It's been going on for days now and predicted to continue through tomorrow. For miles around, everything is coated in layers of ice. Transformers are blowing, trees toppling over, supermarket shelves empty, cars lay abandoned, flipped in ditches.
But so far, temps in my community have hovered around 35. Even odder, satellite shows that the massive second wave of the storm got here --- and immediately began breaking up, starting somewhere over the home of a well known local conjuror.
As they say, thank the lord and the Indian medicine men! We may be the only people for miles around with electric and tolerable temps!
And what better to talk about when catastrophe threatens than food? Especially exotic food - something like India Indian food.
Because thanks to Madhur Jaffrey and Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, I've been transformed into a virtual whirling dervish of Indian cooking.
And I've discovered this extraordinarily flavorful, diverse and healthy cuisine is easy to make. Really.
One caveat before we begin: according to Jaffrey and Sacharoff, there's no such thing as curry.
I repeat: There is no such thing as curry.
Yes, true, there's the curry leaf, a common ingredient in India. But it's difficult to find outside India, and isn't even an ingredient in most of the curry powders found in this country.
Yes, I know - damn. Just - damn. There's no such thing as Indian food in a tin.
Well, we'll just have to learn how to do it ourselves.
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As Indian food connoisseurs already know, this is some of the most delectable stuff going. It's also a healthful choice for dinner, with its reliance on fruits and vegetables, and spices which are proving to be not just yummy, but good for you.
Witness: cinnamon reduces glucose and lipid levels in diabetics,while curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, doesn't merely possess antiseptic and antinflammatory properties, but inhibits tumors, including melanoma.
All the more reason to learn Indian cooking.
And, Southerners! Listen up! If, like me, you grew up on overcooked vegetables, and still long for green beans cooked to death with sweet onion, a bit of fatback and a splash of vinegar, Indian cooking is for you. Vegetables are often cooked to within an inch of their lives in Indian cooking, to ensure evil critters like e coli and nasty amoebae are killed.
Hm. Given our recent food history, maybe we need to relearn this art.
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Herbs and Spices
For me, the most intimidating thing about Indian food has been the flavors --- those subtle, infinitely yummy tastes, hints of this and that with a grand flourish of hot plummeting into savory as only Indian food can do. I always assumed I could never replicate that at home, much less easily purchase ingredients which were surely as rare as hen's teeth.
Not true.
Okay, so a few (notably, black mustard seed and asafoetida) have been difficult to track down.
The rest, though? Many, I already had - and others, I found easily.
And it wasn't that expensive. True, I haven't yet purchased the black mustard seed and asafoetida. But, all told, I've spent maybe $15.
Here's a list of what I'm using. Bear in mind, you don't need all of this stuff to cook an Indian dish. In fact, many recipes call for nothing more than, say, garlic, cumin, lemon and cilantro, and a dash of tumeric.
Basic List of Herbs and Spices:
- garam masala - or make your own with cinnamon, cardamon and clove (recipes below) [note: a masala is merely a spice mix]
- cinnamon and clove
- cumin, seed and ground
- turmeric
- cardamon pods or seeds - avoid white because it's been bleached
- coriander, both seed and ground
- cilantro, aka fresh coriander or Chinese parsley
- ginger - fresh
- black peppercorns
- cayenne
- black mustard seed - no, yellow or brown are not suitable substitutes
- asafoetida, aka hing
- anise and fennel
- fenugreek
Other Common Ingredients:
- Yogurt, of course
- Garlic and Onion
- Fresh hot chiles, both red and green
- Lemon or lime
Shortlist of More Exotic Ingredients for the Adventurous Cook
- Tamarind
- Pomegranate Seeds
- Mango Powder
- Saffron
- Mustard Oil
I'm not including flours and rice because I haven't gotten that far. But as soon as I clear extra space in the kitchen, I'll be tackling them. Don't hold your breath, though.
In addition, I purchased most of the spices I didn't have on hand because I live in the middle of nowhere. So, if I decide on Thursday I want to turn all that zucchini and tomato into doodhi-chana-nu-shak, I don't want to have to go running all over the place to gather the ingredients I need. YMMV.
And bear in mind, if, like me, you're an "a dash of this, a bit of that" cook, you need to measure. I'd always assumed I was generous with my seasoning. I found out different. So I've dug out my old measuring spoons and enshrined them in the spice drawer for those days when I have to have an Indian meal.
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Where to Find
If you live in a relatively large city or town, you should have no problem finding everything. And, were I not nearly 2 hours away, I would have simply hightailed it over to the international groceries in Tulsa to get the more exotic ingredients, then down to Mecca Coffee Company for the freshest cinnamon in the area.
But, alas, I'm in the middle of nowhere. True, there are "international" groceries around here, but they're primarily Mexican and South American.
So I was certain I was out of luck - until I remembered I get my cumin at my locally owned health food store, Oasis. And sure enough, there I found everything from green cardomon pods to cumin.
I also checked online sources, but was not pleased with the results. The reviews of a few made me nervous. Others appeared to confuse the spices, lumping (for example) black mustard seed with brown and cardamon with coriander, while still others claimed to have items which simply weren't in their stores.
Then, in the last edition of What's for dinner, Ga6thDem spilled the beans on online sources for herbs and spices. I was unable to find what I need at Penzey's. The second, however, Vann's Spices, was the place.
Remember that international groceries are usually much less expensive than specialty and gourmet shops. If you live in a fair sized city and have never shopped at an international grocery, you need to start - now! OMG! The best stuff! And an adventurous cook's dream come true!
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Recipes
Let's start with a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey --- it's easy and very, very tasty.
Cauliflower with ginger and cilantro
- Piece of peeled fresh ginger, about 2 1/2" by 1", coarsely chopped
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 8 tbs vegetable oil [note: I used grapeseed oil AND I used only about 2 tbs, with no loss in flavor]
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- [optional] 1 small fresh hot green chile OR 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1 packed cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro [aka Chinese parsley]
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala [recipe below]
- 1 tbs lemon juice [note: I used more - maybe 2 tbs]
- 2 tsp salt [note: I used none - Jaffrey loves the salt - I don't]
- Put ginger into blender with 4 tbs water, and blend until smooth - about 1 minute.
- Prepare cauliflower. Remove outer leaves and cut off stem. Keep breaking florets into smaller pieces, using a knife if necessary. Wash and drain.
- Heat oil in large skillet or pan over medium fire. Add ginger paste and turmeric, and fry, stirring continuously, for 2-3 minutes [I fried for about 5].
- Add green chile or cayenne and cilantro. Cook for maybe 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, then add cauliflower.
- Continue stirring for about 5 minutes. Add a bit of water, if necessary (about a tbs). I added ~ 1 tbs lemon juice instead of water at this point and would do it again.
- Add cumin, coriander, garam masala, more lemon juice, a bit of warm water and some salt, if you're using it. Cook while stirring for around 5 minutes, then cover, lower heat and cook slowly for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
It's ready when the cauliflower is very tender with just a touch of crispness.
Jafrey suggests serving this with a cucumber raita - and I agree. Lordy, I was in heaven! Here's her recipe:
Cucumber Raita
- 1 cucumber
- Plain yogurt [I used about 7 ounces low fat Brown Cow yogurt - she suggests 16 ounces - I disagree, for reasons explained below]
- 1 tsp salt [if you use less yogurt than Jaffrey suggests, the raita is extremely flavorful and simply doesn't need salt]
- 1/2 tsp roasted ground cumin seed [I used ground cumin because I didn't have seeds, but plan to try it with roasted cumin seeds next week - I'll report on the difference]
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper [optional, but strongly recommended]
- 1/8 tsp paprika for garnish [I didn't have and didn't use]
- Peel cucumber and dice. I diced very small. YMMV.
- Put yogurt into serving bowl and beat it with a fork until very smooth and creamy.
- Combine all ingredients except paprika (if you're using) and a bit of cumin. Sprinkle remaining cumin and the paprika over top for garnish.
I have two recipes for garam masala - one from Jaffrey, described as "hot," and one from Sacharoff, described as "sweet." If you're not familiar with garam masala, it's wonderfully versatile. I discovered it years ago, and used it for roasting chicken thighs and the like in tomato sauces.
The process for the chicken was simple. Heat a pan to screeching hot. Sprinkle garam masala liberally over the chicken. Put in pan and sear, turning fairly often to prevent burning. Once the kitchen is filled with that wonderful smell and your mouth is watering, add maybe a quarter cup of tomato sauce (I don't remember the sauce I used) and a bit of liquid, and turn heat down. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until done.
If I'm not mistaken, this is actually good with a few capers. Of course, I was also on a caper kick at the time, so who knows?
Um, sorry. Back on topic now.
Here are both Jaffrey's and Sacharoff's garam masala recipes --- Sacharoff's is fairly simple, while Jaffrey's is a bit more complex. Both are excellent.
Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff's Basic Garam Masala
- 4 oz each cinnamon sticks, cardomon seeds and whole cloves
- Roast all the spices in a heavy pan for 10-15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Or you can preheat the oven to around 200 degrees, spread spices on cookie sheet and cook for about 15 minutes. The goal is fragrant and dry spices. Don't burn them!
- Grind using a mortar and pestle, or a coffee grinder reserved for these spices.
And now ...
Madhur Jaffrey's Garam Masala
- 25 cardamon pods (use seeds only)
- 1/2 c whole black peppercorns
- 1/3 c whole cumin seed
- 1/4 c whole coriander seed
- 3 sticks of cinnamon, each about 3" long
- 4-6 whole cloves
- Combine all ingredients and grind very fine, using an electric blender or coffee grinder.
- Store!
The next dish is, um, okay.
I think it could be spectacular, but I'm not sure how to get it there. The problem might be the lack of hing (asaefotida), which I didn't use because I didn't have any. Fortunately, I have some on the way.
Be careful to choose the freshest eggplant possible. Buy the smallest eggplant possible and try to avoid those which have a deep dimple in the bottom - the smaller the dimple, the fewer the seeds. Smart WFD?er might wait until summer, when the really good local eggplants are available.
In addition, this dish needs salt. I usually don't salt, but this dish needs it. If you're able to doodle it up to get rid of the need for salt, let me know.
Maybe lemon juice would help with this? Or ... ?
Ola: Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff's Baked Eggplant with Yogurt
- ~ 1 lb. eggplant
- 1/4 c plain yogurt
- 1/4 c water
- 1/4 tsp each of turmeric, cumin and coriander powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 3 tbs oil [I used grapeseed, probably 1 tbs]
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- A few pinches hing [I did NOT use because I didn't have any]
- 1 tsp salt
- Chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish [Sacharoff suggests 2 tbs - I used about a half a cup - but I love cilantro]
- Preheat oven to 350. Bake eggplant for about 40 minutes, or until skin is very wrinkly and eggplant has collapsed and lost all shape. Japanese eggplants will only take about 20 minutes, and can also be roasted over a burner.
- Remove eggplant when done and set it aside to cool.
- Beat yogurt with a fork until smooth and creamy, then blend water with it. Set aside. ALTERNATELY: or how I do it ... wait until after you've added eggplant and spices to pot --- put yogurt in that bowl with no water, and beat with fork until creamy.
- Peel eggplant. Note that it should be easy to peel if the eggplant is cooked long enough.
- Place eggplant in a bowl and mash it with all the spices until it becomes a smooth pulp. If the eggplant is tough, cut it into small pieces. Do not use a blender or food processor, for reasons left unsaid by Sacharoff (?).
- In a heavy pan, heat the oil, then add the garlic. Stir until light brown, then add the hing, IF you have it.
- Stir in the eggplant and saute for ~5 minutes.
- Add the yogurt, cayenne and salt, and continue stir frying for a few minutes.
- Cover, lower heat, and cook at low heat for 30 minutes.
- Adjust seasonings, garnish and serve.
And now, for the first of my requisite doodling with the recipe recipes.
This dish is supposed to be a filling for cabbage leaves. And, even though I loved stuffed cabbage, the first time I made it, I simply didn't have the patience to cook up the cabbage, blah blah blah.
So I served it as a side dish with generous doses of raita. Yum. It was so good, I had to make it the next night, and again a few days later.
Someday, I'll get the kitchen counter cleared off and I'll stuff those cabbage leaves. For now? Tasty, tasty side dish.
Madhur Jaffrey's Potato Stuffing for Cabbage, Converted to Tasty Side Dish
amounts reduced because original recipe feeds 6-8 - ask in comments if you want original amounts
- 3 medium potatoes
- 4-5 medium onions [I used sweet yellow onions - YMMV]
- 2-3 tbs vegetable oil [I used grapeseed]
- 2 tsp whole fennel seeds
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Salt [I didn't use - YMMV]
- 1/4 tsp cayenne [optional but highly recommended]
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- Boil the potatoes, then peel and dice into smallish pieces.
- Peel onions, cut in half lengthwise and slice into fine half-circles.
- Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir-fry until brownish. Do not let them get crisp.
- Lower flame a bit. Add fennel and cumin seeds, and stir-fry another 7-8 minutes.
- When the onions have a reddish brown look, add the diced potatoes and continue frying, mashing the potatoes with a fork or dlotted spoon.
- Add garam masala, salt [if using], cayenne [again, if using] and lemon juice. Mix well.
And my totally improvised Chai Tea recipe - it's been a couple of years since I've made this, but it's very easy and makes the place smell fabulous. You can also make it in a crockpot.
Chai Tea a la cookiebear
- Big pot of boiling water
- Lots of cinnamon, both ground and stick
- Lots of ginger, ideally finely grated fresh --- but this recipe is also an excellent way to get rid of all that danged ginger powder you have lurking in the back of the cabinet
- Black pepper, a fair amount
- Cardamon, some --- be careful, though. I put in a bit at a time until it begins to smell absolutely fabulous
- Whole cloves
Put all ingredients into boiling water. Allow to simmer for as long as you like. Warm some milk with some honey or other sweetener of your choice. Fill a cup or glass about 1/4 of the way up with milk and honey mix. Add tea from pot, being sure to strain while pouring. Let cool a moment and serve.
Next week, I'm making black eyed peas a la India and venturing into greens.
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Resources for the Curious and the Brave
Big thumbs up for Madhur Jaffrey's An Invitation to Indian Cooking
Flavors of India by Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff is chock full of great information, but the recipes haven't been quite as surefire as Jaffrey's. Still, if you're interested in Indian food, this is a pretty useful book.
Simply everybody has recommended Yamuna Devi's books. I have them on my wishlist.
India Express has some pretty interesting recipes, for the curious. I haven't tried any yet, but they look good to my amateur eye.
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So there it is, bucaneers. I'm settling in now for a nice makeshift slaw of beets, Daikon and carrot with a Thai lilt. What's doing at your digs?