1,000 Indian Recipes (270 page)

Naina ki Kekda Kari

Makes 4 to 6 servings

My friend Naina Kapadia makes this curry for her family and a small group of selected friends for special occasions only, because, she says, "It's too much work." Work it is, but most of it is in the cleaning. The crabs themselves cook in less than 15 minutes.

The curry is made with whole crabs, cut up. If you can get them, start with live crabs, have them cleaned and cut before you bring them home, and cook them within hours of buying. Otherwise, use frozen crabs. The recipe calls for a lot of chile peppers, so reduce the number if you prefer a milder dish.

4 Dungeness crabs, about 1
¹
⁄
₄
pounds each

1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped

6 to 8 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled

6 to 10 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chickpea flour

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1.
If not already cleaned, clean the crabs well, taking care to reach every hidden joint with a small steel brush. Then separate the legs from the body and cut the body into 2- to 3-inch pieces.

2.
In a blender or a food processor, process together the tomatoes, garlic, green chile peppers, and cilantro until as smooth as possible.

3.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the chickpea flour, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Then add the cumin, black pepper, and turmeric and stir about 1 minute.

4.
Add the processed tomato mixture, the crab pieces, and the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the sauce is medium-thick (like a stew) and the oil floats to the top, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

Fried, Grilled, and Baked Fish

Sohini's Fast and Easy Indian Tuna

Tuna Masala

Makes 2 servings

When canned tuna was on sale and the grad student stipend hadn't arrived yet, this is what got my Santa Monica friend Sohini Baliga through college. Sohini says she often ate this tuna straight out of the pan, standing over the stove, pondering life.

Sohini made it for me to try, and I must admit, it was good. I'm sure even a grad student's finicky mother would not fault it.

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

5 to 7 fresh green curry leaves

1 can white chunk tuna packed in water, drained

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Heat the oil in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds; they should splatter upon contact with the hot oil, so cover the pan until the splattering subsides.

2.
Quickly add the ginger and curry leaves, cook 1 minute, then add the tuna and salt and cook, stirring, another minute. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.

Vinegar-Poached Fish with Fresh Curry Leaves

Khatti Macchi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Cloaked with lightly crushed fresh curry leaves, then poached in a spicy vinegar broth, and served on a bed of fresh tomatoes, this is a complex but intriguing dish. The curry leaves in this dish are meant only to add flavor; take most of the dull green leaves out before serving.

This unusual recipe has been with me for a long time. As a kid, I used to see my friend's mother make this, and because it was so different, the idea stayed with me.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons ground black mustard seeds

1 large onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 large tomato, finely chopped

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1
¹
⁄
₂
to 2 pounds any firm white fish fillets, such as sea bass, halibut, cod, or swordfish, about
³
⁄
₄
-inch thick, cut into 2-inch pieces

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon coarsely ground ajwain seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
cup fresh curry leaves, coarsely crumpled

1 cup water

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon garam masala

1.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

2.
Add the tomato and the green chile peppers. In a bowl, toss the fish pieces with ajwain seeds and salt, then place them over the tomatoes. Cover the fish well with the curry leaves. Then add the water and vinegar, cover the pan, and cook over medium-high heat the first 2 to 3 minutes and then over medium heat until the fish is flaky and opaque inside, 7 to 10 minutes.

3.
Remove most of the curry leaves and discard. Transfer the fish to a serving dish, sprinkle the garam masala on top, and serve.

Grilled Sea Bass

Bhunni Sea-Bass Macchi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

One of the few varieties of fish that withstand the extreme heat of the
tandoor
is sea bass. It has begun to appear more and more frequently in Indian restaurants. Cooking fish this way can be recreated at home on the grill. Make sure the fillets you choose are
³
⁄
₄
to 1 inch thick or they will fall apart when cooked.

2 tablespoons
Coconut Milk
(or store-bought)

1
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoons
Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)

1 teaspoon
Chaat Masala
(or store-bought)

3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon coarsely crushed ajwain seeds

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon melted butter of vegetable oil

2 pounds Chilean or Pacific sea bass fillets, about 1 inch thick, cut into 2
¹
⁄
₂
-inch pieces

2 cups mixed baby greens

Lime wedges

1.
Prepare the coconut milk, ginger-garlic paste, and chaat masala. Then, in a large non-reactive bowl, mix together all the ingredients, except the fish, greens, chaat masala, and lime wedges.

2.
Add the fish and mix, making sure all the pieces are well-coated. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator, at least 4 and up to 12 hours.

3.
Preheat the grill to medium-high (375°F to 400°F) or place a grill pan over high heat. Baste the grill or grill pan with oil to prevent the fish from sticking to the grill. Then place the marinated pieces on the grill or in the grill pan (or use a grilling basket) and cook, turning once or twice, until the fish pieces are opaque and just flaky inside and lightly charred on the outside, 5 to 7 minutes.

4.
Line a platter with baby greens, and transfer the fish to rest on the greens. Sprinkle the chaat masala on top, and serve hot with lime wedges on the side.

Broiled Indian Swordfish Steaks

Oven ki Masala Macchi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

I love swordfish; it is thick and firm and takes well to Indian flavors. Broiling is not a common procedure in India, because even today not many people have ovens, but in America, it makes cooking swordfish easy. So here, Indian flavoring meets American convenience for a great fish dish.

6 (1-inch-thick) swordfish steaks or fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

2 large clove fresh garlic, peeled

1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, stemmed

2 tablespoons mustard oil or peanut oil

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice

1 tablespoon black mustard seeds, coarsely ground

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground ajwain seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1.
Place the fish in a large non-reactive bowl, add the turmeric and salt, and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at least 1 and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.