Suvir Saran

SWEET PEPPER BIRYANI Serves 6 to 8 This is a biyaani I came up with for serving friends that are vegetarian and love good food. While Indian food has many vegetarian options, in the realm of biryanis I have not seen to many options out there in restaurants. For some reasons, restaurant chefs are lazy about breaking from the norm. Every Indian household has many recipes of rice that feed the largely vegetarian populace. Thus, as you will see, we have in this chapter many options. This particular biryani is nice in that it look amazingly colorful and also has great flavor. The sweetness of the pepper works very well with the sourness of the tomatoes and the crushed spice powder. If you have some tomato chutney made and ready, you sould use a couple of tablespoons in this dish, it will give a warmth of flavor that will be sensational on the palate. SPICE POWDER 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 whole, dried red chili BIRYANI 1/4 cup canola oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 3 whole, dried red chilies 1 large white onion, cut into 1-inch cubes Salt 2 garlic cloves, minced 5 bell peppers in various colors (i.e., 2 red, 1 green, 1 yellow and 1 orange) stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 tomato, chopped small 2 tablespoons tomato chutney (page 000), optional 2 cups basmati rice 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1. For the spice powder, combine all of the spices in a spice grinder and grind to a powder. 2. Heat the oil with the cumin and chilies over in a large wok over high heat until the cumin seeds turn a golden brown color, about 1 minute. 3. Add the onion and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. 4. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. 5. Add the spice powder and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. 6. Add the peppers and cook, stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any spices sticking, 1 minute. 7. Add 1/4 cup water and continue cooking, stirring, until the peppers are softened and beginning to stick to the sides of the pan, 6 to 7 minutes. 8. Add the tomato and chutney and scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to pick up any spices that are sticking. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Taste for salt. 9. Preheat the oven to 350?F. 10. Spread about 2 cups of rice over the bottom of a 10-cup casserole. Spoon about half of the pepper mixture over the rice and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Cover that with about 1 1/2 cups more rice, spreading the rice evenly. Layer the remaining pepper mixture over the rice and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cilantro. Spread the remaining rice over the top. Pour the water in a thin stream around the edges of the casserole and over the top. Cover the dish tightly with foil and then with a cover, if the casserole has a cover. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and serve hot.

Betty, I am not sure why your biryaani is coming out to being like a pudding. Will pay more attention to it tomorrow and see why it does not seem to work. I can PM you a recipe for a chicken biryaani. Let me know if you would want that. It would be a tested recipe, so you can be certain it will work. But you must use Basmati rice.

CHAI Serves 4 If you are used to commercial chai, you'll find this one somewhat less sweet. I use just enough sugar to bring out the subtle taste of the spices. If you like a sweeter drink, just add more sugar. 2 cups milk 1 cup water 1 1/2 tablespoons loose Darjeeling or Earl Grey tea 6 pearls jasmine tea (jasmine dragon phoenix pearls), optional 1 1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick, broken in half 9 green cardamom pods, opened slightly 7 cloves 1 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into chunks 6 black peppercorns 1 tablespoon sugar 1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and let steep 15 minutes. 2. Return to a boil, strain and serve hot.

Have never tried making it with heavy cream... Not sure how it turns out. Maybe wingding, Steven Klc or the others more pastry savvy can help me here. They are the experts I would turn to.

Thanks Sandra! I realized earlier this evening that the recipe for the strawberry shortcake dough would be the same. Thanks for looking out for me. I like this recipe you posted. Will have to get a lot more berries so I can try all the recipes.

Zaafraani Kulfi (Indian Ice-Cream) Serves 8-10 There is no dessert as popular in the northern summer as Kulfi. This Indian version of ice cream is greatly addictive. In restaurants and street side vending carts, Kulfi is served with Falooda (Indian noodles) and a gentle dab of rose water. The frozen dense ice cream the silky playful noodles and the tingling floral bouquet from the rose water, are a perfect counter to the scorching afternoon sun. I also remember weddings where Kulfi frozen in individual terracotta containers was served. Nothing matches the wonders of eating Kulfi holding a cold terracotta container. There is something magical about it. But the magic is close enough when walking down a crowded New York street and finding a Kulfi vendor selling Kulfi in New York City on sticks like Popsicles. And the magic continues when you make it at home, with love and a sense of how you will share with your guests something sublime, Kulfi makes for a great and fulfilling dessert. 1/2 gallon half and half 2 cans evaporated whole milk reserve two tablespoons of th is for use later I to 1 1/2 cups sugar, or to taste 1/4 cup blanched chopped almonds 1/4 cup blanched pistachios, chopped finely 1/2 cup golden raisins 1/2 teaspoon saffron strands 8 to 10 cardamom pods, peeled, seeded and ground into fine powder 2 tablespoons ghee 1. In a heavy bottom pan pour 2 tablespoon water and then pour all the half and half. Bring to a boil over high flame. When the milk is boiling, lower heat to a very low simmer, and with a flat metal spatula, keep scraping the bottom of the pan as the milk cooks over a period of 3-4 hours. 2. As the milk is cooking and you are scraping the base of the pan, in another small pan, take the ghee and heat it over a low flame. Add the ground cardamom seed powder and the raisins and nuts. Sautee for close to 5 minutes till the nuts and raisins are brown but not burned. As and when the content of the pan are sticking to the bottom, you can pour some boiling half and half into the pan to add moisture. 3. The milk will start forming dry layers around the rim of the pan. Scrape these back into the milk and continue to cook, making sure no milk is sticking at the base. You really want to reduce the milk by as much as you can. Place a custard bowl into the freezer for using to test the thickness later. 4. After two hours of cooking, add the evaporated milk to the pan and cook for another hour or more. Make sure you keep scraping the pan to ensure that the milk is not sticking and burning. The milk should be reduced by no less than half of what you began with. 5. Add 1 cup sugar into the pan. Turn the fire off. Test sugar by pouring some of the custard into the bowl from the freezer. Place the bowl with the custard back in the freezer and take it out after 5 minutes. Taste for sugar and add more if you feel the need. 6. In a small frying pan, sauté the saffron strands on a very low flame for a minute or two. Till they darken but aren't burned. Once ready, pour them into a mortar and pestle. Grind into a fine powder. 7. To this fine powder, add the two tablespoons of evaporated milk and continue to blend it in the mortar and pestle. You will see how beautifully the color bleeds into the cream and also smell the intense aroma of saffron. Pour this into the custard 8. Transfer into Kulfi Containers or into a bread pan or even ice trays. You can also set the Kulfi in Popsicle molds to serve it on sticks. Freeze until solid and serve as you would ice cream.

Thanks for the great post. The mothers, grandmas and chefs decide if they want to use the pith or not. Like with meats, many Indians believe t he pith adds more flavor. Some like my sister love to chew on the pith and in doing so savor every bit of spiced oil and spices that had adhered to it. So there is no set rule. It really is personal taste if people choose to make it with or without pith. In fact when pickles are made at home, some homes make a version without any skin. Just juliennes of mango. If you read the first post, you will realize how pickling is an art form that is revered and also left in the hands of those one most trusts. Some also believe that the person that makes the pickles has to be someone you trust and also someone very clean. For in their hands lies the health of many others. I am glad you enjoy the addition of the veggies to the mango pickle at the restaurant. I love pickled cauliflower, carrots, radishes and even eggplant. But at homes they are made in several different ways. And each one is amazing. In my forthcoming cookbook I will share some recipes t hat are not too difficult to be accepted by the palate that is not easily charmed by the flavors of some of these too exotic pickles.

If this is not urgent, I am making my tikkis for testing for the cook book late August. Would that be ok? It will be a perfectly tested recipe then. If you can wait. Also I am sure the other recipes you have found here will be of great help between now and then. When I was much younger and in school in Bombay, I once used the store bought falafel mix and added lots of fun stuff to them (my touch) and made veggie patties that used the falafel recipe as a binding. It worked very well and was an instant hit. I am now embarassed even thinking that I ever used a store bought falafel mix to make anything at all. But maybe you can give this approach a try. If you like crunchy patties, use chana dal (chickpea lentil) that have been soaked overnight in warm water. I grind these coarsely and add to the falafel mix with onions, corn, peas, chiles, spinach and scallions and mix well. Form into a stiff dough and shape into patties of desired size and deep fry.

I just read Jasons post. I would go with his approach. My veggie tikkis are deep fried. They are amazing. I make them with more of any one vegetable when making them for parties. I had made coctail sized small patties to be eaten just by themselves for the dinner with Ms. Jaffrey. She had found the spinach based tikkis delectable and took some home for the next day. I have often used a falafel recipe which I have made heartier by adding chopped onions, corn, dried mushrooms, spinach and green peas. That works very well. I also add to the falafel recipe a little besan (chickpea) flour so as to hold the extra veggies and any water they may exude.

Steve I make my own veggie burgers at home. Similar to what Polly suggests. I add tapioca pearls, potatoes and scallions to the mix. And some coarsely ground chana dal. I love the Garden Burger brand. Santa Fe is my favorite one they carry. The original is also very good. I stay away from veggie burgers that try and capture the beef flavor. I find them gross. Are you making these yourself? Are you simply having to suggest a good brand? If you need a recipe for someone to make them on a regular basis, let me know, I will take time and test a recipe and post one. Or else, go with Garden Burger. Maybe you can taste a few brands and see which you prefer.

When you can cook, let me know.. and I shall PM you a great recipe for you to make. It will be in my book.. and it is a rare pickle recipe. I would love to post it here.. but think it is worth revealing in the book. Hope you recover very soon. Thanks for sharing so generously all that you do. It is great for all of us. And welcome to the site and to the Indian forum officially.

May I cut and paste your recipes for our members on this thread? Or maybe you can do that... your recipes seem wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

Are you in the mood to make a pickle caped chef? I can post a recipe then for you to try..

HUMMUS Serves 6 to 8 This is my version of a recipe given to me by my good friend Mary Ann who makes the very best hummus I’ve ever tasted. If the oil in the tahini has separated (you’ll see it floating on the top), put it into a blender and blend until smooth. Two 15 1/2 ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 garlic clove pounded into a paste with 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup tahini Juice of 2 lemons, or more, to taste, plus 1 tablespoon, for garnish 1/4 cup cold water, or more, as needed 3/4 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin 2 tablespoons olive oil, for garnish 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, for garnish 1. Place the chick peas, tahimi, the juice of 2 lemons, 1/4 cup water and the cumin into a food processor and blend to a thick, grainy consistency. (Do not overprocess; what makes a hummus taste nice is the coarse texture; a mousse-like hummus does not have the same taste). Add more cold water if the hummus is too thick and more lemon juice, if you like. 2. Scrape out onto the serving plate. Drizzle with the olive oil and then with the lemon juice, and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with warm toasted pita bread or fresh vegetables.

Geoff pulled open the front door of the apartment and stood aside. A small, bird-like woman stepped in, overdressed in the gaudy, fussy style that wealthy Upper East Side matrons favor. Her face was angular, with a prominent nose and brow. The dark eyes looked doll-like and fixed but the delighted smile that she showed Kabir and Geoff was warm. She must have been close to sixty but it was clear from her dress and makeup that she had no intention of ever admitting to that age. Her thin, jet black hair was teased to an unnatural height as if small birds had been plucking at it. There was something just a little off about her costume, as if she’d got the style right but the clothing didn’t quite belong to her. She carried a large plate of stuffed grape leaves in one hand and an equally generous plate of hummus in the other. There was enough there for a party of 20. Pure bliss washed over Kabir’s face as he reached for the food. He cooed: “Abu Dhabi, you make the best stuffed grape leaves in New York City!” Geoff’s expressions of delight were more restrained if equally enthusiastic. He handed Abby a Campari and lime. Kabir held onto the hummus but set the platter of stuffed grape leaves on the tiled table in the hallway. Abby asked for scissors and set to work there snipping sprigs of fresh tarragon to garnish the platter of grape leaves. Kabir hustled me into the kitchen along with the hummus. “You have to taste this.” He offered me a spoon. “You see? This is how hummus is supposed to taste. It’s light – not too heavy on the tahini or the garlic, either. It’s silky but not entirely smooth so that the texture makes love to your tongue.”

I will forgive you just this one time for making such a HUGE mistake. Did you not read the name of the recipe????? Just kidding! That is just fine... I make stuffed red chile peppers. Will share the recipes for that in my cook book. They are most amazing.

I have it in my kitchen.. never even glanced through it after I first bought it. Sad! I will bring it out and read it. It looks beautiful. I had heard great things about it and that was the reason I bought it. Not that it takes much for me to buy a cook book. I seem to have any and all that I ever see. Obsession here... Will let you know if I make something from her book.

I use green serranos... Which recipe were you referring to Caped Chef? I think the lemon pickle maybe? But the lemon pickle does not have turmeric. And the green chili pickle has turmeric but no red pepper.... Confused here.

GREEN CHILI PICKLE Makes 2 pints This is a very hot pickle, eaten in tiny quantities, guaranteed to jazz up anything that needs a bit of flavor. Because the pickle is so hot, tiny slices allow you to take just a bit at a time onto your plate. The pickle may be eaten within 4 to 5 days but is best after about 1 week. 3 tablespoons brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon asafetida 1 teaspoon fenugreek seed 1 pound serrano chilies, washed and dried completely, then stemmed and thinly sliced 2 teaspoons turmeric 1/4 cup salt 1 cup light sesame oil Juice of 4 to 6 lemons 1. Combine mustard seeds, asafetida and fenugreek seeds in small frying pan and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to spice grinder and grind to powder. 2. Put sliced chilies in large non-aluminum bowl. Add ground spices, turmeric and salt and stir to coat chilies with spices. Spoon mixture into two sterilized pint bottles, cap and set aside overnight at room temperature. 3. The next day, heat the oil to smoking in small saucepan over medium heat. Pour slowly over chilies in the jars; chilies will sizzle and foam. Cap bottle and set on sunny windowsill for 1 day. 4. The next day, add enough lemon juice to cover chilies. Cap bottles again and set in sun for 3 to 4 more days. Refrigerate and eat within 2 to 3 weeks.

WOW! That sounds amazing.. and very similar to what I ate in Morocco. I will have to make this. I have never been given a recipe for Harissa... Always told in conversations what it has... never made it. Thanks caped chef!

Kala chana are black chick peas. They are black in color and smaller in size.

SOUR LEMON PICKLE Makes 1 1/2 quarts This pickle is made in the summer so that the strong summer heat can intensify or ripen the flavor of the lemon. The pickle is set out daily in the sun for the first 3 weeks and brought in every night. Made without oil, this pickle is traditionally used as medicine, to cure stomach ailments. 12 lemons, rinsed and well dried, hard stem ends removed 2 teaspoons black peppercorns 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 5 cardamom pods 4 cloves 1/2-inch cinnamon stick 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground mace 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 teaspoons carom seeds 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon asafetida powder 2 teaspoons ground ginger 9 tablespoons salt 1. Cut lemons in half lengthwise and then cut each half lengthwise into 6 to 8 wedges. Save any juices you get from cutting lemons; set aside. Lay wedges out on 2 paper towel lined trays and let dry all day in a sunny spot. 2. Grind peppercorns with cumin, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in spice grinder to a powder. Transfer to a large bowl and add cayenne, mace, nutmeg, carom seeds, red pepper flakes, asafetida, ginger, and salt. Add reserved lemon juice and mix well. Now add lemon wedges and mix, pressing spice mixture onto flesh of lemons. 3. Pack lemons into one sterilized 1-quart jar and one sterilized pint jar. Cap jars and set in a sunny spot for 5 weeks, turning jars up and down several times, 3 to 4 times a day. Let pickle age at least another month before eating. Refrigerate after opening.

Gooseberry pickles and several other fruit pickles. I make an orange peel pickle. I am sure as the other members come on and read this.. we will find out what other pickles they have in their families.

In India we have TONS of recipes for mango pickles. Sure.. I would consider Harissa pickling. Have a recipe for harissa that you love?

In America, we think of pickles as a kind of a relish, or side dish – a cured vegetable that adds a sour or tart note to the meal. We pickle a variety of different vegetables but, for whatever the differences, pickles all have a recognizably “pickled” taste. Indian pickles use many of the same ingredients – salt, vinegar, coriander, mustard seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves and ginger – but they present some of the most diverse and exotic tastes and textures imaginable. They are fiery hot, sour, pungent, fragrant, sweet- and- sour, and tart. They are crisp, silky and chewy. Flavors may be fresh, the taste of each spice distinct, or married and intensified by months or even years of aging as the textures of the ingredients melt and soften. While Indians eat some pickles (such as the Mixed Vegetable Pickle, below) in relatively large quantities, the pickles are often too intensely flavored to be eaten that way; they’re used in tiny amounts as a spice or condiment to enliven a dish. Indians also use pickles in a way that Americans never do, that is, medicinally, to cure an ailment. Indians love to taste food; they live to taste food. Indians want many layers and many contrasting tastes. No one food can satisfy that hunger except a variety of pickles. I have jars and jars of multi-colored pickles sitting on the kitchen table. One is a tiny onion pickle, picked young and fresh and pickled in rice vinegar, that is common to almost all north Indian homes. Several are pickled chilies: one is made of whole green chilies and is dangerously hot while another, made from habaneros stuffed with spices, is more savory than hot, and a third is made from chopped green chilies soured with lemon. There is a crunchy sweet- and- hot cauliflower, turnip and carrot pickle, a ginger-lime pickle and a gooseberry pickle. These pickles are made from recipes that have been handed down by the women of my family for two to three hundred years. Some of these jars have been maturing for just a few days, others for much longer than that. A jar of lemon pickles made by his family chef at home in India, a jar that has been maturing for 60 years. In India, food is understood to be intimately related to health and medicine. The Ayurveda, the ancient Hindu text that defines the relationship of food, spices, exercise and meditation for the health of the human body, gives recipes for various medicinal foods and elixirs, of which pickles play an important role. I use lemon pickle as it is traditionally used in my native country: to cure queasiness and tummy aches. In my New York household I use pickles the way that wealthier households do in India, as a condiment guaranteed to give plain foods taste. In fact, in India it’s considered rude to ask for pickles if they are not on the table; it suggests that the food isn’t savory enough. Indian homes make several signature pickles, recipes that have been passed down through generations of women. Pickles made the season before are served daily. Aged, well-loved pickles are brought out when someone is sick or when the household is hosting a special meal. With the exception of some pickles that are made with winter produce such as cauliflower, radishes, turnips and carrots, pickles are made in Indian homes in the heat of the summer. Fruits and vegetables are bought from local vendors who sell door to door. Women spend several weeks preparing pickles. The fruits are laid out on terraces on sheets of muslin for several days in the summer sun to dry, or “ripen” and concentrate their flavors. The produce is brought inside every night to protect against dew and laid out again in the morning. The pickles are put up in very large ceramic jars, each about 20 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Once jarred, the pickles are ripened again for several more days in the sun. If you ask an Indian where the best pickles are made, they will name three centers: the Marwari and Baniya trading communities in northern India, the state of Gujerat in western India, and the state of Andhra Bradesh, in southern India. The Marwari and Baniya communities are completely vegetarian and they subsist on pickles and bread. The people of these communities make pickles everyday and their meals include several different types. Pickles that are spiced with fenugreek and fennel and pickled in mustard oil, are likely to be from northern India, as are pickled cauliflower, carrots, turnips and radishes, the so called “winter vegetables” that are grown on the northern plains. Pickles represent a ritual world of food and community in India. Pickling is an ancient art and a part of Hindu spiritual practice: according to the laws of Hindu religion, pickling, or “cooking” foods with sun and air is one of the three acceptable ways to make raw foods palatable. The rituals of pickle making define a certain period of the summer in India when entire households are given over to the task of their making. Traditionally, in small towns, the women join together, spending days outside in the shade of tamarind trees cutting, preparing, and drying the fruits and vegetables. The kids play above in the dense greenery of the trees, eating the green fruit of the tamarind and tossing the seeds onto the ground below. (Stomach aches and tiny tamarind seedlings are evidence of their gluttony.) Play, food, music and storytelling combine to give the season a celebratory mood. Even in urban centers in India today, the time of pickling still invites ritual community and celebration. Women call each other on the phone to organize the making of the pickles or to ask for the gift of a jar of a favorite kind. Life slows a bit, personal connections are made, and thousands of years of ritual is repeated. --Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness