Indian Dishes: Aroma Therapy For Your Home, Diversity For Your Palete, And, (It's The Holidays) A Treat For Your Friends!

Here is an audiofile, a talk I gave on Simplifying Indian Cuisine Simplyfing Indian Cuisine

Many people, I'm talking mainly American's, enjoy diversity in their food and have enjoyed the culinary experience of Indian dishes whenever they've had them. Many fewer of those people, though, have tried to make Indian dishes. If they haven't looked at recipes they imagine the requirement of all kinds of odd ingredients and spices they'd have to go hunting for and cooking requirements they could only accomplish by holding the instructions in one hand while attempting an exotic flip of a spatula or some such food transporting methiod done in hot oil. STOP THINKING THAT WAY!

Simplifying Indian dishes or finding interesting Indian recipes already simplified is a very pleasurable pastime for me. I enjoy trying to make and enjoy the taste of the cuisine. So much more interesting and multidimensional than the basic American Fried Chicken/Mashed Potato Food that I grew up with. And, I have a husband who's had in his mind he doesn't care for Indian spices, but who surprises himself and me with his enjoyment of the dishes I make. He goes back for more.

A very basic larder ready for trying Indian cuisine should have several things:
Basmati Rice
Onions
Ginger - fresh chunks kept in the freezer or ready-to-use chopped or crushed in a jar
Garlic, fresh or ready-to-use chopped in a jar
Cilantro

Tomatoes, canned diced, tomato paste, or even  fresh
Garam Masala
Turmeric
Coriander seed
Cumin powder and whole cumin seeds

Lemon juice
Plain Yogurt

If you grew up in meat and potatoes America, like me, many of your friends probably did too and will be intrigued at your offerings.

I spent a 4th of July once (we were alone) making a Tikka Masala that was more complex than the one I offer here. I even concocted a Tandoori Marinade, marinated the chicken pieces over night and then used that chicken in a Tikka Masala sauace.

This is arecipe for Tikka Masala that I discovered in Real Simple online. It only uses one Indian Spice (actually a spice mixture) available at super markets*) You dump the ingredients in a crockpot, how simple is that! Then you dump three ingredients in a bowl that marinates while the crockpot is doing it's thing, easy relish to extend add more gastronomic pleasure to the chicken dish. Sometime before eating, you cook up some rice and VIOLA! New and intriguing aromas in your home and a delicious dinner (or gift).

My 'Indian larder' is well stocked, all I need is the heavy cream and some fresh cilantro.
Come on you reluctant cooks, you can get everything needed at your supermarket, dig out your crockpot and read on. Go for it, it will be such a treat.

And, it's the holiday season. Don't know what to do for a special neighbor or friend? Make a couple of Indian dishes, such as below. Pick up a package of Naan Bread at the local market. (Available at most supermarkets. Trader Joe's in the Seattle area has fresh and a delicious frozen Garlic Naan. Be festive, yet spend less, buy an interesting dish at Goodwill to deliver. Desire to spend more, buy a more expensive dish to include as part of your unusual gift.

(I was actually reading Real Simple magazine and found a Tikka Masala recipe, went online to look for a link to it to save, didn't find it but found an even simpler one for the crockipot. And I am definately trying it for dinner tonight, with the cucumber/cilantro relish)

* My favortie Garam Masala mixture I get from Puget Sound Consumer Coop Markets in the Seattle.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-tikka-masala-recipe

Chicken Tikka Masala with Cucumber Cilantro relish
Serves 4
 preparation 10 minutes  cooking 490 minutes

Ingredients
Tikka Masala
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice blend)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
1 cup rice, ideally Basmati, but other long-grain white rice will work
1/2 cup heavy cream

Cucumber Cilantro Relish
1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teas. each salt and pepper

Directions
1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total recipe time). When chicken is done, shred it and stir into the sauce.

2. In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

3. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

4. Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish.

(Note from my first time cooking it: it is even better the next day (as are a lot of Indian dishes, the spices have time to blend. Put crockpot on high for an hour more or on low for a couple more.)

www.realsimple.com
Charlyne Mattox
December 2011

From Turkey To Chutney With Loving Grandparents And Huckleberries Along The Way

We are going to my sister-in-law's for Thanksgiving and she wants to do all the cooking. From me she wants hors d oeuvres including the family fav - deviled eggs. I think I'll do a platter of eggs, exotic olives and other unusual things for light and interesting munching. (Any ideas out there? Comment away!) I've never cooked an entire Thanksgiving meal in my life and have never cooked a turkey. That could be a sad commentary on a deprived upbringing but no, it was just being around people all my life who loved to cook and, most likely, not having children. I think I might try to see if sis-in-law would like me to bring a dessert like an old family recipe of Pineapple Ice Box Cake (vanilla wafer crumbs topped with a butter/powdered sugar/egg mixture topped with whip cream and crushed pineapple mixture and topped with more crumbs).

The Pineapple Ice Box Cake goes way back in my family and is purported to have been created by my Grandma Allen. The town newspaper even interviewed her once about her cooking and published the recipe. Funny--local fame. She and my grandfather (LD we called him, short for Lorenzo Dow) were such good folks; I don't remember anything negative related to them. Grandma's thing was cooking. During the war years, when ingredients were rationed, people would save their ration coupons and give them to her and she would make wedding cakes. Growing up, I lived in walking distance from my grandparents. She had one of those white enameled "baking centers" where flour, sugar, etc were in built-in bins that pivoted forward. They had a root cellar, entered by a trap door from the kitchen, lined with shelves of goodies that were "put up" when in season, mostly fruit and jams and jellies. I remember my mother telling me about her brothers being able to eat a whole quart of peaches in one sitting. I remember Grandma lamenting how hard it was to get gooseberries like she used to pick in the back woods of Idaho. Of course, Huckleberry Jam (made from Idaho's Blue Mountain Huckleberries picked on family excursions) was "gold standard". Huckleberry pies were featured at all big gatherings and a slice of huckleberry pie was a common daily offering to friends who stopped by for pie and coffee (something that happened often). Apricot jam was a favorite of my Grandma and lots of pickled beets (yum-I still love them and they bring back fond memories.) They always had a huge garden and I remember her loving beet greens. I didn't appreciate them at the time and have been meaning to make some to try. I don't remember her or my folks making relish but I bet if they had known of the Indian concept of Chutney (combining fruit with onions and ginger - a sweet/savory mix) they would have liked it. Spices, though, didn't go beyond salt, pepper, (and maybe onion powder later on) and the "holiday spices" of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves - ah, they did use cloves in the pickled beets).

To my Indian friends, American middle class folks seem so spice-deprived. It’s true, and our family certainly never "developed a taste" for them. My husband still has trouble getting his taste buds to "embrace" a lot of the Indian spices. I've evolved and love a lot of the more "exotic" tastes. I was reading a cookbook last night featuring Ayurvedic (eye-your-vay-dick) recipes (it's a "healing regimen" originating in ancient India still practiced today that centers around food and different spices or ingredients for different constitutions and different conditions.) Spices are a prime component and tied to health. I wonder how Americans got so bland, maybe it was our roots in England - a cuisine I hear is pretty bland. (How did British cuisine not get influenced by Indian cuisine with all their occupying of the country? I do hear, from friends who hang out in Britain, though, that Indian restaurants are more prolific than others and have fabulous Indian dishes. So they must have developed a taste for it.) If I would have walked into a house as a kid and smelled the concoctions I now make, I don't know what I would have thought; I would certainly have been intrigued.

Well, food stream-of-consciousness this morning. I do, now, finally get the thing about reading cookbooks like novels. So much culture, history, etc is reflected through food.

A Lesson on Simplifying Indian Cuisine from an American Gal who isn’t even a cook!

For over four years I’ve enjoyed a serious hobby, cooking Indian cuisine. It happened because I made some special friends through my Dad's senior center, Mina, Doris and Sheila, who all grew up and spent many years in India before coming to America. Before that, cooking was never a creative endeavor for me; my husband (who finds it creative) did most of it. Sort of like math, I never really “got” the underlying principles of cooking and was always intimidated trying to “fly by the seat of the pants”. You’d see me shopping for ingredients, recipe in hand.

But, I’m a curious sort. I became intrigued by the dishes my friends introduced me to when we’d enjoy lunch at an Indian restaurant, I’d query them, interested in understanding more about Indian culture and food. Mina suggested that I buy ingredients for certain recipes and come over. Together we’d make some traditional Indian dishes. Numerous afternoons while enjoying tea, we’d construct exotically aromatic, tantalizing dishes that she’d made for years. They opened a new world for me. Under her tutelage I began to understand some of the “underlying principles” or alchemy that had eluded me with American cuisine.

Making Indian dishes is now, for me, an exciting and very creative endeavor. Some weekend mornings I almost need my Indian food “fix” both the creating it and eating it. I often share my concoctions with neighbors and friends. They are often amazed at how delicious is something that, had they looked at the recipe, they may never have tried. There are certain ingredients such as Mina's favorite, Patak's brand mild curry paste, that even my husband has incorporated into some of the dishes he makes. (He uses it not for an overt curry taste but for adding an interesting dimension to things like spaghetti sauce.) And he really enjoys certain dishes like White Fish Simmered in Coconut Milk with Onions and Spices.

Off and on in this blog I’ve shared some of the Indian recipes I’ve tried. I thought that maybe some readers might enjoy some of the things I’ve learned about how to simplify Indian cuisine. My friends have shared quick tips for creating the same taste with less work. I am in no way an expert, but I am a novice American cook who is not intimidated by Indian food and spices. I’ve learned some easy to fix dishes that have flavors that would “knock the socks off” your friends if served. I’ve learned dishes that every single American friend “who thought they weren’t fond of Indian food” has loved. I’ve learned how to blend simple, frugal ingredients (Indians do amazing things with vegetables) into dishes with a sophisticated dimension.

So, blog readers, here is a first “Lesson” I hope might unlock for you some “secrets” of Indian cuisine, show you how simple it can be and maybe encourage you to expand your cooking repertoire

Recipes for Indian dishes can look complicated but there is a fairly simple, underlying process that exists in many recipes.

In recipes for many meat or vegetable based dishes you will see a triad of Ginger-Onion-Garlic. This triad is fried up and into it goes the spices being used, then into that goes the main ingredients. (I'm going to illustrate that using the recipe below.)

I get an online newsletter from About.com column on Indian Cooking (Here’s a link to sign up or look at it - http://indianfood.about.com/od/thebasics/a/regionfood.htm

I came across the recipe shown below. The basic food ingredients here are potatoes and peas. (Talk about an interesting way to use frugal ingredients that are on hand in most kitchens).

Basically they've got hot oil going into which they brown some cumin seeds and green chili chunks.
Then they dump in and fry the Ginger-Onion-Garlic triad
Into that they dump all the spices (measured out ahead) and diced tomato. (In this recipe, diced tomato adds more substance and dimension to the triad) and simmer till blended.
Then they add the potatoes and peas and simmer till done.

Basically it's TRIAD + SPICES + MAIN INGREDIENTS

Indian spices do not exist in most American cupboards (the only one I remember was a bottle of curry powder that sat in our spice cupboard never used, I’m sure, the entire time I was growing up) and the tastes may be unfamiliar at first, but we American cooks can learn from their process. And, if desired, natural food markets that sell spices in bulk often have most of the spices called for in Indian dishes. Also, if you don't have certain called for spices (in the recipe below you'd have to get dry mango powder at an Indian market) just leave it out. And remember, the "finely chopped coriander is cilantro.

Below the recipe is a very simple American twist (no Indian spices) take on this recipe. I just made it and it's delicious.

Aaloo Mutter
from www.about.com column on Indian cuisine
(The gal that writes the newsletter made a spelling error i the fourth line of the Preparation that I got a kick out of so left in. )

Ingredients:
· 2 tbsps vegetable/sunflower/canola oil
· 1 tsp cumin seeds
· 2 green chillies slit (use mild chilis or omit if hot isn't desired)
· 1 large onion diced
· 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (sold fresh or already grated in jars in produce sections)
· 1 tsp crushed garlic
· 2 large tomatoes diced
· 2 tsps coriander powder
· 1 tsp cumin powder
· 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
· 1 tsp red chilli powder
· 1 tsp dry mango powder
· 5-6 large potatoes peeled cut into 8-10 pieces each
· 1 cup shelled peas (you can use frozen peas as well)
· 1 tsp garam masala
· Salt to taste
· 2 tbsps of finely chopped coriander to garnish
(I have found that adding a can of chicken broth is good, added half after adding the potatoes and peas and as much of the other half that you like toward the end of cooking for desired moistness.)

Preparation:
· In a wok/pressure cooker heat the oil and add the cumin seeds to it when hot. They will sizzle and soon turn slightly darker.
· Add the green chillies and when they stop sluttering add the onions.
· Sauté the onions till they turn soft. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and sauté for another minute.
· Add the tomatoes, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, red chilli and raw mango powders and sauté for a minute.
· Last of all add the potatoes and peas and half a cup of water (this is where I add 1/2 can chicken broth instead of water) Add salt to taste.
· Cover the pan and cook till the potatoes are soft adding as much of the rest of the chicken broth as desired.
· When the potatoes are cooked, turn off the fire, sprinkle the garam masala over the dish and cover immediately.
· In a few minutes open, garnish with the finely chopped coriander leaves and serve.
· If you are using a pressure cooker, time the cooking such that the potatoes do not get mashed.

Aaloo Mutter American Style

A very simple American twist on this recipe would be to fry up the triad (I had 1/2 large onion, 1 teas. crushed garlic, 1" piece grated ginger) then add any spices you like or just salt and pepper (I added Johnny's Seasoning salt and a tiny bit of chili powder for zing) along with some diced tomatoes (I used a chopped tomato I had on hand) then add the chopped potatoes (I used 2 Russet) and peas (I used frozen and I added 1/2 can of chicken broth at first and the other half after it had cooked down a bit on 300 degrees in an electric frying pan) cook till done. If you are unfamiliar with using fresh ginger, it won't be an overt taste, just an interesting back taste.

It was a delicious potato dish by itself, then I got carried away and added some teryaki steak and green pepper chunks (already cooked; left over from fajitas.) Voila! A simple hash style dish with dimension.

Yam Curry an Amazing option for the traditional Thanksgiving candied yam dish

My hobby is cooking Indian cuisine. It's a country that does amazing things with vegetables. I feel like an alchemist creating Indian dishes. The aromas are so compelling, often, my neighbors saunter over to see what I'm cooking. I've made this Yam Curry twice. This year, it's going to be my alternative to the traditional Thansgiving sweet potatoes and I know it will be a hit. The spices blend together and when you take a bite it's subtly sweet, savory and addictive.

You can purchase Indian spices in bulk (small amounts) at many natural food stores. In Seattle, Puget Sound Consumer Coop stores have most of them. I keep a little of a lot of them in a separate Rubbermaid container on hand for my experiments. Many Indian dishes freeze very well.

Yam Curry
Yields: 6

Ingredients
1 pound sweet potatoes, or yams (I use 3 large yams)
1 teaspoon salt (to sweat the yams)
1 large onion, chopped coarsly (I use a sweet onion)
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil to shallow fry potato chunks (can deep fry in 3" hot oil)
2 inches fresh ginger root, grated (or bottled chopped ginger or ginger paste)
3 garlic clove, chopped (or ready chopped garlic)
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying onion, garlic, ginger, tomato mixture)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 green cardamom seeds (seeds removed)
1 bay leaf (I omit)
4 whole peppercorns
2 inch cinnamon stick broken in half
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or use cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt to taste
4 ounces tomatoes fresh (I used 1 large tomato or you can use 8 oz canned)
4 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped,  (for garnish)

Directions
(1) Place all the spices except cumin seeds in a smal dish ready to add.

(2) Peel the yams, cut them into 1 inch cubes, place in a colander and sprinkle liberally with 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10-15 minutes, then rinse and drain.

(3) While potato chunks are sweating, finely chop the onion, ginger, and garlic, and roughly chop the tomatoes.

(4) Heat the 2 to 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil over a moderate flame, add the cumin seed, and cook until they begin to sputter. Add the chopped onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the onion is a rich golden color.

(5) Add all the spices and season with salt to taste. Cook a few seconds more, and then add the tomatoes.
Let this cook while you continue as below.

(6) Heat oil for shallow frying the yams. Cook the yam cubes, a few at a time, until golden brown. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Pour out oil and set potatoes aside.(I removed the ginger onion garlic mixture and used the same frying pan to shallow fry the yamchunks in about 1/4 in oil.)

(7) Return the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato mixture to the frying pan, add the yogurt to the mixture, and continue to cook until the oil begins to separate out.

(8) Add the water and bring to a boil. Let boil a few minutes, then add the yam cubes, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes.

(9) Serve hot, garnished with the chopped coriander.

Traditionally served with chapatis and rice. I took it to my sister-in-laws as replacement for the traditional sweet potato/yams at Thanksgiving and it got raves. (If somebody "must" have marshmallows, dish up a serving and nuke it with a couple marshmallows on top.)