New Indian Recipes on the Menu

Time seems to escape me these days, yet every so often there is a gathering that warrants a fresh look at my recipes to date, sometimes finding them insufficient, despite the fairly vast number. A month or so past, I entertained my grandson and his friend, who love Indian food. When we chatted, he'd said that the flavors of Indian foods are some of his favorites, though he usually eats very simply. So I created a dinner, not knowing his particular tastes, but hoped it wouldn't be too far out of his comfort zone - and it wasn't! They both ate like two very healthy young men should. I was pleased. 

For that meal, I made some of my more common favorites, Chicken Korma, edging outside the plain rice category with Barley Kichdi as one of the side dishes, and one of my all-time favorites, Palak Paneer, as the other. I also had no clue on their tolerance for heat, so all the dishes were made quite mild in deference to my husband, but I offered an array of chutneys with varying heat levels: Am Chutney or Mango Chutney (no heat), Dhania Poodina or Green Chutney (medium heat), Imli Chutney or Tamarind Chutney (a little heat), and Fresh Ginger slices in lime juice with Serrano pepper and salt, possibly the hottest). They went for the Green Chutney and fresh ginger, polishing them off!

Dinner Menu

So, when my son was recently married in Hawai'i, and his lovely bride just turned fifty years beautiful, I made a dinner to celebrate both events when they came to visit this past weekend. They both love Indian food as well, and I have made them many Indian meals already in past. Trying to come up with something to feed them that hasn't already been a part of many menus in past was becoming a challenge. Ana is sensitive to rice, so I wanted to keep that out of the menu completely. I thought of making the Barley Kichdi again, but they've had that more than once and well, not again. The same for the Palak Paneer, which is maybe one of all our favorites, but as I serve it with practically any special meal I felt it was time for a change. 

What to do, what to do?

I finally opted for Telangana Chicken, though I kept it mainly without any of the fiery, spicy heat in deference to Ana and my hubby. Instead of going for rice or even barley, I opted to make a very simple Tadka Dal using only Masoor (red lentils) and Moong (mung bean) dals, and adding a simple Tadka of sauteed mustard and cumin seeds, asafetida, shallot, ginger and garlic, and salt at the end. We all love dal/lentil dishes, so that one was a hit. I wanted to make Channa Masala, but my son objected. I went hunting for something to do with peas and found some few ways, such as Matar Masala (spiced peas), and somewhere i came across a recipe called Sookh Matar, though I can find no other reference to this terminology. I felt after reading that Sookh might refer to the same concept as "sabzi" meaning a dish cooked down to relative dryness - no sauce in it. I wanted more vegetables and also some color so added red bell pepper. It turned out fantastic whatever it may be called.

Matar Masala or Sookh Matar

Serves 6 to 8

Matar Masala (Spiced Peas)

1 large onion in thin half-rings
2 tablespoons coconut oil or sunflower oil, more if needed
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1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil or sunflower oil
1 large shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafetida

MASALA: mix together and set aside
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon black salt or regular salt
1/2 teaspoon amchur (dried green mango powder)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
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1 bag (13 ounces) frozen baby peas

Saute the large onion in the oil, stirring very often and watching carefully not to burn, until the onions are a deep caramelized brown. Spread the onions on several thickness of paper toweling to blot and cool. This part can be made days in advance and refrigerated until needed.

Heat a skillet over medium to medium low heat and add in the 1 or two tablespoons of oil. Add in the cumin seeds and asafetida to sizzle for a few seconds, then add in the shallot, garlic, ginger and red bell pepper and saute gently to soften. Add in a tablespoon of water at a time, only if needed for the ingredients not to stick. Add in the masala ingredients and stir until fragrant. IF MAKING AHEAD, the dish can be made to this point, placed in a covered container and refrigerated for up to three days.

To finish the dish, bring the refrigerated mixture back to heat in a skillet, then add the peas with a tiny amount of water and heat them through. Once heated, add in the caramelized onion and stir in to heat through.

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The other new item on the menu was a salad, something I had never created with an Indian meal, but this time I wanted some diversity. 😉 The most common I found was called Kachumber Salat, a combination of cubed cucumber, tomato and onion, seasoned with an array of possible spices and a touch of lime juice. I plan to mix a batch of the masala mixture to keep on and to sprinkle on tomatoes at any time - it was that good!

Kachumber Salat

Serves 6

Kachumber Salat

1 cucumber, seeds removed if too large, cut in small cubes
1 - 2 medium tomatoes (I used heirlooms), in cubes
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, in cubes

MASALA:
1/2 teaspoon Chaat Masala
1/2 teaspoon black salt (or regular salt)
1/2 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds
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2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped finely
2 teaspoons lime juice, or to taste
pinch chili in powder or crushed chili flakes

IF MAKING AHEAD, the only thing that can be done is mixing the spices together. The tomatoes and cucumber will go watery if done in advance. If raw onion or shallot are not tolerable, cut these ahead of time (up to 20 minutes) and set them into a bowl, covered with white vinegar. Drain and rinse before adding to the remaining ingredients and stir them all together well before serving.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest. 

Chutney with Tamarind and Chutney with Mango

Not everyone is familiar with Tamarind, even in this age of unification through the internet. I was introduced to tamarind, a legume or "fruit" that grows on a tree, while I lived in Guatemala in the 1970s. At that time, the main way I knew of tamarind is as Agua de Tamarindo (Tamarind Water), which was made as a refreshing beverage similar to lemonade in its sweet/sour aspect. For a time after returning home to the US, I would buy Goya brand Agua de Tamarindo, just to revisit the flavor, tamarind pods not being easily available here in the US at that time.
 

Tamarind Pods

Later on, as I discovered and fell in love with Indian cuisine, tamarind was presented in a runny "chutney" on many Indian buffets, and while this use tended to present the sour side of the fruit, nonetheless it became a chutney I particularly enjoyed. I was already familiar with its flavor, so this was an easy transition. In many dishes that call for tamarind as a sour flavoring agent, lemon juice is used as a substitute. If you keep in mind that while tamarind is in no way as tart as lemons, it is a souring agent used extensively in Indian dishes and other Southeast Asian cuisines, as well as in the Caribbean and Central America. 

If you are unfamiliar with tamarind, the fruit is encased in a brittle pod that is easily broken and removed. The dense and sticky fruit is somewhat encased in long, stringy fibers, and inside are somewhat flattened, glossy seeds. To make tamarind water as a beverage, you would first remove the brittle pod, then set the insides to soak in water. Once softened it is easiest to use clean hands and just squeeze and squish (very technical terms, I now!) the fruit to release its flavors, then strain and sweeten to taste. I went into this in a couple of blogs, see this one for a little more detail.

Tamarind is also found in a "brick", where the outside shells have been removed and the inner, sticky pulp, fibers and seeds are compressed. It is usually found cellophane wrapped, and it is used in the exact same way as if you used the pods. This package said "seedless" but that was absolutely not so!

I was amazed to find up here in Aberdeen, South Dakota, that our local WalMart store now carries whole tamarind pods! I had just used up the box full I had bought a couple of years past, while making Tamarind Chutney for an Indian dinner recently, so this was a wonderful surprise. In light of this, I wanted to write about making this chutney. It is not to everyone's taste, but for me it is certainly high on my list of favorite chutnies. My husband likes his sweet mango chutney, and I occasionally make and can a few jars to keep on hand. I will have to make some more as I also used up the last jar for that Indian meal.

Tamarind Chutney or Imli Chutney 

Makes about 2½ cups

Tamarind Chutney or Imli Chutney

7 ounces of compressed tamarind brick, or 7 ounces of tamarind pods, shell removed
3 cups boiling water
3/4 cup brown sugar or jaggery
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger 
1/2 teaspoon black salt, or regular salt, optional

Soak the tamarind in the hot water for about 30 minutes, until softened. The water will have cooled significantly during this time. Strain the water off into another container. Use 1 cup of the water to mash and squeeze the softened pulp and press it through a strainer. Use the back of a spoon to continue pressing to remove as much of the pulp as possible, without any fibers or seeds. 

Once the strained pulp is pressed out as well as possible, place all the pulp retrieved into a saucepan. Add in all the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and then lower to a medium low boil and cook for about 20 minutes. The chutney is not meant to be thick, but only slightly less runny. Store in jars in the refrigerator for up to two months.

If you would like to make a very tasty Mango Chutney (of the British "Major Grey" sort), this recipe is absolutely delicious. It makes 3 pints, so canning and processing in a water bath is a good idea.

Mango Chutney or Am Chutney

Makes 3 pints

Mango Chutney

8 green cardamom pods, crushed
5 whole cloves
1½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1½ teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
3-inches true cinnamon stick, crumbled
2 pounds fresh mango, cut in ½-inch chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup Sultanas (white raisins)
¼ cup seedless tamarind pulp, optional
1 piece fresh ginger the size of a large walnut
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly and chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes, amounts optional
1½ cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups sugar

Place the first 6 ingredients into a dry skillet and heat to fairly high, stirring often until very fragrant. Remove the spices to a large enameled or stainless pot or stock pot. Add in the mango, onion, Sultanas, tamarind, ginger and garlic with the salt and chili flakes. Pour in the vinegar and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat to medium, maintaining a good boil and stirring often to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes. Add in the sugar all at once and stir to dissolve. Once the mixture returns to a boil, stir relatively continuously for another 12 minutes or so, until the mixture begins to fall in two thick droplets from the side of a spoon.

Have hot sterilized pint jars ready. Pack the chutney into the jars, wipe rims and threads with a wet cloth and seal with lids and rings. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for: 
10 minutes if at 0 - 1,000 feet
15 minutes if at 1,000 to 6,000 feet
20 minutes if above 6,000 feet

Remove from water bath and set jars on the counter to await the nice pop, indicating a good seal on the jars. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.