Easy Indian Cooking (27 page)

3
Heat a griddle pan or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time and keeping the rest covered, on a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion to a 6-in (15-cm) circle. Remove the excess surface flour prior to cooking.

4
Place each rolled bread on the griddle, leave it to brown, about 7 to 10 seconds. Turn it over to brown on the other side, about 12 to 15 seconds. Turn over and smear the hot bread with clarified butter. Serve hot.

saffron rice with toasted almonds

Serves
4
Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
15 minutes

Although saffron is an expensive ingredient, it is very often used in traditional Indian cooking because of the wonderful flavor and color that it imparts to the dish. For this preparation, you can use some or all of the spices mentioned in the recipe. Serve this with Spice Stuffed Okra (page 100) and Cannellini Dal Fry (page 86).

½ teaspoon saffron threads

¼ cup (65 ml) warm milk

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

6 cardamom pods

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 cup (200 g) uncooked basmati rice, washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

2 cups (500 ml) water

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garam masala

½ cup (50 g) sliced almonds, toasted

1
Soak the saffron in the milk for about 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté the ginger, cumin, cardamom and black peppercorns, about 1 minute. Add the rice and water, season it with salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to lowest setting, cover the pan (partially at first, until the foam subsides, then snugly), and cook until the rice is almost done, 8 to 10 minutes.

2
Uncover the pan, sprinkle the saffron milk over the rice, then cover the pan and cook another 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Do not stir the rice while it's cooking.

3
Serve hot, sprinkled with garam masala and toasted almonds.

rosemary lemon rice

Serves
6
Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
15 minutes

Lemon rice is a very popular everyday dish in southern India. Rosemary, however, isn’t a very popular ingredient in India, and is largely unavailable. I have combined these two flavors as they marry fantastically with one another. Serve it with a portion of Cardamom Chicken (page 43) and Green Cabbage with Lentils (page 99).

1½ cups (300 g) uncooked long-grain white rice

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons lemon zest

3 cups (750 ml) water

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons oil

1½ teaspoons black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 (1-in/2.5-cm) cinnamon sticks

2 whole cloves

1
Put the rice, rosemary, lemon zest, water, turmeric and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender, 12 to15 minutes. Mix in the lemon juice, cover, and keep warm.

2
Heat the oil in a small non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, red chili flakes, cinnamon, and cloves. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add it to the rice, mix in and serve hot.

potato and dill stuffed parathas

Makes
14
Preparation
15 minutes, plus 30 minutes (dough rest)
Cooking
20 minutes

Stuffed parathas are a comfort food for many Indians. When I make them, I usually eat them with some plain yogurt and Wasabi and Green Chili Chutney (page 20). You could easily use leftover Mustard Potatoes with Dill (page 96) as the stuffing for this paratha.

4 cups (540 g) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oil

½ cup (100 g) clarified butter

Potato and Dill Filling

2 tablespoons oil

¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 small onion, chopped

1 fresh green chili pepper, deseeded and minced

2 cups (35 g) fresh dill, chopped

½ lb (250 g) potatoes, boiled, peeled, and mashed

Salt, to taste

1
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the 2 tablespoons of oil and about 1¼ cups (300 ml) of water and mix into a soft, pliable dough.

2
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

3
Make the Potato and Dill Filling by heating the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and, as soon as they begin to pop, add the onion and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the green chili pepper and dill, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and cool.

4
Divide the dough into 14 portions and roll each into a 6-in (15-cm) circle. Spread 1 tablespoon of the filling evenly over one-half of each circle of dough and fold into a semicircle. Rub oil on half of the surface and fold over into quarters. Roll out until doubled in size. Cover the parathas with a cloth.

5
Heat an oiled griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Remove the excess flour from the parathas and cook each one for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn over and cook until slightly brown, lightly brushing with clarified butter. Serve warm.

fresh-baked rosemary naan

Serves
4
Preparation
10 minutes, plus 20 minutes (dough rest)
Cooking
10 minutes

Although naan is a rather popular form of an Indian bread, it is not usually made at home for the simple reason that the oven in which it is baked—the tandoor oven—is not found in most households. This recipe, however, gives you the closest texture and taste possible using a regular household oven. If you really wish to get closer to the flavor of naan baked in an Indian tandoor, acquire a baking stone or a pizza stone, heat it up, and use that to prepare this bread. Naan can be enjoyed with almost all gravy dishes, however, I prefer to have it with the Chipotle Pork Chops (page 57) or Baked Marinated Chicken (page 42) and any raita.