Full Description
Neeta Saluja simplifies Indian cooking with a unique approach to its preparation. She focuses on the fundamentals-the special ingredients and techniques every cook can use to create fragrant, delicious, and well-balanced dishes. Six Spices demystifies the exotic and complex flavours of Indian cuisine by explaining the characteristics of its essential ingredients-hot chili powder, aromatic coriander, sweet cumin, roasted nutty mustard seeds, bold asafoetida, and hearty turmeric. But here is the twist: the book also reveals the methods used to incorporate them into exquisite, authentic recipes. Keeping clarity and simplicity in mind, Saluja has created recipes easy enough for beginners, yet inspirational enough to encourage inventiveness in the more seasoned cook. Readers will discover that seasoning with chounk is one of the basic techniques used to enhance the flavour of beans and legumes. A dish of red lentils will become memorable when infused with aromatic seasoning of hot ghee, fresh herbs, and spices; and cooking with masala, or curry paste, can turn a humble dish into the essence of Indian cuisine. Saluja has taken the fear out of approaching unfamiliar culinary fare. Her recipe collection has been tasted and tested throughout her more than 20 years of teaching and cooking Indian food.
Contents
Acknowledgements Introduction 1. ALL ABOUT SPICES 2. SEASONING WITH HOT OIL (Tel ka Chounk) Using hot oil as a cooking medium for seasoning * Blending spices in certain sequences to release their full flavors * Adding seasoned oil to flavor salads, rice, and raita * Cooking vegetables in seasoned oil to add flavor Recipes Spinach and Red Potatoes Green Beans with Coconut Mustard Greens and Radishes Curried Dry Potatoes Carrot Salad Cabbage and Tomato Salad Sprouted Mung Bean Salad Seasoned Mung Beans Potato with Mint in Yogurt Tomatoes with Yogurt and Peanuts Roasted Eggplant with Yogurt Butternut Squash with Yogurt Corn and Bell Pepper Rice Yogurt Rice Lemon Rice 3. SEASONING WITH HOT GHEE (Ghee ka Chounk) Using hot ghee to flavor beans and lentils * Preparing seasoning with herbs and spices using ghee as a cooking medium * Simmering beans and lentils with seasoning to achieve their full tastes. Recipes Brown Lentils Black-Eyed Peas Yellow Split Lentils and Spinach Red Lentils Pigeon Peas Spicy Pigeon Peas with Mixed Vegetables Rice and Yellow Split Lentil Porridge Spicy Corn Kernels Curried Potatoes Rice Pilaf with Mixed Vegetables Egg and Tomato Scramble Potatoes with Cumin Seeds Saffron Rice Rice with Cumin Seeds 4. COOKING WITH POWDERED SPICES (Sookha Masala) Different techniques for cooking vegetables with powdered spices * Using spices in a certain order and at a specific time to achieve unique tastes. Recipes Potatoes with Cauliflower Curry Cabbage and Peas Curry Carrots and Peas Curry Dry Curried Potatoes I Dry Curried Potatoes II Curried Zucchini Curried Zucchini in Peanut Sauce Stuffed Okra with Onions Eggplant and Mushroom Curry Vegetable Delight Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion with Yogurt Cucumber with Yogurt Chicken in Peanut Sauce Stuffed Peppers Stuffed Baby Eggplants 5. COOKING WITH CURRY PASTE (Peesa Masala) Preparing curry paste (masala) with fresh ingredients and spices * Roasting curry paste to perfection * Simmering meat and vegetables in masala to make perfect curries. Recipes Potatoes and Peas Curry Red Kidney Beans Mixed-Vegetables Curry Curried Garbanzo Beans Chicken Curry Fish Curry Curried Cheese Cubes and Peas Shrimp Curry Lamb Curry with Cashews and Poppy Seeds Egg Curry with Potatoes Curried Meat Balls Cabbage Kofta Curry Curried Stuffed Tomatoes 6. BEYOND THE BASICS: RECIPES TO COMPLETE THE MEALS Understanding Indian cuisine * Recipes to round out an Indian meal * Recipes using spices other than the basic six. Recipes Fresh and Refreshing Drinks Tea Ginger Tea Mango Shake Yogurt Drink Mango Yogurt Drink Litchi Yogurt Drink Crispy and Spicy Snacks Corn Fritters Eggplant Fritters Mung Lentil Fritters Vegetable Fritters Potato-Stuffed Pastry Cream of Wheat Porridge Savory Pancakes Crispy Tortilla with Potatoes and Garbanzo Beans Potato Puff Rolls Potato Patty Tangy and Tasty Chutneys Tamarind Chutney Mint and Cilantro Chutney Coconut Chutney Hot and Spicy Breads Deep-Fried Indian Bread Indian Flat Bread Spicy Deep-Fried Indian Bread Oven-Baked Roti with Fenugreek Leaves Sweet and Sensational Desserts Coconut Slice Cream of Wheat Halwa Fried Noodles Pudding Fried Milk Balls in Syrup Yogurt Cheese and Saffron Pudding Rice Pudding 7. TIPS AND TECHNIQUES Use of appropriate kitchen equipment and cooking utensils * The characteristics of ingredients such as curry leaves, coconut, and lentils * Instructions for preparing uncommon ingredients such as paneer, ghee, and bean sprouts. Sample Menus Glossary Bibliography Recipe Index
