1,000 Indian Recipes (231 page)

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⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

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cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1 large red bell pepper, cut into
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-by-1-inch pieces

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⁄
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teaspoon garam masala

1.
Soak the nuggets in lightly salted water to cover, about 1 hour. Then drain and squeeze out all the water from the nuggets.

2.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onions, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the garlic and ginger and stir until golden, about 1 minute.

3.
Add the coriander and turmeric, stir about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook until the juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Mix in the drained nuggets and cook, stirring, until the nuggets are well-coated with the sauce, about 10 minutes.

4.
Add the water and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer about 5 minutes. Add the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, and simmer until the nuggets absorb the juices and the sauce is thick and smooth, about 20 minutes. Mix in the cilantro and bell pepper during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the garam masala on top, and serve.

Spicy Lentil Nugget Curry with Potatoes

Vadiyan-Aalu

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Lentil nuggets, called
vadiyan
or
badiyan
, can be made at home, but most of us generally buy them from Indian markets. A specialty of Amritsar, a city in Punjab,
vadiyan
are generally very hot and spicy, and are meant to be added by the piece to flavor a dish, not used whole. This flavor remains close to all Punjabi hearts, in India and abroad.

5 medium russet potatoes (about 1
¹
⁄
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pounds)

1 large clove fresh garlic, peeled

4 to 6 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

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⁄
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cup vegetable oil

2 large lentil nuggets, broken coarsely into 1-inch pieces

1
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⁄
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cups canned tomato sauce

1 tablespoon ground coriander

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⁄
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teaspoon ground cumin

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teaspoon ground turmeric

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⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

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⁄
₂
teaspoon garam masala

4 to 5 cups water

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⁄
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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then peel and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Reserve. In a food processor, process together the garlic, ginger, and onion to make a paste. Transfer to a bowl.

2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and fry the nugget pieces in one or two batches, turning them until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. (If using a saucepan, tilt it to pool the oil in one place.) With a slotted spoon, remove the nugget pieces, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

3.
Add the garlic-ginger-onion paste to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat until well browned, 12 to 15 minutes. (Do not cook quickly over high heat—the onions will burn and will not develop a rich flavor.)

4.
Add the tomato sauce and cook, stirring over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Mix in the coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt, and
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon garam masala, then add the fried nuggets and water and bring to a boil oven high heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the nuggets are fork tender, about 30 minutes.

5.
Add the potatoes and cilantro, cover the pan, and simmer another 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle the remaining
¹
⁄
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teaspoon garam masala on top, and serve.

Chickpea Pancakes in Curry Sauce

Rassadar Doiyan

Makes 4 to 6 servings

A specialty of Punjab,
doiyan
are tiny chickpea flour pancakes. This dish, made with the pancakes floating in a fragrant curry sauce, are a favorite on my mother's side of the family.

To make more pancakes than you need to feed hungry mouths before you can add them to the sauce or to use them for another dish, such as
Raita with Chickpea Flour Pancakes
, just double the ingredients for the pancakes (not the curry sauce).

1 recipe
Classic Spicy Curry Sauce

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⁄
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cup chickpea flour (besan)

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, minced with seeds

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teaspoon salt, or to taste

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teaspoon baking soda

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⁄
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cup water

2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

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⁄
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teaspoon garam masala

1.
Prepare the curry sauce and leave it in the pan. In a small bowl, mix together the chickpea flour, green chile pepper, salt, and baking soda, then add the water to make a semi-thin batter. Set aside 15 to 20 minutes.

2.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon the batter and spread it with a spoon to make a 1
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-inch pancake. As it firms up, push to one side of the skillet and make similar pancakes with the remaining batter, adding more oil as needed.

3.
Turn over each pancake that is on the side of the pan as the bottom browns, about 30 seconds. Allow the second side to brown, about 30 seconds, then transfer the pancake to a plate. Continue until all the batter has been used.

4.
Add the pancakes to the curry sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the pancakes absorb the juices from the sauce, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the cilantro and garam masala, and serve.

Spicy Curried Chickpea Drops

Boondi Ki Sabzi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Chickpea drops, called
boondi
, are crispy, deep-fried
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⁄
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-inch drops of chickpea flour batter. Used in a multitude of recipes, some savory and others sweet, they are a blessing in the kitchen. This village-style curry—a lunchtime favorite—is one that Indian grandmothers turn to when the vegetable vendor fails to show up at their doorsteps. In this recipe from my friend Bharti Dhalwala, I call for
boondi
purchased from the Indian markets, which, in most cases, is already salted, so make the necessary adjustments. Or try making your own
boondi
.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 small onion, minced

1 large tomato, finely chopped

1 small onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

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teaspoon salt, or to taste (if needed)

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teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

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teaspoon ground turmeric

4 cups water

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

2 cups packaged boondi drops

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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the minced onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.

2.
Add the tomato, sliced onion, salt (if needed) cayenne pepper, and turmeric and cook, stirring, until the tomato is soft and most of the juices evaporate, 5 to 7 minutes.

3.
Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes. Increase the heat to high and mix in the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, and continue to boil until the sauce is somewhat thick, 3 to 5 minutes.

4.
Mix in the boondi drops and boil, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, mix in the cilantro, and serve.

Punjabi Chickpea Drops Curry