An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [104]
Now get the yogurt ready. In a bowl, mix the yogurt well. Then add the salt, black pepper, roasted cumin, and cayenne, reserving a pinch of the cumin for garnishing later. Cover and refrigerate the yogurt until almost ready to serve.
Just before serving, take out the dumplings, a handful at a time. Lay your other palm over them and gently squeeze out excess water. Do not break them. Put them in serving bowl. Pour yogurt over them and mix well.
Garnish by sprinkling paprika and the pinch of roasted ground cumin over the top.
To serve: This yogurt dish goes very well with nearly all the lamb and pork dishes in this book. Do not serve it with other dishes containing dumplings, e.g., Karhi.
Yogurt with potatoes
SERVES 4–6
This is perhaps the Indian version of potato salad. It is a little moister, and if I may allow myself to be prejudiced, a little tastier.
2 medium-sized boiling potatoes
16 ounces (2 containers) plain yogurt
1–1½ teaspoons salt
⅛–¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly roasted, ground cumin seeds
⅛–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
GARNISH
⅛ teaspoon paprika
Boil the potatoes and allow them to cool thoroughly.
Put the yogurt in a bowl and mix well with a fork. Add the salt, black pepper, roasted cumin, and cayenne. Mix well.
Peel the potatoes and dice them into ½-inch cubes. Mix with the yogurt.
To serve: Pour yogurt and potatoes into serving bowl. Sprinkle with paprika and serve. This dish may be made several hours in advance, covered tightly and refrigerated.
Yogurt with roasted eggplant (baigan-ka-bharta)
SERVES 4–6
When I was a child and all food was cooked over coals, an eggplant was often put to bake in the ashes that fell below the grates in our stove. The eggplant would cook and soften and acquire a sumptuous smoked flavor. It was then peeled, mashed, and added to yogurt, along with minced onions and fresh mint. Here is that recipe. Instead of ashes, I use the direct flame of a gas burner!
1 medium-sized eggplant
16 ounces (2 containers) plain yogurt
1 small onion, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh mint
1 teaspoon salt
⅛–¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon freshly roasted, ground cumin seeds
Wash and wipe the eggplant. Line a burner with an aluminum protector if possible. Stand the eggplant directly on the gas burner and turn the flame on medium or medium low. Roast the eggplant on all sides, turning it over carefully. (For more detailed instructions, see Eggplant Bharta.) It should look fairly charred on the outside, and the inside should get soft and pulpy. This may take 20 to 25 minutes.
Peel the eggplant under cold running water, making sure all the blackened skin and the stem are removed. Now mince the pulp very finely and place in a bowl.
Empty yogurt into a serving bowl and mix well with fork. Add onion, mint, eggplant, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and roasted cumin. Mix. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve: Serve cold as an hors d’oeuvre or as salad-type relish.
Yogurt with spinach
SERVES 4–6
10–16 ounces fresh spinach
2 teaspoons salt
16 ounces (2 containers) plain yogurt
⅛–¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon freshly roasted, ground cumin seeds
Wash and trim the spinach. Make sure no sand is left.
Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt. When boiling, drop spinach in it and cover. As soon as the spinach wilts, remove it and put it in a colander. Run cold water over it until it cools. Drain. Squeeze out the water by pressing spinach between your palms and then mince.
Place the yogurt in a bowl