1,000 Indian Recipes (207 page)

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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

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teaspoon ground cumin

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teaspoon ground paprika

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teaspoon garam masala

1.
Place the dal, 4 cups water, tomato, ginger, green chile peppers, salt, and turmeric in a pressure cooker. Secure the lid and cook over high heat until the regulator indicates high pressure, then cook 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully open the lid and check to see if the beans are very soft, with some of them broken; if not, add more water as needed, cover, bring up to pressure, and cook under high pressure about 30 seconds. Or cover and boil until the dal is soft and creamy, about 30 minutes.

2.
Heat the oil in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the coriander and cumin, cook 5 to 10 seconds, and remove from the heat. Mix in the paprika and then lightly swirl everything into the dal, with parts of it visible as a garnish. Sprinkle the garam masala on top and serve.

Mustard-Roasted Adzuki Beans

Bhuni Laal Chori Dal

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Made without a formal
tarka
(a sizzling flavor topping), as would be customary for most
dal
dishes, this dish gets its unique smoky flavor from the initial gentle roasting of the beans in mustard oil, mustard seeds, and other spices. Once it is roasted, this dal can be cooked in a pressure cooker as in
Spicy Adzuki Beans
, or in a pan.

This recipe requires cooking the beans for about 1 hour, but if you have the time, cook it as long as 2 hours. The longer you cook it, the more flavor it has. Just keep the heat low and watch the water, adding about
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cup at a time as it dries up.

1 tablespoon mustard oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 cup dried adzuki beans (red chori dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

1 large tomato, finely chopped

12 to 15 fresh curry leaves

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teaspoon ground asafoetida

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

1 large clove fresh garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon ground coriander

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teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

5 to 6 cups water

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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

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cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds; they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so cover the pan and reduce the heat until the spluttering subsides.

2.
Add everything except the water, cilantro, and yogurt, and stir to roast the dal until it is fragrant and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add about 4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the dal is soft and creamy, about 1 hour. Stir occasionally and add more water as needed. Transfer to a serving dish, mix in the cilantro, then swirl in the yogurt with parts of it visible as a garnish. Serve.

Classic No-Onion Kidney Bean Curry

Bina Pyaz kae Rassae vaalae Rajma

Makes 4 to 6 servings

There are two basic ways of making kidney bean curry: one is with onion and the other without, and though the end result of both is visually quite similar, the taste is remarkably different. You will find regional differences in the way this dish is prepared, as people from different parts of India use different spices (mustard seeds and curry leaves in the south, and black cardamom and fenugreek leaves in the north), but the basic procedure is the same.

This is the lighter, no-onion north-Indian version, made with generous helpings of tomatoes and yogurt.

1
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cups dried kidney beans, sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

4 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

1 (2-inch) stick cinnamon, broken lengthwise

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teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

4 to 5 cups water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon melted ghee

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

2 large tomatoes, finely chopped

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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

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cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

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teaspoon ground cumin

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teaspoon garam masala + more for garnish

1.
Soak the beans overnight in water to cover by 2 inches. Then drain and place them in a pressure cooker, along with the cardamom pods, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and 4 cups water. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker, place over high heat, and cook until the gauge indicates high pressure, then cook about 1 minute more. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook another 3 minutes. Then remove from the heat and allow pot to depressurize on its own, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully open the lid and check to see if the beans are very soft, with some of them broken; if not, cover, bring up to pressure again, and cook under pressure another minute. Or cover and boil until soft, about
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hour.

2.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Heat the oil and ghee in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds, they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly, add the ginger and garlic and stir a few seconds. Add the tomatoes and cilantro (reserve some for garnish) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juices evaporate, 8 to 10 minutes.

3.
Mix in the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling. Add the coriander, fenugreek leaves, cumin, and garam masala, and stir about 1 minute. Transfer to the pot with the kidney beans and simmer, stirring occasionally, over low heat, another 15 to 20 minutes. Add up to 1 cup more water if you prefer a thinner dish. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the garam masala and cilantro on top, and serve.

Classic Kidney Bean Curry with Onions