• Tomato Rasam
• Tamarind Date Chutney
• Lucknowi Chaat
• Grilled Tofu
• Apple Halwa
• Panchkuti Daal
Tomato Rasam
• 4 cups water
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 1/2 green chile pepper, minced fine
• 2 tsp. Rasam Powder (if powder is not available, make your own by grinding the following into a powder: 1/2 tsp. cumin powder, 2-4 whole dried red chiles, 1 tbsp. coriander seeds, 1/8 tsp. asafoetida, 1 tsp. black mustard seeds and 4-6 dry curry leaves)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin and black pepper powder
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cup tomato puree
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. coconut powder
Boil water, when boiling add the chopped tomatoes, ginger, coriander and green chile.
Stir Rasam powder and cumin and black pepper powder into the water after 3 minutes
Crush the garlic clove and add to water with the tomato puree, add salt and stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.
In a small frying pan, heat the canola oil and fry the mustard seeds in it till they crackle, now add the whole red chiles and fry till they are a nice dark color but not burnt. Add the coconut powder fry briefly and pour this tempered oil into the rasam and serve hot.
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Tamarind Date Chutney
• 2 large lemon-sized balls of tamarind
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pitted dates
• 1 cup unsulphured molasses or brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons, ground roasted cumin
• 2 tsp. garam masala
• 2 tsp. dry ginger powder
• 1 tsp. red pepper
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp. black salt
Soak the tamarind in a bowl with 2 cups of boiling water. Let it soak for 45 minutes. Mash the pulp with the back of a spoon or with your fingers. Make it into a thick pulpy sauce. Add 3 cups of boiling water, mix well and let it stand until lukewarm. When cool mash the pulp again. Strain the juices through a sieve or cheesecloth into another bowl. Squeeze out as much juice from the pulp as possible. Discard the fibrous residue.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and let rest at room temp for at least 4 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Note: boiling the sauce through lends a warmer flavor. If boiling the chutney, add water as needed.
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Lucknowi Chaat
Crispy whole wheat wafers combined in a cool and tangy spiced yogurt sauce, tamarind-date chutney topped with chickpeas, potatoes and ginger.
• 1 small package of whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 16oz. can of chickpeas, nicely drained to wash away the canning juices
• 3 large red potatoes, boiled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 32oz. Container of homestyle Plain Yogurt
• 2 inch piece of ginger root, julienne finely
• Tamarind-Date Chutney
• Black Salt to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Chaat Masala
• 4 tsp toasted cumin powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper. Optional
• 4 green chilees, chopped finely, optional
• 1 cup of chopped fresh Cilantro
• Sprouted mung beans or French lentils, optional
• Lemon juice, only if using sprouts
• Canola oil
Serves: 6
In a deep frying pan or wok pour enough oil to fill it to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Using a long sharp knife cut the tortillas into 1/2 inch squares or bite sized diamonds and set aside. When the oil is hot (375 degrees F), drop a handful or two of the tortillas into the oil. Fry till golden brown in color and drain on paper towels. Do the same with remaining tortillas and when done let cool till the wafers are crisp.
In a mixing bowl whisk the yogurt, black salt, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, chaat masala, 2 tsp. toasted cumin and a quarter cup of the cilantro greens. The yogurt mix should feel like a light pancake batter consistency. Dilute with milk if needed. Set aside.
In a serving platter or individual salad plates arrange the wafers, chickpeas and potatoes as you feel like. I often like to dip some of the wafers into the yogurt mix and arrange them loosely around the plate or platter. When you have used all the wafers, potatoes and chick peas, divide the yogurt mix equally over each plate or over the platter. Sprinkle the top of each plate or the platter with generous splatters of the Tamarind-Date chutney. Sprinkle the cumin powder on this and garnish with the ginger and cilantro.
If using the sprouts, toss them with a little salt and lemon juice. You can arrange these on the rim of the plate or on the sides of the platter.
Note: Chaat Masala, Tamarind-Date chutney and the Black Salt are easily available in Indian Stores nationwide.
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Grilled Tofu
• 2 lbs. firm tofu
• 1 tsp. carom seeds
• 4 tsp. cream
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. garam masala
• 2 tbs. Gram Flour ( Besan )
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper powder
• salt to taste
Cut tofu into 2-inch cubes.
Sprinkle cumin, carom, white pepper, turmeric, salt and half the garam masala on the tofu and let marinate for 20 minutes.
Whisk egg in a bowl and add the gram flour, salt and cream. Coat the tofu with this mixture and set aside for an hour or more if possible.
Skewer the tofu pieces 1 inch apart and skewer a whole onion at the base of the skewer to keep the tofu from slipping.
Grill in a moderately hot oven or charcoal grill for 12 - 14 minutes.
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Apple Halwa
Carrot Halwa, Lentils and Bean Halwa, Wheat Flour Halwa and Semolina Halwa are all popular desserts in India. Apple Halwa can be made the same way and it has an interestingly sweet and tart taste. In Indian homes, a form of milk cooked until all the water has evaporated-known as khoya is used. Condensed milk is a nice substitute.
Serves: 6
• 3 lbs apples, grated, best made with tart crisp apples
• 6 tsp sugar
• juice of 1 lemon
• 8 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 8 tbsp condensed milk
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp calvados
• almond slivers to decorate
• silver or gold foil
As soon as the apples are grated, sprinkle them with sugar and lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Mix well.
Heat the ghee in a heavy based saucepan, add the cinnamon and cloves and after 30 seconds the apples. Saute for 10 minutes or so over high heat. Add the condensed milk and raisins and saute for a further 8-10 minutes, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan.
Glaze with the butter. This dessert should be served hot. Heat the calvados for a few seconds in a small pan and pour into the halwa.
Garnish with almonds if using.
Notes: You can also use silver or gold foil to garnish the halwa and sprinkle ground toasted pistachios or walnuts and serve the halwa with vanilla ice cream.
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Panchkuti Daal
This is a fairly complicated and wonderfully tasty daal. If you don't have all five of the different lentils, try it with 1 1/2 cups of the massor dal and 3/4 cup of the channa dal instead.
This daal is particularly interesting because it shows how spices can be added in a variety of different ways within the same dish. The way that the spices are treated determines their flavor. So ground spices are cooked into the lentils, and then more spices are added at the end in the form of two different tarkas. The flavor of the raw spices is absorbed into the lentils to add a very gentle, subtle taste. The tarkas add a sharper, more distinctive note to the dish.
Serves 6
For the Daal
• 1/2 cup masoor dal (pink, split lentils), picked over
• 1/2 cup moong dal, picked over
• 1/2 cup toor dal, picked over
• 3/4 cup channa dal, picked over
• 1/4 cup urad dal, picked over
• 8 cups cold water, or as needed
• Salt to taste
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste (about 1/2 tablespoon)
• 2 small hot green chiles, or 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped, with seeds
• 1 tablespoon ground garam masala
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Indian red chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomato
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (about 1 firmly packed cup leaves), finely chopped
For the Tarkas
• 4 tablespoons ghee or canola oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste (about 1/2 tablespoon)
• 2 small hot green chiles, or 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped, with seeds
• 6 fresh curry leaves
• 1-inch stick cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 3 cloves
• Pinch asafoetida
1. For the daal, wash and drain the lentils. Put them in a 3-quart saucepan with the 8 cups water, 1 tablespoon salt, onion, garlic paste and chopped fresh chiles. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the lentils, partially covered, until they are tender, about 45 minutes.
2. Lower the heat to medium, add the garam masala, ground cumin and coriander, turmeric and chili powder and give the mixture a stir. Cover and simmer the daal 5 more minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and simmer 15 more minutes. Add more water if the daal gets dry--it should be the consistency of a lentil soup, not thick and bound like a split pea soup.
4. Stir in the lemon juice, half of the cilantro and 2 more teaspoons salt. Then take the daal off the heat while you make the tarkas.
5. Pour 3 tablespoons of the ghee or oil into a small saucepan and warm over medium-high heat. Add the curry leaves and cook about 1 minute. Then add the onion and cook until it just begins to brown around the edges, 4 to 5 more minutes. Then add the garlic paste and chopped chiles and cook just to mellow the raw taste of the garlic, 10 to 15 seconds. Scrape this into the daal.
6. Pour the remaining tablespoon of the oil into the saucepan or a small kadai and warm it over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon stick and cook it until you can smell it. Then add the whole cumin and mustard seeds, the cloves and the asafoetida and cook, stirring, until the mustard seeds start popping. Dump this mixture immediately into the daal and stir. Let the daal stand a few minutes to infuse it with the perfumed oil, then sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve hot.
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Photo, top, by Ben Fink.
