The Café Spice Cookbook: 84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals (18 page)

This is an all-time Café Spice office favorite! Sameer often brings in this quick-tossed homemade
paneer bhurji
and eats it during a working lunch on a busy day at the office. When he brings some that combines egg and paneer, I never miss an opportunity to share it with him!

Serves
4

Prep time:
20 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 fresh green chili peppers, slit open lengthwise

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 red onion (about 4 oz/125 g), thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 lb (500 g) Paneer Cheese (page
76
), grated

Salt, to taste

4 tablespoons minced fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Juice of ½ lime

SPICE BLEND

6 dried red chili peppers

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

To make the Spice Blend: Grind the red chili peppers, coriander, and cumin seeds in a spice grinder to make a coarse powder. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or a saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and fry until light brown, about a minute. Add the green chili peppers, ginger, and onion and sauté for 30 seconds. Then add the Spice Blend and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add the green pepper and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the grated paneer, stirring gently for 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle with the salt, fresh coriander leaves, and lime juice. Stir and serve hot.

VARIATION: ANDA PANEER BHURGI—
Eggs, or
anda
in Hindi, are a commonly used ingredient in Indian cooking. To make this dish simply add 3 hard-boiled eggs, grated or chopped, to the above recipe. This is a delicious variation that goes well with Whole Wheat Griddle Bread (page
122
).

Baby Corn and Green Beans
Beans Corn Thoran

This dish is inspired by the popularity of using baby corn as an ingredient in Asian cuisine. Green beans are a popular and quick choice for a vegetable dish in many kitchens in India. This is my version, where I have added baby corns. Fresh baby corn work best for this recipe, but canned baby corn works nearly as well.

Serves
6

Prep time:
10 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

4 tablespoons oil

3 teaspoons black mustard seeds

1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste (page
22
)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

4 dried red chili peppers

10 fresh or dried curry leaves

8 oz (250 g) green beans, preferably thin French beans, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-in (2.5-cm) lengths

8 oz (250 g) baby corn, fresh or canned, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-in (2.5-cm) lengths

1 teaspoon Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1¼ teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

Juice of ½ lemon

Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until they splutter and pop, about 30 seconds. Immediately add the Ginger-Garlic Paste, cumin seeds, red chili peppers, and curry leaves and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Add the beans, baby corn, Garam Masala, turmeric, salt, and cook, stirring frequently for 3–4 minutes, until fragrant.

Add a little water if needed to ensure faster cooking (optional). Cover and cook until the beans are tender, about 7–10 minutes. Remove the cover; add the coriander leaves, and lemon juice and cook, stirring often, until all of the water is evaporated. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Serve hot.

Smoky Fire-Roasted Eggplant
Baingan Bharta

I love the smoky aroma and taste of this eggplant delicacy, which is cooked with onions, tomatoes, and spices, and served over Whole Wheat Griddle Bread (page
122
). Though the eggplant is traditionally charcoal-smoked, the smoking can also be done over a gas burner on a stove top or under the broiler. The eggplants used in this recipe are not the usual ones found in the regular grocery. These long, slim, perfectly purple eggplants are usually found in an Asian or an Indian grocery store and deliver a slightly different flavor from the usual ones, when cooked. This preparation is rather simple and healthy, yet the use of cumin and green chilies makes it really tasty. This dish can easily be rolled up in Indian flatbreads, or a store-bought wrap for a perfect meal-on-the-go.

Serves
4

Prep time:
10 minutes

Cook time:
30 minutes

4 baby eggplants (Asian or Italian) or 2 large eggplants (globe variety), about 2½ lbs (1 kg) total

¾ cup (185 ml) ghee (clarified butter) or oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 red onion (about 5 oz/150 g), finely chopped

1 piece fresh ginger, 1-in (2.5-cm), peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

Salt, to taste

2 tomatoes (about ¾ lb/350 g), chopped

3 fresh green chili peppers, minced

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Preheat a grill to medium heat or a broiler to 325°F (160°C) and set the oven rack 5 inches (12.5 cm) below the heat source.

Flame-char the whole eggplants on the gas grill, turning constantly, until blackened and soft, about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you may roast the eggplants under the preheated broiler on a sheet pan until completely soft and lightly burnt and the skin starts peeling off, about 15–20 minutes.

Immerse the grilled or roasted eggplants in cold water to cool. Remove the skin and stem and coarsely chop the flesh. (You should have nearly 2 cups/500 g chopped eggplant.)

Set aside.

Heat the ghee or oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin and sauté until it begins to crackle, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook until transparent, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the paprika, salt, and tomatoes and cook until the fat starts to leave the sides, about 2 minutes. Add the chopped eggplant and green chili peppers and cook, stirring constantly, until soft and mushy, about 4–5 minutes. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

TIP:
When selecting eggplants, choose ones that are shiny and seem light for their size. They will have fewer seeds.

Okra Masala
Bhindi Subzi

Okra is simply divine with any Indian meal. If you have previously cooked okra and ended up with slimy results, you may be discouraged from making it at home. But don’t be! You need only follow my aunt’s three cardinal rules: Always wipe okra dry before cutting it, always cook it without a lid, and do not stir it too much while cooking. Following her tips will ensure that the okra does not have a slimy texture. If you prefer okra crispy, deep-frying is a good option. Always pick out the smallest okra as they will be the most tender. Frozen, cut okra may be used when fresh is out of season. Serve this as a side dish with a saucy curry or a dal and some
chapati
(page
122
) or rice of your choice.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

1 lb (500 g) fresh tender okra, rinsed and patted dry or 1 lb (500 g) cut, frozen okra

½ cup (125 ml) oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 large onion (about 8 oz/250 g), sliced

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon salt

1 small tomato (about 3 oz/85 g), chopped

Juice of ½ lemon

Trim the ends off each okra and cut the pod into small segments, approximately ½-in (1.25-cm) in length.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds—they should sizzle on contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3–4 minutes. Add the okra and fry, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes.

The onion will be dark brown by this time. Add the ground spices, salt, and tomato and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook, stirring gently, for another minute. Serve hot.

Stir-Fried Spinach and Red Chard
Palak Subzi

I never liked Swiss chard until a few years ago when I had some that had been freshly picked from a garden. It was so sweet and buttery I couldn’t believe it was actually the same vegetable. It was then that I learned that freshness is the key factor that determines whether chard is delectable or detestable. Store-bought chard can be quite good, but not nearly as fantastic as the chard bought at the farmer’s market. So here’s a hint. If the thought of Swiss chard leaves you uninspired, get some that has been freshly picked. It is sort of like the difference between sweet corn picked that day, and the same corn two days later. The flavors cannot be compared.