How to Cook Indian (9 page)

Black pepper drink

This drink soothes a sore throat—or will at least clear your sinuses.

Serves 4.

1 teaspoon table salt

20 whole black peppercorns

¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

1½ teaspoons coriander seeds

4 cloves garlic

6 dried red chiles, stemmed

1 tablespoon tamarind pulp

1 teaspoon coconut oil

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

8 to 10 fresh curry leaves

2 green chiles, stemmed and slit

6 pearl onions, peeled and blanched

1. Place a nonstick saucepan over high heat. Add 5 cups (1 liter) water and the salt and bring to a boil.

2. Put the peppercorns, fenugreek, cumin, coriander, garlic, and red chiles in a mortar and crush them with a pestle. Add the crushed spices and garlic to the boiling water in the pan and stir. Add the tamarind pulp, lower the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat. Strain through a fine sieve and set aside.

4. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over high heat and add the coconut oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the mustard seeds and let them sputter. Add the curry leaves, green chiles, and onions, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add this to the prepared drink and cover immediately to trap the flavors.

5. Ladle into individual bowls and serve warm.

The idea of starting a meal with a soup to whet the appetite is not widely popular in traditional Indian homes, where meals are not served in courses. With the exception of the Anglo-Indian standby
mulligatawny
(page 56), soups—at least the brothy ones served in the West—are still uncommon here, and we have miles to go before we can boast of a huge repertoire.

There is not much historical documentation, but in this chapter I present some of the classic
shorbas
(soups) from the royal kitchens of yore. Take, for example, the chicken
shorba
(page 61) from northern India, a dish that will rejuvenate just like your own mother’s chicken soup did. One of my favorite soups is the
paya shorba
(page 63), made from lamb trotters. It is very soothing and warming in winter. The southern states offer thin, spicy
rasam
(page 59) that clear up the sinuses and a terrific soup called tomato
saar
(page 60), which is excellent on its own or ladled over rice.

There are plenty of vegetarian options here: The
sabz makai kali mirch ka shorba
(page 58) is like a garden in a bowl.

Anarkali Shorba

Lentil soup

This dish is named after a legendary and beautiful dancer from the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. It can be prepared up to a day in advance and reheated gently before serving.

Serves 4.

1½ tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1½-inch (4-cm) piece fresh ginger, chopped

2 bay leaves

3 or 4 whole cloves

1-inch (2½-cm) cinnamon stick

1 green cardamom pod

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons
toor dal/arhar dal
(split pigeon peas)

¼ cup (50 grams)
masoor dal
(split red lentils)

2 tablespoons raw rice

1½ teaspoons table salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh cilantro with stems, chopped

1 bunch spinach leaves, finely chopped

1 cup (200 ml) fresh pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns

Arils from half a medium pomegranate

1. Place a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter, and let it melt. Add the ginger, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onion is light golden brown.

2. Add the
dals
and rice, and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 9 cups (1.8 liters) water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Add the salt, ground black pepper, cilantro, and spinach. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.

4. Pour into a sieve set over a bowl, transfer the liquid to a deep nonstick saucepan, and place over low heat.

5. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Transfer the remaining solids to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the purée to the liquid in the pan and stir well. Add the pomegranate juice and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

6. Ladle into individual soup bowls, garnish with the crushed peppercorns and pomegranate arils, and serve hot.

Badam Shorba

Almond soup

This rich soup tastes best when it is freshly made. Blanching the almonds first softens them a little and makes grinding them a lot easier. If your almonds have been sitting around in the pantry for a while, be sure to taste them and make sure that they are not rancid.

Serves 4.

1½ cups (150 grams) almonds

1¾ cups (350 ml) milk

2 teaspoons butter, at room temperature

1¼ teaspoons
maida
(refined flour) or pastry flour

½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1½ tablespoons heavy cream

1. Soak the almonds in hot water for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and peel them. Slice 10 to 12 almonds and set them aside for garnish. Put the remaining almonds and ¾ cup (150 ml) of the milk in a food processor, and process to a smooth paste.

2. Place a nonstick saucepan over high heat, add the butter, and let it melt. Add the
maida,
lower the heat to medium, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring continuously to ensure that the color of the flour does not change. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup (200 ml) milk and stir continuously so that lumps do not form.

3. Add the sugar, salt, and white pepper, and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the almond and milk paste and 2 cups (400 ml) hot water, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens. Ladle into individual soup bowls.

5. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over high heat. When it is hot, lower the heat to medium, add the reserved sliced almonds, and toast until they just begin to change color. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the soup in each bowl and drizzle with the cream. Serve immediately.

Hare Moong Ka Shorba

Thin green-gram soup with rice vermicelli

This is one of the best Indian soups I have ever tasted. It is loaded with protein, has a fantastic mouth-feel, and gives you a burst of energy. My wife, Alyona, is an expert at making it, and we worked on this recipe together.

Serves 4.

1 cup (240 grams)
sabut moong
(whole green gram)

1 tablespoon table salt

2 bay leaves

2 green cardamom pods

1 whole clove

1-inch (2½ -cm) cinnamon stick

3 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

2 or 3 scallions with green tops

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch (2½-cm) piece fresh ginger, chopped

1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups (275 grams) cooked rice vermicelli

1. Put the
sabut moong
in a large bowl, wash in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 3 cups (600 ml) water and soak overnight. Drain in a colander.

2. Place a nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add 1 quart (800 ml) water. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt, the bay leaves, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, chiles, and the
sabut moong.
Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the
sabut moong
is soft and all the water has been absorbed or evaporated. Set aside to cool completely.

3. Purée with an immersion blender. Push the mixture through a sieve into a large bowl. Add 5 cups (1 liter) water and stir. Set aside.

4. Chop the scallion bulbs and greens separately.

5. Place a nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the cumin and when it begins to change color, add the scallion bulbs, garlic, and ginger, and sauté for 30 seconds.

6. Stir in the
sabut moong
mixture and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the lemon juice, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the scallion tops and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt.

7. Add the vermicelli and simmer for 1 minute. Ladle into individual soup bowls and serve hot.

Laganshaala

Spicy Parsi-style vegetable soup

This is a hearty vegetable soup with a Western influence brought in by the Parsi community of Mumbai. Parsis came to India from Iran and settled in the state of Gujarat.

Serves 4.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 or 3 dried red chiles, stemmed and broken in half