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When I worked at the Unicorn Inn in South Gillies, Ontario, Chef David Nobel cooked an East Indian feast once a month. These dinners were often booked far in advance by spicy food lovers. As a recipe source, one of David’s most loved and oft used cookbooks was Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni.
Here’s a fabulous summertime recipe from the book:
6 Servings
2 pounds shrimp (28 – 32 per pound)
7 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
2 tsp minced garlic
1-1/2 tbsp ground or crushed fresh ginger root
2 green chilies, or more, to taste, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp ground coriander seed
3 cups coconut milk
1-1/2 tsp Kosher salt
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves (or 1 tbsp dried)
1. Shell shrimp, devein if necessary, wash thoroughly, and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan, add onions. Over high heat, fry the onions until they turn golden brown (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly to prevent burning.
3. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, ginger, and chilies, and fry for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Add turmeric and coriander, stir rapidly for 15 seconds, add coconut milk and salt. Cook the sauce, uncovered, until it thickens (about 10 minutes.) Stir frequently to ensure that the sauce does not stick and burn.
5. Add shrimp, mix, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, for 5-7 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through. Do not overcook the shrimp or they will become tough and chewy. Check for salt, stir in minced cilantro leaves, and serve with rice.
Madhur Jaffrey, another of my longtime favourite East Indian cookbook authors, also has numerous great recipes in The Madhur Jaffrey Cookbook and Madhur Jaffrey Indian Recipes.
4 Servings
3/4 lb medium-sized mushrooms
1 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
6 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed to a pulp or grated
4 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and very finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or more to taste
1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
1. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth, then half them.
2. Combine the ginger and garlic in a small cup with 3 tbsp water. Heat the oil in a 7-inch pot over a medium-high flame. When hot, put in the chopped onion and fry, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until onion is a golden-brown colour.
3. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Keep stirring and frying for another 2 minutes. If the water evaporates, sprinkle a little more in (about 2 tsp). Now add the turmeric and cayenne. Stir.
4. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 the salt, and 4 fl oz water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Check the salt. You may wish to add a bit more. Stir. Serve with an Indian bread or a rice dish.
4 – 6 Servings
15 fl oz plain yogurt
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 oz sultanas, soaked in 8 fl oz hot water 1 hour and drained
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
Put the yogurt in a bowl. Add the salt and pepper. Beat the yogurt with a fork or whisk until smooth and creamy. Add all the other ingredients and mix.
If you’ve never eaten East Indian foods you may wonder, why bother? Course if you’re a spicy food lover and you’ve eaten it you likely know why, indeed. Not only is Indian food exquisitely tasty, infinitely varied, and packed with lots of great vegetables and grains, but its spices are well-known for their digestive and health-beneficial properties.
For example, turmeric is a great liver detoxifier, is being studied for its positive effects on reducing certain cancers, may prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer, is anti-inflammatory, reduces pain, helps speed healing, and is a natural antibacterial and antiseptic.
Ginger is excellent for reducing cold symptoms and motion sickness, improving digestion, is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, boosts the immune system, and may be helpful in reducing certain cancers.
Coriander seeds and cilantro leaves are great digestives, good anti-inflammatories, helpful for increasing good cholesterol while reducing bad, also for lowering blood sugar, and they’re chock full of phytonutrients.
Here’s to your health and your tastebuds!
Photo Credit: Zsuzsanna Kilian
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