An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [19]
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional—use as desired)
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons tamarind paste
or 1½-tablespoons lemon juice
Rounds of small cocktail rye bread,
or Melba rounds,
or any firm bread slices, crust removed, cut into 4 rectangles
3 tablespoons melted butter
Put the ham, potato, onion, ginger, garlic, and parsley through the fine blade of a meat grinder. Add black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and tamarind paste or lemon juice. Mix well with hands. You can do this much ahead of time and keep it covered in refrigerator.
Twenty-five minutes before serving time, preheat broiler.
If using bread, spread out as many slices as will fit on a large baking sheet, and lightly toast one side. Remove from broiler and turn over.
Spread other side with the ham paste ¼–⅓ inch thick. (Melba rounds do not need toasting on one side. You can just spread ham mixture on them directly.) Make sure the edges of bread or Melba toast are covered or you will burn them. Brush with melted butter. Place under broiler and broil 7 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Do as many batches as you need.
To serve: Place on platter and serve hot with drinks.
Jumbo shrimp on toothpicks
SERVES 4
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, about 1-inch cube, peeled and chopped
1½ pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt
⅛–¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Put the garlic and ginger in the container of an electric blender along with 3 tablespoons water. Blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.
Wash shrimp well and pat them dry. Cut each shrimp into 3 sections. Set aside.
Heat oil in 10–12-inch skillet over medium flame. When hot, pour in the paste from blender and fry, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and turmeric. Fry and stir another 2 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons water, the lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover, and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes. (This much can be done in advance.)
Five minutes before serving time, lift off cover, put in the shrimp, and turn heat to high. Stir and fry the shrimp for about 5 minutes or until they just turn opaque.
To serve: Place on platter and stick toothpicks into each shrimp piece. Serve hot.
Whole-wheat samosas
SERVES 8–10
Samosas are deep-fried patties, filled with potatoes or ground meat. I have a simple version of them. This is how they are made. (For stuffing use recipe for Sookhe Aloo or Kheema.)
2 cups whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus a little extra for brushing on dough)
½ teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for deep frying, enough for 3–3½ inches in pot
Combine oil and flour and rub together. Add salt and mix. Add 1 cup water, a little at a time, until you have a firm dough. Knead the dough well for 7 to 10 minutes, until smooth. Form into a ball. Brush with a little oil, and cover with a damp cloth. Set aside until ready for use.
If using Sookhe Aloo for stuffing, cook it according to the recipe and then crush potatoes coarsely with the back of a slotted spoon.
If using Kheema for stuffing, cook Kheema until it is very dry, with no liquid left at all. If any fat has accumulated, it should be discarded.
Divide dough into 28 to 30 equal balls. (Each ball makes 2 samosas, so you’ll end up with about 60.) Flatten each ball and roll it out on a floured surface until it is 3½ to 4 inches in diameter. Cut each round in half. Taking one semicircle at a time, moisten half the length of the cut edge with a finger dipped in water. Form a wide cone with the semicircle, using the moist section to overlap ¼ inch and hold it closed. Fill samosa three-fourths full with the stuffing. Moisten the inside edges of the opening and press it shut. Seal this end by pressing down on the outside with the tip of a fork, as you would a pie crust. Prepare the samosas this way and keep them covered with a plastic wrap.