wiping it clean before making each
dosa.
Serve each
dosa
as soon as it’s cooked, ideally with
sambhar
(South Indian lentils; page 32) and
nariel aur dhaniya
chutney (coconut cilantro chutney; page 520).

Serves 4.

1 cup (200 grams)
rawa/suji
(semolina flour)

½ cup (75 grams) rice flour

¼ cup (30 grams)
maida
(refined flour) or pastry flour

1-inch (2½-cm) piece fresh ginger, minced

2 green chiles, stemmed and minced

12 to 15 black peppercorns, crushed

¼ cup (30 grams) grated fresh coconut

2 teaspoons table salt

8 cashews, crushed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 teaspoons ghee (page 37), melted

1. Place the
rawa
in a deep bowl. Add the rice flour and
maida,
and stir well. Add 1 quart (800 ml) water and whisk until smooth. There should not be any lumps in the batter, and it should be quite thin and runny. Cover the bowl with a lid and let rest for 15 minutes.

2. Add the ginger, chiles, peppercorns, coconut, salt, cashews, and cilantro to the batter. Stir well.

3. Place a large nonstick sauté pan over low heat and let it heat for 5 minutes. Brush with ghee. Take a square piece of cheesecloth, dampen it with water, and use it to wipe the ghee from the sauté pan. Now the pan is “tempered” and ready for making the
dosas.

4. Pour a ladleful of batter into the hot pan, in a circular motion, until it covers almost the entire pan. Cook over low heat, drizzling a few drops of the ghee around the edges of the
dosa.
After 2 minutes, flip the
dosa
using a spatula and cook the underside for 2 to 4 minutes or until it is crisp and golden and the edges of the
dosa
start to separate from the pan.

5. Using the spatula, transfer the
dosa
to a plate and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining batter and ghee.

If you spread the batter thin enough, you need not cook the second side.

Rayalaseema Pesarettu

Spicy green-gram pancakes

Rayalaseema is in Andhra Pradesh and is the home of many temples. This
dosa
of whole green gram is spicy, but you can adjust the chiles according to your tolerance. Green gram is a good source of protein, and if you make the
dosas
with just a little oil, they can be considered health food. Serve them with your choice of chutney or
sambhar
(page 32).

Makes 12.

1 cup (240 grams)
sabut moong
(whole green gram)

1-inch (2½-cm) piece fresh ginger, chopped

4 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 teaspoons table salt

1 tablespoon rice flour

½ teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds (page 32)

12½ teaspoons (65 ml) vegetable oil

1. Put the
sabut moong
in a bowl, wash in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 3 cups (600 ml) water and soak overnight. Drain.

2. Put the
sabut moong,
ginger, chiles, and onion in a food processor with 1½ cups (300 ml) water and process to make a smooth batter.

3. Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Add the salt, rice flour, and cumin, and stir well.

4. Place a nonstick griddle over medium heat and grease it lightly with ½ teaspoon oil.

5. Spread a ladleful of the batter with a round spoon, about 6 inches in diameter or as thin as possible.