Indian Cooking Class, Part 1: Dals & Chicken

My friend Susan asked me to do an Indian cooking class at her monthly cooking class in November. Dawn P. & Mark P. came to help, and we had a great time sharing what we love. I was so happy to have a motivation to figure out how to cook some of the foods I love. Here's the first part of the handout I gave the class . . .

Mostly North Indian cuisine discovered in New Delhi 2006-2008

Benefits of Indian Cooking
Simple & fresh ingredients (once you have the spices)
Same basic procedure for many dishes
Vegetarian options
Many shelf-stable ingredients
Freezes & reheats well
Delicious!


Where to Buy Indian Foods in Austin
Teji's‎ Grocery & Restaurant
1205 Round Rock Ave, Round Rock, TX‎ - (512) 244-3351‎

Gandhi Bazaar (+Curry in a Hurry)
2121 Suite 113 Parmer Lane
Austin 78727
Phone: (512) 837-9701

Ambica Foods in Texas
3203 S. IH35, Suite 580
Round Rock, TX 78664


Basic Spices
jeera (cumin, seed & powder)
dhania (coriander)
haldi (turmeric)
chili powder
curry powder

coriander leaves (cilantro)
mint leaves
ginger paste
garlic paste
mustard seeds (black)*
cardamom (green & black)*
cinnamon sticks
fenugreek*
curry leaves*
garam masala*
chicken masala*


Basic Ingredients

Grains:
wheat flour (finely ground)
rice (long-grain—basmati)
besan (chickpea flour)
sooji (Cream of Wheat)

Proteins:
chicken
paneer (fresh cheese)*
lentils—yellow, black* (daal)
garbanzo beans (chhole)
pinto beans (rajma)
black-eyed peas (rajma)

Basic Flavorings:
lemon juice
plain yogurt
vegetable oil
green chiles (small)* or serrano chiles
ghee (clarified butter)*

Vegetables:
tomatoes
cucumber
potatoes (aloo)
cauliflower (gobi)
onion
okra (bhindi)
spinach (palak)
sweet bell peppers (capsicum)
green peas (muttor)
green beans
eggplant
green onions

Helpful Equipment:
sharp knife
large, heavy skillet/wok
heavy pot
mortar & pestle
food processor/blender
pressure cooker

* Usually only available at Indian grocery


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Dal Makhani
(Dal cooked in butter)
Definitely my favorite dal. Anything with cream and butter has to be delicious!


1 cup black urad dal (whole black lentils, or any other lentil)
1/4 cup kidney beans (rajma)
2-4 tablespoons butter/oil/ghee
1 c. onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera)
½ t. chili powder
(3/4 cup tomato puree)
1-2 t. salt

1 teaspoon garam masala powder
½ - ¾ cup fresh cream
Fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)


Soak the dal and rajma overnight. Add enough water to cover and pressure cook or boil till the lentils are soft. If pressure cooking, this should take 20-30 minutes. If boiling, it should take around 2 hours. Split lentils will take less time. Set dal aside.

Melt the butter in a pan, add onions and sauté till they turn pink. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Sauté till golden brown. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook till pulpy. Add the cumin powder and chili powder; sauté for 1-2 minutes. (Add the tomato puree.) Sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the cooked dals into this masala (mixture). Salt to taste. Add the garam masala powder. Cover and cook over a low flame for about 35 minutes. Add water as needed to maintain a thick, soupy consistency.

Add the fresh cream and garnish with fresh coriander before serving.

Serve with rice or rotis (chapattis).

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Everyday Yellow Dal

Serves 4

1 cup yellow split peas, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
1 large tomato, cut into 8 wedges
1-4 T. canola oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed (or 1 T. garlic paste)
1-2 t. ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon coriander powder
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I used 1/4, thought it was plenty, although I may be a wuss.)
1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves (I abhor cilantro, and always replace it with flat-leaf parsley.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Drain the soaked dal (split peas) and place in a large saucepan. Add the tomato and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until peas are tender, about 1 hour. Pick out any tomato skins and whisk dal to emulsify it. Keep warm over very low heat.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the cumin seeds, covering the pan with a lid or splatter screen. After the seeds have stopped sputtering, add the onion and sauté over medium heat. About 3 minutes later, add the garlic and sauté until most of the onion has turned dark brown, about 10 minutes altogether. Add the coriander, turmeric and cayenne, stir and pour mixture over the dal. Add the cilantro, (butter) and salt to the dal and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve hot. Tastes better as leftovers!

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Chhole (Garbanzo Beans)
from Sarita
Sarita was our cook/housekeeper during our first six months. When I asked her if she knew how to cook, she said no. But when I asked her to cook what she would cook at home for her family, she and her husband cooked some pretty amazing dishes. Here's one of them. This is the dish I referred to in this blog entry.

1 c. dried garbanzo beans, or 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. water
1 cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom pod, crushed
1 onion, chopped or grated
2 tomatoes, grated or chopped finely
1 t. chhole masala (or curry powder)
½ t. turmeric powder
1 t. garam masala
chopped cilantro (garnish)

1. Cook beans in water in pressure cooker or on stove until tender. (Skip this step if you are using canned beans.)
2. Heat oil in pan, add cinnamon stick & cardamom; cook until popping.
3. Add onion and cook until golden brown.
4. Add tomato, masala, turmeric. Cook a minute or two.
5. Add cooked beans and heat through.
6. Remove from heat and add garam masala and chopped cilantro.

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Black-Eyed Peas in a Spicy Goan Curry
Serves 4 to 6


1 cup dried black-eyed peas or two 15-ounce cans, drained
2 tablespoons, canola oil
1 small yellow onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 t. ginger-garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 cup minced tomato (1 small tomato)
2 cups (or 1 cup if using canned peas) hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste if using canned peas
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup canned coconut milk
2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice


If using dried black-eyed peas, rinse and soak them in enough water to cover for 6 to 8 hours. Drain.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat and saute the onion until it turns dark brown, about 8 minutes. Add the coriander, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne and cumin, and stir for 2 minutes. Add the tomato and stir over low heat until it disintegrates.

Add the peas and mix well. Pour in the hot water, if using, add the salt and sugar, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are cooked through, about 30 minutes. If using canned peas, simmer for only 10 min. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer uncovered for another 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cilantro and lemon juice. Serve hot.


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Chicken Curry
from Sister Monica Beesa
Sister Beesa, the district president's wife, who worked as a cook at the time for an American family, came to our mutual class one week to teach us how to make this delicious dish.

2 lbs. chicken
4 medium sized onions, chopped
5 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 T. oil (or more)
1-2 cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
2-3 cardamom (small, green, elichi)
2 t. ginger-garlic paste
1 ½ chili powder
1 t. curry powder
1 t. chicken masala
2 t. coriander powder
1-2 t. turmeric
Coriander leaves (cilantro)
Salt to taste


1. Heat oil in pan, add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamon and onion and fry until brown.
2. Put in ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, chili powder, curry powder, chicken masala, and salt to taste. Let it cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the chicken. Fry continuously for 8 minutes and add 2 cups water.
4. Cook the chicken until no longer pink and add coriander leaves as a garnish. Serve over rice or with chapattis/naan.


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Chicken Biryani
from Vattikuti Ramarao
While we were moving back into our house in the USA, we had a surprise visit from Vattikuti who had come to Dallas for some training. We unpacked enough dishes and spices for him to cook us up something yummy. I took lots of notes so I could re-create it. Yum! I only wish Lalitha, his wife, had been there to add her two cents to it. My favorite part about watching him cook was that he just put in whatever we had, and didn't bother about it when we didn't have some of the things he asked for.


3-4 T. oil
1 t. jeera seed
½ t. mustard seed
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped
2 small green chilies, halved lengthwise
2 chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves

Spice Mix:
1 t. turmeric
1 t. jeera powder
1 t. coriander powder
1 t. garam masala powder
1 t. chicken masala

1 lb. chicken or potatoes
4 t. ginger-garlic paste
2 ½ c. basmati/Jasmine rice (washed twice)
6 c. water
2 t. salt
½ c. cilantro
½ c. frozen peas
1 t. ginger-garlic paste


1. Saute jeera seed & mustard seed in hot oil until it starts to pop. Add chopped onion and cook a few minutes.
2. Add garlic, ginger and green chilies. Cook on medium-high for several minutes. Add tomatoes & bay leaves; keep cooking until almost like a paste.
3. Meanwhile, mix together the powdered spices and set aside.
4. Add chicken. Stir. Add 4 t. ginger-garlic paste and spice mix (masala). Add rice and sauté while you get water. Add water and salt; cover and cook on high for 5 minutes.
5. Add cilantro, peas, and ginger-garlic paste. Reduce heat and cook 5-10 min.

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BUTTER CHICKEN (CHICKEN MAKHANI)
As a young women's leader at church, I would ask all the girls what their favorite food is. They would invariably say Butter Chicken. Yum.

SERVES 6


MARINADE #1
* 1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* salt to taste

MARINADE #2
* 1 cup yogurt
* salt to taste
* 2 tablespoons garlic paste
* 1/2 tablespoon garam masala
* 2 tablespoons melted butter
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 2 tablespoons ginger paste
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

SAUCE
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon garam masala
* 1 tablespoon ginger paste
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
* 1 tablespoon chopped green chile pepper
* 2 cups tomato puree
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* salt to taste
* 1 cup water
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
* 1 cup heavy cream


DIRECTIONS

1. To Marinate: Place chicken in a nonporous glass dish or bowl with lemon juice, 1 tablespoon chili powder and salt. Toss to coat; cover dish and refrigerate to marinate for 1 hour.
2. Drain yogurt in a cloth for 15 to 20 minutes. Place in a medium bowl; mix in salt, garlic paste, garam masala, butter, chili powder, ginger paste, lemon juice and oil. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken, replace cover and refrigerate to marinate for another 3 to 4 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Place chicken on skewers. Place skewers in a 9x13 inch baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until almost cooked through.
5. To Make Sauce: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garam masala. When masala begins to crackle, mix in ginger paste, chopped garlic and green chile peppers. Saute until tender, then stir in tomato puree, chili powder, salt, garam masala and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring in honey and fenugreek.
6. Place chicken in sauce mixture. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Stir in fresh cream.