There was a time when making Indian food was labor-intensive and time-consuming.
To take a single dish as an example: The country’s historical, regional and religious traditions produced myriad curries. Think of what it might be like if every state here had its own version of chili. Throw vegetarians into the mix, and you begin to get the picture.
But that was then. So what if the adventurous cook prefers to bypass the culturally significant aspects of curry and move straight to setting an impressive spread before food-savvy friends?
These days, almost everybody has too much to do and not enough time in which to do it. So if you want to be creative in the kitchen, be really creative and skip as much of the slicing, dicing, spicing, simmering and frying as possible.
Get to know the purveyors of mixes and prepared foods designed to make your life, and your Indian meal, a smooth cruise through the land of curries. Most Indian markets offer a wide variety of prepared sauces and dried mixes.
Perfect timing
One of the nicest things about curries is the fact that they improve overnight as flavors blend. So if you want to partly cook a couple in advance and freeze them for a week or so, you can. Or, you can make them in the morning and serve them at night, alongside some very good ready-to-go foods.
If you want to launch the evening with a cocktail hour, serve a smattering of Indian munchies–the Eastern version of party snacks such as spiced nuts, pretzels and spiced Chex cereals. The Indian versions include spiced, fried lentils and noodles made with chickpea flour. Buy them ready-made.
For appetizers, you might want to consider a vegetarian pakora or a samosa. A crispy pastry shell of chickpea flour defines the pyramidal samosa. The battered and fried pakora, a round fritter, can have more spice kick. One or the other will do, as they are usually stuffed with vegetables, potatoes and onions and are quite filling.
If you’re doing a traditional meal of three curries (usually dahl, made from lentils, a vegetable one and the third of meat, fish or chicken), make the easiest one from scratch; use packaged blends and bottled sauces for the rest. A cooling cucumber raita, made ahead and refrigerated, provides contrast to the spice of the curries. Complete the meal with rice, bread, green salad and dessert.
Indian desserts, usually simple squares of sweets made from milk, sugar and spices, are varied. Most are rich, almost cloying, and a single square cut in half with a cup of tea is sufficient for one person.
Indians usually accompany meals with either iceless water (cold water is believed to interfere with digestion), a lime drink or lassi, a yogurt drink believed to aid digestion, although lassi is usually considered a breakfast, lunch or snack drink.
Mixing tips
– In making the lentil dish from a mix, consider using half chicken stock and half water. Or, add extra garlic if you’d like. A chopped fresh tomato and a small sweet potato added to the pot give nice taste and texture.
Remember, the package information is a guide, not a rule: If the lentils are too thick, add more liquid.
– The packaged fried onions sold at Indian stores are the base for almost every type of curry. They are a time-saving alternative to the slow browning otherwise required.
INDIAN COOKBOOKS
If you are determined to make your own bread, curry sauces, samosas and pakoras, fine. There are wonderful books to guide you on your way. Here are a few:
– “Indian Grill: The Art of Tandoori Cooking at Home,” by Smita Chandra (Ecco Press).
– “The Great Curries of India,” by Camellia Panjabi (Simon & Schuster).
– “Flavors of India,” by Madhur Jaffrey (Carol Southern Books).
– “The Best of Lord Krishna’s Cuisine,” by Yamuna Devi (Plume).
CHICKEN CURRY
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil
3 whole bone-in chicken breasts, split, skin removed
2 cans (14 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup mild or hot Indian curry paste
1/4 cup fried onions
1 cup water
Salt
1. Heat ghee in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, meaty side down; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from frying pan.
2. Add tomatoes, curry paste and onions to skillet. Mix well. Add water and salt to taste. Return chicken to skillet; simmer uncovered until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Add more water if sauce becomes too thick.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 170 Fat ………… 8 g Saturated fat .. 4.4 g
% calories from fat .. 42 Cholesterol .. 55 mg Sodium …….. 560 mg
Carbohydrates …… 10 g Protein ……. 15 g Fiber ………. 1.6 g
SPICED GREEN BEANS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from “The Best of Lord Krishna’s Cuisine,” by Yamuna Devi.
4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or 2 tablespoons each butter, vegetable oil
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon each: ground coriander, salt, sugar
1. Heat ghee in large, heavy-bottomed skillet over moderate heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red pepper; fry until cumin seeds darken and mustard seeds pop and turn gray.
2. Raise heat to high; add beans. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Add water; reduce heat. Cover; cook until beans are crisp-tender, 10 minutes.
3. Uncover; increase heat. Add coriander, salt and sugar. Boil until water evaporates and beans sizzle, about 5 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 160 Fat ……….. 14 g Saturated fat .. 8 g
% calories from fat .. 72 Cholesterol .. 30 mg Sodium …… 585 mg
Carbohydrates …… 10 g Protein …… 2.4 g Fiber …….. 3.7 g
CUCUMBER RAITA
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from “The Great Curries of India,” by Camellia Panjabi.
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, finely chopped
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch paprika
1 teaspoon cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Whisk yogurt. Add a little water for thinner consistency, if desired. Add cucumber, salt and pepper to taste, sugar and cumin. Mix well. Place in serving bowl; garnish with paprika and cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …………. 40 Fat ………… 1 g Saturated fat .. 0.6 g
% calories from fat .. 20 Cholesterol … 4 mg Sodium ……… 45 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 5 g Protein …… 3.3 g Fiber ………. 0.2 g
LASSI
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Adapted from “A Taste of India,” by Madhur Jaffrey.
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups ice-cold water
1/2 teaspoon ground toasted cumin seeds, see note
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, crushed dried mint
Combine all ingredients in blender; blend 2 seconds. Or, whisk yogurt in bowl until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the water, continuing to blend. Blend in remaining ingredients.
Note: To toast cumin, place seeds in hot skillet. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …………. 40 Fat ………… 1 g Saturated fat .. 0.6 g
% calories from fat .. 23 Cholesterol … 4 mg Sodium …….. 340 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 4.5 g Protein …… 3.3 g Fiber ………… 0 g
