What is a dry curry? I'm sure some would think that is a paradox, but these kinds of curries that don't have a wet masala base can't quite be called a stir-fry IMHO. Dry curries are simpler and take less time typically than a regular stew-type curry. There typically are less ingredients and less cook time, but still have pronounced flavor from spices; look at this fenugreek fish curry for another example. Thoren would be the name to this particular kind of Keralan curry. I am on a Kerala kick---I love that the region uses fresh coconut (not only the cream or milk but the actual meat of the ... read more
Keralan Fish Curry (Fish Molee)
We floated on a houseboat in rivulets off the Southern coast of India in the state of Kerala. Just a fisherman and a chef accompanied us. They only spoke Malayalam of course, but with my little bit of Hindi and their little bit of English, we got by. It was a 2 night trip and one of the most memorable. Bypassing homes of those that lived on the rough banks, we daytime-napped in the sunshine on the boat, waking up to cocktails and tropical fruits. As the sun set, the two-person crew would catch pomfret bare-handedly and fry them up. Gourmet meals set on a tablecloth. More cocktails. Empty ... read more
Saucy Shrimp Curry with Star Anise
I know I've lured you in. If the words Star and Anise together haven't pulled you into a food blog, I don't know what will! Used quite a bit in warming winter recipes, particularly desserts, breads, and mulling spices, star anise is under-utilized in the spice cabinet in my opinion. And one star goes a long way! I buy mine at Penzey's Spices and the aroma is really like no other aromatic woody spice. It's nothing like cinnamon or allspice and not like cloves or nutmeg either. I cannot describe it, but you must have some. Spices last a long time in your cabinet so invest in a small ... read more
Ivy Gourd (Tindora/Dondakaya) Curry
Have you ever heard of this curry? Have you heard of this vegetable? If you're heading to the Indian market to get some ingredients and spices for my other friends' recipes (or mine), you should nab a bagful of these cylindrical green mini-squashes and make this pretty straightforward South-Indian style curry. They would go beautifully with the other curries highlighted in my friends' cooking series! My friend Hyma made this dish for an Indian feast I hosted several years ago. The theme of the Indian feast was to highlight curries from the region of Andhra Pradesh, the state in South India ... read more
Butternut Squash and Spinach Curry with Coconut Milk
Over the last 2 decades learning about cooking I keep coming back to the same idea that out of all the cuisines I have learned about, the cuisine of India is the most vast. The array is staggering and the differences at first glance in recipes or regions don't seem that discrepant….until you actually cook the recipes. As y'all know, I've been an Indian cooking instructor for several years. And I started out teaching to make the public aware of the regional differences of Indian food, mostly because of my various roots in India. But I'm certainly NOT the only Indian cook out there. And I ... read more
Pav Bhaji Sliders
Pav bhaji, the popular Indian street food curry with a bun, is a semi-indulgent dish to have, loaded with ghee or butter and always paired with the whitest of white bread (browned and toasted with even more butter). Pav means "bread" and bhaji is an all-around loose term for a vegetable-laden curry. The key ingredients in the curry are potato, carrots, and peas. Often you'll find cauliflower too. In a typical onion, tomato, garlic and spice base, all the vegetables are cooked through and through, almost to a puree. Veggies appear hidden in the final dish, which is then sprinkled with raw ... read more
Chhole (Chickpea Curry)
The pairing of chhole and puri or paratha is a provocative one, comforting and satiating. It’s one of the easier main course dishes I prepare since in this case I use a store-bought chhole masala mix rather than blending my own as a shortcut. Opening that box initiates a startling and overwhelming olfactory and gustatory sensation. Don’t skimp on the cooking fats here; you need it for the masalas to find their way to your senses. ... read more
Potato Curry
Sweet and Savory Indian Cuisine, from the state of Gujarat Put a pinch of sugar on the palm of your hand. Then mix in a pinch of salt. Add a light touch of an Indian chili powder or cayenne. Pop that into your mouth. Congratulations! You've just gotten a taste of Gujarati Indian food! In desserts these days, that juxtaposition of salt mixed into sugar bodes well for pleasure to the palate. Think about those salt-sprinkled oatmeal cookies, waxy bars of 70% cacao chocolate with fleur de sel speckled through, or any recipe from this cute blog Not Without Salt. Or worse, think about ... read more
A Curry of Nine Jewels
On a recent trip to Houston, our families went to dine at a Northern Indian-style Punjabi cuisine restaurant. (That is, the kind of Indian food you get at virtually most Indian restaurants in America). One of the dishes we ordered was Navrattan Korma, literally translates into 9 jewels or 9 vegetables. Now this is NOT a Gujarati dish (a post on Guju food coming next week!!), and even if it were, it would have been a BAD Gujarati dish. Not one of us enjoyed the curry at the restaurant, because all could be tasted was the sweet profile. For a curry to work well if it's sweetened, you must be ... read more
Fenugreek Fish Fillets
Deftly flipping the two-inch chunks of pale pink fish fillets, without a fancy $25 fish spatula, she was unable to answer my question regarding the kind of fish with which she was cooking. The quest to find the source of the fish or assure oneself that it's a sustainable species is not on the forefront of thoughts of a housewife and cook living in India. The fish consumed there is by default sustainable and fresh, natural and not well-travelled. Fish isn't purchased at a counter inside a supermarket and bagged with crushed ice. In fact, they reside temporarily in the open-air fish markets ... read more
