1,000 Indian Recipes (101 page)

4.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds. They should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so lower the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides. Add the sesame seeds, green chile peppers, and curry leaves, and cook about 30 seconds. Mix in the sugar-water and pour evenly over the dhokla cake. Let cool and cut into the desired size squares, rectangles, or other shapes, and place them on a serving platter. Garnish with the cilantro and coconut, and serve.

Variation:
To make white dhokla, use semolina instead of chickpea flour.

Steamed Mung Bean Bites

Dhokla-Iddli

Makes 4 to 6 servings

In this recipe, for which I have 2 versions—from my friend Falguni's mother and my fried Jaywanti Thakar of Mumbai (Bombay)—yellow mung beans (
dhulli mung dal
) and yellow split chickpeas (
channa dal
) are used for the batter, then the
dhoklas
are made in special small molds that are traditionally used to make the South Indian rice cakes called
iddli
. You end up with little 1-inch discs. Topped with colorful chutneys and other things, these delicate bite-sized rounds make for a spicy first course.

Sev
are thin, crispy-fried vermicelli-like chickpea flour noodles sold in packages in Indian markets.

¹
⁄
₂
cup each: dried yellow mung beans (dhulli mung dal), and dried yellow split chickpeas (channa dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

2 tablespoons
Basic Ginger and Green Chile Pepper Paste

¹
⁄
₄
cup any green chutney, such as
Cilantro-Lime Chutney

2 tablespoons
Garlic and Fresh Red Chile Pepper Chutney

³
⁄
₄
to 1 cup water

2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground asafoetida

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon citric acid

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sev noodles

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped onions

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
In separate bowls, soak both the dals overnight in water to cover by at least 2 inches. Prepare the ginger-green chile paste and the chutneys. When ready, drain and process each dal separately in a food processor, adding up to
¹
⁄
₂
cup of water each, to make a paste as smooth as possible.

2.
Transfer both the dals to a bowl and mix together well. Add the oil, ginger-green chile paste, asafoetida, and salt, and whip well with a whisk or a fork to incorporate air and make a batter, about 1 minute. The batter should be semi-thick, with the tiniest bit of a grain. If batter is thin, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of semolina.

3.
Grease the iddli molds (or coat with non-stick spray). Mix the citric acid and baking soda into the batter; it will bubble immediately. Working quickly, before the bubbling subsides, pour 2 tablespoons of the batter into each mold and place each tray on the stand.

4.
Put about 1 inch of water in a pressure cooker or large pot then place the iddli stand in the pot. Cover the pot, leaving the vent open if you're using a pressure cooker or leaving the cover a little askew if you're using a regular pot, to allow the steam to escape. Cook over high heat until the cakes are soft and spongy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the steam to escape from the sides, but do not remove the lid from the pot for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Using a spoon or clean fingers, remove each dhokla-iddli from the mold. Pry lightly with a knife or a small spatula if they stick.

5.
Line a serving platter with a mixture of the sev noodles, onion, and cilantro, and place the small dhoklas over the mixture. Top each dhokla with a layer of green chutney, place a dollop of garlic chutney on top, and serve.

Gujarati Chickpea Flour Rolls

Khandvi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Another Gujarati specialty,
khandvi
rolls are delicate little things—yellow cakes dotted with blackened mustard seeds, flecks of green cilantro, and white coconut. You will almost be sorry to destroy these silky smooth rolls by eating them, but then, they're too good not to! Allow 3 to 4 per person.

1 cup chickpea flour

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, stemmed

5 to 6 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

³
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

2 cups water

¹
⁄
₄
cup fresh or frozen grated coconut

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 fresh green chile peppers, such as as serrano, quartered lengthwise, with or without seeds

4 to 6 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, with stems

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground asafoetida

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh curry leaves

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground paprika

1.
Sift the chickpea flour through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any lumps. Grease or lightly spray two 12-by-18-inch baking trays and set aside.

2.
In a blender (not a food processor) blend together the whole green chile pepper, ginger, lemon juice, and 1 cup of the yogurt until smooth. Then add the remaining 1 cup yogurt, chickpea flour, salt, and turmeric, and blend again until smooth.

3.
Transfer to a large nonstick wok or saucepan, mix in the water, and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the sides to prevent any lumping, over medium-high heat, 2 to 3 minutes, then over medium-low heat until it starts to splutter and turns into a very thick batter, 3 to 5 minutes.

4.
Pour the batter into the 2 trays and, with a scraper or a spatula, spread it evenly and as thinly as you can. Set aside to cool, about 30 minutes. With a knife or pizza cutter, cut each sheet of batter into 6-by-2-inch strips and roll each strip tightly like a jellyroll. Transfer the rolls to a serving platter and sprinkle the coconut and cilantro on top.

5.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the green and red chile peppers. Stir a few minutes, then add the mustard seeds; they will splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so reduce the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides. Add the asafoetida and curry leaves. When they sizzle, add the paprika and immediately pour over the khandvi rolls. Serve warm or refrigerate up to 2 hours and serve cold.

Gujarati Stuffed Chickpea Flour Rolls

Bharvan Khandvi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This is a stuffed
khandvi
roll. The first and the last part of the cooking method is the same as for
Gujarati Chickpea Flour Rolls
. But before making the rolls the sheet of batter is covered with a topping, which becomes the filling.

1 recipe
Gujarati Chickpea Flour Rolls

1 small or half large seedless cucumber, coarsely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems + 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, quartered lengthwise, with or without seeds

4 to 6 whole dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol,

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground asafoetida

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh curry leaves

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground paprika

2 tablespoons fresh or frozen grated coconut

1.
Prepare the chickpea flour roll recipe through Step 4—up to spreading the cooked batter on the trays.

2.
In a food processor, process together the cucumber, red bell pepper, and cilantro until minced. Transfer them to a medium nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat until the vegetables first release their juices and then until the juices dry up, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle over the batter in the trays and let cool, about 30 minutes.