Think of Indian cuisine as a quiet but active volcano that may erupt at any time. While Americans cook and consume the hot, trendy specialties of China, Thailand, Italy and the Middle East, they have left the intriguingly complex, frequently spicy cooking of India largely to restaurant chefs. That may soon change. Why shouldn’t Indian dishes appeal to an American public fascinated with foods that offer heightened flavor from sources as divergent as Louisiana and the Caribbean? After all, Indian cooks use an unparalleled array of spices, and their cuisine offers a truly remarkable repertory of sophisticated vegetarian dishes.
Don’t those of us following the precepts of healthful eating want new approaches to preparing fruits, grains and beans? India has them.
Michael Romano, chef of Union Square Cafe in New York City, has been experimenting with Indian seasonings for two years and has developed an Indian menu for a restaurant that is to open in Manhattan this year.
Ashish Sen, a professor of urban planning at the University of Illinois at Chicago, says, There has been quite a change in the last few years. Now very few people I meet haven’t tasted Indian food.
The time is ripe to look beyond generic curry and bottled chutney when considering Indian food. Happily, there is considerable opportunity to do this.
A regional approach
India has no national cuisine. Instead, each region has its specialties, based on available ingredients, of course, but also on history and religious beliefs. For years, small restaurants featuring regional Indian cooking came and went with great regularity along Devon Avenue. Chicago’s Indian residents chose to eat the food of their regions at home. Non-vegetarian Indians and most other Chicagoans preferred to dine out in restaurants offering the meat-rich tandoori cooking of Punjab in the country’s far north and dishes from the court cooking of the Moguls.
Now the street is home to more regional and vegetarian places, along with shops that sell vegetarian snacks and sweets from places like Gujarat, the western state from which many local immigrants have come.
Furthermore, supermarkets offer home cooks more Indian ingredients, sauce bases and packaged products such as frozen, microwavable samosas (turnovers) and entrees. They are attractively packaged, with clear directions. (Social changes in India, where middle-class families no longer have cooks and the workday has grown longer, helped create a demand for prepared foods.)
Mafat Lal Patel, an owner of the Patel Brothers grocery stores, says non-Indians represent almost 20 percent of his customers, confirming the broader popularity of the new convenience products. “Cookbooks are selling well too,” Patel says.
Several recently published books tend to present regional recipes using a full range of spices and seasonings. A new concern for healthful eating is evident in these books as well. This should appeal to Americans who have been leery of the richness of many Indian preparations, including vegetable dishes. The new books share an ambition to make Indian cooking more accessible to American home cooks.
And yet there is something that unifies the various cuisines of India.
It is spice.
Common denominator
“The variety, the combinations and the uses of spices are the major factors that distinguish Indian cooking from any other cuisine in the world,” writes Santha Rama Rau in Time-Life’s “The Cooking of India.”
Keep in mind, as Neelam Batra suggests in “Chilis to Chutneys, American Home Cooking with the Flavors of India,” that Indian seasonings may be used to enliven dishes from other cultures, or a single Indian preparation may be grafted onto a home cook’s Western menu.
The place to start, though, is not with cliched versions of curry and chutney. To Indians, curry is not, as most Americans think, a golden spice mixture sold in small bottles or cans. Rather it is a multiplicity of highly seasoned stews served with a liberal amount of sauce. There is no single definition of “curry” because ingredients, including spices, vary from one cook to the next. Similarly, despite the ubiquitous Major Grey’s, chutneys are made according to a vast array of formulas. The one served will complement the dish it accompanies.
Beyond curry and chutney, many other preparations can be found. Dishes are steamed, poached, roasted and stir-fried to be served hot, cold or at room temperature.
In South India, with its tropical climate and a plethora of fruit as well as vegetables, cooks have developed a versatile, even adventurous, vegetarian cuisine that uses oil and many varieties of rice and lentils. Fish and shellfish are much prized along the southwest coast, but, due to influences that arrived with the Portuguese conquest early in the 16th Century, cooks prepare meat dishes as well.
Until now, the cuisine most familiar to Americans has been the tandoori cooking of the north, Punjab and the region that is current-day Western Pakistan. It features meat, especially lamb, chicken and a wonderful selection of breads. In the North, cooks use little rice or sauce.
The cooks who will popularize Indian cooking in this country will be those who learn the classic spice combinations and are willing to prepare them from whole spices and then, at the stove, learn when to add them to a dish so each spice is cooked for the appropriate amount of time.
The reward is food with dramatic, complex, sensual and haunting flavors. Start with the recipes here. They come from various regions. And there’s not a spoonful of yellow curry powder among them.
EXPLORING INDIAN CUISINE THROUGH COOKBOOKS
Several pioneer cookbooks by the great teachers Julie Sahni and Madhur Jaffrey still are in print and worth checking out. In addition, consider these recent books:
“Healthy Indian Cooking,” by Shehzad Husain (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $29.95).
“The Vegetarian Table: India,” by Yamuna Devi (Chronicle, $22.95).
“The Indian Spice Kitchen,” by Monisha Bharadwaj (Dutton, $29.95).
“The Spice Trail,” by Sandeep Chatterjee (Ten Speed, $15.95).
“Moghul Cooking,” by Joyce Westrip (Serif, $19.95).
“The Art of South Indian Cooking,” by Alamelu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt (Hippocrene, $22.50).
“Chilis to Chutneys, American Home Cooking with the Flavors of India,” by Neelam Batra (Morrow, $25).
WHERE TO FIND INDIAN FOODS
Here are several markets and restaurants that carry Indian ingredients, prepared foods and, in some cases, cookware and cookbooks. A stroll along West Devon Avenue, especially the 2500 and 2600 blocks, takes in all manner of Indian retail shops.
In Chicago:
Bangla Bazaar, 2321 W. Devon Ave., 773-262-3500.
India Gifts and Foods, 1031 W. Belmont Ave., 773-348-4392; 6355 N. Maplewood Ave., 773-274-7979.
Jai Hind, 2658 W. Devon Ave., 773-973-3400.
Patel Brothers markets, 2542 W. Devon Ave., 773-764-1857; 2600 W. Devon Ave., 773-764-1853; 2610 W. Devon Ave., 773-262-7777.
In the suburbs:
Anita Asian Foods, 197 Peterson Rd., Libertyville, 847-816-1037.
Suchir, 661 N. Cass Ave., Westmont, 630-920-0115.
JUST WHAT IS GHEE?
In much of India, especially the vegetarian South, vegetable oils are the favored medium for frying and sauteing. But meat-eaters in northern India often cook with butter made from buffalo milk. The butter is clarified, which preserves it and allows cooks to use higher temperatures without burning the butter.
Ghee is the Indian name given the clarified product, which is sold in Indian markets here.
At home, clarify butter by melting it over low heat until milk solids separate and fall to the bottom of the saucepan. The golden-yellow liquid will be left on top. Continue cooking, allowing water still suspended in the clear yellowish liquid to evaporate and the milk solids to brown. Remove the liquid, leaving the solids behind. Discard the solids. Store the ghee at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Use it to pan-fry meat or fish.
CHILI MASHED POTATOES WITH FRIED GINGER
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 28 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
From “The Vegetarian Table: India.”
4 to 5 large baking potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or yogurt
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, chopped
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or ghee
1 piece (1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1. Cook potatoes in large sauce pan of boiling water to cover until tender, 15 minutes. Drain; return to pan. Mash coarsely with potato masher. Add buttermilk and jalapenos; mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat butter or ghee and ginger in small pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir into potatoes; garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 195 Fat ………… 8 g Saturated fat .. 5 g
% calories from fat .. 39 Cholesterol .. 20 mg Sodium ……. 70 mg
Carbohydrates …… 26 g Protein …….. 4 g Fiber ………. 2 g
MINT AND CUCUMBER RAITA
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 cups
Serve this with fresh spicy dishes, It’s from “Healthy Indian Cooking”
1 1/4 cups low-fat plain yogurt
1 fresh red chili, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon each: sugar, mint sauce, see note
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 cucumber, peeled, finely diced
Fresh mint sprigs
1. Whisk yogurt until smooth in medium bowl. Add chili, cilantro, sugar, mint sauce and salt. Whisk to combine.
2. Stir in cucumber; transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with mint sprigs.
Test kitchen note: Mint sauce can be purchased at most supermarkets near the jams and jellies or by the condiments.
Nutrition information per 1/2 cup:
Calories …………. 65 Fat ………. 1.3 g Saturated fat .. 0.7g
% calories from fat .. 17 Cholesterol … 5 mg Sodium …….. 55 mg
Carbohydrates …… 10 g Protein …….. 5 g Fiber ……… 0.5 g
CORN SOUP WITH CHILIES AND CASHEWS
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from “The Vegetarian Table: India.”
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
1/4 cup chopped cashews
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 cans (16 ounces each) chicken or vegetable broth
8 ears corn, kernels cut from cob, 3 1/2 cups
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
3 tablespoons each: shredded fresh or dried coconut, chopped cilantro
1. Melt butter or ghee in large saucepan over medium heat. Add nuts, jalapenos, coriander and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes. Add broth and corn kernels; heat to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer 10 minutes.
2. Puree soup in blender, working in batches, until smooth. Pour soup through strainer back into pot, pressing solids with back of spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in bell pepper and coconut. Simmer until soup is hot, about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 210 Fat ……….. 10 g Saturated .. fat 4 g
% calories from fat .. 41 Cholesterol .. 10 mg Sodium …. 1,005 mg
Carbohydrates …… 24 g Protein ……. 10 g Fiber ………. 4 g
SPICY BEEF
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serve the following beef dish with rice. Adapted from “The Spice Trail.”
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds
2 teaspoons crushed fenugreek seeds, optional
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 bay leaves
1 pound lean sirloin beef or lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, chopped
3 to 4 dried red chili peppers, crushed
3 green chili peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 cup each: plain yogurt, half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1. Heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add coriander seeds, fenugreek, turmeric and bay leaves. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add meat, onions, red and green chilies. Cook until meat is browned on all sides and onions are soft, about 12 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Season with salt. Reduce heat to simmer.
2. Whisk together yogurt and half-and-half in small bowl. Slowly add to meat, stirring constantly, so sauce does not curdle. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 335 Fat ………… 18 g Saturated fat .. 10 g
% calories from fat .. 49 Cholesterol .. 105 mg Sodium ……. 170 mg
Carbohydrates …… 13 g Protein …….. 30 g Fiber ……… 2.5 g
