Kashmiri Collards

Kashmiri Collards
Modified from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe

Wash a bunch of collards.
Slice the stems (ribs) from the leaves. Discard the stalk if it was harvested.

Finely chop the stems (ribs).
In a very large pot, 
add 3 TBSP of vegetable oil,
2 chopped cayenne peppers,
3 TBSP minced garlic.
Cook about a minute then add the chopped stems.
Stir to mix well.
Cook just a minute or two more to allow the garlic to cook, but not burn.
Then add just enough water to cover the stems.
Cook about 15-20 minutes, allowing the stems to change from bright green to dark green.
Add 2-3 vegetarian bouillon cubes. Knorr works great for me.

Next- the leaves.
Gather bunches of leaves and roll like a cigar.
Slice through the roll thinly. 
When all the leaves are thinly sliced, add to the pot and add water an inch or two higher than the leaves.
Cook down 2 or 3 hours.

Allow the water to boil off leaving the seasoned greens behind. This is a very salty dish, so fewer bouillon cubes means less salt. If you've ever had Allen's Brand seasoned collards or mustard greens, you'll recognize the intense flavor.

Lentil Dal

Lentil Dal

Cook 1 cup of lentils until almost completely cooked

Fry together

1 tsp black mustard seed

1 tsp cumin seed

in a small amount of oil- enough to coat the pan

until crackle

Add

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 diced onion

½ cup diced tomatoes

Fry until onions are cooked down

Add the fried mix to the lentils

and add

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Cook down until lentils are cooked, adding water as needed.

Finish with 1 tsp salt.

Adapted from The Indian Spice Kitchen: Essential Ingredients and Over 200 Authentic Recipes by Monisha Bharadwaj

Based on spicy yellow lentils recipe

Indian Anise Tea

Indian Anise Tea

Pour 1 Quart boiling water

over 4 Anise Stars and two Rooibos Tea bags

Stir in 2 TBSP honey

Steep 30 minutes and add

1 qt of water (ice or boiling) dependent upon the way you will serve.

Serve chilled over ice or hot with cinnamon stick and lemon slice.

Basic Raita

Raita

Heat until crackle

1 tsp Cumin seed

1 tsp Brown/Black Mustard seed

in a pan slightly oiled

Mix together

1 ¾ cup plain yogurt

1 tsp sugar

a good sprinkling of salt

1 medium cucumber seeded, very finely chopped

1 small roma tomato, very finely chopped

Add spiced oil to yogurt mix

Mix well

Top with a couple tsp of chopped cilantro

Serve cold.

Mixed Veggie Pulao

In a large skillet, add enough oil to coat the bottom.

Add

½ TSP cumin seed

and heat over medium to crackle

Careful not to scorch the oil, so keep heat medium to low as all ingredients are added.

Add

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

8 peppercorns

1 chili, whole*

1 carrot, finely diced

Scant ¾ cup frozen peas, rinsed and drained

½ cup canned corn, drained

¼ cup canned green beans, drained

Stir fry together for several minutes.

*Keeping the chili whole will reduce the heat throughout the dish; chop for more flavor

In a microwavable 2 qt soufflé pan

Add

1 cup long grain basmati rice

4 cardamom pods

1 TSP salt

Measure 3 cups of water

Stir enough water into frying pan to gather the spice and vegetables from the pan.

Add to rice.

Pour remaining water (so that all 3 cups of water will be used)

in with the rice and vegetables to the rice mix.

Microwave on high 20 minutes.

Adapted from the recipe for Pulao from

The Indian Spice Kitchen: Essential Ingredients and Over 200 Authentic Recipes by Monisha Bharadwaj

Why did I change the recipe?  To work in my sure fire, never fail, microwave rice recipe that I use as base when creating many dishes.

So what did I change? Because my rice recipe uses less rice, I cut all spice and veggies by half as a rule.  Whereas the original called for 4 chilis, I chose one to suit the children’s palate. In addition, the original called for 6 tablespoons of corn oil.  Vegetable oil is my choice and only enough oil was used to coat the pan.  By keeping the temperature med-low, I was able to fry everything adequately.

NEXT TIME- I recommend a smaller frying pan, deeper, medium width, so I can use even less oil.  The end product was slightly too oily for my personal taste.  Perhaps I can further reduce the need for much oil.

An idea would be to start with a minimal amount of oil mixed with the cumin seeds.  Allow the seeds to heat releasing the scent and flavor. Add the other ingredients, then add a small amount of the water to cook the veggies. The canned and frozen veggies don’t need much cooking.

REMEMBER- Remove cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods before serving. Give the chili pepper to the heat lover in your family.

Patel Brothers in Decatur, GA

In the same shopping center as Udipi Cafe, Patel Bros. Grocery has reopened with quite a facelift. Located on Church St in Decatur, Ga, it's immediately on the left after leaving US78 entering Decatur.
Numerous dry spices and dry beans are available as well as prepared chutneys and premixed spice packs and meals. The spice aisle smelled of cloves. Lovely! There is a great fresh produce section, large freezer section, canned, bagged and MRE packs. Sandalwood soap is easily found in their non-food section, which has some charming Hindu ritual items as well. Long grain Basmati is sold for under a $1 /LB. They even sell tiffin sets if you're tired of brown bagging it. Don't forget to look for the cricket bats.




This excerpt is from New York Daily Photo blogspot:

Welcome to the only Indian food chain in the United States. The Patel Brothers now have 35 stores across the US, primarily along the eastern seaboard with stores also in Detroit, Houston and Indianapolis. They distribute Raja Foods and Swad ("taste" in Hindi). All total they are doing $140 million in sales annually. The business was started in 1974 by Talashi and Mafat Patel when they bought a small Indian store on Devon Avenue in Chicago. Mafat came to the US on an engineering scholarship and worked for Exxon as an electronic engineer, a position he kept until the late 1980s. I always thought of this type of store as unique to NYC, so it is surprising to learn that the Indian community has grown to such an extent to support all these retail locations. Indians have been very successful in this country - they are the second largest Asian group after the Chinese, the second most prosperous group after the Jewish-American and highly educated - according to the 2000 census, 64% have a bachelors degree or more. With 90% of the product line from India or Pakistan, a location in an Indian Neighborhood, a staff and customers dominated by Indian-Americans gives one an immediate sense of a seriously AUTHENTIC ethnic atmosphere when entering this store. With an entire aisle of rice - more brands than I knew existed - a section devoted to ghee, and of course enormous sections for spices and beans - these guys have no competition ...NEW YORK DAILY PHOTO

Udipi Cafe in Decatur, GA

Our favorite Indian restaurant is Udipi Cafe on Church Street in Decatur, GA

In the bowls: coconut chutney-far left; on the plate -dal(yellow soup), mint chutney (green), raita (white), and sambar (orange soup).
The bread is plain naan and idli.
The dishes include curries, peas and paneer, fried vegetables, flavored rices, and other vegetarian fare. One the side plate is half a fresh dosa. Every buffet order comes with a hot dosa stuffed with vegetable masala and a side of coconut chutney. Second dosas are available upon request. Usually one or two desserts are also on the buffet. Samosas are available at an additional cost. However, the buffet has more than enough.

This is the lunch buffet. At under $20 for two with tip included, you can't beat the price for perfect vegetarian Indian food.

Aloo Mutter

The Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) recipe can easily be changed to Aloo Mutter (potatoes and peas). Simply replace the cauliflower with frozen peas. The rules for fresh v. frozen still apply. So easy and so tasty.

Aloo Gobi

Once again I've grabbed a recipe, researched it, and tweaked it to make it my own.

ALOO GOBI
(Indian spiced potato & cauliflower)

Saute
1/4 stick margarine
1/2 sweet onion finely chopped

After the onion is translucent, add
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp minced garlic
Cook 2-3 minutes, just long enough for the garlic to cook but not burn.

Add
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed small
1/3 - 1/2 head of cauliflower
If you use frozen cauliflower, add the cauliflower about ten minutes after the potatoes. Frozen will break up if cooked too long.
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala or 1 tsp chole masala
1 tsp chili powder

Add just enough water to cover the mix.
Cook 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are done. This means you have to add water to keep it going.

Add
1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt as the dish finishes and mix well.

The end batch should be thick, sticking to the potatoes and cauliflower. You want the potatoes to cook through but maintain their shape.

With the potato in the dish, don't serve over rice. Rather, have a side of bread (naan).

My Tea Drawer

Wagh Bakri's Masala Chai Tea Bags are addictive! A black tea with Ginger, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg and Piper Longum, this authentic Indian tea was found at Patel Brothers Indo-Pak Grocery on Church St in Decatur, GA. #100Qty tea bags for $2. Every morning I have a large mug with 2 tea bags, sugar and milk and it gets me going. A great taste for a great price.

Indian Spiced Rice with Peas

This recipe has become a staple in our house.

INDIAN SPICED RICE WITH PEAS
In a saute pan
Melt
2 tbsp margarine
Add
7 green cardamom seeds
2-7 black cardamon seeds (these are optional because they are expensive and hard to come by)
1 tsp cumin seed
7 cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ginger paste
Saute until the cumin seeds crackle and the smell of the spices is released.
Measure
3 cups water
Add just enough of the water to the saute pan to ensure the garlic cooks thoroughly. This should take only 2-3 minutes.
Measure
1 cup long grain basmati rice
into a microwave safe round casserole pan.
Put spice mixture and remaining water in the rice bowl. Use some of the water to rinse all the spice mixture out of the saute pan. Mix well.
Microwave for 10 minutes.
Add
1 cup frozen peas,
mix well,
and microwave another 8 minutes.
Salt to taste.
ADVICE: As you eat, you will want to set aside the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cardamom seeds and cloves. Otherwise, you'll get a burst of flavor unknown to most western palates.

Curried Chana Dal Soup

I wanted to make a different dal than my usual thick version. Inspired by a watery light dal at Udipi Cafe, delicate in flavor, I researched numerous recipes. Not finding the thin variety, I selected a few staple spices and started experimenting with two types of beans I had on hand. The bean I needed to use primarily was a split red dal that I have had disappointing results from previously. Determined to make use of a bean that loses its color and cooks down to nothing, I decided that I would use it with the tried and true chana dal I love. Because the split red dal cooks so quickly, I decided to add it after the chana had cooked down. The red dal served to thicken the soup and when it cooked through, it gave the soup an unexpected creaminess. While the dal I ended up with wasn't what I went looking for, the dal turned out creamy, mild, and with a pleasing scent. It is a nice change from the thick spinach dal I usually make. I'll be glad to add this to my rotation.

The difference between the red split dal and the chana dal is not only apparent in color, but also in thickness.

CURRIED CHANA DAL SOUP

Cooking time: 2 hours

Water : add water throughout as you see fit

Boil 1 cup Chana Dal 1 hour over medium heat

Add 1 cup Red Split Dal. Cook additional 20 minutes.

The red dal will break down and begin to thicken the soup. More frequent stirring is required from this point forward.

Add

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

1/2 TBSP garlic paste

1/2 TBSP ginger paste

20 curry leaves **optional

Cook additional 20 minutes over medium heat.

At this point carefully consider the water you add because it won't cook down much further. Based on how thick, thin or creamy you want the final product, remember that once the salt is added it's hard to avoid sticking if you don't stir or to thicken it much more.

Turn heat to LOW and

Whisk in

1/2 TSP black mustard seed

1/4 TSP ground coriander

1/2 TSP ground cumin

2 TSP turmeric

1 TSP cayenne pepper

2 TSP Madras Hot Curry powder

1 TSP salt

Cook 20 minutes over low heat.

Rajmah :Indian Spiced Red Kidney Beans

Once again it seems overstocked sale items have led to a new experiment. This time it's Rajmah (also spelled Rajma), Indian spiced red kidney beans. It was my first time trying to make this dish, As always, I went online for ideas, found similarities and some differences in ingredients, and had to go looking for some substitution ideas. For example, star anise has a similar flavor to fennel. Not having the anise, I opted for fennel. Others changes were off the top of my head. After eating Indian food for quite a few years, I've learned which spices compliment each other. Not to mention, the old fashioned method of taste as you go, which always helps.

RAJMAH : Indian Spiced Red Kidney Beans

Using 3 TBSP margarine
Saute lightly

2 TSP garlic paste

2 TSP ginger paste

2 bay leaves
1 TSP fennel seed

Add

1 TBSP oil

1/2 sweet onion, minced

Saute until the onions are done.

Add

1QTY 15-16 oz can of diced tomatoes, liquid included

1QTY 2inch cinnamon stick

1 chili pepper, whole

Cook about 5 minutes

Then add

2 cups water

2 cans of red kidney beans, about 32 oz total, rinsed and drained

2 TSP cumin powder

1 TSP ground coriander

1 TSP garam masala

1 TSP sugar

1/2 TSP spearmint, crushed and dry

2 TBSP dried cilantro

Set the heat to medium low and allow to cook down until a thick sauce forms. It took about 30 minutes simmering and the flavors mixed beautifully.

Remove the 2 bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Serve the chili pepper to the heat lover in your family.

Chana Masala

CHANA MASALA

Serves 4-6

One pan- a deep saute pan

Saute slowly
1/2 stick margarine
3/4 vidalia (sweet) onion finely chopped
then
2 tsp minced garlic after the onion has cooked a while

When the onion is translucent, add

1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 tablespoons chopped tomatoes (I used canned diced tomatoes)
1 cup water
2 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer
Then add
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon chana (chloe) masala**
1/4 tsp cardamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1 heaping tsp or ginger paste or 1 teaspoon ginger powdered. Fresh ginger will yield a hotter batch, try a scant 1/2 tsp fresh ginger instead of powdered. My preference is for the ginger paste because it has vinegar in it and this adds a slight tartness to the dish.

**Garam masala is more commonly found and can be used, however, eliminate the cardamon. I don't like the Garam masala because I think it's a bit too sweet and I find the hint of cinnamon distracting.

Remove about a cup of chick peas, mash and return to the pan.
Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. You want to create a thick sauce. The mash helps it reach this point. If the sauce isn't thickening, use a fork to mash a little more of the chick peas.

Chana Masala with a side of my chunky raita.

This can be served over rice, preferable if the sauce is a little thin, or try papads to scoop up a thickened version.

Chunky Raita

CHUNKY RAITA

Mix together
16 oz plain yogurt plus

Grate 1 whole cucumber, medium or large. Peel if waxed. Include the juice when you add the cucumber to the mix.

1 stalk green onion. Cut the green part into tiny circles.
*Mince the white part and set aside for the true onion lovers to use as a topping.

Dice and add 1 or 2 small roma tomato including juice and seed.

1/2 tsp cumin ground

1/2 tsp cayenne or 1 tsp chili powder will do if you fear the hotter stuff

1 heaping TBSP mint chutney or 2-3 tbsp fresh mint or 2 tbsp dried mint, if nothing else is available. The mint chutney is preferable because most are made with a "bite".

Refrigerate.

Some raita purists argue that mint chutney should be separate from raita. I admit my raita does cheat by adding the coolness of the mint to the coolness of the yogurt but it is well worth a taste.

Spinach Dal

Spinach Dal

1 cup chana dal
This is the chunkier split dal.(Almost twice the thickness of split peas.)
The paper thin split dal is worthless if you want a thick option on the soup. The thicker dal also soaks up the water and flavor better.

Boil until almost done.

Add
3/4 vidalia (sweet) onion
4 tsp minced garlic
1 cup frozen chopped spinach

Cook until onions are soft. The dal should be fully cooked by now.

NOTE: As with all my soups, I never measure the water, adding as I see fit. Some like a thin dal; my husband wants a dal to hand ladle with naan. To each their own.

Taste as you go along. Experiment and have fun. Open your sinuses!
Remember to allow time for the flavors to infuse. A dal should simmer.
The picture above shows where I have cooked this dal down to half to thicken it.

Add
1 TSP turmeric
2 TSP chili powder
1 TSP ground ginger (a one inch knob minced fresh is so much better and hotter but I never seem to have any on hand.
2 tsp chana masala
1 tsp garam masala

Cook at least 10 minutes more

Add 1 tsp salt. Taste and add 1/2 tsp more if it suits your taste.

**For those seeking serious burn,
finely chop 2 green chilis.
I bought a handful of small green chilis and strung them to dry. As they dried, the colors changed and some are green, some red, some a mix. All seem to have increased in heat the longer they dry. Simmer.

Top with chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) if desired.

I recommend adding the chilis after the salt tasting because one can't correctly judge the salt after the hot chilis are added.

AN EXTRA KICK- To accomodate my husband's palate, I add 2 heaping TBSP of garlic chutney at the end. His sandalwood soap helps offset all the garlic oozing from his pores for the next couple of days.

Conquering Indian Food

Examples of just a few of the spices, chutneys, and prepared Indian dishes we have. I start my day off with a large cuppa' Masala Chai with sugar and milk. We eat an Indian meal at least once a week now that I have dared to experiment with Indian cuisine. It's been worth the effort.

I love Indian food, but this hasn't always been the case. Prior to meeting my husband, I had only had curries with rice. While tasty, none of those early meals had ever blown me away until we began going to Atlanta to try Indian restaurants. For years Mother India across from Gwinett Place Mall was our favorite. When it closed we were forced to try new places. It is seldom we have been disappointed. It wasn't until with found Udipi cuisine (Udupi in Hindi) that we knew we had found the perfect regional cuisine for us. Lacking onion and garlic, as lovers of both spices, we were amazed at the variety and range of flavors available. It is a rare treat to visit Udipi Cafe on Church Street in Decatur because of the hour and a half drive, but for every birthday outing my husband knows we'll visit Udipi regardless.

After discovering Patel Brothers Indo-Pak Grocery in the same shopping center as Udipi and the Dekalb Farmer's Market spice section, I knew I could acquire the necessary ingredients for homemade Indian food. Thumbing through several Indian cookbooks, extensive online research and recipe hunting, I began my quest to make the perfect homemade Indian meal. I have yet to find the perfect Indian bread recipe so, for now, I buy frozen paratha and naan at Taj Mahal on Baxter St. in Athens, GA. So far, I have a thick dal, several main dishes, and an amazing raita to my credit. We still buy prepared chutneys and pickles in Decatur, but some day I will try my hand at those.

In the next several posts, I'll share some recipes I've adapted and created. I hope you enjoy these recipes.