The Café Spice Cookbook: 84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals (7 page)

Lentils
see
Dried Legumes

Mangoes
This fruit is native to the Indian sub-continent, where it has been grown for more than 4,000 years. Because the mango seed can’t be dispersed naturally by wind or water, owing to its large size and weight, it is believed that people who moved from one region to another transported the fruit to new areas. Though mango cultivation has now spread to many parts of the tropical and sub-tropical world, including Brazil, Mexico, the West Indies, and parts of Florida, nearly half of the world’s mangoes are cultivated in India alone.

Mangoes are widely used in Indian cuisine. The green, unripe mangoes are sour and are used to make chutneys, pickles, and sometimes side dishes such as Chickpea, Mango, and Watercress Salad (page
45
). As a chef’s tip, I say when you make salads calling for a crunchy vegetable like carrots or radishes, replace them with green, unripe mangoes for a unique tangy twist. Green, unripe mangoes are also eaten raw with a sprinkle of salt and Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper, which is my favorite way to eat them. Chilled Mango Cooler (page
132
), a very popular and refreshing summer drink, is made with green, unripe mangoes blended with water, mint, sugar, salt, cumin, and ice.

Ripe mangoes are typically eaten fresh. Mango Lassi (page
133
), made by adding mango pulp to yogurt, is the most popular drink in India and Indian restaurants worldwide. Ripe mangoes are used to make desserts as well as savory curries. Aamras—sweetened, thick, ripe mango pulp with the flavor of cardamom—is a popular dish in western India that is served along with Fried Puffed Bread (page
125
). The Alfonso mango is considered the sweetest and best of all the eating mangoes. For some recipes, I use canned Alfonso mango purée (available in Indian grocery stores) when fresh ones are not in season.

When shopping for ripe mangoes, look for fruit with unblemished yellow skin with a red tinge or blush. You should avoid mangoes that have bruises or soft spots. You can buy green mangoes and ripen them at home by placing them in a brown paper bag on your counter for a week. Ripe mangoes will last 2–3 days at room temperature or for up to 5 days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

You can find green mangoes in most Indian, Southeast Asian, or South American markets. When shopping for green mangoes, make sure they are firm and their skins are dark green in color and unblemished. Store them at room temperature uncovered. They will last about 2 weeks.

Mint
An aromatic, almost exclusively perennial herb with a very refreshing taste, fresh mint is used in Indian marinades, chutneys, drinks, and desserts and in curries and rice dishes. I also use dried mint for making breads in my kitchen. Chopped fresh mint leaves steeped in a cup of hot water with tea and honey is one of my favorite after-dinner beverages. The spearmint variety is most commonly used in Indian cooking. When purchasing mint, make sure the leaves are fresh and green in color without black spots or cracks. See “Storage Tips for Spices and Herbs,” page
12
.

Mustard Seeds
These tiny, round, hot and pungent seeds are from an annual plant in the cabbage family. They are available in white, yellow, brown, or black colors. The white seeds, the largest type, are used to make commercial mustards in the United States; the yellow and brown seeds are used for European mustards and for pickling. In India, the black seeds are used in cooking and are the source of commonly used oil. Black mustard seeds are used whole and in powdered form. The whole seeds are used in vegetables dishes, curries, appetizers, salads, and dried legumes, while the powder is used to flavor steamed fish, pickles, and, again, curries. Mustard seeds are available at Indian grocery stores and online (see Shopping Guide, page
140
).

Oils and Fats
In Indian kitchens, oil is used alone or in combination with ghee (clarified butter) to fry flavorings at the start of cooking or to deep-fry foods. The oil used depends on the culture and region. When I call for oil, you may use any neutral-flavored vegetable oil (for example, canola, safflower, or corn oil). In addition to using unflavored oils, Indians use toasted sesame oil, coconut oil, and peanut and mustard oils to impart distinct flavors to dishes. I have not used these oils in my recipes because some are hard to find and they give a very distinct flavor to the food, which, though popular in India, can be an acquired taste for non-Indians. When I call for oil for deep-frying, it’s important to use an oil that is relatively stable at high temperatures, such as peanut or safflower oil. Olive oil, which is a very healthy oil, can also be used to cook Indian food.

Paprika
Known as
kashmiri mirch
in India, paprika is a red powder made from dried, mild, non-pungent chili peppers. It is mainly used for the rich red hue it adds to curries. When added to hot oil, it immediately releases a deep red color. Most Indian paprika comes from Kashmir, hence the name. Kashmiri mirch is available at Indian grocery stores or online (see Shopping Guide, page
140
). The easily available, mild Hungarian paprika is a good substitute.

Peppercorns
These are one of the oldest-known spices and are often referred to as the king of spices. Peppercorns are the berries of the pepper plant, a branching evergreen creeper that grows mainly in the hot and humid monsoon forests of southwest India. The plant is indigenous to India and dates back to 4,000 BCE. The very tangy, slightly hot berries grow like clusters of grapes on the pepper plant. Peppercorns range in color from white to green to black. White peppercorns are picked ripe, and their outer skin is removed. Green peppercorns are underripe berries that are cured in brine. Black peppercorns are picked underripe and allowed to dry until dark black. Black peppercorns are most commonly used and impart an incredible flavor to all curries. The world’s top quality black pepper is grown in Indian in the southwest coastal state of Kerala and is known as Tellicherry pepper. The recipes in this book call for dry and oil-roasted, ground and crushed black peppercorns.

Pulses
see
Dried Legumes

Rice
is an indispensable part of Indian meals. It is served as a staple alongside curries and dals and is eaten at least twice a day in India. There are many distinctive kinds of rice grown and sold in the Indian subcontinent. For everyday meals, the type of rice used varies from region to region. While people in southern regions prefer the locally available red rice or long-grain variety, northerners prefer aromatic Basmati rice, which grows in the foothills of the Himalayas.

One of my favorite varieties of rice, which I grew up eating, is medium-grain parboiled rice known as “red boiled rice” or “rosematta rice.” It is made by parboiling the rice before husking. After parboiling, the grain is separated from the husk, thereby leaving a part of the bran on the grain and giving the rice its red or reddish-brown color. It can then be boiled like any other form of rice, though it takes twice as long to cook and often requires more water. I have not used it in this book because it is only available at Indian grocery stores or online. If you do run across it and would like to try it, I recommend serving it with dishes from the southwest of India, and in particular with Kerala-Style Chicken Stew (page
94
) and Goan-Style Mackerel (page
89
).

Basmati, which means “queen of fragrance” in Hindi, is the most popular and the best-known rice of India, and the most expensive. It has a wonderful fragrance when cooked with whole spices and is a good match for all Indian dishes. Basmati rice is always used for
puloas
and
biriyanis
—two types of rice dishes—for it absorbs flavors beautifully and yet keeps its shape during cooking. Basmati rice, though preferred, is not absolutely necessary for simpler rice preparations, such as Lemon Rice with Peanuts (page
114
) or Coconut Rice (page
112
). Whereas Basmati rice needs to be soaked prior to being rinsed and drained, ordinary long-grain rice only needs to be rinsed and drained.

Rosewater
or rose syrup is the leftover liquid remaining when rose petals and water are distilled together. It imparts an intoxicating fragrance of roses to rice dishes, desserts, and drinks. Considered very auspicious for its aroma, it is also diluted with water and sprinkled at various religious and cultural ceremonies in India. A teaspoonful may be added to desserts like Milk Dumplings in Saffron Syrup (page
129
), and drinks like Mango Lassi (page
133
), meat dishes like Lamb Shank Korma (page
104
), or to rice dishes to create a unique taste and aroma. It is available in Indian or Middle Eastern grocery stores.

Saffron
These intense yellow-orange threads are the dried, orange to deep-red stigmas of the small, purple saffron crocus flower, a member of the iris family. It is the world’s most expensive spice as it takes almost 75,000 handpicked blossoms to make one pound of saffron. Use saffron sparingly as it just takes four to five strands to flavor a dish that feeds four. It has a distinctly warm, rich, powerful, and intense flavor. It is available in strands or ground. I recommend the strands for the sake of more assured quality. Gently heat saffron on a dry skillet before using, as heat brings out its aroma. There is no acceptable substitute for saffron. It is available in Indian or Middle Eastern grocery stores, gourmet stores, and online (see Shopping Guide, page
140
).