Read 1,000 Indian Recipes Online
Authors: Neelam Batra
1.
In a spice or a coffee grinder, grind together the red chile peppers, cinnamon, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander, and cumin to make as fine a powder as possible.
2.
Place everything except the vinegar, red wine, and cilantro in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fork-tender, about 1 hour. (If the meat isn't tender, add up to 1 cup more water and cook until the meat is fork-tender.)
3.
Mix in the vinegar and wine and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.
Variation:
For a richer dish, mix in
1
⁄
2
to 1 cup
Coconut Milk
(or store-bought) during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Goan Beef Curry
Beef Shakuti
Makes 4 to 6 servings
To this day, after living in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, my friend Rosita Da Costa Dighe is still nostalgic for her mother's beef
shakuti
. Her long search for any
shakutimasala
blend that remotely resembled the one she grew up eating led her to only one conclusion: She just had to make her own. This is her best reproduction. Try it with lamb, mutton, pork, or chicken, if you like.
2 tablespoons
Basic Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)
1 teaspoon
Basic Ginger Paste
(or store-bought)
1
1
⁄
2
pounds boneless top sirloin steak, all visible fat trimmed and cut into 1
1
⁄
2
-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1
1
⁄
2
cups grated fresh or frozen coconut
1
⁄
2
cup
Coconut Milk
(or store-bought)
6 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, broken into pieces
8 whole cloves
4 to 6 pieces star anise, crushed to break into small pieces
2 (1-inch) sticks cinnamon, crushed to break into small pieces
8 to 10 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons white poppy seeds
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cups water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons red wine (any kind)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1.
Prepare the garlic and the ginger pastes. Then, place the meat in a medium non-reactive dish. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and salt, and mix well, making sure all the pieces are well-coated with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 and up to 24 hours.
2.
Prepare the coconut milk. In a nonstick skillet, dry-roast the coconut over medium heat, stirring and shaking the skillet, until just golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice or coffee grinder and grind (in 2 batches, if needed) to make it as fine as possible. Transfer to a bowl.
3.
To the same skillet, add the red chile peppers, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, black peppercorns, and coriander, white poppy, and cumin seeds, and dry-roast over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice or coffee grinder and grind to make them as fine as possible. Mix into the coconut.
4.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the coconut-spice mixture, stirring, about 3 minutes, then add the beef pieces and continue to stir until the beef pieces are golden, about 15 minutes.
5.
Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the pieces are tender and the sauce is thick, 30 to 35 minutes.
6.
Mix in the coconut milk, vinegar, and wine and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the black pepper on top, and serve.
Kashmiri Slow-Cooked Spicy Lamb Curry
Rogan-Josh
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Unique to the famed northern valleys of Kashmir and now popular all over the world via Indian restaurants, this outstanding lamb curry comes from a native Kashmiri, my friend Promella Dhar.
Rogan
means "paint with" and
josh
is "anger," a word normally associated with the color red, which, in this recipe, comes from the cayenne pepper, as well as the prolonged roasting that is a must in all
rogan-josh
recipes. This recipe is spicy-hot. For a milder dish, use part or all paprika in place of the cayenne pepper.
8 to 10 lamb chops (about 2
1
⁄
2
pounds), all visible fat trimmed
1
⁄
2
cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1
⁄
2
teaspoon
Kashmiri Garam Masala
3 tablespoons mustard or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons black cumin seeds
3 whole cloves
2 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin
1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
1 to 1
1
⁄
2
cups water
1.
Place the lamb in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the yogurt, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and salt and mix well, making sure all the pieces are well-coated with the marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 and up to 24 hours. Meanwhile, prepare the garam masala.
2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the cumin, cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon about 1 minute. Add the marinated lamb, plus all the marinade, and cook, stirring, over high heat the first 5 minutes, then over medium-low heat until the meat is well-browned and the yogurt completely absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.
3.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground fennel, ginger, and sugar, and continue to cook, adding a tablespoon of water every time the meat sticks to the bottom of the pan, 10 to 15 minutes.
4.
Add the water, cover the pan, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, the sauce is thick and almost clinging to the pieces, and all the oil has separated to the sides, about 20 minutes. (If the meat is not tender, add about
1
⁄
2
cup more water, cover the pan, and simmer on low heat until soft.) Meanwhile, prepare the garam masala. Then spoon out all excess oil from the pan, transfer the meat and curry to a serving dish, garnish with the garam masala, and serve.
Kashmiri Lamb Curry with Saffron
Kashmiri Zaffrani Gosht
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This simple curry with Kashmiri flavors also comes from my friend Promella Dhar. This one does not call for any marinating. Instead, the meat is slow-cooked until tender.
Its true flavors come from the last-minute addition of saffron-cream and the mustard oil, but if you can't find mustard oil, use vegetable oil (minus 2 teaspoons) and mix in about 2 teaspoons of melted
ghee
. The flavor will be different, but equally good.
1
⁄
4
to
1
⁄
2
teaspoon saffron threads
1
⁄
4
cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons mustard oil
3 whole cloves
1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground asafoetida
2 pounds boneless lamb loin chops, all visible fat trimmed and cut into 1
1
⁄
2
-inch pieces
1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1 to 1
1
⁄
2
cups water
1
⁄
4
teaspoon garam masala
1.
In a small bowl, soak the saffron threads in the cream about 30 minutes, or until needed.
2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cloves, cinnamon, and asafoetida, then add the lamb, fennel, cayenne pepper, ginger, and salt. Add the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until all the yogurt is absorbed and the meat starts to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
3.
Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, adding a tablespoon of water every time the meat gets sticks to the bottom of the pan, until the meat is well-browned, about 20 minutes.