The Big Book of Curry Recipes (40 page)

1 tbsp ghee or mustard oil

Method:

Mash the aubergine pulp in a bowl then work in the onion, tamarind juice, tomatoes, chilli and salt. Mash with a fork and set aside.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and when hot drop in the aubergine mixture by the tablespoonful. Fry until golden brown then flip over and fry until golden brown on the other side.

Serve either hot or cold as a savoury dish or as an accompaniment with rice and chapattis or parrattas.

Kalupol Sambal

Kalupol Sambal is a traditional Sri Lankan recipe for a classic snack or accompaniment made by frying coconut flesh, onions, chillies and dried fish and then rendering the mixture to a smooth paste..

Ingredients:

1/2 coconut, flesh finely grated

3 onions, finely sliced

12 red chillies

1 tbsp smoked and dried fish, flaked (bones removed)

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp ghee

salt, to taste

Method:

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the coconut and dry fry until lightly golden brown. Take off the heat and turn into a flat-bottomed dish.

Heat the oil in the pan, add the onions and fry until golden brown (about 6 minutes). Turn the onions into the dish with the coconut.

Wipe the pan dry, add the chillies and dry fry until the skins blacken then chop finely and add to the coconut milk. Now add the flaked fish to the pan and dry fry for a few minutes, or until crisp.

Add this to the coconut mix. Now turn the coconut mix into a food processor (traditionally this is done using a
seel
[grinding stone]) and pulse to chop. Season with a little salt, add the lime juice and pulse to combine.

Scrape the mixture from the food processor, form into a ball and serve to accompany curry and rice.

Loochees

Loochees are the Bengali name for the dish called pooris elsewhere in Northern and Central India. They are typically served for supper, or as part of a buffet for communal gatherings. They also make excellent finger-food for cocktail parties.

Ingredients:

225g (1/2 lb) self-raising flour

225g (1/2 lb) ghee or butter

Method:

Sift the flour into a bowl, take 1 tbsp of the butter or ghee, dice it and rub into the flour. Now add enough cold water to bring the mixture together as a fairly soft dough. Knead lightly and divide into 18 balls.

Take each ball in the greased palms of your hands and press lightly into oval shapes. Dust with flour then roll out to about 10cm across.

Melt the remaining ghee or butter in a heavy-based frying pan or skillet. When the fat is smoking, put in one of the loochees and press down with a flat ladle. The base of the loochee, which is in contact with the base of the pan should swell.

As soon as this happens, flip the loochee over and cook on the other side (but do not press down this time). Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately. Serve as a snack, or with fried potatoes or aloo dum.

Dal Kachoori

Dal Kachoori is a traditional Indian recipe (from Rajasthan) for a classic snack of flour pastries stuffed with a green lentil paste that are fried to cook.

Ingredients:

225g (1/2 lb) kalai dal (green lentils)

500g (1 lb, 2 oz) plain flour

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)

salt, to taste

500g (1 lb 2 oz) butter or ghee

30ml (2 tbsp) mustard oil

Method:

Wash the green lentils, place in a bowl, cover with plenty of water and set aside to soak over night.

The following day, drain the lentils, process in a blender or spice grinder until very fine then mix with a little water until you have a doughy mass.

Heat the mustard oil in a pan and when very hot add the ginger, cumin and asafoetida. Fry for a minute then take off the heat and cool. Stir into the lentil mixture along with the salt.

In the meantime, dice 60g (2 oz) of the butter and rub into the flour in a bowl. Keep rubbing the mixture between your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs then add just enough water to bring the mixture together as a dough (a few tablespoons should be enough).

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll out to about 3mm thick. Cut into 10cm (4 in) squares then place about 2 teaspoons of the lentil mixture on each square. Fold each corner of the dough over the filling so that the meat mixture is completely enclosed in the pastry.

Melt the remaining butter or ghee in a pan. When hot, drop in the kachooris and fry until golden brown and cooked through (they should puff up slightly). Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot, accompanied by a hot pickle.

Boondi

Boondi is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic snack of spiced chickpea flour batter that’s deep fried in oil to cook.

Ingredients:

280g (2 cups) chickpea (basoon) flour

salt, to taste

1 tsp hot chilli powder

500ml (2 cups) groundnut oil

Method:

Combine the chickpea flour, salt and chilli powder in a bowl. Beat in enough water (about 300ml) to give a thick batter that will just flow through the holes in a perforated ladle or spoon.

Heat the oil in a pan until just boiling then gently pour the chickpea batter through the holes in the perforated ladle so that it drops into the hot oil. As soon as the batter turns golden brown lift the little cakes from the oil with a wire strainer. Drain on kitchen paper.

Serve either hot or cold (but they are best if eaten hot).

Cauliflower Bhajis

Cauliflower Bhajis is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic snack of cauliflower florets that are dipped in a spiced chickpea batter before being deep fried.

Ingredients:

250ml (1 cup) water

1 medium-sized cauliflower

140g (1 cup) chickpea (basoon) flour

salt, to taste

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

oil for deep frying

Method:

Mix the water and chickpea flour to a smooth batter then mix in the baking powder, chilli powder, cumin, turmeric and salt.

Take the cauliflower and cut into small florets. Heat the oil in a wok or deep fryer to 180ºC (360ºC). When the oil is hot, dip the cauliflower pieces in the batter to coat then drop in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown then lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Eat whilst still hot.

The same process can be used for asparagus, aubergines, spinach, eggs (hard-boiled quail eggs are very good), broccoli, carrots, bell peppers and chillies.

Salted Pooris

Salted Pooris is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic snack of thin flour pancakes flavoured with black cumin seeds that are shallow fried to cook.

Ingredients:

280g (2 cups) plain flour

110g (1/4 lb) butter

pinch of baking powder

1/2 tsp black cumin seeds

enough cold water to form a dough

oil or ghee for frying

salt, to taste

Method:

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Dice the butter, rub into the flour until the mixture resembles fine crumbs then add just enough water to bring the mixture together as a medium-stiff dough.

Turn onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Divide the resultant dough into ten pieces and shape these into balls. Roll each ball into a thin pancake on a floured work surface.

Melt ghee or heat oil to a depth of 3cm in a wok or large pan. When hot, drop the salted pooris in, one by one. Fry until golden brown and crisp then drain on kitchen paper and serve either warm or cold.

Shanker Pali

Shanker Pali is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic snack of thin flour pancakes made with sugar and ghee syrup that are rolled into thin rounds and fried in ghee or oil before serving.

Ingredients:

150g (1/3 lb) wholemeal flour

1 tbsp ghee or butter, melted

2 tbsp sugar

120ml (1/2 cup) water

ghee or oil for frying

Method:

Mix together the sugar and water and keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved then beat in the ghee or butter.

Place the flour in a bowl and gradually work in the sugar water until the flour comes together as a hard dough. Turn onto a floured work surface, knead well then set aside for 30 minutes, covered with a damp cloth, to rest.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll each one out into thin pancakes. Cut each pancake into small squares.

Melt ghee or heat oil to a depth of 3cm in a wok or large pan. When hot, drop in the shanker pali squares, a few at a time. Fry until golden brown and crisp then drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.

Bhaji Curry

Bhaji Curry is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic snack of spiced chickpea flour batter that are finished in a curried onion gravy.

Ingredients:

75g (3 oz) chickpea (basoon) flour

salt, to taste

1/4 tsp hot chilli powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

1 tsp curry powder

2 tbsp groundnut oil

oil or fat for deep frying

Method:

Combine the chickpea flour, salt, chilli powder and baking powder in a bowl. Work in enough cold water to give you a thick batter (one that just drops off a spoon). Heat oil or fat in a deep fryer or wok to 180ºC (360ºF). When hot, drop in your batter by the teaspoonful and fry until golden brown. When cooked, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of cold water.

Heat the groundnut oil in a pan and when hot add the onion and fry until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Now lift the bhajis from the water and squeeze any excess water from them. Add to the onion mix then add the turmeric, coriander, cumin and curry powder. Fry for 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Turn into a dish and serve with boiled rice or chapattis.

Dosai

Dosai is a traditional Indian recipe (from Madras) for a classic snack of a rice and pulse batter leavened with baking powder that’s formed into pancakes and fried to cook.

Ingredients:

250g (1/2 lb) rice

75g (3 oz) urad dhal

salt, to taste

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp groundnut oil

Method:

Wash the dhal, place in a bowl, cover with water and set aside to soak over night.

The following day, drain the beans, place in a blender or coffee grinder and process until you have a smooth paste (add a little water, if needed). Turn into a bowl then mix in the salt and baking powder. Add more water, as needed to form a smooth batter. Cover and set aside to rest for 8 hours.

When ready to cook, heat the groundnut oil in a frying pan. Add the urad dhal batter and form into pancakes (use a tablespoon of the batter each time). Fry on both sides until golden brown.

Serve hot, accompanied by chutneys or curries.

Tooka (Indian Fried Potatoes)

Tooka (Indian Fried Potatoes) is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic snack of potato rounds that are part-fried, flattened and finished by frying in spiced oil.

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds about 1cm thick

120ml (1/2 cup) groundnut oil

salt, to taste

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

oil for deep frying

Method:

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 180ºC (360ºF). When the oil reaches temperature add the potato slices and fry for about 6 minutes, or until half cooked. Drain the part-cooked potatoes then place each slice on a cutting board and press out to half its original thickness. Return the flattened potato slices to the hot oil and add the chilli powder, salt, coriander seeds and cumin seeds to flavour.

Fry until golden brown, drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.

Dhal Fritters

Dhal Fritters is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic snack of fritters made from a blend of ground pluses, yoghurt, egg, onions and chilli that are dropped into oil to cook.

Ingredients:

225g (1/2 lb) chana dhal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp natural yoghurt

1 egg, beaten

3 onions, sliced

1 red chilli, pounded to a paste

2 green chillies, sliced into thin rounds

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

250ml (1 cup) mustard oil

Method:

Wash the chana dhal, place in a bowl, add just enough water to cover and set aside to soak over night. The following morning, drain the dhal then place in a food processor and render to a smooth paste.

Turn the paste into a bowl and mix in the salt, yoghurt, egg, onion, chillies and turmeric. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to combine then add just enough cold water to give you a thick batter.

Add the mustard oil to a frying pan and heat until it begins to smoke. Now add the batter by the tablespoon and fry until golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.

Bygan Bhaji (Aubergine Bhajis)

Bygan Bhaji (Aubergine Bhajis) is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic snack of fried aubergine (eggplant) rounds that are finished in a lightly-spiced gravy.

Ingredients:

2 large aubergines (eggplants)

120ml mustard oil

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground chillies (dried chillies ground in a spice or coffee grinder)

salt, to taste

Method:

Wash the aubergines well then cut into slices about 3mm thick. Heat the mustard oil in a pan, add the aubergine slices and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain away and reserve the excess oil then arrange the fried aubergine slices on a hot plate.