The Café Spice Cookbook: 84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals (12 page)

Serve the buns or rolls hot alongside the mashed vegetables.

Goan Fish Cakes
Macchi Tikki

The rice flour in this recipe is added mostly as a binder, as fish is very flaky. Canned or fresh lump crabmeat works great with this recipe. The beauty of this dish is that it can be made in advance and kept refrigerated or frozen, and fried as needed—so that unannounced guests can get a treat too! You can make a healthier version by omitting the potato and by pan-frying the cakes. This can certainly be an appetizer, but if serving as part of a meal, make sure there are other wet courses like a dal or a soup that complement it.

Serves
4

Prep time:
20 minutes

Cook time:
20 minutes

1 lb/500 g fish fillet (cod, halibut, or bass)

2 cups (500 ml) fish stock or water, to poach

1 potato, about 8 oz (250 g) boiled, peeled and grated

1 red onion (about 4 oz/125 g), minced

1 fresh green chili pepper, minced

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds, coarsely ground

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

2 tablespoons rice flour

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 egg, separated

Oil, to deep-fry

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the fish with the fish stock or water and poach gently for about 10 minutes until just tender. Drain, reserving ¼ cup (65 ml) of the stock. Transfer the fish to a large mixing bowl. Flake the fish using a fork, removing any small residual bones.

Add the grated potato, onion, chili, ginger, cumin seeds, and chopped coriander into a bowl and mix well. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to mix. Moisten with the reserved fish stock if needed and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the egg yolk and mix well to combine. Divide the mixture into 16 pieces and shape into croquettes or rolls.

Heat 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in a kadhai, small wok, or large saucepan over medium heat to 325°F (160°C) on a deep-fry or candy thermometer. To gauge the temperature of the oil without a thermometer, drop a piece of bread about 1-in (2.5-cm) square into the oil, turning the piece of bread often as the oil heats up. When the oil reaches 325°F (160°C), the bread will begin to brown quickly and turn golden brown all over—like a crouton—in about 40 seconds.

Beat the egg white. Dip the fish rolls into the egg white, then deep-fry for 2–3 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Vegetable Wrap
Kati Roll

The “
kati
roll,” as it is called in the eastern city of Kolkata in India, or the “Frankie,” as the locals of Mumbai call it, is an extremely popular and quick “short eat.” In fact, even in certain American cities, you can find small eateries and restaurants selling the kati roll—otherwise known as the “Indian burrito.” Given below is my version of a healthy, Indo-American kati roll. Best served with Mint Chutney (page
27
) and a side salad of crisp greens.

Serves
4

Prep time:
20 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

4 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 fresh green chili pepper, chopped

1 red onion (about 4 oz/125 g), thinly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 small red pepper, cut into thin strips

¼ lb (125 g) white cabbage, cut into thin strips

1 portabella mushroom (about 5 oz/150 g) stem removed and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

Salt, to taste

4 oz (125 g) Paneer Cheese (page
76
), cut into strips (optional)

Juice of ½ lime

4 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

4 large
chapati
(page
122
) or whole wheat tortilla wraps, about 12 in (30 cm)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle, and then add the ginger, green chili, and onion. Sauté gently until the onion is softened and translucent, about 2–3 minutes. Add the carrot, red pepper, cabbage, and mushrooms and sauté for a minute. Add the ground spices and salt and cook for 2–3 minutes until the vegetables soften slightly. Add the paneer strips (if using) and toss to mix. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves and set aside.

To assemble, lay the flat breads on a clean surface, spoon the filling onto the center of the wrap. Fold the ends over and enclose and fold over the sides. Roll up, holding the ends, to enclose the filling. Serve the wraps warm or cold.

Stuffed Lamb Fritters
Shami Kebab

This is one of Sushil’s favorite kebabs, and we often make them for cocktail parties. The preparation is a little time consuming, but they’re rather simple to make. The combination of mint leaves and the sharpness of the red onions that you discover when you bite into these fritters will definitely leave you wanting more. This dish is great as a party starter or a part of a weekend dinner at home.

Serves
4

Prep time:
20 minutes, plus 30 minutes for cooling

Cook time:
1 hour

1 lb (500 g) ground lamb

¾ cup (185 ml) water

4 tablespoons split yellow peas (chana dal), rinsed

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 green cardamom pods

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick, 1-in (2.5-cm)

2 fresh green chili peppers, chopped

2 tablespoons oil, plus more for deep-frying

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper

Salt, to taste

1 red onion (about 4 oz/125 g), minced

1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves

2 boiled egg whites, chopped

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, add the ground lamb, water, split peas, garlic, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and chili peppers and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the water is absorbed and the meat is completely dry, about 30–40 minutes. Add the oil and cook, stirring for another 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely, about 30–45 minutes.

Transfer the lamb mixture (make sure you remove the cinnamon stick) into a blender or a food processor. Add the lemon juice, chili powder, and salt and process to a fine paste. Transfer this mixture to a bowl, divide into 8 equal portions, and roll each into a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, mix the chopped red onion, egg whites, and mint in a small bowl and set aside.

Dip your hands in some water and with wet hands flatten each lamb ball. Then add about ¼ teaspoon of the onion-mint mixture into the center, seal, and flatten again into a round patty. Repeat this process to stuff all 8 patties.

Meanwhile, heat 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in a kadhai, small wok or large saucepan over medium heat to 325°F (160°C) on a deep-fry or candy thermometer. To gauge the temperature of the oil without a thermometer, drop a piece of bread about 1-in (2.5-cm) square into the oil, turning the piece of bread often as the oil heats up. When the oil reaches 325°F (160°C), the bread will begin to brown quickly and turn golden brown all over—like a crouton—in about 40 seconds. Working in small batches, deep-fry the lamb patties, turning frequently for 2–3 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Alternately the patties can be shallow fried, cooking on both sides for about 2–3 minutes.

Crab and Coconut Salad

Although very simple to make, this dish might not end up being your everyday salad, since fresh crabmeat is a novelty and an expensive ingredient in most American groceries. Either lump crabmeat or canned crabmeat can be used for this recipe. The tempering using typical south Indian-style ingredients makes the taste of this salad unique. Coconut gives it a very nice texture and flavor. In case you have leftovers (which I seriously doubt!), you can use them in a wrap, with some lettuce and tomatoes or pocket them in pita bread for a quick working lunch.

Serves
3

Prep time:
10 minutes

Cook time:
5 minutes

3 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

5 fresh curry leaves, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh peeled ginger

1 fresh green chili pepper, seeds removed, and minced

1 small red onion (about 4 oz/125 g), sliced

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Salt, to taste

3 cups (300 g) crabmeat, freshly prepared or canned

3 tablespoons coconut milk

1 tablespoon grated fresh coconut

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat, add the mustard seeds, and sauté until they splutter. Add the curry leaves, ginger, and green chili pepper and cook, stirring for another minute. Add the sliced onions and sauté until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, salt, and crabmeat, stir for a few seconds. Sauté for 2 minutes, then stir in the coconut milk, grated coconut, and chopped coriander.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Serve the salad cold, with Spiced Pear Chutney (page
26
) and some salad greens.

Shrimp Stuffed Pappadum
Jhinja Bharwan Papad

Pappadums,
sometimes called
papads,
are dried disks of dough made from legume flours. They are often flavored with chili pepper, black pepper, garlic, and cumin seeds. Some will be brittle and so thin that they’re almost translucent, while others will be relatively thick and made perhaps from a different kind of legume. Pappadums are a great way to bring additional flavor and texture to an Indian meal. Sometimes they are just the added touch that completes a meal.