Tejal Rao's 10 Essential Indian Recipes

[elleng]

'Our California restaurant critic, whose taste was shaped in family kitchens far from the subcontinent, picks dishes that show the cuisine’s many facets and techniques.

My grandmother cooked in an embroidered cotton caftan and rubber flip-flops, getting all of her prep out of the way in the morning, sometimes enlisting my help with tedious potato-peeling or kneading.

Blasting Hindi movie soundtracks on the radio, she built the seasonal Gujarati dish undhiyu, a specialty of the city of Surat, with purple yams and plantains, flat hyacinth beans and teeny eggplants, all of it layered in a giant, lipped stainless-steel pot and left to cook slowly over the charcoal outside.

This didn’t happen in India, but in Kenya.

I’m a part of the diaspora. Born in London to East African and Indian parents with Gujarati and Konkani roots, I immigrated to the United States as a teenager. As I was growing up, my connections to these cultures were maintained in my family’s kitchens, if nowhere else.

On the day of a big party, my grandmother and grandfather would sit down side by side at the kitchen table and form an efficient factory line. Together, they would stuff hundreds of samosas with cinnamon-scented ground lamb and blanched peas I’d helped shuck, sealing the delicate triangles with a glue of flour and water. . .

The 10 Essential Recipes

1. Toor Dal (Split Yellow Pigeon Peas) . .

2. Keema (Spiced Ground Meat) . .

3. Roti . .

4. Gajjara Kosambari (Carrot Salad) . .

5. Lamb Biryani . .

6. Dosa . .

7. Aloo Masala (Spiced Potatoes) . .

8. Egg Curry . .

9. Matar Kachori (Fried Pea-Filled Pastries) . .

10. Meen Gassi (Fish Curry) . .

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/dining/indian-recipes.html?

[irisblue]

1. Ellen, thank you

A couple of recipes you had posted are now in rotation at my dinner table

[elleng]

2. GREAT! Happy to hear it!

[japple]

3. Will you copy/paste #7 and #4. I would love to have that with Saag Paneer.

Many thanks.

[elleng]

4. ;-) Glad it worked! Can't always 'catch' them.

Gajjara Kosambari (Carrot Salad)
TEJAL RAO
YIELD2 cups
TIME5 minutes, plus soaking (optional)Print this recipeEmailShare on PinterestShare on FacebookShare on Twitter
Gajjara Kosambari (Carrot Salad)
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

4. There are countless variations of this style of salad from Karnataka, but my favorite is a simple version made with crunchy raw carrots, dressed with a little tempered fat, coconut, citrus and chopped herbs. If fresh coconut isn’t available, keep a bag of frozen grated coconut in the freezer. It’s easy to find at most Indian grocery stores and, when you have it on hand, you can bring this salad together in less than five minutes.

Indian, Salads And Dressings, Vegetables, Carrot, Coconut, Cumin Seed, Mustard Seed, Serrano Chili, Snack, Appetizer, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
1 green finger chile (or serrano chile), halved lengthwise
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon white sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
¼ cup moong dal (split green gram), soaked for 1 hour, rinsed and drained (optional)
3 large carrots, peeled and roughly grated
2 tablespoons fresh or frozen grated coconut
Handful of cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon granulated sugar


7. Aloo Masala (Spiced Potatoes)
TEJAL RAO
YIELD4 servings
TIME25 minutes
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Aloo Masala (Spiced Potatoes)
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

A little bowl of simply spiced half-mashed potatoes and onion, glistening with fat, is a standard side dish at bustling restaurants that serve dosas. It’s also one of the best vegetable dishes — inexpensive, quick and delicious — to add to your repertoire as a home cook. The key to these potatoes is water, not fat. Overcooking them just slightly ensures that they’re tender, and that they hold enough moisture so when you drop them into the hot pan, they break up and meld into the sautéed onion mix, becoming almost indistinguishable from it. Though aloo masala is great with a hot dosa, it’s a versatile dish that can also work as a side with other meals.

Indian, Vegetables, Cilantro, Cumin, Ginger, Lemon, Potato, Turmeric, Dinner, Quick, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian Mark as Cooked 14 ratings

INGREDIENTS
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
1 tablespoon urad dal (split black gram)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons roughly chopped roasted cashews
1 green finger chile (or serrano chile), finely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
½ lemon, for squeezing

[japple]

5. Wow!!! Thank you, thank you. The potatoes sound absolutely wonderful and

I think I have most of the ingredients. I will bookmark this one. Too bad that the carrot salad has dal. I have allergy to split peas, chick peas, and green peas

Thanks again for posting these recipes.