1,000 Indian Recipes (190 page)

2 to 3 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled

5 to 6 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

10 raw cashews, coarsely chopped

1 large tomato, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon

4 green cardamom pods, pounded lightly to break the skin

4 cloves

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground nutmeg

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground mace

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish

1.
Prepare the coconut milk. Prepare the paneer cheese then cut into 1
¹
⁄
₂
-by-
¹
⁄
₂
-inch thick rectangles. Prepare the dessert masala.

2.
In a food processor or a blender, process together the onion, garlic, ginger, green chile peppers, and cashews about 1 minute to make a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl, add the tomato to the food processor, and process until puréed.

3.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the bay leaves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom pods, and cloves, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add, the nutmeg and mace, then the coriander and garam masala. Stir about 30 seconds, then add the onion paste and cook, stirring, until well browned, about 10 minutes.

4.
Add the puréed tomato and cook, stirring constantly, until the juices evaporate, about 3 minutes. Add the paneer cheese, peas, salt, and coconut milk. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer until the paneer pieces are soft and the sauce is thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with black pepper, and serve.

Nine-Jewel Paneer Cheese Curry

Navrattan Korma

Makes 6 to 8 servings

This dish is a treasure loaded with nine culinary jewels (
nav
is nine and
rattan
is jewels) in the guise of
paneer
cheese, vegetables, and nuts. It is a rich classic of Mughlai cuisine served on special occasions.

1 cup fresh or canned
Coconut Milk
(or store-bought)

8 ounces (1 recipe)
Paneer Cheese
(or store-bought)

1 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups water

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

¹
⁄
₄
cup coarsely chopped raw cashews

¹
⁄
₄
cup coarsely chopped raw almonds

¹
⁄
₄
cup raisins

3 cups finely chopped mixed fresh or (thawed) frozen vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, beans, and peas

2 bay leaves

5 black cardamom pods, pounded lightly to break the skin

2 (1-inch) sticks cinnamon

4 whole cloves

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced

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

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garam masala + more for garnish

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Prepare the coconut milk. Prepare the paneer cheese then cut into
³
⁄
₄
-inch thick pieces. In a blender, blend together the yogurt, coconut milk, water, and salt until smooth.

2.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the cashews, almonds, and raisins, stirring, until the raisins expand, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl. Add 1 more tablespoon oil to the same pan and cook the vegetables, stirring, until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a different bowl.

3.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same pan and cook the bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, and cloves, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until well browned, 10 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, and green chile peppers and stir about 1 minute. Then add the coriander, cumin, and 1 teaspoon garam masala and stir another minute.

4.
Add the yogurt-coconut milk mixture and cook, stirring about 5 minutes. Mix in the paneer cheese pieces and the cooked vegetables, cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is very thick, about 15 minutes. Mix in the cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the nut-raisin mixture, sprinkle on some garam masala, and serve.

5.
Variation: If you want the vegetables to retain their color, don't sauté them as described in Step 4, but cover and cook them in the microwave on High power 4 minutes. Then add them to the dish along with the paneer cheese in Step 8.

Dried Beans, Lentils, and Peas
(Dal)

Dried beans, lentils, and peas (the legumes collectively called
dal
) are always a major part of the Indian meal. They are nutritious, filling, and so versatile—there are literally thousands of ways to prepare them. To Indians, they are integral to our very existence and delicious—they are our staples and our comfort foods. They are served year-round and some families even cook them twice a day.

Varying in size from a few millimeters to that of a dime,
dals
are life-giving powerhouses of dietary fiber, carbohydrates, protein, minerals, and vitamins, and are quite low in fat. However, their protein lacks some of the essential amino acids. For a complete protein, they must be combined or served alongside other protein-rich whole grains, meats, eggs, breads, nuts, yogurt or other milk products—a fact that Indians discovered centuries ago because in India,
dals
are always served with some form of flatbread, such as
chapatis
(whole-wheat griddle breads),
paranthas
(griddle-fried breads), or
poories
(puffed deep-fried breads), or with rice.

Dal
dishes come in many forms—thin and soupy, like the everyday
sambar
(
Basic South Indian Soupy Split Pigeon Peas
), thick and creamy like
Punjabi Black Urad Beans
, or dry-cooked like rice pilafs such as
Sindhi Dry-Cooked Yellow Mung Beans
.
Dals
can be hearty, rich, and complex centerpiece entrées, or just comforting, humble affairs, meant to keep body and soul together until the next meal.

Indian home cooks generally begin making a meal with
dal
, and everything else simply follows.

The importance of
dals
and whole beans in the cuisine, however, also stems from the mind-boggling variety of them found in India. All dried beans, lentils, and peas fall under the
dal
umbrella in India, but classification depends on the size: all the smaller varieties of whole legumes are called
dal
; larger legume varieties generally go by their individual Indian names, such as kidney beans, chickpeas, or dried peas. When the larger ones are milled and split into smaller pieces, they then also classify as a
dal
—for example split chickpea
dal
and split pea
dal
.

Different parts of the country favor some over others—the north favoring mung beans (
mung dal
), black urad beans (
urad dal
) and chickpeas (
channa dal
), and the south, pigeon peas (
toor dal
) and red lentils (
masoor dal
). As even Indian cooks do these days, I use a pressure cooker to speed preparing these dishes, as you'll see in the recipes. This makes it easy to incorporate
dals
into everyday meals.

= Vegan
= Pressure-Cooker Quick