Indian Cooking Archive

Cuisine indienne

Red Split Lentils With Cabbage (Masoor dal aur band gobi) with Cucumber Scallion Raita- Lentilles rouges et chou a l'indienne et sauce au yogourt et au concombre.
Red lentils in a soup, ok, but boiled with cabbage and onions?? Les sceptiques seront confondus!
Cheap, cheap, cheap, good, good, good

Chicken Mulligatawny Soup - Soupe Mulligatawny au poulet
An Indian classic, this lentils and chicken based soup can be served as a main course or, in very small servings, as a appatizer. Recipe in French.
Un classique indien,cette soupe a base de lentilles et de poulet peut tres bien etre servie avec un riz basmati ou une salade pour un repas rapide ou en petite portion comme entree. Recette en francais. Recette en francais.
Soupe Mulligatawny au poulet

Chicken Tikka Masala - Poulet Tikka Masala
Another classic, this time definitely on the spicy side. This version is actually somewhat similar to Butter Chicken, minus the sweetness. Recipe in French and in English.
Un autre classique, mais attention aux epices: ca rechauffe en hiver!! Pour ceux qui ne mangent pas souvnet epice, mieux vaut diminuer le piquant de moitie, juste au cas... Recette en francais et en anglais.
Poulet Tikka Masala

Green Soup - Soupe verte aux pois - Hara Shorva
A fabulously refreshing pea soup from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking book. In French.
Soupe aux pois, version indienne, avec des ingredients peu couteux et faciles a trouver. Peut etre servie chaude ou froide. Deshalterant, nourissant et delicieux!! Recette en francais.
Green Soup - Hara Shorva

Cold yogurt and mint soup - Soupe froide au yogourt et a la menthe
Dahi ka shorva
Madhur Jaffrey, again! A wonderful summer soup which will give your 10,000 variations of gazpacho a nice rest. A very flavorful and refreshing recipe. In French.
Une superbe recette d'ete qui chaneg du gazpacho.Toute une surprise, c'est une soupe savoureuse et tres rafraichissante. Recette en francais.
Soupe froide au yogourt et a la menthe

Cheap, cheap, cheap, good, good, good

Red Split Lentils With Cabbage (Masoor dal aur band gobi) with Cucumber Scallion Raita

Lentilles rouges et chou a l'indienne et sauce au yogourt et au concombre.

Red lentils in a soup, ok, but boiled with cabbage and onions?? Les sceptiques seront confondus!

I have a new favorite dish and this time, although it is a little labor intensive - yeah... you will need a good hour and a half to make this one happen - it is incredibly cheap. With the simplest Indian dishes, once you have the few spices that come back all the time (namely cumin, cilantro and turmeric, which a lot of health-conscious people already put everywhere anyway), you can limit yourself to buying peas, lentils, potatoes, cauliflower and cabbage and create amazingly tasteful and even good looking meals.

I have to admit that I was very skeptical about this dish. It was in the Madhur Jaffrey book that Dennis and I received when we got married - merci Nancy!! - and although I used it a lot over the summer and loved it, I stayed away from the cabbage and red lentil dishes. "Red lentils in a soup, ok, but boiled with cabbage and onions?? Come on, we're no organically raised farm animals!" Recently though, one of my "sources" mentioned her favorite Indian recipes in her beautifully illustrated blog. She made one cauliflower recipe, one raita and this Madhur Jaffrey recipe. I cooked the whole meal although my main interest rested mostly in the cauliflower and the raita. I did the lentils as well because we already had most of the ingredients and it seemed very cheap so why not try? As I said before, I only work part-time now, I have to be reasonable!

Well... although the cauliflower was good, I find myself waking up in the morning craving boiled lentils, cabbage and onions. I know it sounds weird but just try it.

Lentils can be served as an appetizer, a side to another Indian dish or as a cheap, low-fat, comforting main course. You could also serve it with naan.

I will put the two recipes separately but ideally, put the lentils in water first, then do the raita and finally proceed with the rest of the lentil recipe. This way the raita will be more flavorful than if you do it right before serving. Serve it with the lentils to cool the spices - I put it in a bowl in the center of the table, as a condiment.

Red Split Lentils With Cabbage (Masoor dal aur band gobi)
Madhur Jaffrey, Indian Cooking

Serves 4 to 6

1¼ cups red split lentils (masoor dal), picked over, washed and drained
5 cups water
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into fine slices
½ pound cored and finely shredded cabbage
1 to 2 fresh, hot green chilies, finely sliced - I used jalapenos
1½ teaspoons salt
1 medium tomato, finely chopped - it should officially be peeled...
½ teaspoon peeled, finely grated fresh ginger

Put the lentils and water into a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Remove any scum that collects at the top. Add the turmeric and stir to mix. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, turn heat down to low, and simmer gently for 1¼ hours. Stir a few times during the last 30 minutes.

When the lentils cook, heat the oil in a 20 to 23 centimeter (8 to 9 inch) frying pan over medium heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 3 to 4 seconds. Now put in the garlic. As soon as the garlic pieces begin to brown, put in the onion, cabbage and green chilies. Stir and fry the cabbage mixture for about 10 minutes or until it begins to brown and turn slightly crisp (it took me a lot more than 10 minutes). Stir in ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Turn off the heat under the frying pan.

When the lentils have cooked for 1¼ hours, add the remaining 1¼ teaspoon salt, the tomato and ginger to the pot. Stir to mix. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Combine with the cabbage mixture and any remaining oil in the frying pan. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer.

Simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cabbage is heated through.

Cucumber Scallion Raita

In a medium sized bowl, combine:

¼ cup finely chopped English (seedless cucumber)
1 thinly sliced scallion
¾ cup yogurt
½ teaspoon salt

Serve as a condiment for the lentil dish.

Image from www.goodnessdirect.co.uk

Moroccan Chickpea Soup

Soupe Marocaine aux pois chiches
Also called Harira

It is snowing in New York today. the kind of snow, light and temperature that makes you think it's December in Quebec City. But wait. it's noon and the snow has already started melting, leaving everything soggy and brown. Oh well. Here's a soup recipe with a moroccan twist to brighten the day.

Adapted from the November 2000 Gourmet magazine, this recipe originally calls for dry chickpeas. I went through the trouble - am I unemployed?? - of soaking them overnight and then boiling them the way they asked and honestly, I don't think it's worth it unless you enjoy very crunchy peas in your soup.

Note that you can also use canned tomatoes and puree them with a blender or a hand mixer.

By the way, this soup re-confirmed that green lentils are the most underrated bean in the world - they are so good!!! Remember this soup? Oh, lentilles vertes du Puys!


1 (15.5 oz) can of chickpeas
1 (35-oz) can pureed tomatoes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 small celery rib (including leaves), finely chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup green lentils
1/4 - 1/2 cup dried capellini, broken into 1-inch pieces, or fine egg noodles (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan and cover with at least 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered while you complete the following steps and no more than 30 minutes.

Cook onion and celery in butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add turmeric, pepper, and cinnamon and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.

Add chickpeas with 2 1/2 cups of their cooking water (if you do not have enough liquid, add more water).

Stir in tomatoes, 1/3 cup cilantro, vegetable broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.

Stir in pasta and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley, remaining 1/3 cup cilantro, and salt to taste.

Makes 6 (main course) servings.


Gourmet
November 2000

Yogurt and ricotta cake

We are back! Yes, it’s been a while. At first I was hoping to be able to finally add my own pictures to this blog, instead of shamelessly “borrowing” ingredient images from Freshdirect – which I will admit, is not very cool but, moreover, gets a little bit boring with time. Well, what can I say, we live on the second floor of a studio in a Manhattan street – there’s not much light in here. But hey, maybe in London?

I made this cake several times in the last weeks, after Estelle reminded me that I always wanted to try one of these recipes. It is incredibly quick and easy so be careful, making this cake can be addictive – I am serious, I made it 3 times in just over a week.

I tried several variations but my favorite definitely is whole ricotta cheese and plain yogurt. Feel free to experiment though as you can pretty much substitute anything that is white and creamy for it – vanilla yogurt, fruit yogurt, sour cream, etc.

Utterly simple and quick, this is also a great cake to make with children as there are very little ingredients and they are easy to mix.

Dress it up with a dollop of slightly runny whipped cream and decorate it with a little bit of lemon zest or confectioners’ sugar for an elegant look.

Be careful: as I said, it is extremely addictive and can be eaten for a light snack (light?! oh well) or even for breakfast.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Generously butter a 9 inches cake pan.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Combine yogurt, ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon peel, and vanilla in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients. Fold in oil.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until a fork inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake before unmolding.

Serves 8.

Gateau au yogourt aux amandes

Almonds-yogurt cake

Mmmm. A large, unopened yogurt tub that expired yesterday was hanging out in my fridge so I decided to use it in yet another yogurt-lemon cake recipe. Little did I know, the few lemons I had left from before we left for London really did not look good enough for zesting. So I foraged a little deeper into my fridge and found a nice bag of almonds – yes, almonds in the fridge because… you don’t want to know why and quite honestly, I am not sure I want you to know either. So almonds. I decided to substitute the zest with some almond powder and also added some almond extract. The result is still cooling but it smells incredible.

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup almond powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Generously butter a 9 inches cake pan.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, almond powder, almond extract and vanilla in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients. Fold in oil.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until a fork inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake before unmolding.

Roasted Cauliflower with Onions and Fennel

Right out of the pages of the most recent Bon Appetit magazine, here is a great, light and flavorful sidedish of roasted vegetables. The original recipe called for a lot more care when preparing the vegetables - roast the onions on one side only (!!!) and brown them separately from the fennel - but this is how I did it.

I served it with my first attempt at Bourbon Chicken but I still need to work on that one before I post it. I played around a little with the marinade/sauce and it did not turn out too well.

But the side was great, here it is:


1 medium head of cauliflower (about 1 1/4 pounds), cored, cut into 1-inch florets
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium onions halved lengthwise, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges with some core still attached
2 fresh fennel bulbs (about 1 pound total), halved lengthwise, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide wedges with some core still attached
8 small garlic cloves, unpeeled
15 fresh marjoram sprigs - or 2-3 tablespoons dried majoram

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Toss cauliflower and 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. and toss to cover. Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to rimmed baking sheet.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet. Add onion and fennel wedges. Cook until the onion starts to brown and the fennel softens slightly and starts to brown as well, about 5 minutes. Transfer to same baking sheet. Scatter garlic and marjoram over vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are caramelized, about 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings.


Bon Appétit
March 2007

Gateau au citron, au yogourt et a la ricotta

Je vous avertis immediatement, ce gateau peut creer une grave dependance.

Quand j'ai decouvert ce gateau, en janvier, je l'ai litteralement fait 3 fois en une semaine. Une fois pour tester, une fois pour moi parce que j'en avais follement envie - en fait je crois meme que j'en ai mange la moitie pour souper un soir ou D etait a Londres - et une fois pour ma famille quand une envie folle de cuisiner m'a prise. C'est Estelle qui me l'a fait decouvrir ou, plutot, qui m'a rappele que j'avais toujours voulu essayer un de ces gateau aux yogourt et au citron francais. C'est un gateau super facile et rapide, je vous aurez avertis!

J'ai essaye differentes variations mais ma favorite est definitivement celle avec un melange de ricotta et de yogourt nature. Libre a vous d'experimenter cependant puisque "le blanc" peut etre remplace par a peu pres n'importe quoi de blanc et cremeux: yogourt a la vanille, yogourt aux fruits, creme sure, etc. Je reste cependant sceptique quant a la sauce bechamel.

Hyper simple et rapide, c'est aussi un excellent gateau a faire avec des enfants puisqu'il n'y a que tres peu d'ingredients et ils se melangent facilement.

Il se mange a toute heure de la journee et est excellent tout nu mais si vous avez de la visite, habillez-le d'un peu de creme fouettee coulante et decoree avec des zestes de citron, ca lui donnera des airs encore plus elegants.

1 1/2 tasse de farine tout usage
2 c.the de poudre a pate
1/4 c.the de sel
1 tasse yogourt nature
1 tasse sucre
3 gros oeufs
1 zeste d'un demi citron
1/4 c.the extrait de vanille
1/3 tasse huile vegetale

Placer la grille au centre du four et prechauffer a 350 degres Fahrenheit.

Beurrer genereusement un moule a gateau de 9 pouces - environ 20 centimetres.

Dans un grand bol, fouetter le yogourt, le fromage, le sucre, les oeufs, le zeste de citron et la vanille de maniere a obtenir une pate homogene. Ajouter progressivement le melange de farine puis incorporer l'huile a l'aide d'une spatule.

Verser dans le moule et enfourner au moins 50 minutes ou ou jusqu'a ce que le gateau soit dore et qu'un cure-dent insere dans la pate en ressorte sec.

Laisser refroidir au moins 20 minutes sur une grille avant de demouler.