After spending two months in India this last December and January, I came back with a desire to cook Indian food on a daily basis. A combination of laziness, lack of kitchen space, and a good reason to cook a labor intensive meal prevented me from following through with my desire. My friends here in Walla Walla have this monstrous kitchen with wooden counter tops that scream "Cook on me!". Needless to say, I finally took the time to put together the spice box I brought back from my trip and jumped into the kitchen.
If you desire to cook Indian food there are a few spices you should always keep on hand:
Cumin, corriander, mustard seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves, curry leaves, saffron, gharam masala, chili powder and asofoetida.
If this is too complicated there are a variety of premixed spices available at Indian grocery stores that are premixed to compliment to the most popular Indian dishes. I usually use a combination of individual spices and mixes in everything I make. That way, if I mess anything up on an individual spice basis the medley of spices tends to mask it.
What I love most about the cuisine of Gujarat is the multitude of dishes present at any one meal. This concept called a
thali consistently amazes me. While the meal we set out to create was more punjabi in style, this idea of making a meal comprised of many individual pieces of goodness is a helpful thing to keep in mind at all times while cooking.
India is the only country where I could not get enough of their cuisine. In fact I spent weeks after my trip in serious withdrawal from naan, masala dosas and spicy vegetable dishes. I never became bored of Indian food because of its complexity in terms of spices, vegetables, grains and techniques. When eating out in India you choose from restaurants dedicated regional specialties or venture outside the box for "Chinese" Indian food or Italian. In my book, Indian cooks are allowed to adapt whatever cuisine they like to their taste. I haven't experienced anything bad yet- even "masala" potato chips, "masala" omelets and "masala" pizza are all amazing.
I am a huge fan of Punjabi food (from the northern regions of the country where wheat and rice coexist in harmony) and when I set out to cook Indian food this past week I decided to go with my two favorite north-Indian dishes of all time. Palak Paneer and Baingan Bharta.
Palak Paneer (should be renamed- Palak Ricotta)
1.5 10 oz bags of frozen spinach thawed
4 oz of lowfat cream cheese
4 oz of ricotta cheese (lowfat is fine)
3 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of olive oil
Half a white onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh ginger finely chopped
1 jalepeno (less if you don't like spice)
3 cloves of garlic- finely chopped
2 tsp of garam masala (equal parts ground cumin and corriander suffice here)
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Serves 4-6
Indian cheese is a little hard to come by outside of Indian grocers and Whole Foods. I discovered that ricotta cheese browned in butter and spices does the trick. First melt 2 tbs of butter in a pan. Add 4 ounces of ricotta, 1 tsp of the garam masala, sprinkle of pepper and a pinch of salt to a sautee pan on medium heat. Cook until the cheese melts, turns slightly brown, and combines with the butter and spices. Set aside to cool and re-harden.
In a larger sautee pan, add olive oil and the rest of the butter. Add all the spices and stir for about 3-4 minutes on low/medium or until the spices start to sizzle and smell amazing. I learned that the trick to spicing food is all about this oil+spice process. By heating the spices in oil you release their flavors more efficiently than by adding it to whatever dish in the midst or end of cooking. Next, add the ginger and garlic. Stir until garlic browns. Add the onions and stir on medium head until they become translucent. Add the spinach, lemon juice and a liberal amount of salt. Stir until spinach and onion mixture simmers for 3-5 minutes. Add the cream cheese. Once cream cheese is melted use either a hand blender or put the mixture in the food processor and process until the mixture is creamy. Place back into sautee pan and add the ricotta. Simmer for 5 minutes and reduce to low heat until ready to serve.
If you want, you can replace the cream cheese with 1/2 a cup of heavy whipping cream for an even creamier less cheese-like tasting dish...
Baingan Bartha
When I was a kid I hated eggplant. The hatred was so strong my parents would not let me leave the table until I shoved down a few spoonfulls of the stuff. Somehow eggplant became my favorite vegetable and I have this dish, another Indian dish my father makes, and Eggplant Parmesan to thank for it.
3 eggplants -Roasted in tin foil for 45 minutes at 400 F. Use a spoon to separate fleshy part from skin. If it isn't perfect-don't fret.
2 tbs of butter
2 tbs of olive oil
1 stick of cinnamon
2 tbs of Baingan Bharta masala
1 tsp of chili powder
2 curry leaves broken up -take them out when you're done cooking!
2-3 fresh cloves.
1 bag of frozen peas (10 oz I believe)
1 can of finely chopped tomatoes
1.5 onions chopped into small pieces
2 jalepenos/other hot pepper (optional if you don't like spice)
1 tsp of ginger finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
cilantro for garnish
Serves 6-8 easily with leftovers. I would suggest halving the recipe.
Start by heating the oil and butter and adding all the spices except for the curry leaves. Simmer on low/med heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, jalepeno and ginger. Once the garlic begins to brown add the onions. Stir until onions are translucent.
Add the peas, tomato and eggplant. Stir consistently for at least five minutes or until the eggplant and all the other ingredients are simmer and developing a creamy texture. Keep on low heat until ready to serve. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.
