Indian recepies

[Diana]

Does anyone know of any Indian dishes ? Medium to spicey on the heat scale.I used to live with an Indian family and they turned me onto Indian food and I can't get enough of it!I eat at Indian resteraunts but there's nothing like home made.

Thanks

[LSB]

Anything in particular you're looking for? I have tons of recipes (I used to live in India), but if you have a few favorites, I could list those.

Also - a great cookbook to get is Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. Every recipe I've tried is great, and they adapted to American kitchens to make it easier.

Louise

[Gail]

Originally posted by LSB:
Anything in particular you're looking for? I have tons of recipes (I used to live in India), but if you have a few favorites, I could list those.

Louise


Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! We LOVE Indian food. (Slurp, slurp, dribble...) Do you happen to have a recipe for Channa Masala (excuse spelling)?

[Diana]

Originally posted by LSB:
Anything in particular you're looking for? I have tons of recipes (I used to live in India), but if you have a few favorites, I could list those.

Also - a great cookbook to get is Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. Every recipe I've tried is great, and they adapted to American kitchens to make it easier.

Louise
Well Louise I like most everything but especially lentils,chicken and beef. Also I love chutney,but it seemsthat any chutney recepies I have tried haven't turned out that great.I will take our advise and look into the cookbook you recomend.I will have to order it because I currently live in Slovenia(most people haven't heard of this country,used to be a part of the former Czeck republic).
Thanks for your help.
Diana

[Gail]

Originally posted by Diana:
...I currently live in Slovenia(most people haven't heard of this country,used to be a part of the former Czeck republic).
Diana

Diana-
Some time ago, I had initiated a thread on the board having to do with International and Regional Recipes. Beth Y was kind enough to repost the message when we moved to this board mid-June. If you've got any Slovenian recipes you'd like to share-- I, for one, would be delighted to have them!!

I do also have a "different" recipe for samosas (different in that it uses phyllo) which was given to me years ago by a friend from India. If you're interested, I'll be happy to post. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 07-01-2000).]

[CATHIEA]

Diana- Can you even get Indian ingredients in Slovenia? Here is an old CL recipe for Indian-Style Green Beans and Carrots:
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp pepper, 2 tbl reduced fat oleo, 1/2 lb fresh green beans, 2 med carrots cut to 1 1/2 inch julienne strips.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. Wash and trim beans. Blanch or steam beans and carrots for 5 minutes. Drain. Add veggies to curry mixture and stir to coat. Serve warm. 5 servings, 54 calories per serving. I make this when I want an Indian fix and don't have ingredients or inclination for full dinner treatment. (I use frozen veg and they work ok).
CathieA- Fascinated with concept of international nature of bulletin board here.

[Gail]

Thanks so much for the recipe! I'm looking forward to trying it.
The dish of which I was speaking was on the menu of three separate Indian restaurants (none of them chains) in California. Each made it with garbanzos, rather than dal. To further confuse the issue (for me, anyway) they all seem to offer dal served only one way. Was this a "basic" dal recipe or a variation?
I've also noted the title of the cookbook you mentioned to Diana and will search it out.
Thanks again.

PS I'm reasonably sure I have a bottle of garam masala in my enormous inventory of spices.

[Gail]

Originally posted by CATHIEA:
CathieA- Fascinated with concept of international nature of bulletin board here.[/B]

How I wish more of us were! Thusfar, I've only isolated a handful of us... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

[LSB]

The dal recipe is pretty basic - you could use any kind of lentils. If you get the Madhur Jaffrey book - the recipe is from it. She also gives many more dal recipes for the different types. Here's a recipe for savory chickpeas which you might want to try:

Chole

2 Tbsp oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 fresh green chili, sliced (I use serrano)
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3/4-1 cup of water or broth (veg or chicken)
lemon juice to taste

Heat oil in saucepan and add onion, garlic and ginger. Fry until golden. Add turmeric, fry for a few seconds, then add the garam masala, tomatoes, chili and 1 Tbsp of the cilantro. Add chickpeas and water/broth.

Cover and simmer on low heat until chickpeas are very tender. Add lemon juice to taste (a good squeeze from half a lemon should be fine). Sprinkle remaining cilantro on top. Serve with rice.

I think this serves 2 - I didn't write it down! The recipe is from a friend and I tried to get everything down exactly, but you can play around with the ingredients a bit too.

Enjoy! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Gail]

Thanks so much!

After I have lunch, I'm going to Borders and see if I can hunt down that book!

PS (Several hours later) I went, I found, I bought. Looks like a nifty book! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 07-03-2000).]

[LSB]

Gail - here's recipe for Channa Dal - I think this might be what you want. (Masala means spices, so I'm assuming if you had this in a restaurant they might call it that). If it doesn't look like what you want, let me know.

Channa Dal

1 1/2 cups chana dal or yellow split peas
5 cups water
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 thin slices unpeeled ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garam masala
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (whole)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne

Put the dal and the water into a heavy pot. Bring to a boil and remove any surface scum. Add the turmeric and ginger. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours until dal is tender. Stir every 5 minutes or so during the last half hour of cooking so it doesn't stick.

Add the salt and garam masala to the dal and stir.

Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and then the garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the chili powder and remove from heat. Pour everything into the dal and stir.

Serves 4-6. Serve with rice.

*Garam masala can be found in most grocery stores or Indian markets. If you can't find it you can make your own. Let me know and I'll give you a recipe (you'll need a spice grinder).

Enjoy!

[Diana]

Originally posted by CATHIEA:
Diana- Can you even get Indian ingredients in Slovenia? Here is an old CL recipe for Indian-Style Green Beans and Carrots:
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp pepper, 2 tbl reduced fat oleo, 1/2 lb fresh green beans, 2 med carrots cut to 1 1/2 inch julienne strips.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. Wash and trim beans. Blanch or steam beans and carrots for 5 minutes. Drain. Add veggies to curry mixture and stir to coat. Serve warm. 5 servings, 54 calories per serving. I make this when I want an Indian fix and don't have ingredients or inclination for full dinner treatment. (I use frozen veg and they work ok).
CathieA- Fascinated with concept of international nature of bulletin board here.

Well Cathiea it's next to impossible to get Indian ingrediants here that's why I get mt mother in law to mail me what I need from England or I pick up as much as I can when I am there.
Diana

[Diana]

Originally posted by LSB:
Gail - here's recipe for Channa Dal - I think this might be what you want. (Masala means spices, so I'm assuming if you had this in a restaurant they might call it that). If it doesn't look like what you want, let me know.

Channa Dal
Thank you for this great recipe!!This will go into my favorie section in my cookbook!
Diana
1 1/2 cups chana dal or yellow split peas
5 cups water
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 thin slices unpeeled ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garam masala
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (whole)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne

Put the dal and the water into a heavy pot. Bring to a boil and remove any surface scum. Add the turmeric and ginger. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours until dal is tender. Stir every 5 minutes or so during the last half hour of cooking so it doesn't stick.

Add the salt and garam masala to the dal and stir.

Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and then the garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the chili powder and remove from heat. Pour everything into the dal and stir.

Serves 4-6. Serve with rice.

*Garam masala can be found in most grocery stores or Indian markets. If you can't find it you can make your own. Let me know and I'll give you a recipe (you'll need a spice grinder).

Enjoy!

[Gail]

Okay, Diana. Disregard the earlier message. Obviously, I figured it out! Let me know if you have any questions.

SAMOSA

2 pounds ground beef
1 1/4 pounds red onion
1 cube fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
20 mint leaves, finely chopped
1 bundle cilantro, finely chopped
pinch cloves
pinch pepper
pinch cinnamon
pinch cumin
pinch cardomom
2 teaspoons salt
3 small fresh green chilis
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 tablespoon oil
Phyllo dough

Sauté one half of onions in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes, then add ground beef. Cook until browned. Add salt, garlic and ginger while cooking beef. After beef is cooked, turn off stove and put in rest of onions, spices and herbs. Fold into dough and bake at 350º for 15 minutes.

Makes 70 triangles.

This recipe was given to me around 25 years ago my a slightly infatuated fellow who I suspect knew less about cooking than he was willing to let on. (I've always assumed his mother had actually done his cooking for him based upon some of the answers he gave me about ingredients!) Although I've written this pretty much as he wrote it (minus misspellings and his misguided direction to bake at 150º degrees for 15 minutes) I still had to phone him a couple of times before the instructions were even this clear. Since he did serve these on at least two occasions, I have a pretty good idea how they're supposed to taste and I'd wager to say he got a tad "confused" as to the quantity of onion. Trouble is, I don't remember how much I typically use. I can only tell you to mince finally and use your own judgment-- maybe a couple of handfuls before cooking, a couple of handfuls after... It should have a goodly amount, but the flavor of onion shouldn't dominate the thing. (Spices will.) He was similarly vague about the chilis used. I've done this with serranos and of course jalapeños would be just dandy. By a "cube" of ginger, I've determined we're probably talking about a slice roughly an inch in diameter and about 1/4 inch deep.) We will also assume it prudent to drain the excess oil after cooking the meat. Also, he didn't state the mechanics of working with phyllo dough (and way back then I was utterly clueless), but it's pretty much the same as with anything else: lay out a couple of sheets on a flat surface. Cut lengthwise into three strips (or four.) Brush lightly with butter and put about a heaping tablespoon of filling in one corner and fold into triangles all the way down the strip. Place on greased baking sheet, brush again with butter and bake. (At 350º, please-- not 150º)

Rest assured, however flaky the recipe, these ARE good. People will enjoy them. You may serve these either warm or room temperature. The warmer they are, the spicier they will seem.

Enjoy!



[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 07-10-2000).]

[Gail]

Diana,

This may be a total long shot, but I see someone named Diana has e-mailed me something that requires downloading. Since I don't recognize the name of the sender, I'm a little hesitant to download. Is that you??

[Michelle H]

I also love Indian food. Here is a basic recipe for a Chicken or Shrimp Coconut Curry. It is easy to make and I never have any left when I make it for family or friends. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Coconut Curry Shrimp/Chicken


2-3 Onions (medium) sliced thinly
3 Garlic cloves ground
1-2 inches fresh ginger ground
2-4 Hot peppers (any kind preferably Asian) chopped finely
1 ½ teaspoons ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Tumeric
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 Ground Cloves
1 can lite Coconut Milk
Chicken or Shrimp
Basmati Rice

Sauté onions in olive oil slowly over medium to low heat to caramelize. Increase temperature and add garlic, ginger and pepper. Cook over medium heat a couple minutes, careful not to overcook garlic. Add spices and cook for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and reduce heat to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add cooked chicken or shrimp and continue to simmer 10 minutes or until rice is ready. Sauce will thicken and darken the longer it is cooked.

* Use fresh dry spices if possible.




[This message has been edited by Michelle H (edited 07-10-2000).]

[lorilei]

Michelle - Have you ever cooked the chicken in the "midst" of this recipe (in or before the onions) to save time?

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Shortcut queen wants to know http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Gail]

Louise,

Just wanted to touch bases to let you know not only did I buy the book but tonight I sampled a recipe-- Tandoori Chicken. I smiled when I took a whiff of the marinade (I cook more by smell than by taste) and knew it was going to be a winner! My ten-year-old, who has of late been putting his nose up at everything (and he's hardly a fussy eater) pronounced it "the best chicken" I've ever made. He did ask, though, if the book has a tandoori fish recipe, as he'd had that at an Indian Restaurant several weeks ago. It was mildly seasoned (as was this)a deliciously aromatic swordfish, I think, served with onions and peppers. Any suggestions? Would the sauce in this recipe work with fish?

Diana, if you're reading-- buy the book! (and I'm looking forward to those recipes when you get them...) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 07-13-2000).]

[LSB]

I'm so glad you like the book! The tandoori chicken is really good. I think you could use the same marinade for fish. I also make tandoori shrimp with the same recipe.

That said, I do have a tandoori fish recipe but I haven't tried it. They suggest using mackerel (yuk!). I think swordfish or anything meaty would work great. Here it is:

Tandoori Fish

2 lb fish
1 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 clove garlic

Cut slits in the fish. Combine all other ingredients and pour over the fish. Cover and marinate in fridge for 24 hours.

Place fish on a rack over a baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes and basting with marinade.

Can also be done on the grill.

Let me know how it is. I might try it myself soon.
Louise

[lorilei]

Thanks Gail -- and particularly since you have to type it out.

I'm one of those souls without MasterCook as well, so I will appreciate the elbow grease that went into it!!

[Gail]

TANDOORI-STYLE CHICKEN
(Tandoori murghi)

Note: The traditional orange color of cooked tandoori chicken comes from food coloring. You may ormay not want to use it. If you do, mix yellow and red liquid food colors to get a bright orange shade. If your red is very dark, use only 1/2 tablespoon of it. (Gail note: if you don't use the coloring as I did, this dish looks...um... shall we say "different.")

Serves 4-6

2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces, skinned (you may use legs, breasts or a combination of the two)
1 teaspoon salt (no way, José, do I EVER use that much)
1 juicy lemon
15 ounces natural yogurt
1/2 medium-sized onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove garlic
3/4 inch fresh ginger, peeled and quartered
1/2 fresh, hot green chili, roughly sliced
2 teaspoons garam masala

3 tablespoons yellow liquid food coloring mixed with 1/2 - 1 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring (optional, see above)
Lime wedges (optional)

Cut eaach leg into 2 pieces and each breast into 4 pieces. Cut 3 long slits on each side of each part of the legs. The slits should never start at an edge and they should be deep enough to reach the bone. Cut similar slits on the meaty side of each breast piece.

Spread the chicken pieces out on one or two large platters. Sprinkle half the salt and squeeze the lemon over them. Lightly rub the salt and lemon juice into the slits. Turn the chicken pieces over and do the same on the other side with the remaining salt and lemon juice. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Combine the yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, and garam masala in the container of an electric blender or food processor. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Empty the paste into a sieve set over a large ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Push the paste through. (Imagine my chagrin when I discovered the holes in my sieve are too small!)

Brush the chicken pieces on both sides with the food coloring and then put them with any accumulated juices and any remaining food coloring into the bowl with the marinade. Mix well, making sure that the marinade goes into the slits in the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 6-24 hours (the longer the better.)

Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature.

Take the chicken pieces out of the bowl, shaking off as much of the marinade as possible. Arrange them in a large shallow baking tray in a single layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just done. You might test the chicken with a fork just to be sure. Serve hot, with lime wedges.

Note: The left-over marinade may be frozen and re-used once.

(From Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking)

Enjoy! And thank Louise, not me... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Marsha]

Diana -

Have you tried Penzeys? www.penzeys.com (http://www.penzeys.com) is their website. They have a wide variety of spices & when we lived in the UK, I ordered from them to get my Tex-Mex fix that I couldn't find over there!

[lorilei]

Gail - Can you post Tandoori Chicken?

pretty pwease http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Anne]

Another fishy dish from May? issue. The first time we made this we used garam marsalla (sp?)instead of the individual spices plus lemon thyme and a bit of curry and cooked it on the grill instead of baking it - really good.

Indian-Spiced Roast Salmon

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1-1/4-inches thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
4 lemon wedges

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fillets with salt; dredge fillets in spice mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets, skin sides up; cook 5 minutes or until bottoms
are golden. Turn fillets over. Wrap handle of skillet with foil; bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until
fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove skin from fillets; discard skin. Serve with yogurt and lemon wedges. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet, 1 tablespoon yogurt, and 1 lemon wedge).

CALORIES 301 (46% from fat); FAT 15.4g (sat 2.7g, mono 7.7g, poly 3.2g); PROTEIN 35.9g; CARB 2.6g; FIBER 0.3g; CHOL 111mg; IRON 1.6mg; SODIUM 390mg; CALC 54mg

[Gail]

Louise,

On behalf of my kid, thanks. Sounds like just the thing and I'm sure he'll be happy.

Anne,

Thanks, too. Sounds good.


Lori,

Since you asked so pwettily, I'll be back later with the recipe. Gotta type it out first.

[Ohioan]

Here's a nice, easy lentil and vegetable dish that has no fat but still lots of flavor. I make it with red lentils, but you can also use green or brown lentils; just increase the cooking time.

1 cup red lentils
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin seed
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1 dash cayenne (or other red pepper)
1/2 medium onion (or 1 small), sliced thin
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 clove garlic, crushed
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tsp (or more) lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the lentils, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne into a saucepan with about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and continue simmering for about 25-45 minutes, depending on the type and age of the lentils you're using, until they're very soft and the vegetables are tender. Then add the peas and cook for another few minutes, until they're heated through. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice if you like.

Serve with basmati rice. For additional flavor, add a few dashes of ground cardamom to the cooking water for the rice.

Serves 2

(Adapted from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Fast Food)

[Don]

In spite of my love for Indian food, most of my attempts at cooking were disasters! Either the recipes took forever to cook, or the spices weren't right, or something else went wrong. Then I found "Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking" which was published by the BBC in London in 1993. I have never seen it on sale. I spotted it at one of my local libraries. (We have one copy of the book in a county library system with over 15 branches.) Not only are the recipes quick and easy, but most of them have been truly delicious! Now even I can cook Indian food. You might want to check with your library's Interlibrary Loan department if it is not available. Make sure that you get the 1993 book published by the BBC. Madhur Jaffrey has written many books on Indian cooking with similar titles. And by the way, the measurements use US standards. Good luck!

[mikecox]

Have you seen current edition of CL? There are several mild Indiam recipes featured.

[debj]

One of our all-time favorite recipes is Lentil Dal from CL's September '98 issue. It is wonderful and low fat, of course.

[CATHIEA]

Ooooh Diana- Did you see the August CL in far off Slovenia yet? There is a whole article/section by Bharti Kirchner called "The Essence of India." Here is one recipe with just a few ingredients that you might enjoy (assuming you can get shrimp?)

Garlic Shrimp in Yogurt Sauce
1 1/2 tbl vegetable oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c water
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8-ounce plain fat-free yogurt
3/4 c sliced green onions (1 inch slice).

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic; cook until golden (30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in water, cumin, turmeric, and coriander. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 7 minutes. Add shrimp; cook 3 more minutes.
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yogurt; stir with a whisk. Stir yogurt into shrimp. Cover & cook 4 more minutes until shrimp is done. Stir in onions.
4 1-cup servings. 245 calories, 7.8 g fat, 0.7 g fiber.

CathieA