1,000 Indian Recipes (309 page)

1 tablespoon coarsely ground coriander seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ajwain seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
cup melted warm ghee or butter + 1 tablespoon ghee for basting

About
²
⁄
₃
cup water

1.
Prepare the potatoes. Then place the whole-wheat flour and semolina in a large bowl and mix in the coriander, ajwain seeds, and salt. With clean fingers, mix in the ghee, then add the water, a little at a time, to make a firm but pliable dough that does not stick to your fingers. Cover with plastic wrap or the lid of the bowl and let rest about 1 hour. (This allows the gluten to develop.)

2.
With lightly oiled hands, divide the dough equally into 10 to 12 balls and cover with foil to prevent drying. Divide the potato filling into an equal number of portions.

3.
Grease a large, heavy baking sheet. Working with each ball of dough separately, press it to make a thick 4- to 5-inch disc and place 1 portion of the filling in the center. Bring the edges up over the filling and press them together to seal. Pinch off the extra dough above the seal, then shape into a ball once again. Flatten the ball into a thick, 2
¹
⁄
₂
-inch disc and press down lightly on the seal with your thumb to make a slight depression (the depression must show). Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with all remain-ing portions.

4.
To bake: Pre-heat the oven to 450°F. Place the baking sheet on the center rack and bake until the rolls are lightly golden, 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the baaties over with tongs and bake until golden-brown, another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, place each one individually on a clean pot holder or kitchen towel, and crumple lightly to break open and expose the insides. Return to the oven and bake another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the cracked portions are lightly golden, and serve.

5.
To grill: Preheat a grill to high heat (450°F) and grill the baaties, turning them occasionally, until crispy and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

6.
Baste generously with the ghee and serve.

Rolls with Oat Bran and Fresh Mint

Jaee aur Pudinae ki Double-Roti

Makes 12 to 16 rolls

This is not a traditional Indian recipe, but another of my inventions that I make often. It is healthy and nutritious, it's full of Indian flavors and can be served with just about any meal. Try it with a soup and salad, cut in half and make sandwiches, or serve with grilled fare or curries.

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2
¹
⁄
₂
cups all-purpose flour

¹
⁄
₂
cup warm water (about 110°F)

¹
⁄
₄
cup oat flour

¹
⁄
₄
cup soybean flour

¹
⁄
₂
cup oat bran

1 large clove fresh garlic, peeled

¹
⁄
₄
cup chopped fresh mint leaves

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

1 teaspoon ajwain seeds

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

1 large egg

¹
⁄
₂
cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1 tablespoon melted butter

1.
To make the dough, mix together the yeast, sugar, 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour and water and set aside until frothy, 3 to 4 minutes. (If it doesn't foam, that means the yeast is not active and should be discarded. Start again with fresh yeast.)

2.
Put all the flours, oat bran, garlic, mint, green chile peppers, ajwain seeds, and salt in a food processor and process until well mixed. With the motor of the food processor running, pour in the oil through the feeder tube and process until well mixed. Then pour in the egg and the frothy yeast mixture and process until mixed. Finally, add the yogurt and process until the dough gathers into a ball. Continue to process until the sides of the bowl look clean, 20 to 30 seconds. (If the dough seems too sticky, add more flour through the feeder tube; if it seems hard, add more yogurt or water.) Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap or the lid of the bowl, and place in a warm draft-free spot until it doubles in volume, 3 to 4 hours.

3.
Lightly grease 2 large baking trays. Preheat the oven to 150°F or the lowest setting, about 10 minutes, then turn it off. Then, with lightly oiled clean hands, divide the dough equally into 12 to 16 balls, flatten them lightly with your fingers to make about 3-inch discs, and place them on the trays. With a basting brush or your fingers, lightly baste the top surface of each bread with water. (This prevents them from drying out.) Cover with foil and place them in the turned-off oven to rise once more, about 1 hour.

4.
Remove the baking trays and preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the trays in the center of the oven and bake until the tops are golden, about 15 minutes. Check the rolls midway, and if they are browning too quickly, reduce the heat to 300°F and lightly cover the top with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven, baste lightly with the butter, and serve warm. Or let cool completely before storing.

Crepes and Pancakes

Falling into the light meal and substantial snack category are a large array of crepes and pancakes. Made from a vast selection of whole grains and whole-grain flours, plain, spiced, or stuffed with every imaginable dry-cooked vegetable and some meat preparations, these crepe and pancake dishes are popular everywhere.

Belonging to this group are
dosa
,
pudha,addai
,
chilla
,
uthapam
, and many others. All these are pan-fried batters, yet they each have their own identity and a passionate following.

Dosas
, a specialty of southern India, are by far the most popular and the most well-known outside of the Indian community. They are the savory, paper-thin, crispy rice and lentil crepes, sometimes about 18-inches long—especially the ones you get in restaurants. They often come with a spicy potato filling and with a side of coconut chutney and a
sambar
(a soupy south Indian lentil dish made with pigeon peas). All the others are basically stand-alones, to be served with one or more of the spicy Indian chutneys.

Basic South Indian Rice and Bean Crepes

Saada Dosa

Makes 12 to 16 crepes

The standard
dosa
recipe is very simple: For every measure of urad beans, use 3 times as much rice. The soaking, fermenting, and cooking procedures remain the same for all
dosa
crepes. What changes are the fillings and the flavors of the accompanying soupy
sambars
and chutneys.

Here is a no-fail recipe from my friend Bharti Dhalwala. To make a smooth grain-free batter, use a blender to blend the rice and the
dal
. The food processor cannot make it smooth enough.

2 cups long-grain white or parboiled rice, sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

²
⁄
₃
cup dried white urad beans (dhulli urad dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon fenugreek seeds

¹
⁄
₂
cup water

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

About 3 tablespoons peanut oil

1.
Place the rice in one bowl and the dal and fenugreek seeds in another. Soak both overnight in water to cover by about 2 inches. Drain and grind each one separately in a blender (not a food processor), blending to make a smooth and semi-thick batter, adding up to
¹
⁄
₄
cup water to each mixture, as needed.

2.
In a large bowl, mix both the batters together and add the salt. Cover and place in a warm, dry spot to ferment until fluffy and full of tiny bubbles, at least 24 hours. Mix in up to
²
⁄
₃
cup water—just enough to make a semi-thick batter of pouring consistency—then whip with a fork to make it fluffier.

3.
To make the dosa, heat a large cast-iron tava or a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until a sprinkling of water sizzles immediately. Wipe the tava and baste it lightly with oil. Using a metal soup ladle, pour about
¹
⁄
₂
cup of batter onto the hot tava and spread it evenly into a 6- to 7-inch circle by lightly pushing the batter outwards in round, circular motions with the back of the ladle.

4.
As the dosa sets and turns lightly golden on the bottom (which happens very quickly), drizzle
¹
⁄
₂
to 1 teaspoon oil around the edges and a few drops over the top and cook until the bottom takes on a rich golden hue, about 15 seconds. Turn over once and cook until the other side is barely golden, about 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve as is, or fill in some dry-cooked vegetables or meats and transform it into a
Stuffed South Indian Crepes
.