An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [92]
A piece of fresh ginger, 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, peeled and chopped
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
A pinch ground asafetida or tiny lump asafetida
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ cup tomato sauce
20-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained
4 medium-sized potatoes, freshly boiled and peeled
1½ teaspoons salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if desired)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Put the garlic and ginger into the container of an electric blender. Add 4 tablespoons water and blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.
Heat oil in large skillet or 10-inch heavy-bottomed pot over a medium flame. When hot, put in the asafetida. After a few seconds, as soon as it sizzles and expands, pour in the paste from the blender, keeping face averted, and add the turmeric; after a minute add the tomato sauce, pour in 1 cup water, and add the drained chickpeas. Quarter the potatoes and add them as well. Put in the salt, black pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Cover. Lower heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
To serve: These chickpeas taste best with some kind of Indian bread—pooris, parathas, or bhaturas. Serve yogurt or cucumber relishes as an accompaniment. Any meat or chicken dish would go with this dish too.
Moong dal
SERVES 6
This is North India’s most popular dal, and it is eaten with equal relish by toothless toddlers, husky farmers, and effete urban snobs. The simple recipe given below can be used for the white urad dal, the salmon-colored masoor dal, and the large arhar or toovar dal as well.
1½ cups moong dal (hulled and split)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 slices peeled fresh ginger, 1 inch square and ⅛ inch thick
1 tablespoon chopped Chinese parsley (coriander greens or cilantro)
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
¼–½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or usli ghee
A pinch ground asafetida or tiny lump asafetida
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
Lemon or lime wedges
Clean and wash dal thoroughly. Put dal in heavy-bottomed 3–4-quart pot, add 5 cups water, and bring to a boil. Remove the froth and scum that collects at the top. Now add the garlic, ginger, parsley, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, lower heat, and simmer gently for about 1½ hours. Stir occasionally. When dal is cooked, add the salt and lemon juice (it should be thicker than pea soup, but thinner than cooked cereal).
In a 4–6-inch skillet or small pot, heat the vegetable oil or ghee over a medium-high flame. When hot, add the asafetida and cumin seeds. As soon as the asafetida sizzles and expands and the cumin seeds turn dark (this will take only a few seconds), pour the oil and spices over the dal and serve. (Some people put the dal in a serving dish and then pour the oil and spices over it.)
To serve: Serve with plain rice, Kheema, and a vegetable for a simple meal. Most meat and chicken dishes go well with this dal. Since some people like to squeeze extra lemon or lime juice on their dal, serve some wedges separately. Note: Finely sliced onion rings, fried until brown and crisp are often spread over the dal as a garnish before it is served.
Kala chana aur aloo (black chickpeas with potatoes)
SERVES 4
This is one of my favorite lunch dishes. India produces several varieties of chickpeas. Kala chana are small and black. They need to be cleaned and soaked in water for 24 hours before cooking. I use tamarind paste to give this dish a tart taste, but you could use lemon juice instead.
1 cup black chickpeas (kala chana)
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
A piece of fresh ginger about 1 inch square, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
A generous pinch ground asafetida or tiny lump asafetida
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
¼–½ teaspoon