Curried Fa v o r s

WINNER 1997 JULIA CHILD FIRST BOOK AWA R D

An artful and intimatecookbook.
.ni iw rr .ris
T
his engaging cookbook delights as it demysties
the home cooking of southern India, oering
more than 100 well-tested recipes and sumptu-
ous photographs of the food and the region. Challeng-
ing the stereotypes that Indian curries are rich and
heavy, dicult to prepare, and made with hard-to-nd
ingredients, this book introduces the light, tropical
tastes of south Indiawith accessible ingredients and
simple methods. Adapting these south Indian recipes
for the average kitchen, the author familiarizes the
home cook with this lesser-known cuisine.
An abundance of coconut and seafood, along with a
host of exotic fruits and ve g e t abl e s , includingfresh hot
ch i l i e s , distinguishes the curries of south Indiafro m
those of north India.Thefocus is the traditional southern
faredishes such as RavaMasalaDosa(wheat cre p e s
s t ued with potato curry ) , Sambar (spicy stew of
legumes and ve g e t abl e s ) , and sh Av i yal (chunks of sh in
an aro matic sauce of coconut and tamari n d ) w h i ch is
harder to nd in restaurants outsideof India. N o rt h
Indian classics, also fami ly favo ri t e s , l i ke Lamb Ko rma,
Tan d o o ri Chicke n , and Spinach Paneer areincluded.
With everything fromappetizers to desserts, this
is an excellent introduction to Indian cooking.The
author has an extraordinary talent for explaining unfa-
miliar cooking techniques, and specially commissioned
full-color photographs provide helpful visual cues for
preparing awide variety of dishes.
The inspired re c i p e s , p u rposeful photogr ap h s , e x -
t e n s i ve notes on ingre d i e n t s , practical menu ideas, an d
useful source list make it aprimer on Indian cooking as
well as asignicant exploration of re gional specialties.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M ayaKaimal MacMillan, whose father is fromKeralain
s o u t h e rn India, is afreelance food writer and magazine
photo editor in New York City. M s. Kaimal has wri t t e n
articles on Indian cuisine for Food&Wi n eand S aveu ran d
d e mo n s t r ated Indian cooking on the To d ay Show and
the Te l evision Food Netwo r k . She fre q u e n t ly travels to
South Indiato re s e ar ch new recipes and visit fami ly.
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6 3
A rrcn .r r i . of legumes (dhal) and vegetables has made vegetarianismpossible in India
for nearly two thousand years. This chapter explores typical dhal and vegetable dishes from
Kerala, as well as many other classic favo rites, using ingredients widely avai l able outside India.
DH A L.ni rrr.r source of protein in avegetarian dietis served in one formor
another at nearly every meal. For breakfast, idli or dosa are eaten with Sambar (page 68), a
hot, soupy mixture of legumes and vegetables. At alarge South Indian meal, curries are
eaten alongside amixture of dhal cooked with spices, rice, and ghee(claried butter). Indian
grocery stores sell many varieties of rawdhal, but the at, golden thoor dhal is preferred for
most of the recipes in this chapter. Regular yellow split peas (sold insupermarkets) can be
substituted. Wni crrc thoor dhal, simmer the legumes in water until quite soft.
Never add salt or acidic ingredients like lemon juice at this stage because theyprevent the
legumes fromsoftening. You can reduce the initial cooking time by approx i mat e ly 15mi n u t e s
by soaking the peas for afew hours before simmering. Ki r.r. N..r wedding feasts
always feature the same complement of curries that epitomize classic vegetarian cooking of
the region. A typical feast would begin with dhal, ghee, and rice, followed bysambar and rice.
Accompanying these courses areaviyal (mixed vegetables cooked with agrated-coconut and
tamarind sauce), thoren (ashredded vegetable stir-fried with coconut), kichadi (achopped
D h a l s a n d Ve g e t a b l e s
Front toback: Sweet PotatoErisheri, Green Beans
Thoren, PotatoesandCauliower with Peas
6 4 Dhal s a nd Ve g e t a b l e s
ve g e t able with coconut and yo g u rt), pachadi ( a
chopped vegetable in ayogurt sauce), and pappadam.
All of these simple and versatile recipes can be made
with nearly any seasonal or regional vegetables.
Erisheri, composed of cubed squash (or sweet
potato; page 72) and toasted coconut, is another
Keralastandard. Its afairly thick curry, as is kootu, a
dish made with legumes cooked with vegetables. The
Potatoes and Onions (page 86) can be enjoyed as part
of alarge meal or as astung for the wheat crepes,
RavaDosa(page 32). Thickened with coconut milk,
the somew h at ri cher Po t atoes and Onions with To ma-
toes (page 88) makes an ideal accompaniment for the
rice pancakes, Appam(page 34), as does the soupy,
gi n g e r -avo red coconut milk curry called Po t ato Stew
(page 87). The coconut milk in these dishes marks
themas typical South Indian fare.
Fromthe north come some of Indias best-
k n own ve g e t able dishes, like Po t ato Ko rma(page 92)
avegetable version of the famous creamy Lamb
Ko rmaand Eggplant Bhurta (page 96), made
f romchopped roasted eggplant (aubergine). Cur-
ried eggplant, or brinjal as the vegetable was called,
quickly became afavorite of the British. The robust
p re p ar ation of Eggplant and To matoes (page 95)
isafamily favorite. Paneer, aNorth Indian specialty
of cubed, lightly fried homemade cheese, is com-
bined with peas and spinach in two popular curries.
Chol (page93), aNorth Indian dish fromPunjab,
is afragrant curry made with chickpeas and toma-
toes and is often eaten with Puri (page 152) as a
light snack.
Stir-frying vegetables in awok-shaped vessel is
practiced throughout India. Using afew simple sea-
sonings like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and green
chili, this quick, dry method is well suited to vege-
tables like peas, okra, and broccoli. Since potatoes
take longer to cook, it is best to either cube and boil
themrst, as in Po t atoes and Bell Pe p p e rs (page 90),
or gently steamthem, as in Potatoes and Cauliower
with Peas (page 91).
The spectrumof Indian vegetable curries varies
greatly in terms of texture, color, and complexity.
When putting together amenu, try to select the
dishes with care to ensure an interesting range for
the eyes as well as the palate.
Awidevariety of Indian legumescan beused tomakedhal, but most cooksprefer thoor dhal, a thin yellow
split legumesold in Indian grocery stores. ThisKerala-inspired recipefeaturescoconut, mustard seeds, and
lemon juice.
Dhal with Coconut
teaspoon mustard seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
cup (45g) chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Spice mixture
teaspoon ground cumin
teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup (180g) thoor dhal or yellow split peas
2 cups (600 ml) water
cup (30g) grated unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Ghee (page 172)

Dhal s and Ve get abl e s 6 5

In asmall covered frying pan heat mustard seeds over
medium-high heat in oil until seeds begin to pop; uncover,
add onion, and fry until edges are nicely browned. Add
garlicand spice mixture and fry for 20 seconds, stirring
constantly. Remove fromheat and set aside.
In a3-quart (3 L) saucepan bring thoor dhal (or split peas)
and water to aboil; turn heat down and add onion mixture
to simmering dhal. Cover and continue simmering for
30minutes (45 minutes for split peas), watching for spilling.
(Remove cover to let bubbles subside if spilling occurs.)
Thepeas will hold their shape even as the water level drops,
but will break under the slightest pressure when cooked.
Mash dhal with apotato masher or back of aspoon 6 to 8
times, to break up roughly. Stir in the coconut and salt.
Partially cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, adding a
small amount of water if mixture gets too thick. Check often
to make sure peas are not sticking to the bottom. Mixture
should be the consistency of thick soup.
Stir in lemon juice. Remove fromheat and stir in ghee.
Pr i r.r.. r .ri . nr . . nr . r. i s
Si ris -
Our friend Shashi makesthisbeautiful pink curry(pictured opposite) with a fragrant, crea mysauce. It goeswon-
d er f u l ly with Appam(page34) but could just aseasily beeaten with Rava Dosa (page32) or asa sidedish with
riceand other curries.
Potatoes and Onions with Tomatoes
1 cup (180g) thinly sliced onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Spice mixture
5 teaspoons ground coriander
teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
teaspoon ground black pepper
teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cups (340g) chopped tomatoes,fresh or
canned,drained
3 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and cut
into -inch (2cm) cubes (about 3 cups;
510g)
cup (180 ml) water
cup (120 ml) canned unsweetened
coconutmilk
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground
with a mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon salt
cup (60 ml) canned unsweetened
coconutmilk
teaspoon mustard seeds
10 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves
1 dried red pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
In alarge frying pan over medium-high heat, fry onion in
2tablespoons oil until edges are nicely browned. Add garlic
and stir for 1 minute. Stir in spice mixture and tomatoes
andfry until tomato pieces become soft.
Add potatoes, water, 'cup (120 ml) coconut milk, fennel
seeds, and salt, and bring to aboil. Turn heat down and sim-
mer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender and liquid
isreduced, about 20 minutes.
Add 'cup (60 ml) coconut milk, bring to aboil, and remove
fromheat. Consistency should be moderately thick. Taste
for salt.
In asmall covered frying pan over medium-high heat, heat
mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried red pepper in 1table-
spoon oil until mustard seeds begin to pop. Pour contents
of pan into potato curry and stir.
Pr i r.r.. r .ri , r. i s Si ris t . -

8 8 Dhal s and Ve g e t a b l e s
PotatoesandOnionswith Tomatoes
over Appamwith Spinach Dhal
In a North Indian kitchen, theeggplant (aubergine) would beslowly roasted over hot coalstogivethiscurry
itscharacteristically deep, smoky flavor. But in theabsenceof livecoals, our friend Sikka showed usthe
simpler method of cookingeggplant in a very hot oven until soft. It tastesdifferent but good all thesame,
especially topped with lotsof fresh cilantro.
Eggplant Bhurta
1 large eggplant (aubergine),8 to 10 inches
(20 to 25 cm) long
Vegetable oil
teaspoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups (360g) chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced green chili (serrano,
Thai, or jalapeo)
1 cup (225g) coarsely chopped tomatoes,
fresh or canned, drained
Spice mixture
teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
teaspoon ground black pepper
teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoons salt
teaspoon Garam Masala (page 171)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
(freshcoriander)
Preheat oven to 450F (230C; mark 8).
Rub the eggplant (aubergine) skin lightly with afew drops of oil
and pierce in several places with aknife to prevent it from
bu rs t i n g. Put eggplant in pie pan or on cookie sheet and bake in
p re h e ated oven for 40 minutes, or until dark brown and it yields
re ad i ly when pressed with aspoon. Fleshwill have shrunk con-
s i d e r ably and possibly even have separated fromskin.
Submerge eggplant in cold water for afew minutes. When
cool enough to handle, peel off skin, which should come off
readily if eggplant is cooked enough. Chop flesh into small
pieces, and set aside in acolander to drain.
In awok or large skillet over medium-high heat, fry cumin
seeds in 3 tablespoons oil until slightly brown. Add onion
andfry until edges are nicely browned. Add ginger, garlic,
and green chili and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly
toprevent sticking.
Add tomatoes, spice mixture, salt, and drained eggplant,
stirring well. Stir, still over medium-high heat, until eggplant
is thoroughly cooked and all liquid hasdisappeared (see
note). Consistency desired is like alumpypt.

9 6 Dhal s and Ve g e t a b l e s
Stir in garammasalaand remove fromheat. Garnish with
chopped cilantro.
Note: Keep temperature high enough and stir constantly
toprevent eggplant fromboiling in its own juices and
becoming apaste.
Pr i r.r.. r .ri . nr Si ris t
Dhal s and Ve ge t abl e s 9 7
Eggplant
1 1 3
Wni.nir s. r r r r r i r, cooked in sauce, or barbecued, chicken responds exceptionally
well to Indian seasonings. All over IndiaMuslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, and some Hindus
e at ch i cken. Usually it is cut up and cooked on the bone for added avo r, but many of the re c i-
pes in this chapter use boneless pieces for simplicity. I .ni .r r r c .r s. n, cooks
often put coconut milk in chicken curries to create athick sauce to soften the spices. My aunt
and her daughters made wonderful Kerala-style chicken curries, such as Chicken with Coco-
nut Milk (page 116). Fromthe tradition of Keralastews comes Chicken Stew with Potatoes
(page 117), awhite curry made with lots of fresh ginger. This dish is best eaten spooned
over hot Appam(page 34), the delicate rice pancakes with thick soft centers. A i r
r r r r i r i . type of Keralachicken curry is the easy andavorful Chicken-Fry (page 115). A
fry is usually ameat or chicken stir-fry, prepared in awok called acheena chutty, which
means Chinese pot in Malayalam, the language of Kerala. Without any coconut milk, the
liquid is either lemon juice or vinegar, lending the dish aslightly tangy quality. N r. n
I r r . tandoori-style dishes here include Tandoori Chicken (whole pieces; page 120) and
Chicken Tikka(boneless cubed meat; page 121), both marinated in spices to tenderize the
meat, then cooked in avery hot oven or on agrill. High heat seals in the juices and yields
thesucculent meat thatthe tandoor, the traditional clay oven, is famous for producing.
C h i c k e n a n d E g g s
Clockwisefromtop: Stir-FriedOkra, Chappathi,
Chicken Vindaloo, Tandoori Chicken
1 1 4 Chi c ke n and Eggs
Many recipes in this chapter call for boneless,
skinless chicken thighs, which areavorful as well as
time saving. If you cant nd them, just skin and cut
up regular thighs, bone in. Remove the skin to allow
the spices to penetrate the meat and trimaway excess
fat to make sure the dish wont be greasy. A shortcut
to trimming fat for awet curry is to let it melt from
the chicken in the cooking and then skimit o the
top of the nished curry. But dont skimo all the fat
or you will lose some of the wonderful avor.
Eggsare widely enjoyed in India, both as bre ak fas t
fare (see pages 3637) and in curries. Although egg
curries are not popular outside of the subcontinent,
cooks in both the north and south have created many
delicious dishes, often combining halved hard-boiled
eggs with spicy tomato sauce; the ve ry tasty Egg
Masala(page 122) is the South Indian version with a
bit of coconut milk. The other egg curry inthis ch ap t e r
is the classic Keraladish aviyal made with hard-boiled
eggs and potatoes in athick grated-coconut sauce.
Paddlingthrough theKerala backwaters
Somethingbetween a wet and a dry curry, thisKerala original featureschunksof chicken with just enough
brown saucetocoat. Itsextremely quick toprepare. Sinceitsa stir-fry, I recommend usingboneless
chickenthighs.
Chicken-Fry
2 pounds (900g) boneless,skinless chicken
thighs or about 3 pounds (1,350g) with
bone and skin
2 cups (360g) thinly sliced onion
cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced green chili (serrano,
Thai, or jalapeo)
Spice mixture
3 teaspoons ground coriander
teaspoon ground cumin
teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
teaspoon ground black pepper
1
16teaspoon ground turmeric
1
16teaspoon ground cinnamon
1
16teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoons salt
teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Trimfat fromboneless, skinless thighs and cut into 1-inch
(2.5cm) chunks. If only thighs with bone and skin are avail-
able, remove skin and fat and cut thighs into 4 or 5 pieces
each, bone in.
In alarge nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, fry
onion in oil until edges are nicely browned. Add garlic,
ginger, and green chili and stir for 1 minute.
Mix ground spices with water to formapaste. Stir into
onionmixture and fry for 1 minute. Add chicken and salt
andfry, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked
through, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for salt.
Stir in the lemon juice and remove fromheat.
Pr i r.r.. r .ri - r. i s Si ris t . -

Chi cke n and Egg s 1 1 5

South Indian cooksfrequently usecoconut milk in meat and chicken curriestothicken thesaucesand temper
thespices. Fennel seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leavesgivethiscurry a distinctively South Indian avor.
Chicken with Coconut Milk
2 pounds (900g) boneless,skinless chicken
thighs or about 3 pounds (1,350g) with
bone and skin
Spice mixture
6 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
teaspoon ground black pepper
teaspoon ground turmeric
teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon ground cloves
cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
teaspoon mustard seeds
10 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves
2 cups (360g) thinly sliced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 green chili (serrano,Thai,or jalapeo),
splitlengthwise
teaspoon fennel seeds, nely ground with
a mortar and pestle
1 teaspoons salt
cup (60 ml) canned unsweetened
coconutmilk
cup (180 ml) water
cup (120 ml) canned unsweetened
coconutmilk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Trimboneless, skinless thighs of fat and cut into 2-inch
(5cm) chunks. If only thighs with bone and skin are available,
remove skin and fat and cut thighs into 2 or 3 pieces each,
bone in. Rub chicken pieces with mixture of ground spices
and refrigerate for 1 hour.
In acovered large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat
mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil until mustard seeds
begin to pop. Uncover, add onion, and stir until edges are
nicely browned. Add garlic, ginger, green chili, and fennel
seeds and stir for 2 minutes.
Add chicken pieces and stir for another 3 to 5 minutes,
making sure not to burn onion and spices. Add salt, 'cup
(60ml) coconut milk, and water. Bring to aboil, turn heat
down, and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
Stir in 'cup (120 ml) coconut milk and bring to aboil.
Addlemon juice and remove fromheat. Taste for salt.
Pr i r.r.. r .ri . nr,
r rs . nr .r r ..rc .ri Si ris t . -

1 1 6 Chi c ke n and Eggs