I was indian in my past life is something that I am told quite often. I don’t really believe in past lives. But I do have a definite affinity to all things Indian. People, culture, food, movies and even dabbling in the languages.
I don’t know what I did to get out of that past life cycle but I am now an American of German heritage (my parents are from Germany).
It all started with the food….about 20 years ago I tasted Indian food for the first time and it was like falling head over heels in LOVE…there is no other way to describe it. After that meal, all I wanted to do was read Indian cook books from cover to cover. I started to cook daal and chawaal every night of the week. My husband begged me not to make daal anymore and I moved on to some subzi and biryanis. Now I have graduated to samosas, iddlies, parathas and rotis. I even love to make gulab jams from scratch. I love to cook for 100 people at a time.
Chaat is my fave form of Indian food. Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
Aloo Chana Chaat
Ingredients
3 potatoes, boiled, peeled, diced
1 can chick peas, drained
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp chaat masala
2 green chillis, deseeded, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, deseeded, medium chopped
juice of 1 to 1 1/2 lemons
salt to taste
Method
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix well. Taste and adjust the chilli powder, salt and lemon juice to get a tancy and spicy taste.
Serve, in individual bowls. This can be served as a starter to a main meal or even as a salad in a Mughlai meal.
Aloo Tikki
Ingredients
500g potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
25g cornflour
1/2 c green peas, boiled
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
oil for frying
Method
Mix all the ingredients well, except the oil. Divide into 12 equal portions and make balls. Flatten each between the palms into discs.
Heat oil in a fry pan and shallow fry over medium heat until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
Drain and pat dry on absorbant paper. Serve hot.
Chole or Channa Daal (Chickpea curry)
This dish tastes great with any Indian bread or rice.
Ingredients
2 tbsp oil or ghee
1/2 c grated onion
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 c canned, drained chickpeas
1 teabag
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp mango powder
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 brown cardamoms
4 cloves
4 peppercorns
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp kala namak (black rock salt)
1/4 c chopped coriander and mint leaves
2 tsp seeded and chopped green chillis
1/2 c tamarind juice
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
for the garnish – chopped coriander leaves, ginger julienne, tomato wedges, onion slices
Method
Place the teabag in about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of boiling water. Add the chickpeas to it. Leave for a couple of hours (1 -8 hrs); till the chickpeas acquire a light brown colour. Squeeze and discard the teabag.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, brown cardamoms. When the cumin seeds splutter, add the grated onion.
Fry the onion till it is brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry a few seconds. Add the mango, garam masala, coriander, cumin, red chilli powders. Add a little more oil or some chickpea liquid, if required and fry a few seconds.
Add the green chillis. Add the coriander and mint leaves.
Add the chickpeas, along with the liquid. Add the kala namak, salt, roasted cumin powder and the tamarind juice.
Bring to a boil. Mash about 3 tablespoons of chickpeas and return to the pan. This will thicken the gravy. Taste and adjust salt. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, till gravy reduces.
Serve hot, garnishing with chopped coriander leaves, ginger julienne, tomato wedges, onion slices.
Pav Bhaji
Ingredients
500g potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced
1 c cooked small chopped mixed vegetables – carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower
1/2 c chopped onions
1/2 c ghee
4 green chillis, slit and chopped
1/2 inch ginger, sliced finely
250g tomato, chopped
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
5 tbsp butter
1 tsp garam masala
a bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
lemon wedges for garnish
4 pao buns, halved
Method
Heat ghee in a pan. Reserve 3 tsp chopped onions for garnish and fry the remaining till light brown. Add green chillis, ginger and tomatoes and saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat, then add the red chilli powder, mixed vegetables and potatoes.
With a metal spatula, simultaneously mash and stir for 5 minutes. While stirring, keep sprinkling the ginger garlic paste, dissolved in 6 tablespoons water. Add salt and two thirds of butter. Increase the heat and stir well.
Sprinkle garam masala, coriander leaves, lemon juice and remove from heat.
Garnish with remaining chopped onions.
Apply the remaining butter on the bun-halves, place them on a pre-heated frying pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve with the bhaji and a lemon wedge.
Tandoori Chicken Chaat
Ingredients
4 c tandoori chicken or chicken tikka (see barbeque recipies), shredded
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
1/2 c raw green mango, diced
1/2 c onions, finely sliced
2 tsp green chillies, chopped
3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
2 tsp chaat masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger, julienned
salt to taste
Method
Mix together the lemon juice with salt, chilli powder and oil. Keep aside.
In a bowl, mix the raw mango, onions, green chillies, coriander leaves, chaat masala, the shredded chicken. Add the lemon dressing made above and mix well.
Remove to a serving bowl and serve immediately, garnished with ginger.
Mint Chutney
Ingredients
1 c packed coriander leaves
1/2 c packed mint leaves
1/4 c chopped onion
2 green chillis, deseeded, chopped
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
Method In a blender, grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste, adding little water, if required. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.
Aloo Samosas
Ingredients
PASTRY:
225g flour
50 g ghee or clarified butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp caraway seeds or ajwain
75 ml warm water
FILLING :
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1.5 cm. ginger, grated fine
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 c boiled, peeled, small diced potatoes
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp mango powder Amchur
2 tbs coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste
1/2 c green peas, boiled in water with a little salt
2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped fine
1/2 c coriander leaves, chopped
1/8 C toasted Kajus (optional)
1 tbsp lemon juiceoil for deep frying
Method
To prepare the filling:
Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the coriander, red chilli, cumin and mango powders. Add the ginger and green chillis.
After a few seconds, add the potatoes and the peas. Add the garam masala, lemon juice, salt and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add the chopped coriander and mix well.
Stir in the garam masala powder, green chillies. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Cool thoroughly and mix in the coriander leaves.
To prepare the pastry:
Add the ghee, caraway seeds and salt to the flour. Rub in well. Add enough warm water to mix a soft dough. Knead until the dough feels soft to the touch.
Fill these cones with the prepared filling, leaving about 1/2 cm. border on the top of the cone. Now moisten the top edges and press them hard together. At this point I refrigerate them uncovered on parchment paper for at least an hour or over night to get them a little “drier” before frying them.
Deep fry the samosas in hot oil over medium heat until they are golden brown and drain on absorbent paper.
Tamarind Chutney (Saunth)
If you can’t get jaggery, use sugar or palm sugar.
Ingredients
1 knob of tamarind, about the size of a tennis ball
2 c water
1/2 c jaggery
1 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
Method
Soak tamarind in water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Mash with hands to extract all the pulp.
In a pan, bring the tamarind water to a boil, reduce heat and cook about 5 minutes. Allow to cool and strain well through a strainer. Use your hands to extract every bit of pulp through the strainer. If required, add a little additional water through the strainer.
Place the strained tamarind water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the jaggery, roasted cumin powder and chilli powder. Reduce heat a bit, and allow to cook for at least another 10 minutes. Add salt and adjust seasoning. It should be sweet and sour.
Allow to cool. Store in a jar in the refrigerator. This will keep up to a month.
ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!
