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kima
01-17-2002, 03:37 PM
At my recent Indian cooking class the teacher highly recommended Indian Light Cooking by Ruth law. I found it at the library today (Yea libraries!!!:) ) and it does indeed look VERY good. the recipes are straight forward and understandable for westerners. Does any one own this book? Any recipe recs?

I thought I'd share one here which I think looks very good!


Black Pepper Chicken,Bengali Style

Simply prepared, this fragrant chicken in tomato gravy is brimming with tasty ground black pepper, green chilies and Indian seasonings. As is true of so much of Indian cooking, this tastes even better the next day!

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp. chopped garlic
4 tsp. canola oil
3 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2c. chopped ripe tomato
1-2 tsp. minced fresh green chilies
2 tsp. crushed black peppercorns
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/2 tsp. salt


In a mini-food processor or blender combine 1 tsp. of the ginger, garlic, and 2 tsp. water to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Heat 2 tsp. of oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat.Add the cicken and stir fry until lightly browned. You may need to cook the chicken in batches. Remove. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tsp. oil in the skillet over moderate heat. Add the onion and the rest of the ginger.Cook for 2 mins. Add 2 Tbsp. water, reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown. This will take about 20 minutes.
Add the tomato and ginger and garlic paste.
Cook mashing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add the green chilies and the chicken with 1/2c. water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins.Add the crushed peppercorns and coriander leaves.
Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked adding more water if necessary to prevent sticking. Add salt to taste.
Let stand a few minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

Serves 6


Here is a quote from the back of the book : " Ruth law has skifully kept the exotic and satisfying flavors of Indian cuisine intact while changing some of the original ingredients to creat this superb collection of light and healthy recipes"- Jeanne Jones author of Cook it Light Classics

"The introduction is very well written and full of fascinating information on India and its cooking. I know CL BB members will like this book"- Kima, unpublished and unknown:)

kima
01-18-2002, 10:03 AM
Just bumping this up!

Gracie
01-18-2002, 10:55 AM
I'm glad you bumped this - I missed it the first time.

I love Indian food but stay far away b/c of the fat. I will have to look for this book.

Thank you!!

Loren

TinkPink
03-20-2002, 09:09 AM
Thank you for pointing this out - the Madhur Jaffrey books I have are so fattening I am afraid to cook too many recipes!

:(

yorkshirepud
03-20-2002, 09:20 AM
for all of who stay away from Indian food because of the high-fat content ... I book I purchased this past week may be of interest ... I haven't had a chance to cook anything out of it yet but lots of the recipes sound wonderful ...

The book is called:

Indian Cooking without Fat: The Revolutionary New Way to Enjoy Healthy and Delicious Indian Food
Mridula Baljekar
ISBN: 1569245452


The books has lots of recipes ranging from chicken, rice, bread, fish ... it covers it all ...

HTH!
YP

cherylopal
03-20-2002, 10:16 AM
wow! thanks for the rec on the books! i, too, love indian food but don't eat or fix it much. please let us know which recipes you end up liking!
thanks
cheryl

yorkshirepud
03-20-2002, 10:19 AM
cheryl ... if there's anything in particular you like ... I don't mind looking and if its in there ... I can post it for you ...

its cover soups, lentils, rice, fish, bread, veggies, chicken, lamb and pork I believe ... don't have it right now though ...

yp

cherylopal
03-20-2002, 01:59 PM
thanks!!!
do you have one for a red dahl? i've been searching for that. an indian friend made a yellow which is traditional but i had a red one at a restaurant
that i loved.
cheryl

yorkshirepud
03-20-2002, 02:09 PM
i'll check when i get home ... ;) ... check back in a few hours ... YP

KathrynY
03-20-2002, 03:54 PM
kima and yorkshirepud - Thanks so much for the light Indian cookbook recommendations! We love Indian food but haven't had much success lightening it so I'm psyched to try these cookbooks. And recipe previews, too! :)

Oh, and kima - how was your cooking class? Any pointers to share? :) :)

yorkshirepud
03-20-2002, 04:12 PM
cheryl ... no red lentil dahl recipes i'm afraid ... :mad: ... others though ...

kathryn ... any recipes in particular you want? i don't mind typing a few our for you if you're looking for something in particular ... its no often I get to contribute (i always seem to be asking the questions :D ) ... so here's my chance to contribute ...

YP

kwormann
03-20-2002, 04:16 PM
Is there a creamy or tomatoey lental or bean dish???? Id appreciate it!

yorkshirepud
03-20-2002, 04:28 PM
How's this?

Spiced Lentils

4 oz. red lentils
4 oz. green lentils
2 tbsp. sunflower or canola oil
1 inch piece cinnamon stick, halved
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 teaspoons Ginger Puree
2 teasppons Garlic Puree
1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
4 oz fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped (or a can of chopped, drained)
1 1/2 pints water
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Garnish
1 red chili, seeded and cut into julienne strips
1 green chili, seeded and cut into julienne strips


(1) thoroughly wash both lentils together and leave to drain in a colander

(2) heat oil over med. heat in a nonstick saucepan ... add cinnamon stick, onion and ginger and garlic purees. fry for 4-5 mins, stirring frequently, until onion begins to brown

(3) stir in lentils, chili powder, turmeric and salt. fry for 3-4 mins, strirring frequently, then add tomotoes. cook for 2-3 mins strirring frequently

(4) pour in water and bring to a boil ... reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20-25 mins

(5) stir in cilantro and cook uncovered for 1-2 mins ... serve and garnish with red/green chilis


hope you enjoy it ... and please mind the typos! :D

YP

kwormann
03-20-2002, 05:10 PM
Thanks so much:) Looks great!

TinkPink
03-20-2002, 05:56 PM
I am going to a supper club this weekend and we are making Indian.

Does anyone have a "light" recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala?

TIA!

albus87
03-20-2002, 07:30 PM
I have the Indian Light cookbook. I don't use it that much, but when I do, the recipes always turn out fabulous. She has a great technique for carmelizing onions in the cookbook. Her technique has much less fat than the typical carmelized onion recipe.

happy cooking!

Gracie
03-21-2002, 06:47 AM
I just got Ruth Law's book from the library last night and it's sitting on the kitchen table! I'll post reviews from what I make.

Loren

Mander
03-21-2002, 09:26 PM
You tease! What's the great onion caramelizing technique?

albus87
03-22-2002, 02:53 PM
You tease! What's the great onion caramelizing technique?

OK... I guess it was pretty bad to hint about the technique and nothing else. I just dug out the cookbook because I want to make sure I don't miss any steps. Just be aware that what seems like a very large quantity of onions can cook down quite a bit.

From Ruth Law, "Indian Light Cooking:

Browning and Frying Onions: Usually, when an Indian recipe calls for golden brown or carmelized onions, the onions are browned in a fairly large amount of oil. I have developed a method requiring very little oil using a non-stick pan.

Slice the onions into very thin, even slices or chop the onions into small, uniform pieces. Heat about 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat. The amount of oil depends on the amount of onions to be cooked. Stir the onions for two minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add about 2 tablespoons water and continue cooking, stirring constantly. If cooking large quantities, add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time if the onions begin sticking to the pan or fry too rapidly. This allows the natural moisture of the onions to be coaxed out while browning. Continue frying until the onions are golden brown. This process can take about 20 minutes. When simmered slowly, the onions add a rich dimension and melt into the sauce, thickening it as well. Brown fried onions can be prepared in large quantities and refrigerated or frozen and defrosted when needed. Once defrosted, they cannot be refrozen. It is best to package them in small quantities.

Mander
03-22-2002, 07:25 PM
Thanks for posting the onion caramelization technique, Albus87!

It sounds really good. I'm going to try it.