Indian Cooking

Baked Kibbi - Andrew Midkiff
Tabooly, or Suf - Andrew Midkiff
Poppadums
             Martin Watts
             Greg White
             Kyle Lerfald
             Ray Martin
Vindaloo
             Vindaloo, and Vindaloo, Too - Ray Martin
             Beef Vindaloo - Graham Kerr
             Pork Vindaloo - Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
             Pork in Hot and Spicy Cayenne Sauce (Vindaloo) - Courtesy of Julie Sahni
             Penzys Vindaloo Spices - Gerry Strey
Chickpea Curry - Greg White
Cookbooks by Julie Sahni
             Classic Indian Cooking. William Morrow and Co; ISBN: 0688037216; (October 1980)
             Classic Indian Vegetarian Cooking. William Morrow and Co; ISBN: 0688049958; (December 1985)
             Moghul Microwave. William Morrow and Co; ISBN is 0-688-08334-X; (1990)

Baked Kibbi (Kibbeh, or any of the other million ways to spell and pronounce it) - Andrew Midkiff
3 lbs. Ground lamb (lean beef will do in a pinch but won't taste the same)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 medium onion, ground, grated or minced very, very fine.
1 1/2 cup fine bulgar, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes then drained and squeezed
1/2 cup cold water
butter
cinnamon, salt and pepper
Olive oil
Divide meat into three parts, set one part aside. Into the remaining two pounds, mix well the ground onion, bulgar and salt and pepper, add cold water and knead some more, divide in half. Take the one pound that you set aside and brown it, draining off the fat. When about half-way done add salt, pepper and about 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Lightly brown pine nuts in butter and add to meat and spice mixture.
Take one-half of the bulgar, meat mixture and press into a 10x12 or so baking pan. Add the spiced meat mixture then the other half of the bulgar, meat mixture pressing down and making sure that you cover all of the filling. Score the top of the meat in a diagonal diamond pattern (score lines diagonally across the pan about 2 inches apart so that they form diamonds) pour enough olive oil (some use clarified butter) over the top to just cover most of it. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) until bottom is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Then turn on the broiler and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the top is golden brown with a little bit of crunchiness.
Serve with fresh yogurt and/or hummus and some Tabooly or Suf.

Tabooly, or Suf - Andrew Midkiff
1 cup cracked wheat (bulghar, fine ground)
1 bunch green onions
2 large bunches parsley
1/2 bunch mint
4 large tomatoes
Juice of 4 lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.
Soak wheat in water a few minutes. Squeeze dry by pressing between palms. Chop onions, parsley, mint leaves, and tomatoes very fine. Add wheat, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Tip: when chopping parsley, you get a better flavor if you separate the parsley leaves from the bitter stems. It is more work, but it makes a better Tabooly.

Poppadums
Dawn Harkins asked: And poppadums would be what, for all love?

Martin Watts
According to my dictionary: "a thin strip or circle of dough fried in oil, etc. Many variant spellings. From Tamil, Malayalam, poppatam."
As served in indian restaurants they look like an enormous (about 8" diameter? - not sure, it is some time since I've eaten one) potato crisp. An essential accompaniment to the curry house experience!

Greg White
They are also very fun to cook. You can buy the flattened disks of dough. They are about 3-4" in diameter and don't look all that impressive. You heat a 1/4" of oil in a large frying pan and, when it is hot, toss a single disk into the oil. Almost immediately, it expands and puffs up. Very easy and it makes you look like you really know what you're doing.

Kyle Lerfald
A deep fried lentil cracker- similar in execution to the chinese shrimp cracker (in that they puff up and expand when they're fried). I believe they were invented by the entire pantheon of benevolent, hedonistic set of the Hindu gods.
Served with curry, they are an excellent way of gathering dispersed rice, lamb, dal, into more manageable piles for the fork, and on their own take the spot of the potato chip as a snack food. I enjoy them with a fiery mango chutney as a sort of dip. Ray Martin
Poppadums are an Indian "bread" I suppose, made from gram flour (which is chick-pea flour to you and me). In their uncooked state they are about the size and thickness of a CD, but when dropped into very hot oil they swell to about the size of an old vinyl LP, and become almost transparently thin. They are more-ish in the extreme.
They are traditionally served (in England at least) before an Indian meal, accompanied by a pickle tray, consisting of perhaps a dozen relishes. I would be surprised if they are unobtainable in the sort of shops which sell British delicacies.
I had a tolerable Vindaloo and poppadums in an Indian restaurant in Saratoga Springs this summer. Except, that you will never get an authentic vindaloo in any Indian restaurant, because vindaloo is made with pork, and the "Indians" who run all of the Indian restaurants are in fact Bangladeshi Muslims from the Sylhet area, and of course will not eat or serve pork. Real vindaloo is from the southern Indian state of Goa, and the Indians there are Christians who will eat pork, but who don't run restaurants. Goa was once a Portuguese colony and the "vin" in vindaloo refers to wine vinegar, a Portuguese influence in Goan cooking.
In the UK Friday night "Lad's night" traditionally end with a vindaloo (which is virtually the hottest curry, bar the suicidal Bangalore Phal) and at least a gallon of ice cold lager. Saturday morning bathrooms are to be avoided by the faint hearted!

Vindaloo
Vindaloo - Ray Martin
A splendid vindaloo receipt, redolent of the Raj.
Serves 6:
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
2-3 HOT dried red chillies
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds (you may take the seeds out of pods if you cannot buy them loose)
A 3 inch stick of cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
6-7 ounces onions, peeled and sliced into fine half-rings
4-6 tablespoons plus 8fl oz water
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder meat, cut into 1 inch cubes [or lamb or beef, as you wish]
A 1 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
A small, whole head of garlic, with all the cloves separated and peeled (or the equivalent, if using a large one [AT THE VERY LEAST])
1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Grind cumin seeds, red chilies, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in a coffee-grinder or other spice grinder. Put the ground spices in a bowl. Add the vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix and set aside.
Heat the oil in wide, heavy Pot over a medium flame. Put in the onions. Fry, stirring frequently, until the onions turn brown and crisp. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and put them into the container of an electric blender or food processor. (Turn the heat off.) Add 2--3 tablespoons of water to the blender and puree the onions. Add this puree to the ground spices in the bowl. (This is the vindaloo paste). It may be made ahead of time and frozen.) [Good idea]
Dry off the meat cubes with a paper towel and remove large pieces of fat, if any.
Put the ginger and garlic into the container of an electric blender or food processor. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and blend until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the oil remaining in the pot once again over a medium-high flame. When hot, put in the pork cubes, a few at a time, and brown them lightly on all sides. Remove each batch with a slotted spoon and keep in a bowl. Do all the pork this way. Now put the ginger- garlic paste into the same pot. Turn down the heat to medium. Stir the paste for a few seconds. Add the coriander and turmeric. Stir for another few seconds. Add the meat, any juices that may have accumulated as well as the vindaloo paste and 8 fluid oz water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently for an hour or until pork is tender. Stir a few times during this cooking period. {You might have to add a little more water) {I find the flavour improves if the curry is made a day before consumption, but I can hardly ever wait that long}.
Serve with mounds of fluffy, preferably Basmati, rice. Ice cold lager-beer (there isn't a wine that can survive this, I think), pickles and chutney to taste.
Go on. If you can handle chili-con carne, you can handle a vindaloo!

Vindaloo, Too
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
2-3 hot dried red chillies (minimum)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds-split the pods if you cannot buy seeds.
a 3 inch stick cinnamon
1.5 teaspoons whole black mustard seeds
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
10 tablespoons water plus 8oz water
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 oz onions, peeled and sliced fine
2lb meat, boneless pork, lamb, beef or chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes
a 1inch cube of ginger, chopped
a whole head of garlic, all cloves peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric.
Serves 6
Grind the cumin seeds, red chillies.peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, black mustard seeds and fenugreek in a coffee grinder, etc. Put them in a bowl. Add the vinegar, salt and sugar. mix, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy pot over a medium flame, Add the onions. Fry, stirring frequently until they turn brown and crisp. remove with a slotted spoon and put them into an electric blender thing. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the blender and puree the onions, Add this puree to the ground spices in the bowl. (This is vindaloo paste, it can be made in quantities and frozen for use as required).
Put the ginger and garlic into a blender device. Add 2-3 tblspoons of water, and blend into a smooth paste.
Dry the meat cubes with paper towels. Remove excessive fat, if any. Heat the remaining oil in the pot again. When hot, put in the cubes of meat, a few at a time, and brown them on all sides. remove with the slotted spoon and keep in a bowl. Do all your meat thus. Now put the ginger-garlic paste into the same pot. Turn down the heat a little, stir the paste for a few seconds. Add the coriander and turmeric: stir for a few more seconds. Add the browned meat, plus any juices therefrom, and the vindaloo paste and about 8oz of water. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for an hour at least or until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Do NOT be afraid to add a little more water, or to extend the cooking time , if the meat needs it.
Serve with mounds of fluffy rice (preferably Basmati), pickles, chutneys, pappodoms and/or nan bread and lots of very cold lager beer. Wine is not really an option.

Beef Vindaloo - Graham Kerr
A specialty of The Sultan, Surfers' Paradise, Australia
14 cloves garlic
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 small hot chiles, seeded
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon English mustard
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon, juiced, pith removed and rind chopped, membranes removed and pulp chopped
2 pounds chuck steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
Clarified butter
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 bay leaves
6 cloves
1/2 cup tomato paste
Freshly ground salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
For marinade: Blend together garlic and red wine vinegar. Add chiles, cumin, turmeric, mustard, ginger, salt, sugar, lemon peel, juice, and pulp and blend well. Place beef in bowl and pour marinade over it. Stir in poppy seeds and sit for 2 hours.
Heat clarified butter in pan and add onion. Cook until translucent, then add bay leaves and cloves. With slotted spoon, lift meat from marinade and add to onions. Increase heat to sear meat. Pour in marinade. Cover tightly, reduce heat and cook 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add tomato paste, stirring thoroughly, and cook another 30 minutes, until meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Pork Vindaloo - Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
1/2 cup curry paste (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 pound pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons canola or neutral vegetable oil
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomato (tomato concassi)
Salt and pepper
4 cups cooked white rice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish
In a glass baking dish or nonreactive mixing bowl combine curry paste with garlic and half of onion. Add pork, turn to coat thoroughly and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat and gently saute remaining onion. Drain pork, reserving marinade. Turn up heat and add pork, a few cubes at a time, tossing until browned on all sides. Saute for 5 minutes, then add tomatoes and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Serve over hot rice, garnished with cilantro.

Curry Paste
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
In a spice or coffee mill grind spices and ginger until very-finely minced. Turn out into a bowl and stir in vinegar to make a smooth paste.
To make curry oil, mix half of paste with 1 cup vegetable oil.
Yield: 4 servings
Difficulty: Easy

Pork in Hot and Spicy Cayenne Sauce (Vindaloo) - Courtesy of Julie Sahni
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or leg
For the marinade:
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
10 dry red chili peppers
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 cup coconut or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 tablespoons mustard oil or olive oil
1 3inch stick cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon grated or crushed fresh ginger
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon Goan palm sugar or jaggery or maple syrup
1 cup water
Coarse salt
Trim all visible fat off the pork and cut into 1-inch cubes and place in a bowl. Combine coriander, cumin, mustard, and chilies and grind into a fine powder and transfer into a measuring cup. Add turmeric, vinegar, and garlic and mix. Pour the marinade over the pork and rub well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium/high heat until hot. Add the cinnamon, cloves, and onions, and ginger. Cook until the onions are very soft - do not let them brown - about 5 minutes. Remove pork from the refrigerator and drain, reserving the liquid. Add pork to the onion mixture and cook until the meat is lightly seared. Add paprika, palm sugar, water, salt, and the reserved liquid and bring the contents to a boil. Simmer pork for 1 1/2 hours or until very tender. Serve vindaloo with plain or coconut rice. Yield: 4 servings

Penzys Vindaloo Spices - Gerry Strey
I tried the Penzey's vindaloo mixture a few years ago, and followed their recipe which advised adding some cayenne as well. Volcanic heat, so much so that I added coconut milk to soften the effect, producing a nameless dish that was still pleasant and still very hot.

Chickpea Curry - Greg White
1 lemon
1 white onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic (or more - to taste) diced very fine
1/2" piece of ginger, chopped very, very fine
1 green chili pepper (jalapeno) seeded and chopped fine
fresh coriander (cilantro)
28 oz can of chick peas or equivalent dried chick peas, cooked
1 tomato, sliced thin
1 tbs garam masala (curry powder)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Squeeze lemon into a tea cup. Add 2-3 tbs chopped coriander, 2-3 tbs chopped onion, 1-2 tbs chopped chili, 1 tsp salt. The amount of lemon juice can vary from 2-3 tbs to 1/2 cup - to taste. Let sit.
Fry remaining onion until soft; near the end, add garlic, ginger, and tomato. Do not burn. Add garam masala and cayenne and fry briefly. Add chick peas and water or stock to cover. Simmer for 1/2 hour. Remove from heat, add lemon juice "tea", stir to mix and serve.
What's interesting about this recipe is that you can vary it in any number of ways. Don't like cilantro? Use chopped fresh mint in its place, and increase the ginger (yum!). Not in the mood for Indian? Drop the garam masala, cayenne, and jalapeno. Looking for a soup? Increase water or stock, vary spices to taste, add some celery and carrot.
Also, this is definitely better the next day, keeps forever, and is great cold.