An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [105]
To serve: Serve cold with Lamb Cooked in Dark Almond Sauce or Koftas. Serve also with cauliflower or carrots or potatoes.
Cucumber and tomato with lemon juice
SERVES 4
1 medium-sized cucumber
1 medium-sized tomato
1 teaspoon salt
⅛–¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon roasted, ground cumin seeds
1–1½ tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced Chinese parsley (coriander greens or cilantro)
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Peel cucumber and dice it finely (about ¼-inch cubes). Dice tomato as finely as cucumber. Combine all ingredients in serving bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To serve: Bring cold serving bowl to table. This relish can be eaten with nearly all Indian meals.
Tomato and onion with lemon juice
SERVES 4
1 medium-sized tomato
1 medium-sized onion
1 teaspoon salt
⅛–¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon roasted, ground cumin seeds
1–1½ tablespoons lemon juice
⅛–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dice tomato in ¼-inch cubes. Peel and chop the onion. Combine all ingredients in serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To serve: Bring cold serving bowl to table. This relish can be eaten with nearly all Indian meals.
Chopped onions in vinegar
SERVES 4–6
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
⅛–¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Combine all ingredients in small serving bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To serve: Bring cold serving bowl to table. This relish can be eaten with nearly all Indian meals.
Raw onion rings
These are very good served with barbecued meats, chicken, and fish.
Peel onions and slice them into paper-thin rounds. Place in bowl containing cold water. Add a few cubes of ice, cover, and refrigerate. Leave an hour or two.
Drain, and scatter over meat, chicken, or fish.
Chapati
Poori
Paratha
Bhatura
Naan
n India, we call our Indian bread roti and we call the Western-type loaf a dubbul (double) roti, probably because of the expansion caused by the yeast. Most of our everyday breads are unleavened—somewhat like the Mexican tortilla, but much more varied in shape, taste, and texture. They are generally made out of whole-wheat flour, though barley, maize, millet, chickpea, and plain white flour are also used. We do make leavened breads like the naan, but they tend to be flat, rising only ½ to ¾ inch in height.
Throughout most of North India ata, or finely ground whole-wheat flour, is measured out onto a very large brass platter, or paraat, for kneading. This paraat is essential because Indian kitchens do not have Formica countertops and because Indians prefer to do most of their kitchen work—chopping, cutting, grinding, and kneading—in a squatting position. Once the dough has been kneaded (this is done with clenched fists—the knuckles pressing into the dough), it is formed into a lump, covered with a damp cloth, and left on one side of the paraat. Just before cooking, it is kneaded again and made into little patties. These are then rolled out on a round board into chapatis, parathas, or pooris. Even though I do have a paraat in my New York kitchen, I find it just as easy to use my kitchen counter for both the kneading and the rolling. If you happen to have a marble slab, you could use that instead.
Breads are cooked on the tava, a heavy, cast-iron, slightly curved griddle, or in a karhai, a woklike utensil for deep frying, or they are baked in the clay oven known as the tandoor. For a tava you can substitute an 8–10-inch cast-iron griddle or skillet; for a karhai you can use any wide, heavy casserole-type pot (cast-iron would be excellent); and for the tandoor, one just has to use the oven or a charcoal grill.
While Indian rice can be eaten with a fork, Indian bread must be eaten with the hands—or rather, with one hand. A small piece