1,000 Indian Recipes (288 page)

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds

1.
Soak the rice in water to cover by 2 inches, 30 minutes or longer. Drain, saving 1
¹
⁄
₄
cups of the water.

2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté the onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the lamb, ginger, garlic, green chile peppers, tomato, coriander, garam masala, and salt and cook over medium heat the first 3 to 5 minutes, then over medium heat until the lamb pieces are golden brown and almost done, about 20 minutes.

3.
Add the potato and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Then add the rice, the reserved 1
¹
⁄
₄
cups water, and the milk, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the rice is done and the lamb and potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the cardamom seeds on top, and serve.

Garlic Shrimp Pilaf with Coconut Milk

Jhinga Pullao

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Spicy shrimp added into cooked rice minutes before serving lend a magical garnish to this colorful
pullao
. Have the shrimp and all the other ingredients ready to go, and cook it at the last minute. If shrimp is cooked ahead of time, it will become tough and almost inedible.

4 cups (1 recipe)
Steamed Turmeric and Red Peppercorn Basmati Rice

¹
⁄
₂
cup
Coconut Milk
(or store-bought)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 large onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds

2 large cloves fresh garlic, minced

25 to 30 fresh large shrimp (about 1
¹
⁄
₄
pounds), shelled, deveined and tails removed

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ajwain seeds

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon garam masala

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

3 to 4 scallions, green parts only, finely chopped

1.
Prepare the coconut milk. Then prepare the rice and keep warm. Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 7 minutes.

2.
Add the cilantro, green chile pepper, and garlic, and stir until the cilantro is completely wilted, about 2 minutes. Then add the shrimp, ajwain seeds, garam masala, and salt and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes.

3.
Transfer the cooked rice to a serving platter. Very carefully mix in the cooked shrimp, plus any sauce in the pan. Drizzle the lime juice on top, garnish with the scallion greens, cover the platter, and keep warm about 5 minutes before serving.

Layered Rice Dishes (
Biryanis
)

Biryanis
are special Mughlai dishes made by layering cooked rice with cooked vegetables, meats, or
paneer
cheese. All
biryanis
are elaborate affairs, full of enticing flavors, and very much a part of Indian festivities such as weddings and religious occasions, especially in Muslim communities.

For eating at home, they are best enjoyed alone or with simple yogurt
raitas
, such as
Tomato Raita with Fresh Mint Leaves
or
Ginger and Scallion Raita
. Or you can serve them with chutneys, such as
Cilantro-Lime Chutney
.

Layered Rice with Eggplant and Coconut

Baingan Biryani

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This famous rice dish from Kerala is generally made very hot and spicy, and is served with a soothing yogurt
raita
. The recipe may seem more complicated than it actually is, since we are cooking two separate dishes and presenting them as one.

2 cups
Coconut Milk
(or store-bought)

1
¹
⁄
₄
cups basmati rice, sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

1
³
⁄
₄
cups water

¹
⁄
₂
cup grated fresh or frozen coconut

1 to 3 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, broken into pieces

1 large clove fresh garlic, peeled

5 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala +
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon for garnish

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground turmeric

3 tablespoons peanut oil

2 to 3 Chinese eggplants (about 1 pound), cut into
³
⁄
₄
-inch pieces

1
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 large tomato, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.
Prepare the coconut milk. Then, in a medium bowl, soak the rice in the water, 30 minutes or longer.

2.
Meanwhile, place the grated coconut and red chile peppers in a small nonstick skillet and dry-roast, stirring and shaking the pan, over medium heat until fragrant and lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a blender or food processor and process along with the garlic, ginger, green chile peppers, and onion until everything is finely ground. Mix in the coriander, garam masala, and turmeric and process again. Transfer to a large nonstick saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons oil and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until golden, about 5 minutes.

3.
Add the eggplants, half the salt, and
¹
⁄
₂
cup coconut milk and cook over high heat about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook until the eggplants are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a bowl.

4.
To the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, tomato, mint, and cilantro and cook over medium heat, stirring, until most of the juice from the tomato evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add the rice with the water it was soaking in, along with the remaining salt and coconut milk, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan (partially at first until the foam subsides, and then snugly), and cook until most the water has been absorbed but the rice is not yet fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

5.
To assemble the biryani: Remove about half the rice to a bowl. Spread the cooked eggplant mixture over the rice that remains in the saucepan. Cover the eggplant mixture with the reserved rice. Drizzle the lemon juice over the rice, cover the pan, and cook over lowest heat setting, 10 to 15 minutes, to blend the flavors. Sprinkle the garam masala on top and serve from the pan itself, or transfer to a serving platter, fluff the top of the rice with a fork, and serve.

Variation:
For a more formal presentation, in Step 7 preheat oven to 300°F. Lightly grease the bottom of a clear oven-safe casserole dish, add half the rice, top with the eggplant mixture, then cover with the remaining rice. Drizzle the lemon juice on top, then bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Hyderabadi Layered Rice with Mixed Vegetables

Sabz Biryani

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This
biryani
recipe is from my friend Yasmin AliKhan. Her authentic version calls for the vegetables to be boiled before adding them to the dish—a step I do without, because I find that the raw vegetables cook just fine.

1 tablespoon
Hyderabadi Ginger-Garlic Paste

4 cups (1 recipe)
Steamed Basmati Rice (Absorption Method)

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon saffron threads

¹
⁄
₄
cup milk (any kind)