How to Cook Indian (106 page)

1 teaspoon raisins

1. Put the
dal
in a deep bowl, wash it in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 4 cups (800 ml) water and soak for 1 hour. Drain in a colander and set aside.

2. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over high heat. Pour 3 cups (600 ml) water in the pan and bring it to a boil. Add the drained dal. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the
dal
is just soft. Take care that the
dal
grains do not get mashed.

3. Add the turmeric, salt, and sugar, and simmer over low heat until most of the water is absorbed and the
dal
is thick.

4. Place a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the ghee. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, lower the heat to low, add the coconut, and sauté until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

5. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee to the same pan and place over medium heat. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, lower the heat to low and add the cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, cumin, bay leaves, red chiles, and green chiles, and sauté for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from the heat and pour the spices over the
dal
in the saucepan. Stir well with a ladle.

6. Add the ginger paste, coconut, and raisins, and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.

7. Pour the
dal
into a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Luchis,
deep-fried breads, are similar to
puris,
but while
puris
are made with
atta
(whole-wheat flour),
luchis
are made with
maida
(refined flour).

Dal Makhni

Dal
with butter and cream

It’s a common misconception that the more butter and cream you use in this
dal,
the tastier it will be. The trick is actually in getting the right proportions of butter, cream, and ginger into the pot and cooking them with care. Serve with garlic
naan
(page 455) or
pudina parathas
(page 461).

Serves 4.

½ cup (125 grams)
sabut urad
(whole black gram)

1½ teaspoons table salt

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, plus ½-inch (1-cm) piece ginger, cut into thin strips

½ cup (15 grams) cooked red kidney beans (canned is fine)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 large red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon
garam masala
(spice mix; page 27)

½ cup (100 ml) heavy cream

1 teaspoon red chile powder

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1. Put the
sabut urad
in a large bowl, wash it in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 3 cups (600 ml) water and soak for 10 to 12 hours. Drain the
dal
in a colander.

2. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over high heat and add 5 cups (1 liter) water. Bring to a boil, then add the dal, salt, and half the grated ginger, and bring to a boil again. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

3. Add the kidney beans and stir well. Cook for 10 minutes or until well blended.

4. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter melts and small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the cumin. When they begin to change color, add the onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion is golden brown.

5. Add the remaining grated ginger, the garlic, and tomatoes. Sauté until the tomatoes are well mashed and the oil starts to come to the top. Add the
dal
and stir. Add 2 cups (400 ml) water, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.

6. Add the
garam masala
and stir. Lower the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

7. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the cream for garnish and add the remaining cream along with the chile powder to the
dal
and stir. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.

8. Remove from the heat and pour into a serving bowl. Garnish with the sliced ginger, cilantro, and reserved cream, and serve immediately.

Dhaabay Di Dal

Creamy, spicy lentils

Dhaabas
are the roadside eateries that dot most of the highways in India, and this
dal
is a favorite on their menus. Serve with steamed rice.

Serves 4.

½ cup (100 grams)
chilkewali urad dal
(split black gram with skin)

¼ cup (50 grams)
chana dal
(split Bengal gram)

½ cup (115 grams) cooked red kidney beans (canned is fine)

¼ cup (50 ml) vegetable oil

1-inch (2½-cm) piece fresh ginger, chopped

8 to 10 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

½ tablespoon ground roasted cumin (page 32)

1 tablespoon red chile powder

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

1½ teaspoons table salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon
kasoori methi
(dried fenugreek leaves)

1. Place the
dals
in a large bowl, wash them in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 2 cups (400 ml) water and soak for at least 6 hours. Drain the
dals
in a colander.

2. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over high heat and add 6 cups (1.5 liters) water. When the water begins to boil, add the
dals
and bring to a boil again. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

3. Add the kidney beans, stir well, and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute or until golden brown. Add the onion and chiles, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onion is golden brown.

5. Add the cumin and chile powder, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the
dal
mixture and butter, and stir well.

6. Add the salt and cilantro, and stir. Lower the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Crush the
kasoori methi
between your palms and sprinkle it over the dal.

8. Remove from the heat and pour the
dal
into a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

Ghugni

Spiced yellow peas

Chole (chholay masala;
page 25) from the north of India could easily be a cousin to this
ghugni
from eastern India. In the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Assam,
ghugni
is a popular street food. In some places it is served topped with crisp shreds of fried potato.

Serves 4.

1 cup (220 grams) yellow
vatana
(whole dried peas)

1 teaspoon table salt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh coconut

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

1 large red onion, sliced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste (page 12)

1 teaspoon fresh garlic paste (page 12)

4 or 5 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

2 medium tomatoes, puréed

1 tablespoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground roasted cumin (page 32)

½ teaspoon red chile powder

¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon
garam masala
(spice mix; page 27)

1 medium red onion, diced

4 teaspoons tamarind pulp

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Put the
vatana
in a large bowl, wash in plenty of water 2 or 3 times, and drain. Add 3 cups (600 ml) water and soak overnight. Drain in a colander.

2. Place a nonstick saucepan over high heat and add 6 cups (1.2 liters) water. When it comes to a boil, add the
vatana
and salt. When the mixture comes to a boil again, lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 1½ hours or until very soft.

3. Place a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the coconut and sauté until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the same heated pan. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, onion, ginger paste, garlic paste, and chiles, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned.

5. Add the tomatoes and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until the oil comes to the top.

6. Add the coriander, ground cumin, chile powder, and turmeric, and stir well. Add the cooked peas along with the cooking liquid and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until the liquid thickens.

7. Add the
garam masala
and stir well.

8. Ladle into individual serving bowls and top with the onion, tamarind pulp, coconut, and cilantro. Serve immediately.

Gongura pappu

Sorrel leaves with lentils