Ladies Coupe (35 page)

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Authors: Anita Nair

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Snacks

Dahi
vada

500g of Urad Dal lentils
⁵8 chopped green chilli peppers
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger
1 litre of set yoghurt

teaspoon of mustard seeds
a few curry leaves
salt to taste
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

Soak the Urad Dal lentils in water for 2 hours. Finely grind the chickpeas in a blender, adding water until you have a smooth dough. Towards the end of this process, add half the chilli peppers and half the ginger, and season with salt. Put the dough to one side to make the vadas. Mix the remaining chillies and ginger with the yoghurt, adding a pinch of salt. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to brown, remove from the heat and add to the yoghurt mixture and add the curry leaves. Make small balls with the chickpea dough and fry them in a few centimetres of hot oil. Dry the Dahi vada on some kitchen paper, then dip them in the yoghurt sauce. Wait half an hour before serving to allow the vadas to cool.

Murukku

1 cup of wheat flour
1 cup of besan
⁶1 teaspoon of hot vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of asafoetida
1 teaspoon of oregano
salt to taste
vegetable oil for frying

Sieve together the two flours and mix with the hot oil. Add the chilli, cumin seeds, salt, asafoetida and oregano and knead into a soft dough. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan and, using a piping nozzle, squeeze small ‘tube’ shapes of dough into the oil and fry until golden brown.

Bhaji

2 aubergines
salt

For
the
batter
2 cups of besan
⁷

cups of water

teaspoon of salt, turmeric, cumin powder and bicarbonate
of soda, respectively
a pinch of Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Skin the aubergines and cut into slices about half a centimetre thick. Sprinkle with salt and leave to dry for half an hour, then squeeze well to get rid of excess water. Sieve the flour in a deep bowl and add enough water to make a thick dough. Add the other ingredients. Beat the mixture until you have a velvety smooth batter and leave for half an hour. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. Dip the aubergine slices into the batter and then fry until they are
well browned. Place the cooked bhajis on a baking tray covered with kitchen paper and keep in a warm oven until all the mixture has been used. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately with fresh chutney.

Curry

Fish in curry sauce

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 finely chopped onions
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1-2 teaspoons of curry powder
1 tablespoon of tomato sauce
3-4 cups of water
salt to taste
your choice of fish fillets

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic until brown. Mix in the curry powder and put on a high flame for one or two minutes. Add the tomato sauce and water, cook for a few more minutes and add salt to taste. Add the fish to the sauce and cook on a low flame, occasionally dipping the fish under the sauce. Serve with boiled rice.

Cauliflower and lentil curry

cups of lentils, preferably red
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 finely chopped onions

teaspoon of chilli powder
1 teaspoon of curry powder

teaspoon of turmeric
2 tablespoons of dried coconut
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 medium cauliflower
juice of half a lemon

Wash and soak the lentils overnight, before cooking. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan and brown the onions. Add the spices and cook for one or two minutes. Add the lentils, coconut, water and salt and bring to the boil. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and add it to the sauce. Cover the pan and cook until the cauliflower is soft. Add the lemon juice and serve with boiled rice.

Mint and coriander chutney

1 cup of fresh coriander leaves
1 cup of fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of vinegar or lime juice
1 green chilli pepper

cup of plain yoghurt

Put all the ingredients, apart from the yoghurt, into a blender and chop finely. Add the yoghurt. Store the chutney in the fridge in an airtight container.

Vegetarian korma

6 green chilli peppers
30-40g of fresh chopped ginger
6 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
2 potatoes
1 cup of green peas
1 heaped cup of French beans
1 carrot
1 teaspoon of poppy seeds
10 cashew nuts
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 cups of coconut milk
1 small chopped onion
1 teaspoon of lime juice

Using a blender mix together the peppers, ginger and garlic. Cut the vegetables into small pieces. Grind together the poppy seeds and cashew nuts using a pestle and mortar. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the cinnamon and onion and cook until brown. Add the blended pepper mix and fry. Add the vegetables, a pinch of salt and one cup of coconut milk, and heat without bringing to the boil. When the vegetables are cooked, add the cashew nut and poppy seed paste. Continue to cook on a low flame and finally add the second cup of coconut milk and chopped coriander leaves when the curry is fully cooked. Remove from the heat, add a teaspoon of lime juice and serve.

Desserts

Kesari

2 cups of semolina
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
3 tablespoons of margarine or butter
1 heaped tablespoon of raisins
10 cashew nuts
4 cups of water
1 cup of sugar
a pinch of saffron
1 cardamom pod

Lightly brown the semolina in the vegetable oil and put to one side. Heat the margarine or butter in a deep frying pan and add the raisins and cashew nuts and cook until brown, then put to one side. Pour the water and sugar into the frying pan and heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Add a pinch of saffron and the cardamom, alternatively use orange food colouring. As the water is boiling, very slowly pour in the semolina, continuing to stir until cooked. Remove from the heat and add the nuts and raisins.

Basundi

8 cups of milk
500g of sugar
20 cardamom pods

teaspoon of saffron

teaspoon of grated nutmeg

Boil the milk with the sugar until condensed. Add all the other ingredients and serve chilled.

Badam kheer

2 cups of milk
2 cups of sugar

teaspoon of cardamom

teaspoon of saffron
25g of peeled almonds

Grind the almonds into a paste using a pestle and mortar. In a saucepan mix the paste with the milk and bring to the boil. Stirring all the time, add the sugar, cardamom and saffron. Serve hot or cold.

Mysorepak

3 cups of margarine/butter mixture
3 cups of sugar
1 cup of besan
⁸

Heat the butter and margarine until steaming. Place the sugar into another saucepan, cover with water and let the sugar dissolve by gently heating the pan. Continue to stir until you have created a caramel sauce. Slowly add the flour, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Add half the butter and margarine and continue to stir. When the mixture condenses and starts to stick to the sides of the pan, add the remaining butter and mix vigorously. When the mixture is frothy, remove from the heat and pour onto a buttered dish or tray to form a layer about 3cm deep. Cut into squares and leave to cool before serving.

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