The Café Spice Cookbook: 84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals (21 page)

Lobster Kadhai

A fantastic way to present this dish for a special occasion is to serve it right in the lobster shells. This dish is a showstopper! Although it requires patience to process the whole lobster, it is worth all the effort if your aim is to impress someone! To serve it in the beautiful red shell, simply dry the shells out first by putting them in a warm oven for 5–6 minutes until bright red. Serve the cooked lobster meat by spooning it into the shells. Alternatively, if you do not want to deal with the whole live lobsters, you can replace two whole lobsters with four tails, about 8 oz (225 g) each, which are easily available fresh or frozen in the supermarket.

Serves
4

Prep time:
30 minutes

Cook time:
20 minutes

2 live medium size lobsters, about 1½ lbs (750 g)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 green cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick, 1-in (2.5-cm)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, coarsely crushed

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, coarsely crushed

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed

1 large white onion (about 8 oz/250 g), chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 piece fresh ginger, 1-in (2.5-cm), peeled and minced

2 teaspoons Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper

4 tomatoes (about 1 lb/500 g), finely chopped

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon Café Spice Garam Masala (page
22
)

1 tablespoon butter

1 small red onion (about 4 oz/125 g), diced

½ red pepper (about 4 oz/125 g), seeded and diced

½ fresh yellow bell pepper (about 4 oz/125 g), seeded and diced

4 fresh green chili peppers, slit open

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black peppercorns

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, crushed with your fingertips

Juice of ½ lemon

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Place the lobsters in the freezer for about 2 hours, this will ensure that they are not moving. Then plunge them into a large pan of boiling water and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the pan and place them in a large bowl of ice for about 10–15 minutes, until chilled.

Hold the lobster in one hand and using a strong heavy knife, cut each lobster lengthwise in half. Remove the flesh from the shell. Twist the claws off the body and crack them using the heel of the knife. Remove the claw meat from the shells and set aside. Cut the body meat into a ½-in (1.25-cm) dice and set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet, add the cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds and let them crackle. Add the chopped onions and sauté until golden brown and then add the garlic, ginger, and red chili powder and sauté for 1–2 minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 4–6 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and a smooth sauce is formed. Stir in the salt and Garam Masala, remove from the heat and set aside. Purée this mixture with a hand-held blender for a smoother sauce (optional).

In a separate heavy-duty nonstick pan, over medium heat, add the butter and sear the lobster claw meat until lightly colored all over. Add the diced red onions, peppers, and green chilies and sauté for about 2–3 minutes, until softened. Add the diced lobster meat and sauté over a high heat for another minute. Add the crushed red pepper and cracked pepper and then pour in the cooked masala, simmer for 2–3 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Stir in the cream, fenugreek, lemon juice, and chopped coriander. Serve hot.

Bengali Fish Curry
Doi Maach

During my travels and research for an upcoming book on India, I was fortunate to have been able to stay with a friend who hails from Kolkata. Her mother taught me how to make this dish the traditional way, in her kitchen.
Doi maach
literally means yogurt fish; this is a take on the classic. It is quite easy to prepare and goes well with rice. Keep in mind that firm fish needs to be used for this preparation. Use halibut, monkfish, cod, or swordfish. Mustard oil is the traditional medium, and the best way to cook any Bengali food. Regular oil can be used as well, and you can follow a trick I use to approximate the flavor of mustard oil: Squeeze a teaspoon of French mustard into the yogurt mixture!

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

2 cups (500 g) plain yogurt, whisked

1 teaspoon Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste (page
22
)

2½ lbs (1 kg) firm white fish, skinned and cut into 2-in (5-cm) pieces

4 tablespoons mustard oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

3 cloves

2 green cardamom pods

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 large onion (about 8 oz/250 g), chopped

1 teaspoon salt

4 fresh green chili peppers, slit open lengthwise

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Combine 1 cup of the yogurt, chili powder, turmeric, and Ginger-Garlic Paste in a medium bowl. Add the fish and mix gently until they are well coated. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat 3 tablespoons of mustard oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, and bay leaf and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until the mustard seeds start to splutter.

Add the onion and fry for another 3–4 minutes, until translucent. Add the fish along with the marinade and mix gently to incorporate. Cook for 3–4 minutes. Add the salt, green chilies, and remaining yogurt and cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes until the fish is cooked.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and drizzle the remaining mustard oil on top. Serve hot.

Goan-Style Mackerel
Bangda Curry

This is a traditional recipe usually made with mackerel. It is not very complicated to make, and more importantly, it tastes best when consumed the next day. If you can get a traditional clay-pot to cook this dish, the taste is earthy and even more delicious. Goa is the land of beaches and seafood. In India, I have tasted many types of fish curry. While all of them are served with plain white rice, the flavors varied slightly or sometimes distinctly from one another. Here, I have tried to recreate my favorite flavors. It is served best with basmati rice, but a crusty baguette does well for dipping into its smooth velvety sauce.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
15 minutes

1 lb (500 g) fish steaks

Juice of ½ lime

¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

Salt, to taste

8 red chili peppers

5 cups (1.2 liters) water

1½ teaspoons paprika

¼ cup (25 g) shredded coconut, fresh or frozen

3 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 onion (about 5 oz/150 g), sliced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1½ teaspoons minced garlic

1½ teaspoons tamarind paste

2 tablespoons oil

1 large tomato (about 8 oz/250 g), minced

3 fresh green chili peppers, slit lengthwise

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Marinate the fish in a mixture of the lime juice, a pinch of the turmeric powder, and salt. Let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Soak the red chilies in 1 cup (250 ml) of water for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the soaking water. In a blender or food processor, grind the soaked chilies, paprika, coconut, coriander seeds, half the sliced onions, cumin seeds, the remaining ground turmeric, garlic, and tamarind pulp to make a really fine and smooth paste. Add a little of the chili soaking water to facilitate grinding, which will take 7–10 minutes for a really smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a wide, large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the remaining sliced onion until it is lightly colored, about 5–7 minutes.

Add the spice paste and sauté over moderate heat for 6–7 minutes, adding a little water if necessary to prevent sticking. When the oil begins to separate from the spices in the form of little globules on the surface of the paste, add 4 cups (1 liter) of water. Add the tomato, green chilies, and salt to taste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the fish and cook until it is done, about 5–8 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves when serving.

Pan-Fried Crispy Fish
Rawa Meen

Semolina crusted fish is a delicacy belonging mostly to the western coast of India. Beach shacks or small, family-run restaurants serve this with a special homemade red masala. This is my take on the classic dish. The semolina provides a unique texture to the outer coat, balancing the fiery spices that we use to coat the fish. instead of the semolina, you can use dried coconut or Japanese bread crumbs (panko) as a more readily available option to crust it. Serve this along with a glass of chilled beer for a perfect drink pairing.

Serves
4

Prep time:
15 minutes

Cook time:
10 minutes

2 dried red chili peppers, broken

1 piece fresh ginger, ½-in (1.25-cm), peeled and chopped

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

3 teaspoons ground coriander

6 fenugreek seeds

Salt, to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup (65 ml) oil

Four halibut steaks or fillets (about 6 oz/175 g each) or other firm white fish like cod or bass, skin removed

½ cup (75 g) semolina

¼ cup (30 g) rice flour

3 tablespoons oil

Lemon wedges, to serve

In a blender or using a mortar and pestle grind together the red chili, ginger, garlic, vinegar, coriander, fenugreek, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of oil to make a fine purée. Place the fish in this marinade, cover, and leave for at least 30 minutes.