KITCHEN TABLE

AN INVITATION FROM AN ICON

An instant classic upon its original publication, An Invitation to Indian Cooking has been described as “Perhaps the best Indian cookbook available in English” by the New York Times. The 50th anniversary edition (Alfred A Knopf, $54) introduces Madhur Jaffrey to a whole new generation.

CAULIFLOWER WITH GINGER AND CILANTRO

Image credit: Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian.

A piece of fresh ginger, about 2½ inches by 1 inch, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large head fresh cauliflower, or 2 small ones

8 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 fresh hot green chili, finely sliced, or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 packed cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 teaspoons salt

Put the ginger into a blender jar with 4 tablespoons of water, and blend until it becomes smooth (about 1 minute).

Cut off the thick, coarse stem of the cauliflower and remove all leaves. First break the cauliflower into large flowerets, using your hands if it is a loosely packed head and a sharp knife if it is too tightly packed. Since you want to end up with small flowerets, not longer than 1 to 1½ inches and not wider at the head than ½ to 1 inch, I find that the best way is to take each large floweret and begin by slicing the stems crosswise into fairly thin rounds. Keep these, as they are quite edible. When you reach the upper end of the stem, start breaking off the small flowerets. Slice the stem into rounds whenever it seems too long, and keep the rounds. Wash the flowerets and the stem rounds in a colander and leave to drain.

Heat oil in 10-12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger paste and turmeric. Fry, stirring constantly; after about 2 minutes, add green chili or cayenne and cilantro; after another 2 minutes, put in the cauliflower, continuing to cook and stir for 5 minutes. (If necessary, add 1 teaspoon warm water at a time to prevent sticking.) Now add the cumin, coriander, garam masala, lemon juice, salt, and 3 tablespoons warm water, cook and stir for about 5 minutes, then cover, lower flame, and cook slowly for 35 to 45 minutes (the tightly packed cauliflower takes longer to cook), stirring gently every 10 minutes. The cauliflower is done when it is tender with just a faint trace of crispness along its inner spine.

To serve, lift out gently and place in serving dish – a low wide bowl would be best. Serve with hot chapatis, pooris, or parathas, or serve with any kind of lentils and plain boiled rice. It is particularly good with lamb pulao and cucumber raita

CHICKEN COOKED WITH YOGHURT

Image credit: Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian.

4 chicken legs

1 whole chicken breast

½ cup plus 2 tbsp plain yogurt

5 medium-sized onions

2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

A piece of fresh ginger, about 1-inch cube, peeled and chopped

7 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Skin all the chicken pieces. Divide each leg into 2 pieces (drumstick and thigh). Quarter the chicken breast. Pat dry the chicken pieces and set aside.

Put ½ cup yogurt in a bowl. Add ¼ cup water, a little at a time, beating with a fork as you do so.

Peel all the onions. Cut 4 in half, lengthwise, then slice them into half-rings, about ½ inch thick. Chop the other onion coarsely.

Put the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger in the container of an electric blender. Add 6 tablespoons of water and blend to a smooth paste.

Heat 5 tbsp of the oil in a 10-inch pot over medium heat. Put in the sliced onions and fry them, stirring, 8 to 10 minutes or until they have turned dark brown at the edges but are still limp. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil to the pot and put in about 4 pieces of chicken at a time. Fry them, at medium-high heat, 7 to 8 minutes or until they are browned on all sides.

Remove chicken pieces to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Turn heat to low and pour paste from the blender into the pot, keeping your face averted. Scrape the bottom of the pot for browned meat juices and mix in scrapings with the paste. Now raise the heat to medium and fry, stirring, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon plain yogurt, scraping bottom of pot and continuing to fry and stir another minute. Then add 1 more tablespoon yogurt, stirring for another minute.

Now put into the pot the chicken pieces, the well-blended yogurt and water mixture, the salt, and the cayenne pepper (if you desire it). Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove lid, raise heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes to boil down some of the liquid, turning the chicken pieces carefully. (You should be left with a thick sauce)

Mix in reserved fried onions, and cook at same heat another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place contents of pot in warmed dish and serve with hot pooris or hot chapatis or almost any kind of rice.

MOONG DAL

Image credit: At Home with Madhur Jaffrey.

1½ cups moong dal

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 slices peeled fresh ginger, 1 inch square and inch thick

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp ground turmeric

¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee

A pinch ground asafetida or tiny lump asafetida

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

Lemon or lime wedges

Clean and wash dal thoroughly. Put dal in heavy-bottomed 3-4-quart pot, add 5 cups water, and bring to a boil. Remove the froth and scum that collects at the top. Now add the garlic, ginger, cilantro, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, lower heat, and simmer gently for about 1½ hours. Stir occasionally. When dal is cooked, add the salt and lemon juice (it should be thicker than pea soup, but thinner than cooked cereal).

In a 4-6-inch skillet or small pot, heat the vegetable oil or ghee over a medium-high flame. When hot, add the asafetida and cumin seeds. As soon as the asafetida sizzles and expands and the cumin seeds turn dark (this will take only a few seconds), pour the oil and spices over the dal and serve. (Some people put the dal in a serving dish and then pour the oil and spices over it.)

Serve with plain rice, kheema, and a vegetable for a simple meal. Most meat and chicken dishes go well with this dal. Since some people like to squeeze extra lemon or lime juice on their dal, serve some wedges separately.

Note: Finely sliced onion rings, fried until brown and crisp are often spread over the dal as a garnish before it is served.

An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey is published by Alfred A Knopf, $54.