An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [101]
A piece of tamarind, the size of a tangerine
1–1½ tablespoons sugar
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon roasted, ground cumin seeds
⅛–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 ripe but firm banana
Since the tamarind generally comes in a large block, tear off a lump about the size of a tangerine. Soak it overnight in ⅛ cup hot water in a small nonmetallic bowl or cup. (The water should cover the tamarind, so don’t use a very wide bowl.) If you forget to do it overnight, do it first thing in the morning. All will not be lost! Soak it for a minimum of 4 hours.
Once it has soaked, mash down and break the lump in the water, making a thick, uneven pulp. I use my hands for this, but you could use the back of a wooden spoon.
Place a strainer over a nonmetallic bowl, put the tamarind pulp in the strainer, and press down with the back of a spoon. Keep pressing until nothing but fibrous tissues and seeds are left in the strainer. Discard fibrous tissues and seeds. Make sure you scrape all the strained pulp on the outside of the strainer—it doesn’t always drip down.
Mix the strained pulp with the sugar, salt, cumin seeds, and cayenne.
Slice a peeled banana into ¼–⅛ inch slices and mix with the tamarind pulp.
To serve: Put into small ceramic or glass serving bowl and place on the table along with other chutneys and pickles.
Tomato tamarind chutney
MAKES 2 CUPS
This is, basically, a sour chutney used as a sauce for fish and stuffed vegetables. It can be made in advance, put in ajar, and refrigerated for 3 or 4 days.
4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
A generous pinch ground asafetida or ⅛-inch lump asafetida
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1½ cups tomato sauce
½ cup tamarind pulp (see recipe for Tamarind Chutney with Bananas)
1¼–1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon garam masala
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar (adda bit more if you want to)
Heat the oil in a 2-quart pot over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the asafetida, and a few seconds later, add the cumin and mustard seeds. The cumin seeds will begin to darken in the hot oil within a few seconds. Put in the chopped onions and minced garlic, and fry, stirring, for about 2 minutes, or until the onions darken at the edges.
Now pour in the tomato sauce and tamarind pulp. Also add the salt, garam masala, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
To serve: Use as a sauce with fried vegetables or with Kheema Used as Stuffing (for peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant).
Fresh coconut chutney
SERVES 6–8
1 cup fairly well-packed, grated fresh coconut
½ cup fairly well-packed, chopped Chinese parsley (coriander greens or cilantro)
1–2 fresh hot green chilies (use as desired)
A piece of fresh ginger, about ½-inch cube, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
6 tablespoons plain yogurt
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
⅛ teaspoon urad dal (the hulled, split variety) grains
¼ teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
Put the coconut, parsley, green chilies, ginger, and garlic, along with 5 tablespoons of water, into the container of an electric blender. Blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste, stopping occasionally to push down the ingredients.
Pour contents of blender into a bowl. Add yogurt, salt, and lemon juice. Mix well.
In a 4–6-inch skillet, heat the oil. When very hot, put in the dal grains and mustard seeds. As soon as the dal darkens and the mustard seeds pop, pour contents of skillet into bowl with chutney. Mix well. Cover and chill until ready for use.
To serve: This South Indian chutney goes well with Vegetable Pakoris. It is also very good as a relish with most meals.
Carrot “water” pickle
ABOUT 5 QUARTS
This is one of Delhi’s most popular winter pickles. Like chestnuts, it is often sold at street