How to Cook Indian (31 page)

1. Place the
dal
in a bowl, wash in plenty of water 1 or 2 times, and drain. Add 3 cups (600 ml) water and soak for 4 to 6 hours. Drain and place in a food processor with the yogurt. Process to a smooth paste. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Thoroughly wash the spinach leaves under running water and drain well.

3. Place a nonstick saucepan over high heat and add 1 quart (800 ml) water. When it comes to a rapid boil, add the spinach and cook for 1 minute. Drain in a colander and refresh under running water. Let drain for 30 minutes. Chop coarsely and put in a food processor. Process to a paste and add to the
dal
.

4. Add the chiles, table salt, sugar, and asafetida, and stir well.

5. Grease the
dhokla
steamer plates with oil. Heat 2 cups (400 ml) water in the steamer pot.

6. Stir the fruit salt and lemon juice together, add the mixture to the batter, and stir. Add 2 teaspoons oil and stir.

7. Pour the batter into the plates, fit them on the stand, and place the stand in the steamer. Cover and steam for 15 minutes or until the moisture has dried and the mixture has cooked through.

8. Let cool slightly, cut into pieces, and serve.

Palak Ke Pakora

Batter-fried spinach leaves

Pakoras
are fritters that know no boundaries. If it’s a vegetable, you can make a
pakora
out of it. Slice it, dip it in a batter of chickpea flour, and then deep-fry it.

I first tasted these spinach
pakoras
at my sister’s house. She would painstakingly pick up one leaf at a time, dip it in the batter, and fry it.

Makes 16.

16 fresh spinach leaves with stems

2 cups (200 grams)
besan
(chickpea/gram flour)

½ teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon red chile powder

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon fresh green chile paste (page 13)

½ teaspoon
ajwain

Pinch of asafetida

1 quart (800 ml) vegetable oil

1. Pat the spinach dry.

2. Put the
besan
in a bowl and add the salt, chile powder, turmeric, chile paste,
ajwain,
and asafetida. Add 1 cup (200 ml) water and whisk well to make a thin batter without any lumps.

3. Place a nonstick wok over high heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the wok, lower the heat to medium. Dip each spinach leaf in the batter and gently slide it into the hot oil, two or three at a time. Cook, turning with a slotted spoon a few times, for 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove with the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

4. Serve immediately.

Paneer Chutney Pakora

Spicy batter-fried
paneer

The effort in assembling this
pakora
(fritter) is worth it. Make these in large quantities when you have your friends over because they will disappear fast. If you’d like, you can replace the green chutney used here with chile garlic chutney (page 519).

Makes 20.

9 ounces (250 grams)
paneer
(pressed fresh cheese; page 17)

1 medium bunch fresh cilantro

1 medium bunch fresh mint

6 green chiles, stemmed

½-inch (1-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1½ teaspoons table salt

1 cup (200 grams)
besan
(chickpea/gram flour)

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 to 2 dried red chiles, stemmed and crushed

1 quart (800 ml) vegetable oil

1 teaspoon red chile powder

2 teaspoons
chaat masala
(spice mix for
chaat;
page 24)

1. Cut the
paneer
into 1-inch (2½-cm) cubes.

2. Roughly chop the cilantro, mint, 4 of the green chiles, half of the ginger, and 1 clove of garlic. Put them in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the salt, and process to make a smooth chutney.

3. Separately process the remaining ginger, garlic, and 2 green chiles to a smooth paste.

4. Put the
besan,
turmeric, red chiles, ginger-garlic–green chile paste, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the oil, and stir. Add ½ cup (100 ml) water to make a thick batter. Set aside.

5. Spread the chutney on either side of the
paneer
pieces.

6. Place a nonstick wok over high heat and add the remaining oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the wok, lower the heat to medium. Dip the
paneer
in the batter and gently slide them into the hot oil, one or two at a time. Cook, turning with a slotted spoon a few times, for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove with the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

7. Stir together the chile powder and
chaat masala,
and sprinkle the mixture over the
pakoras.
Serve immediately.

Paneer Di Soti Boti

Batter-fried
paneer
skewers

Paneer di soti boti
means “paneer on a stick.” To keep the skewered foods together, make sure the batter is quite thin so it doesn’t weigh down the loaded wooden skewer when you dip it in the oil. Serve these with
pudina aur dhaniya
chutney (mint-and-cilantro chutney; page 22).

Makes 16.

7 ounces (200 grams)
paneer
(pressed fresh cheese; page 17), cut into ½-inch (1-cm) cubes

1 large onion, cut into ½-inch (1-cm) squares

1 large tomato, cut into ½-inch (1-cm) squares

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch (1-cm) squares

2 teaspoons red chile powder

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons fresh ginger paste (page 12)

2 teaspoons fresh garlic paste (page 12)

1½ teaspoons table salt

1 cup (100 grams)
besan
(chickpea/gram flour)

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon
chaat masala
(spice mix for
chaat;
page 24)

¼ cup (65 grams) plain yogurt

1 quart (800 ml) vegetable oil

1. Put the
paneer,
onion, tomato, and bell pepper in a deep bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of the chile powder, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of the ginger paste, 1 teaspoon of the garlic paste, and ½ teaspoon of the salt, and stir gently. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

2. Thread the
paneer
and vegetables onto wooden skewers in the following order: onion,
paneer,
tomato, bell pepper,
paneer,
and bell pepper. Set the skewers aside on a plate.

3. Put the
besan,
the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1 teaspoon chile powder, the turmeric,
chaat masala,
remaining 1 teaspoon ginger paste, and remaining 1 teaspoon garlic paste in a bowl. Stir well.

4. Add ½ cup (100 ml) water and stir. Add the yogurt and stir again. Add more water to adjust the consistency of the batter if necessary.

5. Place a nonstick wok over high heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the wok, lower the heat to medium. Dip the skewers into the batter and slide them into the hot oil, one or two at a time. Cook until golden and crisp, turning frequently with a slotted spoon. Remove with the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

6. Serve immediately.

Paneer Rolls

Spicy cheese-and-potato rolls

This is a recipe that my wife, Alyona, and I created a while ago. We were having a party at home and were reasonably sure that there were some
paneer
fans on our guest list. Now we have even more
paneer
fans among our circle of friends!

Makes 12.

¾ tablespoon raisins

7 ounces (200 grams)
paneer
(pressed fresh cheese; page 17), grated

2 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed

3 green chiles, stemmed and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

¾ teaspoon red chile powder

½ teaspoon
garam masala
(spice mix; page 27)

¾ teaspoon
chaat masala
(spice mix for
chaat;
page 24)

1 teaspoon table salt

3 tablespoons
maida
(refined flour) or pastry flour

¾ cup (80 grams) bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 quart (800 ml) vegetable oil

1. Soak the raisins in ½ cup (100 ml) warm water for 15 minutes. Drain.

2. Combine the
paneer,
mashed potatoes, chiles, cilantro, chile powder,
garam masala, chaat masala,
salt, and raisins in a bowl.

3. Divide into 12 portions and shape each into a cylindrical croquette.

4. Spread out the
maida
and bread crumbs on two separate plates.

5. Put the egg in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Roll the croquettes in the flour, then dip in the egg, then roll in the bread crumbs.

6. Place a nonstick wok over high heat and add the oil. When small bubbles appear at the bottom of the wok, lower the heat to medium. Gently slide the croquettes into the hot oil, two or three at a time. Cook, turning with a slotted spoon a few times, until golden brown and crisp. Remove with the slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

7. Serve immediately.

Paneer Tikka Kathi Rolls

Spicy cheese cubes wrapped in whole-wheat griddle bread

In Kolkata,
kathi
rolls
(rotis
filled with a variety of stuffings) are a street food that sells like hotcakes. But I like to make this special
paneer
version at home.