RECIPES from an INDIAN KITCHEN RECIPES from an INDIAN KITCHEN Authentic Recipes from Across India This edition published by Cottage Door Press, LLC, in 2020. First published 2017 by Parragon Books, Ltd. Copyright © 2020 Cottage Door Press, LLC 5005 Newport Drive, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008 New recipes by Sunil Vijayakar Introduction by Manju Malhi Recipe photography by Mike Cooper Home economy by Lincoln Jefferson The publisher would like to thank Getty Images Ltd for permission to reproduce copyright material on the following pages: 2, 6, 10–11, 12 (t), 13 (b), 14 (t), 15 (b), 16, 18–19, 24–25, 30 (t, cl & cr), 31, 38–39 (all), 52 (t & b), 53, 60–61, 74–75 (all), 90 (t, bl & br), 91, 98–99, 122, 123, 142–143, 150 (t & b), 151, 164–165, 174 (tl, tr & b), 175, 186–187, 198 (tl, tr & b), 199 & 210–211. Additional images used under license from Shutterstock.com on pages 26–29. The cover shows Tandoori Mushroom Curry (108), Mixed Nut & Dried Fruit Desserts (206), Chili-Cilantro Naan (189). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright holder. ISBN: 978-1-68052-991-3 Printed in China Love Food™ is an imprint of Cottage Door Press, LLC. Parragon Books® and the Parragon® logo are registered trademarks of Cottage Door Press, LLC. Notes for the Reader This book uses standard kitchen measuring spoons and cups. All spoon and cup measurements are level unless otherwise indicated. Unless otherwise stated, milk is assumed to be whole, eggs are large, individual vegetables are medium, and pepper is freshly ground black pepper. Unless otherwise stated, all root vegetables should be peeled prior to using. People with nut allergies should be aware that some of the prepared ingredients used in the recipes in this book may contain nuts. Garnishes, decorations, and serving suggestions are all optional and not necessarily included in the recipe ingredients or method. The times given are only an approximate guide. Preparation times differ according to the techniques used by different people and the cooking times may also vary from those given. Optional ingredients, variations, or serving suggestions have not been included in the time calculations. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1 GLOSSARY OF INGREDIENTS...............................................20 BASIC RECIPES....................................................................................25 Chapter 1 RAITAS, CHUTNEYS & PICKLES 31 Chapter 2 SNACKS & APPETIZERS 53 Chapter 3 MAIN DISHES 91 Chapter 4 LEGUMES 151 Chapter 5 RICE & BREADS 175 Chapter 6 DESSERTS & DRINKS 199 INDEX.........................................................................................................220 The Indian kitchen is not only the focal point for cooking but also the essential hub of the home where family members can come together. It has long been the Indian woman’s domain— responsible for keeping it pristine and in working order, she has taken pride of place in the one room where her rules have reigned for decades. Traditionally, her day would begin early. She would bathe before entering the kitchen because this room would be considered sacred. She would offer a prayer to the gods and light incense, whose heady fragrance would suffuse the fresh morning air. The water would be boiling in a stainless-steel vessel on a customary Indian stove (chulha). She would take out a box of tea leaves, which she would store in her cache of ingredients along with an array of spices, pickles, nuts, rice, and flours. Then the preparation of the first meal of the day would begin. It could be an assortment of dishes—ranging from freshly cooked breads and pancakes to eggs and Indian confections— for the family to eat at home or to be packed up, ready to go when they head out, either to school or work. The menus for the meals for the rest of the day would have already been planned in advance, depending on the availability of seasonal ingredients. All meals in India are given equal importance, and lunch is served with as much attention to detail and effort as supper time, which then offers another elaborate spread of sweet and savory snacks and appetizers (namkeen). However, the most engaging meal of the day would have to be dinnertime, which is late in the day, when the family shares the day’s experiences and catches up on news. The dinner setting can consist of two or three vegetable dishes along with freshly made chapatis and rice. Just before bedtime, hot milk flavored with sugar and often cardamom would be drunk, not only by the children but also by the adults of the house. In modern India, the role of the kitchen has changed dramatically to suit the needs of a dynamic lifestyle in a fast-paced society. The urban areas of the world’s largest democracy find professional men and women skipping many traditional practices, including breakfast, to save time and to meet the demands of their jobs. This has created a new style of eating, be it in the home or outside, and has evolved into innovative meals. INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION 7 The Indian food we know today is steeped in a rich culinary history. It is accepted by many that the origins of Indian history and civilization are as old as humankind itself. Evidence of one of the earliest civilizations in the world, known as the Harappan civilization, dating back to around 2500 BCE, can be found at a site called Mohenjo Daro in southern Pakistan, formerly part of India. Animal bones found at Mohenjo Daro indicate that meat was eaten. Settlers started to farm, which led to the discovery of grains such as wheat and barley. Legumes such as lentils and rice also became a staple food in their diet. Ancient tandoor ovens have been found at the archaeological site, meaning that baking was popular. Also found was proof of objects that could only have come from the Middle East region, indicating the first movement of outsiders into the country. With extensive trade both by land and sea to the Indus Valley cities, the exchange of foods, seeds, and plants became one of the first external influences. This was called the Indus Valley Civilization. Life appeared to be stable until around 1600 BCE, when order began to decline and a new wave of people, known as Aryans, entered India from central Asia. They were a seminomadic race who wandered with herds of cattle. Gradually, they evolved into a more settled society, and it is thought that around 1000 BCE the roots of Hinduism were shaped. This led to the development of the Hindu caste system dividing food habits of people by caste. Among this rigid tier system of classes, determined by heredity, the Brahmans, or priests, at the top were vegetarians, while the Kshatriyas, or warriors, ate meat. Half a century later, around the time of the birth of Lord Buddha, a new religion or philosophy of Buddhism began to be practiced and Jainism was also emerging. The latter had a marked influence on the cuisine. Jains are strong believers in nonviolence, and their food, apart from being cooked without meat, is also cooked without onions and garlic or any other root vegetable that might kill insects or other animals living in the soil. By far the biggest external influence on Indian cuisine would have to be the religious faith of Islam. From about 700 CE, India was invaded by Arab Muslims and, for the next two centuries, a magnificent superpower of that period, commonly known as the Mughal Empire, was established. At the turn of the thirteenth century, they made India their home and remained at the helm of power for more than 500 years, up until the early 1800s. Mughal culture had a lasting impact on the cuisine of India, thus shaping and changing the face of Indian gastronomy. It is the kind of cuisine that people now tend to associate with India. The rulers saw food as an art form, with recipes containing as many as 25 spices delicately cooked and blended, yet each dish by itself was just a small part of BRIEF HISTORY OF INDIAN CUISINE 8 INTRODUCTION The people living in India, regardless of their own religion, tend to celebrate all religious festivals and their culinary traditions; for example, Muslims celebrate Diwali (the Hindu festival of light) while Christians take part in Eid. The majority of festivals observed in India are associated with specific regional cuisines. Although India is famed for its curries, most festivals revolve around the unifying love of sugary treats, and almost everyone is allowed to forget their culinary inhibitions and enjoy these treats to the fullest. Many of the desserts are prepared with nuts, rice, lentils, wheat, sugar, cardamom, and saffron. The largest festival in India is Diwali, around October–November, when many recipes found in Mughal cooking are adopted to make elaborate feasts. The cuisine of Goa in western India is influenced by the Portuguese style of cooking, using European ingredients. The Portuguese, led by Vasco da Gama, started the eventual colonization of India in the fifteenth century, only to be overtaken by the British, who ruled the subcontinent from the eighteenth century onward. It would be fair to say that the British love affair with curry blossomed, and resulted in, among other things, the emergence of Anglo-Indian cuisine and typical Raj traditions, such as high tea. When British rule over India ended in 1947, the subcontinent was divided into two countries—India and Pakistan, which at the time included part of what later would become Bangladesh. The resulting movement of people within the subcontinent, and consequently the migration of various regional cultures to Europe, Asia, and the Americas, meant that their distinct cooking styles inevitably merged, resulting in today’s Indian cuisine ranging from Mughlai (Mughal cuisine) to Anglo-Indian to modern Chinese- influenced Indian food. Many Indian dishes may have evolved from the principles of Ayurveda, a holistic approach to food and its preparation based around balancing the six tastes of sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. an opulent, lavish feast with endless courses. The Mughal Empire introduced rose water, nuts, dried fruits, saffron, dairy products (milk, cream, butter, and yogurt), and the dum style of cooking dishes in a sealed vessel. One of the Mughal dynasties to invade India was the Sultan dynasty in Hyderabad, in southern India, where these culinary influences emanated into the regions, culminating in extravagant rice dishes (biryanis). INTRODUCTION 9