The Café Spice Cookbook: 84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals (20 page)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon sugar

1¾ cups (425 ml) water

Mix half the lime juice with the turmeric, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a few drops of water in a small bowl and spread evenly over the pieces of fish. Let them sit and marinate for 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a blender, grind together the poppy seeds, coconut, chili peppers, onion, garlic, cashew nuts, cardamom, mace, fennel, coriander seeds, coriander, and mint leaves with ¼ cup (65 ml) of water to make a smooth paste.

Add the oil and cumin seeds in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat. When the cumin seeds begin to splutter, add the coconut and spice paste and sauté for 5–7 minutes, stirring continuously, making sure the mixture does not stick to the pan.

Add the sugar and remaining lime juice. Pour in the remaining water and bring to a boil. Add the fish pieces and cook until done, about 7–10 minutes over low to medium heat depending on the cut and size of the fish. Serve hot.

Spiced Crab Cakes
Kekda Tikki

Fresh crab or canned lump crabmeat works well for this recipe. Like Goan Fish Cakes (page
38
), this dish can be made in advance, kept frozen, and fried as needed. It is nothing like a common restaurant crab cake. In fact, it is a Western crab cake with an Indian heart! Serve it with an Indianized aioli by mixing chutneys—tamarind or mint—with mayonnaise. I also like to serve it with Spiced Pear Chutney (page
26
). If you are willing to go the extra mile, this recipe works best with fresh crabmeat. Make it a part of a special party meal.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

4 tablespoons oil

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

1 piece of fresh ginger, 1-in (2.5-cm), peeled minced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper

Salt, to taste

1 teaspoon Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

Juice of 1 lime

2 small handfuls fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and stalks, chopped

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

1 egg, whisked

2½ tablespoons mayonnaise

10 slices of thick bread, edges removed and crumbled

Heat 1½ tablespoons of the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat and fry the onions for about 4 minutes, until soft. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for another 40 seconds. Stir in the ground coriander, red chili powder, salt, and Garam Masala. Cook for another 20 seconds and then remove from the heat. Add the lime juice, coriander, crabmeat, egg, and mayonnaise. Stir well and add the breadcrumbs. Divide into eight portions and form into patties.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, wide, nonstick skillet over medium heat, and cook the crab cakes in batches for about 2–3 minutes on each side, until golden. Add the remaining oil when cooking the second batch of cakes. Serve the crab cakes with greens of your choice on the side.

Shrimp and Mango Curry
Kerala Jhinga

This is a wonderful seafood stew with coconut to which I sometimes add firm white fish, mussels, or clams. Serve over rice with a green salad.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

1 lb (500 g) medium-size shrimp, peeled, deveined

Juice of ½ lime

¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

Salt, to taste

¼ cup (25 g) shredded coconut, fresh or frozen

3 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 onion (about 5 oz/150 g), sliced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1½ teaspoons minced garlic

1½ teaspoons tamarind paste

2 tablespoons oil

3 fresh green chili peppers, slit lengthwise

1 mango, not fully ripe (about ½ lb/250 g), peeled, cored and cut into small dice

4 cups (1 liter) water

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Marinate the shrimp in a mixture of the lime juice, a pinch of the turmeric powder, and salt. Let it sit for about 30 minutes.

In a blender or food processor grind the coconut, coriander seeds, half the sliced onions, cumin seeds, the remaining ground turmeric, garlic, and tamarind paste to make a really fine and smooth paste. Add a little water to facilitate grinding, which will take 7–10 minutes for a really smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a wide large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the remaining sliced onion and green chili peppers until lightly colored, about 5–7 minutes.

Add the mangoes and spice paste and sauté over moderate heat for 6–7 minutes, adding a little water if necessary to prevent sticking. When the oil begins to separate from the spices in the form of little globules on the surface of the paste, add the water. Add the shrimp and cook until done, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander leaves when serving.

Grilled Tandoori Fish
Tandoori Macchi

I have noticed several brands that have started producing tandoori masalas and selling them through retail outlets in the USA. If you are in a hurry, you can use one of these preparations rather than making it from scratch. These skewered morsels make for a great party snack because of the pretty presentation they make. Place them over a salad, if serving them like an appetizer, or pair with Brown Basmati Rice (page
119
) and make them a meal.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

2 tablespoons chickpea (besan) or rice flour

4 tablespoons plain yogurt, whisked

Juice of ½ lime

1 teaspoon ground turmeric,

1 teaspoon Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

3 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste (page
22
)

1 tablespoon oil

Salt, to taste

1½ lbs (750 g) firm fish fillet (monk fish, mahi-mahi, or swordfish), cut into large cubes

4 bamboo skewers, 12-in (30-cm), soaked in water for 1 hour

2 tablespoons melted butter, to baste

Lemon wedges, to serve

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade: chickpea flour, yogurt, lime juice, spices, Ginger-Garlic Paste, oil, and salt in a small bowl. Rub well into the fish and leave to marinate in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours. Bring back to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat the grill to high heat. If broiling the fish, preheat the broiler to high heat and set the oven rack 4 inches (10 cm) below the heat source. Thread the fish onto the skewers, place on a buttered baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes in the middle of the oven. Baste the fish with the melted butter and cook for another 3–4 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and green salad of your choice.

Scallops with Coconut and Ginger Curry

This dish is best with steamed rice on the side. It is a take on a very popular Kerala dish called “fish
moilee
.” Make it to impress someone special as it really is a beautiful dish. If you are lucky enough to find fresh scallops with the roe intact, don’t take them off before cooking. Leave them on like I do; they taste very good with the sauce.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
15–20 minutes

3 tablespoons oil

10 fresh curry leaves

1 onion (about 5 oz/150 g), sliced

1 piece fresh ginger,1-in (2.5-cm), peeled and cut into thin strips

4 fresh green chili peppers, slit open lengthwise

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 cups (500 ml) coconut milk

2 teaspoons salt

16 large sea scallops (about 1¼ lbs/600 g), gently rinsed and blotted dry with paper towels

1 teaspoon toasted and coarsely ground coriander seeds

1 teaspoon toasted and coarsely ground cumin seeds

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

For the sauce:

First make the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the curry leaves, onion, ginger, and green chili peppers and cook, stirring until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the turmeric, followed by the coconut milk and 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3–5 minutes until the sauce begins to turn glossy and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon lightly. Set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat, add the scallops and sear for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown. Move the pan off the heat. Sprinkle the remaining salt on both sides of the scallops.

Mix together the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and the crushed red pepper and spread on the scallops to give an even crust. Place the pan back on heat and cook for another 30 seconds on each side. Serve with the coconut sauce.