Taste of India

BURNT GINGER RICE

INGREDIENTS

Rice

Onion

Ginger.....

1 cup 1 small sized

Tomato sauce Red chilli paste

1/2 tbsp 1⁄2 tbsp

4 one-inch pieces

Ajinomoto.

1/4 tsp

Fresh coriander leavesa few sprigs

Salt .......

Oil........

6 tbsps

Vinegar

... to taste 1 tsp

Light soy sauce ....

1 tbsp

28

METHOD OF PREPARATION

1. Clean, wash and soak rice in four to five cups of water for an hour. Cook in four cups of boiling water until just cooked. Drain well and cool.

2. Peel, wash and finely chop onion. Peel, wash and thinly slice ginger. Clean, wash and chop coriander leaves. Heat oil in a wok, add sliced ginger and stir-fry for two to three minutes or till ginger turns brown in colour. Drain onto an absorbent paper. Reserve some ginger pieces for garnish and finely chop the remaining ginger.

3. Reheat oil, add chopped fried ginger, onion and stir-fry briefly. At once add cooked rice light soy sauce, tomato sauce, red chilli paste, ajinomoto and salt to taste. Cook on high heat for a minute, stirring and tossing continuously. Add chopped coriander leaves, vinegar and serve hot, garnished with the reserved fried ginger slices.

TAMARIND GINGERPICKLE

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind..... 11⁄2 lemon sized ball

Ginger....6 one-inch pieces

Green chillies......

Sesame oil........

10 tbsps

Turmeric powder.......

1/4 tsp

10

Mustard seeds..........

1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds.....

Asafoetida.......

Salt

1 tsp 1/4 tsp

Red chillies whole Jaggery

2

1 tsp

...... to taste

METHOD OF PREPARATION

1. Soak tamarind in two cups of warm water, remove the pulp, strain and keep aside.

2. Peel, wash and spread ginger on an absorbent sheet to dry. Remove stems, wash and chop green chillies into half centimeter pieces. 3 Broil fenugreek seeds to a golden brown. Cool, powder and mix with asafoetida and salt.

4. Heat four tablespoons of oil, add ginger and chillies, sauté for about two minutes. Add turmeric powder, stir well and cook for a few

5. minutes and remove. Heat remaining oil in another pan, temper with mustard seeds, red chillies and pour in tamarind pulp.

6. Bring it to a boil, add powdered fenugreek and jaggery. Simmer till it reduces by half and thickens well.

7. Mix chilli-ginger mixture, cook for a few minutes more, stirring continuously.

8. Cool and store in a sterilized bottle.

MASALEDAAR CHHOLAY

Tea leaves

Onions....

Garlic

Green chillies........

INGREDIENTS

Chick peas (kabuli chana).... 11⁄2 cups

Salt

to taste

Dried Indian gooseberry (amla)...

3-4 2 tsps

Tomatoes........... 4 medium sized

Fresh coriander leaves

Oil..........

14 medium bunch

Cumin seeds............

2 tbsps

4 tbsps

3 large sized

Coriander powder

3 tsps

Ginger............. 2 one-inch pieces

Red chilli powder

1 tsp

8-10 cloves

2

Pomegranate seeds (anardana) powder (coarse) .......................

1 tbsp

METHOD OF PREPARATION

1. Soak chana overnight in four cups of water. Drain and boil in three cups of water with salt, tea leaves and dried amla tied in a piece of

muslin cloth till tender. Remove the muslin cloth bag. Drain the cooked chana and reserve the cooking liquor.

2. Peel, wash and chop onions. Peel, wash ginger and garlic. Remove stems, wash green chillies and make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies. Wash and chop tomatoes. Clean, wash and chop coriander leaves. Dry roast cumin seeds, cool and grind to a powder.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and sauté till brown. Add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and sauté for two minutes.

4. Add coriander powder, ground roasted cumin seeds, red chilli powder and anardana powder and sauté till oil separates.

5. Add drained chana and mix well. Add tomatoes and a little cooking liquor and salt if required. Cook till the chanas are well mixed with

the gravy.

6. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

CHEF'S TIP

If you feel like it you may add boiled and diced potatoes.

PUNJABI KADHI

INGREDIENTS

For pakoras

Gram flour (besan)

3/4 cup

Gram flour (besan) Turmeric powder

1/4 cup

Ginger

Onion

Fenugreek leaves (methi) 1⁄2 bunch

Carom seeds (ajwain)

Red chilli powder.

1 medium sized

Salt

1 tsp

to taste

1 inch piece

Onion (optional). Ginger

1 medium sized

1/2 inch piece

1 tsp

1 tsp

Oil

Baking powder

1/4 tsp

Red chillies whole

Fenugreek seeds (methi)

2

2 tbsps

1/2 tsp

Salt

Oil

For kadhi

Yogurt.

to taste

Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp

6

to deep fry

Peppercorns.

Red chilli powder

1 tsp

1 cup

METHOD OF PREPARATION

1. Peel, wash and chop onion finely. Clean, wash and chop methi. Peel, wash and grate ginger. Mix these with the rest of the pakora ingredients, except oil, adding about half a cup of water.

2. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai, drop small portions of the besan mixture and deep fry till golden brown. Drain onto an absorbent paper and keep aside.

3.For kadhi, whisk yogurt well and mix besan. Blend thoroughly so as

to ensure that there are no lumps. Add turmeric powder, salt and three cups of water.

4. Peel, wash and slice onion. Peel, wash and chop ginger. Remove stems and break red chillies into two.

5. Heat oil in a kadai. Add fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and red chillies. Stir-fry for half a minute. Add sliced onions and chopped ginger and stir-fry for a minute. Add yogurt mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add red chilli powder and fried pakoras and continue to simmer for

four to five minutes.

7. Serve hot with steamed rice.