Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India, page 22
Grandmother's Cauliflower with Cheese (Cheese Vali Gobi)
SERVES 4-6
I don't have my grandmother's exact recipe. I never asked her, being too young at the time to know better. But the recipe here is a good approximation (as Jimmy Durante, the American comedian, used to say, “Da nose knows”) and utterly delicious.
Do not use jalapeño or serrano chilies for Indian dishes. They have the wrong texture and flavor. Green bird's-eye chilies or any long, slim, thin-skinned variety, such as cayenne, are ideal. If you can't find them, use ½—¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper instead of ¼ teaspoon.
2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1½ pounds (8 cups) medium-sized cauliflower florets, cut so each floret has a stem
1¾ cups grated fresh tomatoes (see headnote on page 255)
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated to a pulp on the finest part of a grater or Microplane
2 fresh hot green chilies, cut into slim rounds
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup coarsely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Pour the oil into a large, preferably nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 10 seconds. Add the cauliflower florets, and stir them around for 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes, ginger, chilies, cayenne, turmeric, ground coriander, and salt. Stir to mix. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the tomatoes are almost absorbed and the cauliflower is almost done. Add the cilantro and mix it in.
Put the contents of the pan into an ovenproof dish about 8 inches square, add the cream, mix, and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Put in the top third of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and developed a few light brown spots. Serve hot.
Everyday Cauliflower (Roz ki Gobi)
SERVES 4
This is one of the ways our cauliflower was often cooked at home. I use a 2-pound head of cauliflower that yields about 7 cups of florets. When cutting the florets, make sure that each piece has a head about 1 ½ inches wide, has a stem, and is about the same in length, or longer, as the width at the top.
6 tablespoons olive or peanut oil
7 cups delicate cauliflower florets
½–¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground amchoor (green mango powder) or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Generous pinch of ground asafetida
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very fine julienne strips (cut into very thin slices first, then stack the slices and cut into fine strips)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh green chilies (optional)
Pour the oil into a large frying pan and set over medium heat. When it is hot, put in all the cauliflower florets. Stir and fry them until they turn reddish in spots. Remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out on a platter lined with paper towels.
Turn off the heat under the frying pan and remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Put the drained florets in a bowl. Sprinkle the salt, turmeric, cayenne, coriander, and amchoor over the top. Toss gently to mix. Taste for balance of flavors, making adjustments if needed.
Set the frying pan with its 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. When it is hot, put in the asafetida, and a second later the cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for 10 seconds. Now put in all the ginger shreds and stir for 30 seconds. Put in all the cauliflower and stir gently to mix. Add a generous sprinkling of water, cover, and turn the heat down very, very low. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until the cauliflower is just done and all the flavors have blended. Sprinkle the cilantro and green chilies, if desired, over the top. Toss and serve.
Stuffed Okra (Bhari hui Bhindi)
SERVES 4-6
We all loved this dish. It was made with young, slim pods, straight out of our garden. Even if you don't grow your own okra, look for small, tender pods. The behemoths that are sold in many groceries, with tough, fibrous skins and overdeveloped seeds, are good for nothing. Just pick the smallest and most delicate pods you can find.
¾ pound whole fresh okra
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground amchoor (green mango powder)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
5 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
1 small onion (about 2 ounces), peeled and cut into fine half-rings
Rinse the whole okra quickly, and pat them with paper towels until very dry. (I actually wipe each with a damp cloth, as my mother did. You could also spread the okra out in an airy spot to dry.) Now trim the okra by cutting off the tip and either trimming off the cone-shaped top or peeling it so its shape is preserved.
Mix together in a bowl the coriander, cumin, amchoor, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Make a slit in each okra pod, being sure you stop at least ¼ inch short of the two ends and that you don't go through the whole pod. Stick a thumb into the slit to keep it open, and with the other hand take generous pinches of the seasonings and stuff them in. Stuffall the okra this way.
Use a large frying or sauté pan that can hold all the okra in a single layer (a 10-inch pan is ideal), add the oil, and set it over medium-high heat. Put in the onion, and stir-fry until it just begins to brown. Add all the okra in a single layer, and turn the heat to medium-low. The okra should cook slowly, uncovered. Turn the okra pods gently until all sides are very lightly browned. This should take about 15 minutes. Cover the pan, and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes.
Carrots with Fenugreek Greens (Gajar Methi)
SERVES 4
I have always loved this winter specialty. Fenugreek greens, with their small oval leaves and their very earthy aroma, appear in Delhi only in the winter months, so it is then that they are eaten, mixed either with carrots or with potatoes. They can also be used as a stuffing for the fried puffed breads known as bedvis. The greens are never eaten on their own (except by camels in Morocco, I am told!).
Although many Indian grocers in the West carry these greens, they are not universally available. What most Indians do—and this I have learned from the generation of Indians that came west before me—is to use a decent amount of cilantro as a substitute to get the correct texture, then add some crumbled dried fenugreek leaves for their aroma. All Indian grocers carry packages, labeled “dried fenugreek leaves” or “kasoori methi.” The dried leaves retain their aroma about as well as dried thyme does and are often crumbled and sprinkled over fish that is to be grilled or roasted.
If you can get fresh fenugreek (“fresh methi” is what you would ask for), you need to get a rather large bunch, as only the leaves are used, not the stems. These need to be chopped fine, and you should have enough to pack a cup.
2 tablespoons peanut or olive oil
Generous pinch of ground asafetida
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into ¾-inch dice
Enough very finely chopped fresh cilantro to pack a cup
1 bird's-eye chili, finely chopped, or ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use more if you like)
3 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves, well crumbled with stems removed
½ teaspoon salt
Pour the oil into a medium frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When it is hot, put in the asafetida and cumin. Stir once or twice and put in the carrots. Stir once and turn off the heat. Add all the remaining ingredients and 3 tablespoons water. Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, turn the heat to very low, and simmer very gently for 3-4 minutes, or until the carrots are done, stirring once or twice during this period.
Pumpkin (Kaddu)
SERVES 4-6
This dish appears at most of our family banquets, especially vegetarian ones. It goes particularly well with bedvis and pooris.
I find that a 3-pound piece of pumpkin with skin yields the 2 pounds without skin needed for this dish.
¼ cup olive or other vegetable oil
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
¼ teaspoon whole fennel seeds
⅛ teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
2–3 dried hot red chilies
About 2 pounds pumpkin, without skin or seeds, cut into 1-inch cubes
¾–1 teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons light brown sugar
Pour the oil into a large, preferably nonstick pan, and set it over medium-high heat. When it is hot, put in the cumin and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, add the nigella, fennel, fenugreek, and red chilies. Stir once quickly, and put in all the pumpkin. Stir for a minute or two. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until just tender, stirring now and then and replacing the cover each time. Uncover, and add the salt and sugar. Stir gently, mashing the pumpkin lightly.
Potatoes with Tomatoes (Bazaar Jaisay Aloo)
SERVES 4-6
These were our picnic potatoes and the ones we had at special Sunday breakfasts. We ate them with pooris or bedvis.
6 medium-sized waxy potatoes, about 1¾ pounds
3 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
Pinch of ground asafetida
1½ teaspoons whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon whole fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
3 whole dried hot red chilies
About 3 medium tomatoes (¾ pound), grated on the largest holes of a grater (see headnote on page 255)
1½ teaspoons very finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Boil the potatoes in their jackets until tender, and allow them to cool. Peel.
Pour the oil into a wide, medium-sized pan, and set it over medium-high heat. When it is hot, put in first the asafetida, then the cumin, and finally the fennel, fenugreek, and chilies together. Two seconds later, add the grated tomatoes and ginger. Stir-fry until the tomatoes turn a deep red and the oil begins to show, turning down the heat as the cooking progresses so nothing burns. Add 1½ cups water.
Now break the potatoes by hand into pieces that are, very roughly, ½-inch cubes. They will be all different shapes, but that is the charm of the dish. Add the potato cubes to the pan together with the salt, then stir and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and cook gently for 12-15 minutes, stirring now and again.
Black Beans Cooked in a Punjabi Style (Kali Dal)
Serves 6-8
The beans used here are not the Central American black beans but a slightly more viscous, ancient Indian variety known in much of North India as whole urad dal with, skin (and in the state of Punjab, where this recipe is from, as sabut ma). All Indian grocers carry these black-skinned beans. It is important to ask for them by their full name as written in the recipe, as they are available in many forms—whole and skinned, whole and unskinned, skinned and split, unskinned and split, and even as a flour. In a pinch, Mexican black beans (frijoles negros) may be used as a substitute; their taste and texture will be slightly different although their general appearance is fairly similar.
I have loved the skinned and split version, known as urad dal, since I was very young. When Punjabi refugees opened the restaurant Moti Mahal in Delhi in the late 1940s (see page 191), I fell in love with their three signature dishes never before served in my hometown, tandoori chicken, naan, and kali dal, and most especially their kali dal made with whole, unskinned beans, which I had never eaten before.
It was made, as was everything else in that restaurant, in the clay “tandoor” ovens. When all the daily cooking was done, the ovens were put to sleep for the night with the barest of leftover charcoal embers still ensconced inside. This way the oven stayed warm overnight and did not have to be heated up the next day from scratch. But why waste the embers? It was a tradition to partially bury closed earthen pots full of whole beans and water in the embers so they would cook slowly through the night. The next day, simple seasonings—garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chilies, cream, and butter (the last two being almost staples in the Punjab)—were added to produce the deeply satisfying kali dal.
In the villages of the Punjab, kali dal is an everyday food, eaten with an enrichment of homemade white butter. Wholewheat flatbreads and seasonal vegetables are served on the side. You may serve the dal with rice as well.
2 cups whole urad dal with skin
5 good-sized cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
One 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (this will make a very mild dal; if you prefer it hotter, put in 3/4–1 teaspoon)
¼ cup peanut or olive oil
¾ cup puréed tomatoes (also called strained tomatoes or passata)
1½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
Pick over the beans and wash them in several changes of water.
Drain the beans and soak them in 5 cups water overnight. (Alternatively, put the washed beans and the same amount of water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Cover it and turn off the heat. Set aside for 1 hour.)
Drain the beans again. Put the beans in a pan, add 5 cups fresh water, and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to low (the beans should simmer very gently), cover partially, and cook 1½—2, hours or until the beans are tender. Stir every now and then.
Meanwhile, put the garlic, ginger, cayenne, and ¼ cup water in a blender. Blend until you have a smooth purée. Set a small (6-inch), preferably nonstick frying pan with the oil in it over medium heat. When it is hot, add the paste from the blender. Stir and fry for 3-4 minutes. When the beans are tender, pour this mixture into the pan with the beans. Add the tomato purée, salt, and cream. Stir the beans and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover partially and simmer gently, stirring now and then, for 15 minutes. Stir in the butter, if desired, and serve.
Moong Dal with Greens (Alan ka Saag)
SERVES 4-6
This is an ancient (we think) family recipe made with dried mung beans that have been split, thus qualifying them as a dal, but that have not been hulled, so they still have their green skins showing on one side. The addition of greens (spinach and fenugreek leaves) makes this dish exceedingly nutritious, full of protein, fiber, and vitamins. It's generally eaten from a small bowl (katori) with phulkas and the addition of a little butter and lime juice.
5 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
Generous pinch of ground asafetida
¼ teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
1 pound trimmed spinach, finely chopped
1 tablespoon well-crumbled (stems removed) dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 cup moong dal with skin (sold in Indian stores as chilkevali moong dal), washed in several changes of water and drained
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon chickpea flour (sometimes sold as gram flour or besan), mixed slowly with 5 tablespoons water
2 thin slices peeled fresh ginger, cut into very fine slivers
2 tablespoons very finely slivered peeled shallots or onion
2–4 fresh hot green chilies
Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot, and set over medium-high heat. When it is hot, put in the cumin seeds. Ten seconds later, add the asafetida and fenugreek seeds. Stir once, and quickly put in the spinach, the crumbled dried fenugreek leaves, the drained moong dal, turmeric, and 8 cups water. Stir and bring to a boil.
Watch carefully so that the contents of the pot don't boil over. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar. Turn the heat to low, and cook very gently for 50 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Add the salt, and stir to mix. Stir the chickpea-flour mixture, and add it to the beans. Stir, and cook very gently for another 10 minutes.
Put the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a small frying pan, and set over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the ginger, shallot, and whole green chilies. Stir-fry until the shallot turns brown. Now empty the contents of the frying pan into the pot with the beans. Stir to mix.
Chickpea-Flour Stew with Dumplings (Karhi)
SERVES 6
We always ate this great favorite with plain Basmati rice. At our house, koftas, vegetables, salads, and chutneys were always served on the side.
For this dish it helps if the yogurt is quite sour. If I have old yogurt sitting in the refrigerator, I tend to use that. Otherwise, I leave very fresh yogurt in a warm place overnight and it sours sufficiently.
2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup chickpea flour (sometimes sold as gram flour or besan)
2 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon whole fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon whole nigella seeds (sold as kalonji)
15 fenugreek seeds
