An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [93]
3–4 tablespoons tamarind paste, or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sort and clean the chickpeas and wash them under cold water. Drain. Soak for 24 hours in a bowl containing ½ teaspoon of the salt, the baking soda, and a quart of water.
Place chopped onion, garlic, and ginger in the container of an electric blender with 3 tablespoons of water. Blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.
In a 4-quart heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. When very hot, put in the asafetida and the cumin seeds. After a few seconds, when the asafetida expands and the cumin darkens, put in the paste from the blender, keeping face averted. Fry, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
Now drain the chickpeas and add them to the pot. Also put in the potatoes, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, 1 teaspoon salt, the cayenne pepper, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, and allow to simmer gently for I hour.
Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of tamarind paste or lemon juice (you could use more or less) to chickpeas according to tartness desired. Stir. Check salt. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To serve: This dish tastes very good with hot pooris or parathas. Some kind of relish—perhaps Cucumber and Tomato with Lemon Juice—should be served with it. For a more complete meal add meat and a green vegetable dish.
Masoor or arhar dal with vegetables
SERVES 6–8
2 cups masoor or arhar (toovar) dal (hulled and split)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric powder
3 tablespoons chopped Chinese parsley (coriander greens or cilantro)
2 teaspoons salt
Any one of the following vegetables:
3 medium-sized zucchini, washed and sliced in rounds
or 2 medium-sized yellow squash, washed and sliced in rounds
or ½ pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
or 1 medium-sized eggplant, washed and cut in ¾-inch cubes
or 1 medium-sized onion, cut in half, sliced, and sautéed for 5 minutes in 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons tamarind paste
½ teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or usli ghee
10 whole black peppercorns
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
10 whole fenugreek seeds
10 white urad dal grains (optional)
1–3 whole dried hot red peppers
Clean and wash dal.
Put dal in 4-quart heavy-bottomed pot with 6 cups water and bring to boil. If there is any scum, remove it with a spoon. Add the turmeric and parsley and cover. Lower heat and simmer gently until tender, about 1½ hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Add the salt, the vegetables you are using, tamarind paste, and sugar. Cook another 15 minutes or until vegetable is tender.
In a 4–6-inch skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons of oil or ghee over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the peppercorns, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, urad dal, and lastly the red peppers. When the mustard seeds begin to pop and the fenugreek and red pepper darken (this should take just a few seconds), pour the contents of skillet into the pot containing dal and vegetables. Stir. Cover again and turn off heat.
To serve: Serve with plain rice and any meat, chicken, or fish dish of your choice.
Cold chana dal with potatoes
SERVES 4
In this dish the chana dal is first boiled and then mixed with diced boiled potatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, roasted cumin, and lemon juice. If you like, you can slice scallion rounds and add them as well. It is served at room temperature or, if you wish, just very slightly chilled.
½ cup chana dal, cleaned and washed
1 teaspoon salt
3 peeled slices fresh ginger, about 1 inch in diameter and ⅛ inch thick
4 new potatoes, boiled and diced into ½–inch cubes
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon roasted, ground cumin seeds
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
Put the dal to boil with 3 cups of water, ½ teaspoon salt, and the ginger slices. Cover. Simmer gently for 1 hour. Drain. Discard ginger slices.
In a serving bowl, combine the dal, 14 teaspoon salt, and the remaining ingredients. Mix well.
To serve: Serve with lamb roast or pork chops. Indians often