How to Cook Indian (114 page)

2 teaspoons red chile powder

1 tablespoon grated cane jaggery

½ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon black mustard seeds

10 to 12 fresh curry leaves

1. Place a nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons of the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the tomatoes, ginger, and onion. Stir and cook for 20 minutes or until the mixture is brown and homogenous. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

2. Add the sesame seeds, peanuts, cumin, chile powder, jaggery, and salt, and stir. Transfer to a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds begin to sputter, add this tempering to the chutney and stir.

4. Let cool completely and store in a sterilized, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Cilantro Thokku

Fresh-cilantro relish

My colleagues who hail from Tamil Nadu claim this chutney is perfect with steamed rice and yogurt. And some insist that rice and
thokku
with ghee is also fantastic. This chutney can also be enjoyed with
roti
(page 18) or even with Western-style bread.

Makes 1 cup (300 grams).

l 1/8; cup (250 grams) roughly chopped fresh cilantro

½ cup (100 grams)
dhuli urad dal
(split skinless black gram)

18 to 20 dried red chiles, stemmed and broken

4 teaspoons table salt

1/8; teaspoon asafetida

2 tablespoons tamarind pulp

1. Wash the cilantro and drain. Spread out on an absorbent kitchen towel until the water has completely evaporated.

2. Place a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the
dal
and dry-roast for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the chiles to the same heated pan and dry-roast for 2 minutes. Return the
dal
to the pan, add the salt, asafetida, and cilantro, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant.

4. Add the tamarind pulp and stir. Set aside to cool completely.

5. Transfer to a mini food processor and process until smooth.

6. Serve, or store in a sterilized, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Gajar Gobhi Shalgam Ka Achar

Punjabi-style winter-vegetable pickle

This pickle becomes more delicious as it ages and the flavors gain more depth. In Punjab, people in the city live in bungalows with kitchen gardens, and this pickle is a tribute to their gardens’ winter produce.

Makes 60 ounces (1.7 kg).

12 tablespoons filtered mustard oil (see Note page 87)

6 tablespoons coarsely ground ginger

¼ cup coarsely ground garlic

1½ tablespoons mustard seeds, ground

1½ tablespoons red chile powder

1½ tablespoons
garam masala
(spice mix; page 27)

1 cup (200 grams) grated cane jaggery

1½ to 2 tablespoons table salt

1 pound (500 grams) carrots, cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) pieces

1 pound (500 grams) cauliflower, separated into medium florets

1 pound (500 grams) turnips, peeled and cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) pieces

3 tablespoons malt vinegar

1. Place a nonstick wok over medium heat and add the mustard oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the wok, add the ginger and garlic and sauté until light golden.

2. Add the mustard seeds, chile powder, and
garam masala
and sauté for 15 seconds. Add the jaggery and salt, and stir well.

3. Add the carrots, cauliflower, and turnips, stir, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.

4. Stir in the vinegar.

5. Store in sterilized, airtight containers. This pickle will keep for up to 1 year at room temperature.

Garlic Pickle

Sweet-and-sour garlic pickle

This pickle is made differently throughout India. Some cooks pickle the garlic whole. I find that it is rather overwhelming to ingest a whole clove of spiced garlic, so I use crushed garlic in my recipe. This pickle has a very strong character, but perking up the palate is the job of a good pickle.

Serves 4.

3 cups (500 grams) garlic cloves

2-inch (5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled

1½ teaspoons black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1½ cups (300 ml) vegetable oil

1 teaspoon table salt

½ cup (120 grams) tamarind pulp

1½ teaspoons red chile powder

½ cup (100 grams) grated cane jaggery

1. Peel, wash, and pat dry the garlic. Process half of the garlic with the ginger in a mini food processor and crush the remaining cloves.

2. Place a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and let it heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the mustard seeds, the fenugreek, and cumin, and dry-roast for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Let cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder.

3. Place a nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add 1 cup (200 ml) of the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the remaining ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and the crushed garlic. Lower the heat to low and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Increase the heat to high, add the salt, the roasted and ground spices, and the tamarind pulp, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.

5. Add the chile powder, garlic-ginger paste, and jaggery, and cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until the jaggery is dissolved.

6. Add the remaining ½ cup (100 ml) oil and cook until the pickle thickens a bit.

7. Let cool, then transfer to a dry, sterilized, airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Ginger Pesarel

Ginger pickle

This is a terrific treat for ginger lovers. Use young rhizomes for this pickle, as woody ginger will not taste the same.

Makes ½ cup (150 grams).

12-inch (30-cm) piece fresh ginger

¼ cup (50 ml) vegetable oil

1 tablespoon (40 grams) black mustard seeds

½ teaspoon asafetida

1 teaspoon table salt

6 green chiles, stemmed and slit

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Wash and peel the ginger. Pat dry with an absorbent cloth and finely julienne.

2. Place a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the mustard seeds. When they begin to sputter, add the asafetida and salt.

3. Stir in the ginger and chiles, toss well, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and drizzle with the lemon juice; stir well. Set aside for 1 hour before serving. The pickle can be stored in a sterilized, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.

Sour and Spicy Eggplant Pickle

Eggplant spread

I use this pickle more like a sandwich spread than a relish. I prefer to use eggplants that are lightweight for their size and have small round marks at the bottom, because the ones that are heavy and have oval marks are likely to have more seeds.

Makes 1½ cups (450 grams).

2-inch (5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled

4 cloves garlic

1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon (300 ml) vegetable oil

¼ cup (50 grams) dried red chiles, stemmed

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds

2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds

4 small eggplants, each cut into 8 pieces

¼ cup (60 grams) table salt

1 tablespoon tamarind pulp

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 cup (200 ml) distilled white vinegar

1. Put the ginger and garlic in a mini food processor, and process to a paste. Set aside in a small bowl.

2. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the chiles and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside to cool.

3. Place the same pan with the remaining oil over medium heat. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the cumin, mustard seeds, and fenugreek, and sauté for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Drain the oil using a small sieve and save the spices. Set aside to cool.

4. Add the ginger-garlic paste to the remaining hot oil in the pan and sauté for 1 minute.

5. Transfer the chiles and the sautéed spices to a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Set aside in a small bowl.

6. Place a nonstick wok over high heat and add 1¼ cups (250 ml) of the remaining oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the wok, slide in the eggplant and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Add the salt, tamarind pulp, turmeric, ground sautéed spices, sautéed ginger-garlic paste, and vinegar, and stir.

7. Place a nonstick sauté pan over high heat and add the remaining ¼ cup (50 ml) oil. Heat until warmed through. Add to the bowl with the eggplant mixture. Stir well.

8. Let the pickle cool to room temperature before serving, or transfer to a sterilized, airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.

Kachche Papite Ka Morabba

A sweet relish of green papaya

Morabbas
are sweet preserves that are made using either fruits or vegetables. Carrot
morabba
and
amla
(Indian gooseberry)
morabba
are readily available in Indian grocery stores, but until some enterprising individual mass-produces this special green-papaya
morabba,
it will have to be made at home.

Makes 1 cup (300 grams).

9 ounces (250 grams) green papaya, cut into 1-inch (2½-cm) cubes

1¼ cups (250 grams) sugar