Entice With Spice. Shubhra Ramineni

       2 Finished grated onion.

      Roasting and Grinding Whole Spices

      Roasting spices is a common Indian technique used to deepen the flavors of the spices. Whole spices, such as coriander seeds, cumin seeds and cloves, may be roasted on

      a dry skillet and then ground into fine powder that is added to dishes during cooking. The intense aroma given off by the spices while roasting and grinding them is amazing! It is best to roast and grind spices just when you plan to use them since they lose their potency over time. However, you can also keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three months.

      1 Place a small, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is heated, add the whole spices. (You can check to see if the skillet is heated by holding your palm directly above the skillet. You should be able to feel the heat.)

      2 Roast the spices until they are fragrant. Stir frequently for about 1–2 minutes. Some spices will turn a darker shade as they roast. Do not let the cumin seeds or any spices turn black and burn. Immediately remove the spices from the skillet and place in a bowl. Let them cool before grinding.

      3 In a coffee or spice grinder, or using mortar and pestle, grind the roasted spices to a fine powder.

      Boiling Potatoes

      Boiling potatoes is an easy task but you do have to factor in the half hour it will take when making a recipe that will use them. If my mom plans to make Potato Flatbreads (page 64) for a delicious breakfast, she boils the potatoes the night before, which is a useful tip that I also follow.

      1 Wash the unpeeled potatoes with cold water. In a large pot, add the potato(es). Cover them with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and make sure that the water level is at least 2 inches (5 cm) from the top of the pot so that the water does not boil over.

      2 Cover the pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium–high and continue boiling for about 30 minutes or until you can easily insert a knife into the potato. Make sure you do not boil them to the point where they become too tender and easily fall apart, especially if you are going to cube or dice them.

      3 Drain the potatoes in a colander and let the potatoes slightly cool down so you can hold them. You can also run cold water over them to cool them down faster.

      4 Using your fingers or a small knife, peel the skin off the potato and discard. The potatoes are now ready to be used in a recipe.

      TIP You may boil the potatoes up to one day in advance. They may be refrigerated already peeled or with the peels on, though it is easier to peel the skin off potatoes when they’re still warm.

      Shelling Fresh Peas

      Fresh raw peas take longer to cook than frozen peas because frozen peas are already blanched. If you’d like to use fresh peas in my recipes, adjust the time to fully cook the peas. I prefer to use frozen peas since they are already shelled, easily available and I do not even have to thaw them. The frozen peas found in stores are the garden pea variety also known as “green peas” or “English peas.” They grow in plump pods from which the peas are removed or “shelled.” The pods are discarded. To shell peas, pry open the pod at the seam with your fingers and remove the peas out of the pod. Wash the peas before using them.

Cutting a Head of Cauliflower

      The first time I prepared fresh cauliflower at home without my mother by my side, I wasn’t sure how to cut it. For those new to using fresh cauliflower, here are instructions for preparing it for use in the recipes in this book.

      1 Pull away the green leaves and discard. Using a small knife, gently scrape away any brown marks on the cauliflower head.

      2 Slice off the stem at the bottom of the cauliflower head and discard. (see Tip)

      3 Turn the head upside down so that is stem-side up. Insert a small knife inside the head to cut off the florets from all around the internal stem (core).

      4 Cut all the loose florets into bite-size pieces.

      5 Place the florets in a colander and wash with cold water.

      TIP If you’re averse to wasting any part of an ingredient, as my mom is, don’t discard the cauliflower stems. If you’re cooking 3 or 4 heads of cauliflower, you can peel, slice and sauté them for a “cauliflower stem” dish. Alternatively, if you’re preparing just one head, you can peel the stem, cube it and cook it along with the cauliflower florets in the same dish. You can even munch on peeled cauliflower stem matchsticks as a raw vegetable crudité. The outside stem, which looks like a thick stump and has thick skin, should be peeled and chopped but the internal stem (core) does not need to be peeled before chopping and eating.

      Peeling and Chopping or Mincing Garlic

      To chop or mince fresh garlic, first pry off a clove with your finger or by carefully using the tip of a small knife. Place the clove on a cutting board and lay the side of a chef’s knife flat on a clove with the blade facing away from you. Then, firmly push down on the knife to smash the clove, which makes it easy to remove the papery white peel. After removing the peel, mince or chop the clove with a chef’s knife. You can also use a garlic press, which is quick (and with some presses you don’t even need to take the peel off!), but the downside is that it is hard to clean since the garlic gets stuck in it. You can also keep the cloves whole and slice into them to help release their flavor (this technique is used in the recipe for Green Lentil Dal Stew (page 89) but it can be used in other recipes as well). My mother actually just coarsely chops the cloves since that is quicker but then you run the risk of biting into a piece of garlic, so I prefer to mince it instead.

      Peeling and Deveining Shrimp

      If the head is not already removed, using your fingers, hold the head in one hand and the body in the other and gently twist off the head and discard.

      1 Remove the shell and legs from the body by grabbing a part of the shell at the bottom side of the body by the head end of the shrimp. Pull up the shell and lift it up and away towards the tail end and discard.

      2 If you are removing the tail, hold the body of the shrimp with one hand and grab the tip of the tail with your fingers and gently squeeze it as you pull it off. Discard the tail shell.

      3 To expose the vein (the digestive tract, which also may have sand and grit in it), using a small knife, make a shallow cut on the topside of the body from the head end to the tail end. The vein will look like a thin dark tube running the length of the body of the shrimp.

      4 Using the tip of a small knife or your fingers, lift out the vein and discard. Make sure to scrape out any remaining parts of the vein if it breaks.

      Peeling and Grating Ginger

      I find grating ginger to be faster than mincing it and it provides fine shreds that evenly disperse flavor in a dish. Using the sharp edge of a small knife or even the edge of a small spoon, scrape off the thin tan skin from the amount you want to grate. Grate it using a Microplane or the small holes on a box grater. Sometimes my mother chops ginger into small pieces instead of grating it but I prefer to always grate it because I do not like to bite into a piece of ginger, although some people may enjoy its strong taste straight up!

      Blanching Almonds

      Blanching almonds is the process of removing their brown skin. To blanch almonds, place them in a small bowl of water and microwave them at medium heat for 30 seconds. Let them cool down and then remove the skin with your fingers (the skin should slip off easily). You can also boil them on the stove-top for 2 minutes. Let them cool down and then peel off the skin. Alternatively, let the almonds sit overnight in small bowl of water. In the morning, the almonds will be puffed up and tender and the skin can easily