Hottest Fares From
India
Shari L. Coxford © 1999
For cooks who are heavy-handed with their spices, the
bottles you buy in the supermarket might last a week, if you’re lucky, and
cost as much as a pair of leather boots. A cheap alternative is to
buy in bulk at an Indian grocery store. For about as much as you’d
pay for a one ounce bottle of spice at the supermarket, you can buy enough
to fill an 8-10 ounce coffee jar at the Indian store.
Cooks from India have sharpened the art of spicy cooking
to a tongue-burning edge. Their culinary masterpieces are not for
the faint of heart. For those with a flare for the daring, whose
adventurous palates long to romp through
sweltering jungles of chilies, I submit the following authentic Indian
recipes. These are generally one pot meals. For best
results, all Indian dishes should be served with rice and pita bread (two
entities that help soften the mighty blow of the chili pepper), also
available in bulk at the Indian grocery. All recipes are guaranteed
to clear your sinuses.
Dhana jeero and garam masala are powdered spices available at the Indian
grocery. The chili powder used was also from
the Indian grocery, and is much hotter than that available in
American grocery stores. Pepper pods are dried, red chili
peppers. In all recipes, this cook used about 1/8 cup of
salt, and did not peel the potatoes and carrots.
These recipes are hot enough to bring tears to your eyes.
For a little less heat, you might want to start out with less chili
powder, fewer red pepper pods, and fewer green chili
peppers. You can always go hotter the next time.
I thank Madhusudan L. Amin from Gujarat, India, for sharing his recipes
with us.
BITING BEEF STEW
1 1/2 lbs. beef - cubed
5 small onions - sliced thin
1/2 cup cooking oil
7 cloves fresh garlic - sliced
2 square inches fresh ginger - sliced
5 green chili peppers - sliced lengthwise
2 tomatoes - sliced
1 potato - cubed
1/2 cup peanuts, any kind
5 tsp. dhana jeero
2 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. turmeric
3 tsp. garam masala
salt to taste
splash of water
3/4 cup cooking oil
Brown beef in a frying pan while preparing other ingredients.
Cover bottom of a large stewpot with 1/2 cup cooking oil
and place on medium-high heat. In a blender, combine 3/4 cup oil and
onions. Liquefy. Add to stewpot. In same blender,
combine garlic, ginger, chilies and water. Liquefy and add to
stewpot.
Liquefy tomatoes in blender with a splash of water. Add to
stewpot. Stewpot should be boiling and sizzling. Stir often
to avoid burning. Add beef to stewpot. Add all other
ingredients except peanuts, stir. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add peanuts and stir. Simmer for another 30-35 minutes.
Optional: You may add 3 heaping tablespoons full of yogurt about 5
minutes before stew is done. Serve over plain rice.
HAIR-SPLITTING HAMBURGER STEW
1 1/2 lbs. hamburger
3 medium onions - sliced thin
3 square inches fresh ginger - sliced
5 green chili peppers - sliced thin
1 tomato - halved and sliced
1 bell pepper - cubed
4 pepper pods
2 potatoes - quartered and sliced
1 carrot - sliced 1/2 cup cooking oil
3 heaping tablespoons full tomato paste
8 cloves fresh garlic - sliced
3 tbsp. cumin seeds
6 cloves
4 tsp. garam masala
3/4 tsp. turmeric
5 1/2 tsp. dhana jeero
2 tsp. chili powder
salt to taste
In a stewpot, combine oil and onions with heat on
medium-high. Cook until onions are limp and mushy. Add ginger,
chilies, garlic, and pepper pods. Cook for 5 minutes. Mixture
should be sizzling. Stir in cumin, cloves, tomato, tomato paste,
garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, dhana jeero and salt. Add beef
and bell pepper. Mix well. Mixture should be bubbling and
boiling. Stir frequently while hamburger is browning.
When meat is fully browned, add potatoes and carrot. Cover and
simmer on low heat for 35-40 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Serve over plain rice.
FIERY BAKED CHICKEN
17 chicken legs (family-sized package)
10 green chili peppers - sliced
2 square inches fresh ginger - sliced
10 cloves fresh garlic - sliced
Small can tomato paste
1/4 cup water
4 pepper pods
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 tsp. cumin seeds
10 cloves
1 tsp. turmeric
6 tsp. dhana jeero
3 1/2 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. chili powder
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.. Skin and rinse chicken and
poke several times with a sharp knife. Combine all other
ingredients in blender and puree into a thick paste. Cover chicken
with paste and arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan. Bake
uncovered for 1 hour. Serve with plain rice.
FEISTY FRIED RICE
4 cups cooked white rice - cooled
1 bell pepper - cubed
1 onion - sliced thin
1 carrot - sliced thick
1 tomato - sliced thick
3 green chili peppers
1/2 cup cooking oil
5 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
4 pepper pods
1 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. chili powder
salt to taste
Heat oil in stewpot on medium-high heat. Test oil’s heat by
throwing in a few mustard seeds. Oil is ready when
mustard seeds pop. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chilies and
pepper pods. Once the seeds have popped, add onion, bell pepper,
carrot, and tomato. Stir for three minutes. Add turmeric and
chili powder. Stir, cover and simmer on medium heat for 5-8 minutes.
Ingredients should be limp and mushy. Add rice and salt. Mix
well. Cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until rice heated
through.
PUNCHY POTATOES
6 potatoes - cubed and rinsed
3 bell peppers - cubed
2 tomatoes - sliced thick
4 pepper pods
2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 cup cooking oil
salt to taste
3 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. fennel seeds
4 tsp. chili powder
3 1/2 tsp. garam masala
6 tsp. dhana jeero
splash of water
Heat oil in stewpot on medium-high heat. Oil is hot
enough when mustard seeds pop. Test a few to gauge readiness.
Once mustard seeds have popped, add fennel seeds, pepper pods, and spices.
Mix well. Add potatoes, bell peppers and tomatoes. Cook
covered on medium heat for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. If
mixture appears to be drying out, sprinkle water over it.
FRIED ONIONS
4 bell peppers - sliced thick
2 onions - sliced thick
1/4 cup cooking oil
ground black pepper to taste
Heat oil in frying pan on high heat. Add onions and
peppers. Sprinkle with ground pepper. Fry until onions are
golden brown and mushy.
SNAPPY CHICK PEAS
19 oz. can chick peas
1 onion - sliced
2 potatoes - diced
2 tomatoes - sliced
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 square inch fresh ginger - sliced
1/4 - 1/2 cup cooking oil
splash of water
1 tbsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. turmeric
4 tsp. dhana jeero
3 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. chili powder
6 pepper pods
salt to taste
In a stewpot, combine cooking oil and onions. Cook on
high heat until onions are soggy, browned and shrunken. Add all
other ingredients except chick peas. Mix well. Cover and cook
on medium heat for 12 minutes. Add chick peas and a splash of water.
Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Serve over plain rice.
BLISTERING EGGPLANT
1/2 an eggplant - cubed and rinsed
3 potatoes - cubed and rinsed
5 pepper pods
3 tsp. chili powder
3 tsp. garam masala
1/4 - 1/2 cup cooking oil
splash of water
2 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
4 tsp. dhana jeero
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
5 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
Heat cooking oil in stewpot. Oil is ready when mustard
seeds pop. Test a few to gauge readiness. Add mustard seeds,
cumin seeds and pepper pods. When all have popped, add eggplant,
potatoes, and all other ingredients except sugar. Mix well.
Cook covered on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add sugar and stir well.
Cover and simmer on low heat for an additional 20 minutes. Serve
over plain rice.
LUSTY LENTIL SOUP
2 cups dried lentils - rinsed
2 onions - sliced thin then halved
2 tomatoes - sliced thin then halved
9 cloves fresh garlic - sliced thin
5 green chili peppers - sliced thin
5 pepper pods
8 whole cloves
1 1/2 cups water
dollop cooking oil
5 tsp. dhana jeero
3 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. turmeric
3 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. mustard seeds
3 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. asafetida powder
salt to taste
In stewpot, combine lentils, onions, chilies, tomatoes,
water, dhana jeero, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala and
salt. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes, or until steaming hot.
Cover and cook on medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Mixture should be
boiling. Stir, cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
In a small frying pan, heat cooking oil. Oil is ready when
seeds pop. Test for readiness with a few mustard seeds.
Add garlic, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, pepper pods, whole
cloves, and asafetida. Fry until garlic is golden brown. Add
to stewpot. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 20
minutes. Serve over plain rice.
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Shari Coxford is a freelance writer and founder of the
All Free Spot
freebies web site: Tons of Free Stuff!
