My Indian Kitchen (12 page)

3 Purée the cooled soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Force the soup through a strainer into a clean saucepan. Add the heavy cream and bring the soup to a simmer. Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot garnished with the walnuts.

TIP Don’t discard the broccoli stalks—you can turn the leftover stalks into salads. Peel the stalks, cut lengthwise into matchsticks and cook with the florets or eat raw mixed in with other salad vegetables.

Spinach Soup

Palak ka Soop

Whereas traditional Indian cooks do not use flour as a thickening agent, an Anglo-Indian neighbor of mine in India used to make delicious soups using roux cooked with ghee instead of butter. After some experimentation in my own kitchen, I realized that ghee makes an excellent roux. This recipe is the recreation of my memory of the wonderful roux-thickened soup that I had once in my neighbor’s home. You can use butter as an option instead of ghee. Serve with Baked Garlic Naan (page 134).

Serves 5

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Home-Style Garam Masala (page 35)

One 1-in (2.5-cm) piece ginger, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 lb (500 g) fresh spinach, washed and tough stems removed

5 to 6 black peppercorns

4 bay leaves

Salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

6 cups (1.5 liters) water or vegetable stock

1 Melt the ghee or butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until a sandy texture is created, about 1 minute. Add the Home-Style Garam Masala, ginger, garlic and spinach, and sauté for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the black peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, white pepper and water or vegetable stock, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2 Remove the bay leaves. Purée the soup in a blender or food processor, or with a handheld mixer. Return the soup to the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot.

Fiery South Indian Tomato Soup Rasam

Rasams are thin south Indian soups made with dal, or lentils. Every household in the south Indian home has its own variation of this popular tangy and spicy soup, which is often served as a digestive drink before a meal and also as an accompaniment with rice. This recipe is the traditional way to make rasam — there is an alternate shortcut method using store-bought rasam powder, which is readily available in ethnic stores (my favorite brand is MTR). If you are using store-bought rasam powder, add it along with the lentils and water and bring it to a boil. Just be sure to read the instructions on the packet for the ratio of powder to the broth as each brand has slightly different ingredients in it. I like to use a pinch of asafetida in my rasam as this is how my mother made it at home, and it is a common ingredient in south Indian cooking. Asafetida’s mild garlicky flavor adds a nice dimension to the soup, plus it is said to have beneficial digestive properties. Rasam soup is traditionally served with Plain Basmati Rice (page 124) as part of the main meal rather than as a first course.

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

2 tomatoes (about 3/4 lb/350 g), coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (100 g) split pigeon peas (toor dal), washed

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons salt

2 fresh green chili peppers, slit open lengthwise

7 cups (1.75 liters) water

1 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed

3 dried red chili peppers, broken in half

10 fresh or dried curry leaves

3 cloves garlic, smashed

Pinch of asafetida (optional)

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

1 Purée the coarsely chopped tomatoes in a blender. Set aside.

2 Place the lentils, turmeric, salt, green chili peppers and 4 cups (1 liter) of the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the lentils have become soft and mushy.

3 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle and pop, add the cumin seeds, red chili peppers, curry leaves, garlic and asafetida, if using. Cook, while stirring, about 30 more seconds. This cooking technique is called tempering or tarhka. Add the tomato purée, black pepper and remaining 3 cups (750 ml) of water and bring to a boil.

4 Add the cooked lentils and tamarind paste and bring to a boil once more. Stir in the fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Indian-Style Lentil Soup

Dal Shorba

For this hearty lentil soup, you can use any lentils you like. Other lentils I like to use for this recipe are the French green lentils or the Indian red lentils (sabut masoor dal). Serve this with a piece of Indian flatbread, either Baked Garlic Naan (page 134) or Whole-Wheat Griddle Breads (page 136) with a crisped pappadum (page 55) for a perfect winter lunch.

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion (about 1/3 lb/150 g), thinly sliced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 fresh green chili peppers, chopped

One 1-in (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 tomato (about 1/3 lb/150 g), diced

2/3 cup (120 g) split red lentils (masoor dal)

1/3 cup (50 g) split yellow peas (chana dal)

1/3 cup (50 g) mung beans (moong dal)

1 cup (50 g) packed spinach, washed and tough stems removed

1 teaspoon Asian chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon Home-Style Garam Masala (page 35)

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups (1.25 liters) water

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, green chili peppers, ginger and tomato. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent, about 1 minute.

2 Add the rest of the ingredients, except the coriander leaves, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the beans are completely cooked, adding more water if necessary.

3 Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.

Northern Chickpea Curry

Chana Masala

This chickpea dish is unquestionably one of the most popular vegetable curry dishes in northern India, and the most versatile. It is served as a one-dish meal at any time—for breakfast, lunch or dinner—or as a snack. Try serving this with Fried Puffed Bread (page 138), Crunchy Potato and Corn Croquettes (page 52) or Samosas (page 58). I’ve used ghee in the recipe, though it can be easily substituted with canola or vegetable oil.

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes plus 8 hours soaking time if using dried chickpeas

Cook time: 30 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes if using dried chickpeas)

2 cups (350 g), dried chickpeas (kabuli chana), soaked overnight and drained, or three 151/2-oz (439-g) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well

4 cups (1 liter) water plus1/2 teaspoon salt for cooking dried peas

1/2 cup (125 ml) oil

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste (page 32)

8 dried red chili peppers, broken in half

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed

2 onions (about 3/4 lb/350 g), minced

4 fresh green chili peppers, slit open lengthwise

One 1-in (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 tomatoes (about 3/4 lb/350 g), chopped

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons Home-Style Garam Masala (page 35)

1 teaspoon Asian chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 cup (250 ml) water

2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) (optional)

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

1 If using dried chickpeas, bring the soaked and drained peas, water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the peas, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Set aside.

2 Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the Ginger-Garlic Paste and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the red chili peppers, crushed coriander and cumin seeds and fry for 15 to 20 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

3 Add the onions, green chili peppers and ginger, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions are uniformly dark brown in color, about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the onions don’t stick to the pan, adding a little water if necessary. Add the tomatoes, salt, Home-Style Garam Masala and Asian chili powder or cayenne pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup (250 ml) of water and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Cook gently, partially covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lemon juice, fenugreek and fresh coriander leaves. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Serve hot.

Spicy Urad Beans

Dhaba Dal

This dal is named after the Indian roadside eatery called dhaba. These dhabas satisfy millions of hungry travelers, workers and truck drivers who pass along the rural roads and highways all over India. To cook this dish faster, put all of the ingredients in a pressure cooker. For convenience, you can substitute the homemade Dhaba Spice with store-bought garam masala powder. Serve this rich and creamy lentil delicacy with freshly prepared Plain Basmati Rice (page 124) or Whole-Wheat Griddle Breads (page 136) and slices of raw onions and some homemade pickles—Green Mango Pickle (page 47) is a good choice.

Serves 6

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 55 minutes

5 cups (1.25 liters) water

1 cup (175 g) split black gram (urad dal)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon Asian chili powder or cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Tempering Oil

1/2 cup (1 stick/115 g) plus 1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 small onion (about 1/4 lb/125 g), minced

1 small tomato (about 3 oz/85 g), chopped

1/4 cup (65 ml) tomato purée

4 tablespoons tomato paste

2 fresh green chili peppers, slit open lengthwise

2 teaspoons Dhaba Spice (page 34)

1 cup (250 ml) water

3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 Bring the water, the urad dal, turmeric, Asian chili powder or cayenne pepper and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the dal is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.) Check occasionally during cooking and add more water if necessary. (Urad dal tends to absorb water while cooking and become very thick.) When the dal is done, drain any excess water and set aside.

2 To prepare the Tempering Oil: Heat half of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin, garlic, ginger and onion and cook until browned, about 1 minute.

3 Add the cooked urad dal, chopped tomato, tomato purée, tomato paste, green chili peppers and Dhaba Spice. Mix well, add the water and bring to a boil. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.

4 Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan. Finish with the lemon juice and stir in the melted butter. Serve hot.

Yellow Mung Beans with Spinach

Dal Palak

Lentils, or dal, are prepared almost daily in many Indian homes. They are rich in nutrients and equally tasty. This particular combination of spinach and lentils is one of my favorite meals. I like to eat Dal Palak with fresh baked bread or over Plain Basmati Rice (page 124) laced with butter. This dish is the perfect complement to fiery hot meat curries.

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 red onion (about 1/3 lb/150 g), chopped

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1/2 teaspoon Home-Style Garam Masala (page 35)

1 small tomato (about 3 oz/85 g), chopped

1 cup (200 g) split pigeon peas (toor dal), rinsed and drained

2 cups (500 ml) water

3 cups (150 g) packed fresh spinach leaves, washed and chopped, or 1 cup (200 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut milk

Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, toasted

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds—they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger powder, Home-Style Garam Masala and cook, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato and cook for another 30 seconds.

2 Add the lentils and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer until the lentils are tender but still firm, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add more water if you want the dal to be thinner.

3 Stir in the spinach, coconut milk and salt, cover and simmer until the spinach is cooked, about 3 minutes longer. Serve hot, garnished with the fresh coriander leaves and sesame seeds.

Black-Eyed Peas with Mushrooms

Lobhiya Khumb Masala

Lobhiya, known as “black-eyed peas,” in the West, are cooked in a variety of ways in India. In this recipe, the addition of cumin, cinnamon and mushrooms makes for a comforting and flavorful dish. Serve with any meat or vegetarian main dish and some warm Whole-Wheat Griddle Breads (page 136) for a wonderfully satisfying evening meal.

Serves 6

Prep time: 15 minutes plus 8 hours soaking time if using dried black-eyed peas