Read 1,000 Indian Recipes Online
Authors: Neelam Batra
1,000 Indian Recipes (66 page)
2 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1
⁄
2
cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1
⁄
4
cup fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1.
Prepare cumin and tamarind paste. Then, shell the
coconut
. With a vegetable peeler, remove the brown skin from the meat and discard. Coarsely chop the coconut meat into
1
⁄
2
- to 1-inch pieces. In a food processor a blender, process together the coconut, ginger, green chile peppers, and garlic until minced.
2.
Add the cilantro, mint, tamarind, and salt and process, scraping the sides of the work bowl a few times with a spatula, until smooth. Adjust the seasonings, then transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with the cumin and serve immediately, refrigerate about 10 days, or freeze up to 6 months.
Variation:
Add about
1
⁄
2
cup skinned,
dry-roasted peanuts or cashews
along with the coconut in Step 1.
Roasted Coconut Chutney
Bhunae Nariyal ki Chutni
Makes about 1
1
⁄
2
cups
No fresh coconut to deal with here. This traditional chutney, found all over the southern parts of India, is simple to make because it calls for packaged shredded coconut. Its flavor is very nicely concentrated.
2 to 3 tablespoons
Tamarind Paste
1 cup shredded or grated unsweetened dried coconut
7 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, 5 broken and 2 with stems
1 tablespoon dried white split urad beans (dhulli urad dal), sorted
1 tablespoon dried yellow split chickpea (channa dal), sorted
2 large cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1
⁄
2
teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon coconut or peanut oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 scant pinch ground asafoetida
5 to 7 fresh curry leaves
1.
Prepare the tamarind paste. Then, preheat the oven to 250°F. Spread the coconut on a baking tray and roast until golden, 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the moisture content).
2.
In a small nonstick saucepan, dry-roast together the broken red chile peppers, urad and channa dals, garlic, coriander, cumin, and fenugreek over medium heat until a few shades darker, about 2 minutes. Let cool, then grind in a spice or coffee grinder, in two batches if necessary, to make a fine powder. Remove spices to a bowl. In the same grinder, grind the coconut, in two batches if necessary, to make it as fine as possible. Mix with the spices.
3.
Heat the oil in a medium nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the whole red chile peppers and mustard seeds; they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so lower the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides. Add the asafoetida and curry leaves, then mix in the coconut-spice mixture. Add the tamarind paste and the salt, and stir over medium heat until well mixed. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately, refrigerate about 10 days, or freeze up to 6 months.
Shahina's Shredded Coconut Chutney
Kopra Chutni
Makes about 1
1
⁄
2
cups
When my friend Shahina Bhalla made this one in front of me, I was amazed at how simple it was, and how good. She described countless ways of serving this chutney, but that day my taste dictated using it as a filling for
parantha
(pan-fried) bread. Since that day, I have used it as a filling in puff pastry appetizers and other appetizers, as a topping over
pullaos
(pilafs), and even in tacos.
3 to 4 tablespoons
Tamarind Paste
1
1
⁄
4
cups shredded or grated unsweetened dried coconut
2 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed
3 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled
3
⁄
4
cup fresh mint leaves
1
⁄
2
cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt, or to taste
1
⁄
4
to
1
⁄
3
cup water
1.
Prepare the tamarind paste. Then, place the coconut in a medium size nonstick skillet and roast, stirring and shaking the pan over medium heat until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
2.
Place all the remaining ingredients in a blender or a food processor and process to make a smooth purée. Mix in the roasted coconut and process again until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and serve. This chutney stays fresh in the refrigerator about 10 days, or in the freezer about 6 months.
Semolina-Coconut Chutney
Sooji-Kopra Chutni
Makes about 1
1
⁄
2
cups
This is mostly semolina, flavored with a tablespoon of dried coconut. I stumbled upon this preparation in my kitchen when I was trying a different recipe, and now I often serve it in place of a traditional coconut chutney with
iddlis
(steamed fermented rice cakes) and
dosas
(griddle-fried fermented rice and
dal
crepes). It is practically fat-free, so you can enjoy every spoonful—guilt-free.
The yogurt in this chutney means it will only stay fresh for about a week, so make just what you need or find different ways to enjoy it within a few days.
1
⁄
3
cup fine-grain semolina
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon shredded or grated unsweetened dried coconut
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground asafoetida
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
15 to 20 fresh curry leaves
3 quarter-size slices of peeled fresh ginger
1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, stemmed
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1
⁄
2
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1.
Place the semolina and oil in a small nonstick wok or saucepan and roast, stirring and shaking the pan over medium-low heat, until the semolina is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut and asafoetida and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes.
2.
In a blender, blend together the yogurt, curry leaves, ginger, green chile pepper, and salt until smooth. Add the roasted semolina and coconut mixture, and blend again until smooth. Allow to rest about 30 minutes so the semolina can absorb the yogurt and expand. Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Mix in the cilantro and serve chilled. This chutney stays fresh in the refrigerator about 1 week. Do not freeze.
Garlic and Chile Pepper Chutneys
Green Garlic and Nuts Chutney
Harae Lussan aur Nuts ki Chutni
Makes about 1
1
⁄
2
cups