Greetings Treat-A-Weekers,
I am not gonna front. I am probably the least qualified person I know of Indian descent to write a post on cooking Indian food. For those of you who never or rarely make Indian food, it is that very fact that should inspire you to try some of the recipes I will be posting… because if I can do it, anyone can! 🙂
Before I delve into the recipes, allow me to provide some background on this week’s treat – warm, cozy, delicious, reasonably healthy, relatively easy-to-make Indian food! Do you remember my April 9, 2018 Food & Drink post entitled, “Sunday Comfort Dinners?” (As a blogger, one feels one has arrived when one can refer to past posts on the regular, LOL!). Anyway, in that post, we explored first generation, daughter of two working parents, M’s childhood in which her amazingly talented pediatrician mom always made a home cooked meal on Sunday nights no matter how late in the evening it was in order to start off the week right. By the end of that post I had also resolved to do the same in my home close to three decades later. You may be asking yourself, what was M doing all those Sundays nights and weekday evenings when her Mom was cooking after a long day at work, and the answer (and excuse not to help) was homework…hours and hours of homework, studying for tests, writing papers and later when I worked as a lawyer and lived at home for three years, researching and writing memos and briefs. My Mom always asked me to watch what she did in the kitchen so that I could learn some family recipes to make one day for my own family, but sadly I rarely did. I would say to her, “Mom, anyone who marries me is not going to do so for my cooking ability.” And her response was always to say, “we’ll see.”
Well, this many years later, I can honestly say that while my hubby surely didn’t marry me for my then-non-existent cooking skills [the first time we cooked for each other we baked undercooked chicken and gave each other food poisoning!], now he is certainly thrilled when I do cook something yummy and in particular, he enjoys my Indian food. I have cooked regularly for our family for only two time periods in my life…when we lived as expats in London from 2007 -2009 and now, again, in Boston, since my children’s fabulous babysitter and dear family friend in Houston, R, is no longer helping us out. (NB: we miss her terribly!)
All of that said, I have found that cooking again is kind of like riding a bike — I was rusty at first, took a few spills (mainly in the form of over-salting or not allowing myself enough time to cook something in time for my family’s early evening eating taste), but given a little time and practice, I find myself on a roll….which is why when the weather turned cold her a couple weeks ago, I took on the challenge to make Indian food more often. Indian dishes take more time to make than the western/American dishes that are in my meal rotation, but that said, I can make this food in larger quantities far more easily than I can non-Indian food and the leftovers are frankly almost tastier than the meal is on the first day because the spices and flavors have more time to meld. Another great plus to Indian food in cold weather is that it is warming and usually contains turmeric which, as many of you know, contains many evidence-based health benefits. (See https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric). As I have gotten older, I have developed more of a need and desire to explore new adventures, but also to return to experiences from my childhood that nourished and brought me joy — making Indian food prepared with love, once the province of my Mom (and sometimes my Dad), is now something that brings me comfort and joy – and I hope it will bring these things to you, too.
I am going to share three recipes with you today, all of which can be eaten with white or brown basmati rice that can be picked up at most grocery stores including Whole Foods, Central Market and Wegmans. You can also search for naan or roti in a frozen food aisle and have the dishes I set forth below with those Indian versions of bread. Before I proceed too much further, you should know that “Indian food” can mean a whole bunch of different things to different folks — the type and taste of the food varies significantly based on the region of India it originated from and prevalent culture that exists there. According to Wikipedia (highbrow source, I know), “Indian cuisine reflects an 8,000-year history of various groups and cultures interacting with the Indian subcontinent, leading to diversity of flavors and regional cuisines found in modern-day India. Later, trade with British and Portuguese influence added to the already diverse Indian cuisine.” The Indian food I cook and eat tends to be heavily influenced by the Mughal Empire (time of Muslim rule in India) and as such includes meat dishes. [India’s population is very religiously diverse, but is predominantly Hindu and many orthodox Hindu folks do not eat meat which is why if you are vegetarian, there are usually tons of great, flavorful options for you to choose to eat from and Indian food menu]. The Indian food I am familiar with and cook also tends to be what is more popular in Southern India where my parents hail from (Madras-Mom; Bangalore-Dad). If you are making Indian food for the first time, I think you should run to an Indian grocery store to pick up some hard-to-find staples that will be far less expensive there than they would be at a specialty grocery store like Whole foods– try a place like Keemat Grocers on Hillcroft in Houston for instance. In Boston, I head to Waltham India Market for my spices as well as cut up, skinless chicken which is the base of my mom’s chicken curry recipe below. Special thanks to my Mom, sister K and sister-in-law H, for giving me their recipes and tips and helping me get back into making the food my family has enjoyed for generations. Below, please find some of the easiest, yummy recipes for some Indian dishes to make on a cold evening. Enjoy!
My Mom’s Chicken Kourma (Curry) Recipe (makes about 8 servings?)
This recipe is one that was a staple in my house growing up and that I still thoroughly enjoy eating today. It is pictured above (first pot on the stovetop, back left). I got this recipe from my Mom in 2002 and it is not exact as she does not use recipes, just taste as a guide, so feel free to make adjustments as you see fit. I make this recipe especially when someone has a cold and we have it with white basmati rice — it is like my family’s equivalent to homemade chicken soup.
Ingredients:
• 8-16 pieces chicken on the bone or 1 whole skinless chicken cut up [ask butcher to do this for you; it is hard work or go to a store that sells “halal” meat – in Houston, Al Aqsa or Jerusalem, in Boston, Waltham India Market]
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2-3 medium size onions cut up
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder (or paste)
• 1 tablespoon ginger powder (or paste)
• 4-6 cardamom pods crushed up
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 medium tomatoes cut up
• ¼-1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 green pepper cut up
• ½ teaspoon salt (I think more is needed but that is what she says)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2-3 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1-2 cups water
Directions:
Set stove to medium cooking flame/heat. Pour oil in cooking pot and add cut up onions; add garlic and ginger; cook onions until wilted and lightly browned. Add chicken. Mix up. Then add crushed cardamom and turmeric; stir. Then add cut up tomatoes, cilantro, green pepper, and salt. Keep stirring. Then add lemon juice, yogurt, and brown chicken. Then add water. Cover pot, turn flame down to low and let cook until chicken is soft – about forty-five minutes to an hour. If there is not enough curry, add more water during this time period. Enjoy!
Easy, Peesy, Spiced Eggplant [Bhaigan Bharta] (pictured above, on stovetop in back by itself to the right) (serves 3-4)
This recipe from my brother’s wife, H, who is vegetarian saved me when my husband’s Aunt was visiting us for the weekend as she loves veggies and I don’t have an expansive vegetable making repertoire as my kids tend to eat not a single one I make besides corn (not joking). Thanks H, we all thought this was delicious and a very quick and easy recipe to make.
Ingredients:
-1 medium eggplant (don’t get fat eggplants because they are full of inedible seeds)
-2 medium tomatoes
-1 large yellow onion
-4 cloves fresh garlic
-1 tsp cumin powder
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-a lemon OR amchur powder (i prefer lemon)
-1/2 bunch of coriander
-1 green chili (or jalapeno)
Directions:
-Peel your eggplant (if you don’t, the end result will be a dark, unappetizing mess)/[you can also use 8 mini eggplants from the indian grocery store like I did].
-Chop eggplant and insert the garlic cloves into the raw eggplant (like a push pin), place in microwave safe bowl, cover in plastic wrap and microwave for 2-4 minutes, until soft. Remove from microwave, cool for a few minutes, remove any large bits of seeds, mush by hand or spoon.
-Chop onion and saute in canola oil until transparent
-Add chopped tomatoes and cook until soft
-Add cumin powder, chili powder, and salt
-Add in your eggplant and cook for a few minutes
-Take off heat, transfer to serving dish, add in a squeeze of lemon and chopped coriander. I like to add a tiny bit of thinly sliced red onion and sprinkle with cumin.
Lemon Dhal [Lemon Lentil Curry] (modified from What’s Cooking Indian by Shehzad Husain)
I make this dhal, which is not a family recipe, all the time because I love lemon and concentrated flavor and this dish has both in droves. It serves about 6 people and will last 2-3 days.
Ingredients:
-1 cup masoor [red] dhal or lentils
-2 tsp. finely chopped ginger root or paste or powder
-2 tsp. crushed garlic or garlic paste or powder
-1 tsp. red chilli powder (if you want more spice, 2)
-1 tsp. turmeric
-4 cups water
-1 1/2 tsp. salt
-5 tbsp. lemon juice
-1 fresh green chili
-fresh cilantro leaves
baghaar (this is a special part of the recipe that has to be cooked separately and added to the dhal at the end)
-2/3 cup oil (veggie or canola)
-6 garlic cloves
-4 whole, dried red chillis
-1 tsp. white cumin seeds
Directions:
Rinse the dhal and place in a large saucepan. Add the ginger, garlic, chili powder, and turmeric to the dhal. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the water and bring to a boil over medium heat with the lid left slightly ajar. Cook until the dhal is soft enough to be mashed. Mash the dhal (with a potato masher or something similar), add the salt, lemon juice, the remaining water and mix well. Add fresh green chilis and fresh cilantro leaves to the dhal and set aside. Now in a separate pan, make the bhagaar. Heat the oil in a pan (you can use less than the recipe calls for if you like – it’s all for flavoring). Add the garlic cloves, red chilis, and white cumin seed and fry for about a minute until the garlic cloves brown. Turn off heat and when bhagaar cools a little, pour it over the dhal. Be careful because sometimes the oil sputters and you could easily burn yourself in this process. Mix bhaghar and dhaal and if it looks too runny, cook over medium heat for a bit longer. It should have a soupy consistency. This dhal is pictured twice in this blog entry — bright yellow with floating cumin seeds.
I hope that you will try one or more of these dishes and let me know what you think. One thing I have realized on this return-to-real-cooking journey of mine is that cooking is hard work but it is one of the truest forms of love – thanks to my Mom and all those special relatives and friends along the way who have nourished me (Laura, if you are reading this, the simple dinners you prepared for me during law school were cherished treats of mine; Allison, I can’t remember how many delicious meals you’ve prepared for me over the years – will always remember our fondue days; Ayesha Begum Aunty, and R Aunty, Maria and Raf, I will always equate your food with your love for my children). Just want you all to know that I am grateful and I appreciate your efforts now more than ever.
Before I sign off, as an extra health-related bonus, I am going to throw in a Dr. Malika/Mom special old home remedy for you that helped my daughter R, who is recovering from bronchitis, feel better after drinking it just two doses.
Turmeric Milk/Haldi Dood
-heat up a cup of milk on the stove or microwave
-add an 1/8 of a tsp. of turmeric. Mix well
-add a teaspoon of honey.
R says this actually tastes good and it really did help her feel better last night. Try it if you or someone in your life needs it – what do you have to lose?
Take care of yourselves and until next week, I remain,
Very truly yours,
M
