The Café Spice Cookbook: 84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals (8 page)

Salt
The most common salt in North America is table salt. It is very fine in texture and is often supplemented with iodine. Table salt, when compared to kosher or sea salt, is much “saltier.” Sea salt is the most popular salt in Indian cooking. Measurements used in the recipes in this book are for common table salt. If you prefer kosher or sea salt, you will most likely need to increase the amount by 10 to 15 percent. However, it is always a good idea to taste and check for seasoning before adding more.

Black Salt
kala namak
Contrary to its name, powdered black salt is purplish pink. It is an unrefined sea salt with a very strong and sulfurous taste. It is available in rock or powder form and is very traditional to India. Its distinctive, earthy flavor and aroma help to bring out the flavor in relishes, salads,
raitas
, and snacks. It is an essential ingredient in making Chaat Masala (page
22
). Black salt is a better choice for those on a low-sodium diet because of its lower sodium content. It is available in Indian grocery stores. Feel adventurous? Try sprinkling ¼ teaspoon of black salt, a pinch of black pepper, and squeeze of fresh lime to a chilled glass of Pepsi or Coke to enjoy a masala cola, a popular Indian street-style summer drink.

Star Anise
This dried, star-shaped, dark-brown pod contains licorice-flavored seeds. The pods grow on an evergreen tree that is a member of the magnolia family. Star anise is used to flavor and add an enticing aroma to both sweet and savory dishes. It is often used on its own or ground with different spices to make blends. This spice is available at Indian and Asian grocery stores, online (see Shopping Guide, page
140
), and at many conventional supermarkets.

Sesame Seeds
These tiny seeds are harvested from a flowering plant that grows widely in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds. Whole or ground white sesame seeds are used in savory Indian dishes, breads, and many sweets. Sometimes the seeds are toasted to heighten their nutty flavor. They come in a host of different colors, depending on the variety, including white, yellow, black, and red. In general, the paler varieties of sesame are used in the West and Middle East, while the black varieties are more common in the East. They are available in most grocery stores.

Tamarind
This is the curved, brown bean pod of the tamarind tree. The pod contains a sticky pulp enclosing one to twelve shiny black seeds. It is the pulp that is used as a flavoring for its sweet-and-sour fruity aroma and taste. It is used in chutneys, preserves, and curries. Tamarind is available in South Asian grocery stores, natural foods stores, and some conventional supermarkets in one or more of the following three ways: in pod form; pressed into a fibrous dried slab; and in jars of tamarind “paste” or “concentrate,” which has a jam-like consistency. I use the tamarind paste in the recipes in this book simply because it is the most convenient form to use and is fairly easy to find.

Alternatively, to create tamarind juice from the dried slab, soak a walnut-size chunk of the dried pulp (this is equivalent to 1 teaspoon tamarind paste) in ½ cup (125 ml) of warm water for 15 minutes. After soaking the pulp in water, break it up with your fingers and then mash it with a fork until the liquid is muddy brown in appearance. Strain this mixture before use through a fine-mesh strainer. Using the back of spoon, mash and push the pulp through the fine-mesh strainer to extract any remaining juice.

Turmeric
It is a rhizome of a tropical plant in the ginger family. The fresh root is boiled, peeled, sun-dried, and ground into a bright yellow-orange powder. Ground turmeric has a warm, peppery aroma—reminiscent of ginger—and a strong, bitter taste that mellows with cooking. It is used to color many curries or as a “poor man’s substitute” for saffron since it imparts a similar color; the taste, however, is quite different.

Yogurt
Thick and creamy yogurt is made every day in homes across the Indian subcontinent and it is an important part of every meal. It is most commonly enjoyed plain as a mild contrast to spicy foods. Raitas—cooling salads made with yogurt and crunchy vegetables—are very popular. Yogurt is often churned into cooling drinks with spices and is the base for many desserts. In savory cooking, its main role is as a souring agent, though it also aids digestion. In India it is customary to end a meal with either plain yogurt mixed with rice or a glass of Indian spiced “buttermilk” (thinned yogurt with salt, green chilies, ginger, and salt) common in south India. The best yogurt for the recipes in this book is a thick, plain, natural yogurt made from whole milk. Look for organic, whole-milk yogurt for the best consistency and flavor.

Chapter 1
THE BASICS

Most Indian meals are prepared fresh. But it makes your cooking easier and less stressful if you have a few basic preparations and key ingredients made up in advance. If you understand the basic preparations and techniques, know your way around the kitchen, and have a love of good food, you can master Indian cooking. Don’t hesitate to experiment with spices, as the discoveries made can be very flavorful and rewarding.

Indian cooking is all about spices and flavor. To the Indian cook, the two are one and the same: spice equals flavor. To understand Indian cooking is to understand how to use spices individually and in combination to enhance food. The specific mixture of spices in the food is referred to as a
masala
, which means a blend of spices or herbs. It is this unique combination of spices or herbs that creates the distinctive taste of each dish. This section includes recipes for masalas and other basic flavor components that form the building blocks of Indian cooking.

Masalas can be in the form of a powder or a paste. Different Indian recipes may call for a different blend of masalas in either form. Often a recipe will call for a just a sprinkling of mustard seeds and ground turmeric, whereas some recipes may call for a masala that is a blend of many different spices. In fact, even a minimal use of spices will lend a wonderful, aromatic accent to a dish. So do not hesitate to use just a few spices to create your masalas.

The proportion of ingredients in these spice blends, as well as the amount used in a recipe, can be adjusted to suit your taste. Experiment by tweaking the spice profiles to arrive at your own personal versions. You can also substitute many of these masalas with store-bought, prepared spice mixes. However, for the best flavor, I recommend using freshly blended spices. When making masalas at home, you are able to slightly roast the spices before grinding them into a powder or a paste—an extra step that helps release the flavors and oils of spices into the blend, thus adding more potency (and magic!) to the spice mixture.

Café Spice Garam Masala

Garam masala
, literally “hot spice,” is the most popular spice blend used in Indian cooking. It is the basic essence of Indian cooking. There are as many versions of garam masala as there are chefs. This recipe blend is what I use very often in my kitchen. It is important that the spices are blended fresh as needed. Many store-bought garam masala blends aren’t roasted and tend to be very poor in flavor. Try this recipe and you will never buy a ready-made version.

Prep time:
5 minutes

Cook time:
5 minutes

Makes
about ⅔ cup (75 g)

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 dried red chili pepper

10 dried allspice berries

1 stick cinnamon, ½-in (1.25-cm)

10 green cardamom pods

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

5 bay leaves

In a small skillet, dry roast the whole spices over medium heat, stirring until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Remove the spices from the skillet and set aside to let cool completely. Grind the spices in an electric spice grinder to a fine powder and store in an airtight jar for up to 4–6 weeks.

Chaat Masala

Chaat
is a commonly used term to describe street snacks of India. These small dishes are infused with a complex blend of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors. They are always seasoned with a spice mix called
chaat masala
. Like any other Indian spice blend, each one has its own regional variation throughout India. This spice blend is great for more than just snacks. You can use it to jazz up your salads, dressings, fresh fruit, fruit juices, and grilled meats. This spice blend is easily available pre-mixed at Indian grocery stores.

Prep time:
5 minutes

Cook time:
5 minutes

Makes
about 1½ cups (200 g)