1,000 Indian Recipes (179 page)
Read 1,000 Indian Recipes Online
Authors: Neelam Batra
1
⁄
4
teaspoon mustard seeds
1
⁄
4
teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1
⁄
4
teaspoon kalonji seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1
⁄
2
teaspoon sugar
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground turmeric
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground asafoetida
3 star fruits (2
1
⁄
2
to 3 inches each), thinly sliced or chopped
1.
Prepare the chaat masala. Then, heat the oil in a small nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the fennel, cumin, mustard, fenugreek, and kalonji seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil.
2.
Quickly add the coriander, sugar, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and asafoetida and stir a few seconds. Add the star fruit and cook, stirring, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, top with the chaat masala, and serve.
Green Mangoes in Coconut Milk
Harae Aam ki Sabzi
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Although sweetened with coconut milk, this south Indian dish is also spicy and refreshing. It is delicious served over rice. In India they use the really small green mangoes, but since those are harder to come by in America, I generally use the commonly available large ones.
1
⁄
2
cup
Coconut Milk
(or store-bought)
1 large green unripe mango (about
3
⁄
4
pound)
1
⁄
2
cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon peanut oil
4 whole dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol
1
⁄
2
teaspoon black mustard seeds
8 to 10 fresh curry leaves
1.
Prepare coconut milk. Then, with a vegetable peeler, peel the mango, then cut the fruit around the center seed into
1
⁄
2
-inch pieces. Place the mango, yogurt, cumin, and salt in a medium nonstick saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring as needed, until the mango is very soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring to a quick boil. Transfer to a serving dish.
2.
Heat the oil in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the red chile peppers and mustard seeds; they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so lower the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides. Quickly add the curry leaves, stir a few seconds, and transfer to the dish with the mango. Stir lightly to mix, and serve.
Spicy Mashed Fresh Peaches
Aadhoo ka Bhartha
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Bhartha
is a mashed vegetable dish that is popularly made with eggplant or opo squash. Here, I make it with coarsely puréed fresh, ripe peaches from my own garden. My inventive summer dish goes as well with grilled chicken, meat, and seafood as it does on the side with
Spinach with Paneer Cheese
and whole-wheat
chapati
flatbreads.
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 medium onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons cumin seeds
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 large clove fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger
1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds
1
⁄
4
teaspoon coarsely ground ajwain seeds
1
⁄
2
teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 cups coarsely mashed ripe peaches (about 1
1
⁄
2
pounds), peeled or unpeeled
1
⁄
2
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onions until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
2.
Tilt the pan to collect all the oil in one spot, then add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the tomato, garlic, ginger, and green chile pepper, and cook until all the juices evaporate, 3 to 5 minutes.
3.
Add the ajwain seeds, black pepper, salt, and lime juice, stir a few seconds, then add the peaches, and cilantro (save some cilantro for garnish) and cook over medium heat until all the juices evaporate, the bhartha is very thick and traces of oil are visible on the sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the reserved cilantro, and serve.
Sweet and Sour Ripe Bananas
Khatti-Meethi Kaelae ki Sabzi
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Cooking with bananas is a very southern Indian concept. They use bananas at all stages of ripeness; in fact, they also use the banana skins and the banana stems to make side dishes. The leaves, of course, are used as disposable plates. When done, this dish is almost a textured mash. Cut the bananas into larger pieces if you wish.
Jaggery is a brown, unrefined cane sugar sold in solid blocks. It's a British term; in Hindi it's called
gur
. Look for it in Indian markets.
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1
⁄
2
teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground asafoetida
1
1
⁄
2
tablespoons dried curry leaves
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 large, firm, ripe bananas, peeled and cut into
1
⁄
4
-inch pieces
1
⁄
3
teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons grated jaggery (gur) or brown sugar
1.
In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind together the mustard, cumin, and fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, and red pepper flakes to make them as fine as possible.
2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the ground spice mixture; it should sizzle immediately. Quickly add the bananas and salt, and cook, turning carefully, until golden on both sides.
3.
Sprinkle the lemon juice over the bananas, and then the jaggery, and cook, stirring, another minute. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.
Spicy Green Plantains