1,000 Indian Recipes (172 page)

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teaspoon mango powder

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the ginger and green chile peppers, and stir until golden, about 1 minute.

2.
Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and salt, then mix in the carrots, potatoes, and peas. Cover the pan and cook over high heat until heated through. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Carefully mix in the mango powder. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the black pepper on top, and serve.

Carrots with Fresh Spinach Ribbons

Gaajar aur Palak ki Sabzi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Brightly colored and full of beta carotene, this dish was a weekly feature in meals my mother made (and still makes), and now I serve it too. She cooks hers until the carrots are really soft, but I cook just until the carrots are crisp-tender. Cook to your preference.

If your carrots are young (baby carrots) and naturally tender, there is no need to peel them. Simply wash and scrub them well.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted ghee

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

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

1 pound baby carrots, scrubbed well and cut diagonally into thin slices (or peeled larger carrots)

1 tablespoon ground coriander

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teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 large tomato, finely chopped

1
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cups fresh spinach, cut into thin ribbon-like strips

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teaspoon garam masala

1.
Heat the oil (or ghee) in a medium nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle immediately. Then add the ginger and green chile peppers and stir until golden, about 1 minute.

2.
Mix in the carrots, then add the coriander, turmeric, and salt. Stir about 1 minute, add the tomato, then cover the pan and cook until the carrots are crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

3.
Mix in the spinach, cover again, and cook until the spinach is just wilted or until the carrots are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the garam masala on top, and serve.

Spicy Chopped Carrots with Fresh Coconut

Masaladar Nariyal vaali Gaajar

Makes 4 to 6 servings

If you are looking for a new way to serve carrots, try cooking them the south Indian way—with coconut, lots of aromatic seasonings, and spicy hot. This is a great dish to serve at room temperature at a buffet, or to take to a potluck. Try to use fresh or frozen coconut; it's better than dried in this dish.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 to 4 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, broken

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

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teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon dried yellow split chickpeas (channa dal)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

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teaspoon ground asafoetida

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teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 pound young carrots, cut into
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-inch pieces or thin 2-inch long sticks

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pound potatoes (any kind), peeled and cut into
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-inch pieces

2 to 3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

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cup finely grated fresh or frozen coconut

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with or without seeds

1.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the red chile peppers, mustard seeds, cumin, and dal; they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so lower the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides.

2.
Quickly add the coriander, asafoetida, and salt, then mix in the carrots, potatoes, and water. Cook over high heat, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, mix in the lemon juice, coconut, and green chile pepper, and serve.

Smoked Sugar-Snap Peas

Dhuandar Saabut Muttar

Makes 4 to 6 servings

I make this routinely in the summer months. It takes no more than 5 minutes to prepare and is really flavorful. Have the ingredients ready and cook it moments before serving; you'll be amazed at the results. Cauliflower and broccoli florets, baby zucchini, even firm cherry tomatoes can be cooked in a similar manner.

The sugar-snaps here are not truly smoked in a smoker, but they are quickly stir-fried in a smoking hot pan. As soon as you add the oil and the black pepper, an intense smoke arises and, within minutes, penetrates the peas, making them very flavorful. Do not overcook the peas; they should retain their delicate crunch. Serve them with grilled foods, over green salads, pasta, or rice, or keep them on the kitchen counter for people to snack on as they go in and out of the kitchen.

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to 1 teaspoon dry-roasted coarsely ground black peppercorns (
Dry-Roasting Spices
)

1 pound sugar-snap peas

1 tablespoon canola oil

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teaspoon salt, or to taste

1.
Place the sugar-snap peas in a nonstick wok or saucepan and cook them over high heat about 1 minute.

2.
Add the oil, salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring, until smoke starts to arise, about 1 minute. Cover the pan and continue to cook, shaking the pan, about 1 minute. Then reduce the heat to low and cook until the peas are crisp-tender and shiny, about 2 minutes. Serve.

Petite Peas and Potatoes

Sookhae Muttar-Aalu

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Peas are appealing to just about everyone. They look lovely, cook easily and quickly, and taste delicious in so many dishes. Indians are used to shelling fresh peas from the pod as a normal part of their cooking, but it is a tedious job. If you don't mind shelling, do cook the fresh ones—they have a firmer texture and a brighter taste. Because it's harder to find fresh peas in a pod, and cooks don't always have time to shell, here is a recipe using frozen peas.