My Indian Kitchen. Hari Nayak
dishes. Roasted fennel seeds are sometimes sugarcoated and chewed as a digestive and mouth freshener after Indian meals. They are easily available in most grocery stores.
Fenugreek leaves Known as methi when fresh and kasoori methi when dried, these leaves are extensively used in Indian cuisine. The slightly perfumed and bitter flavor of the leaves goes very well with curries. The leaves are sold fresh when in season or dried in packets year-round in Indian markets. The dried leaves can also be purchased online (see Shopping Guide, page 155). Frozen chopped fenu-greek greens are also now available at some Indian grocery stores. I use the dried version—kasoori methi—in the recipes in this book because of its unique flavor and strong taste. In comparison, fresh methi (young leaves and sprouts of fenugreek) has a very mild flavor. When fresh, the leaves are eaten as greens and are commonly cooked with potatoes, spinach and paneer and eaten with roti or naan. The dried leaves have a bitter taste and strong aroma and are used in small amounts to flavor dishes. There is no real substitute for this ingredient in Indian recipes, and so I have made its use optional throughout the book.
Fenugreek seeds The fenugreek seeds are bitter yellowish-brown tiny seeds that provide the commercial curry powders with their distinctive aroma. They are used in small quantities because of their strong flavor. The seeds are often oil-roasted and then ground to create a bitter balance in curries in the southern part of India; in the eastern part of India the seeds are stir-fried whole. This is available only in Southeast Asian or Indian grocery stores.
Ginger This is a knobby, pale-brown rhizome of a perennial tropical plant. It is available fresh, dried and ground into powder and as a preserved stem. Ground ginger or preserved ginger is almost never used in Indian cooking. Fresh ginger root has no aroma, but once you peel or cut it, it emits a warm, woody aroma with citrus undertones. When used fresh, it has a peppery hot bite to it. Fresh ginger is used throughout India and is a very common ingredient in Indian cooking. It is often ground into a paste, finely chopped, or made into juice. We use chopped ginger to stir-fry vegetables, crushed ginger or ginger paste in meat stews and legumes and thinly sliced slivers of raw ginger are sometimes sprinkled over curries just before serving. While shopping for fresh ginger, look for hard and heavy root that snaps easily into pieces. Avoid dry, shriveled roots that feel light for their size. Keep fresh ginger in refrigerator crisper in a plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb moisture (to prevent mold, change towel occasionally). It will last for two or three weeks. To extend its life, you can freeze the ginger. You don’t even need to defrost it, and ginger is much easier to grate when frozen.
Ghee This is the Indian version of clarified butter—that is, butter which has its milk solids removed. Ghee is one of the primary cooking fats used in India. Unlike regular clarified butter, the process of making ghee involves melting the butter over a low heat, and then simmering it until all the moisture has evaporated and the milk solids have separated from the fat. The milk solids are then removed to leave a pure fat that is excellent for deep-frying because of its high smoke point. I just love the way ghee infuses food with a delicious flavor and aroma. It has a buttery and a nutty flavor. I often add a few drops to hot rice dishes, dals and curries as finishing oil. Ghee has a very long shelf life and at room temperature will keep up to 4 to 6 months. Store it in a clean airtight plastic or glass jar. Ghee is commonly available in Indian grocery stores and it is typically sold in glass or plastic jars as a solid fat like butter. I have used ghee in many recipes in this book, which I feel brings out the best flavor of those dishes. If you do not have ghee, substitute it with a mixture of equal parts of unsalted butter and neutral-flavored oil. To make ghee at home: Melt 1 pound (500 g) of unsalted butter in a heavy-bottomed, medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids turn a rich golden color and settle to the bottom of the pan, about 15 to 20 minutes. Initially, the butter will foam and, as it simmers, the foam will subside. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or muslin into a sterilized jar. This recipe makes about 2 cups (500 ml) of ghee. Note: use either one 12-inch-(30-cm)-square piece of fine muslin or four layers of cheesecloth.
Lentils, see dried legumes
Mace It is the dark, red lacy membrane that covers the outside of the nutmeg shell. This is skillfully removed after the fruit burst opens, then flattened and dried to become mace, as we know the spice. Mace has a rich, warm, citrusy, spicy aroma and bitter taste, very similar to nutmeg, only stronger. It is often used in small quantities for making spice blends and pastes, such as Dhaba Spice (page 34) and (page 34). Whole mace, or “blades,” is often toasted and ground and then mixed with yogurt, herbs and other spices to marinate Indian grilled or roasted meats. Whole mace is also an important ingredient in rice dishes made with basmati rice (such as Saffron Chicken Biriyani (page 128), where it imparts a unique flavor to the dish. This aromatic spice is a good match for the wonderful fragrance of basmati rice. Whole mace is available in Indian or Middle Eastern grocery stores or online (see Shopping Guide, page 155).
Mango Mangoes are native to the Indian sub-continent, where they have been grown for more than 4,000 years. Because the mango seed can’t be dispersed naturally by wind or water, due to its large size and weight, it is believed that people who moved from one region to another transported the fruit to new areas. Though mango cultivation has now spread to many parts of the tropical and sub-tropical world, like Brazil, Mexico, west Indies and parts of Florida, nearly half of the world’s mangoes are cultivated in India alone. Mangoes are widely used in Indian cuisine. The green unripe mangoes are sour in taste and are used to make chutneys (Sweet Mango Chutney, page 41), pickles (Green Mango Pickle, page 47) and sometimes side dishes like mango pachadi, which is similar to Carrot Yogurt Slaw (page 46) in this book. (To make mango pachadi, simply replace the carrots with green unripe mangoes.) Green unripe mangoes are also eaten raw with a sprinkle of salt and red chili powder, which is my favorite way to eat them. Panna, a very popular and refreshing summer drink, is made with green unripe mangoes blended with water, mint, sugar, salt, cumin and ice. Ripe mangoes are typically eaten fresh. Sweet Mango Yogurt Lassi (page 152), made by adding mango pulp to yogurt, is the most popular drink in India and Indian restaurants worldwide. Ripe mangoes are used to make desserts (Sweet Mangoes in a Creamy Custard, page 143) and are also used to make savory curries. Aamras, sweetened, thick ripe mango pulp with flavor of cardamom, is a popular dish in western India that is served along with Fried Puffed Bread (page 138). The Alfonso mango is considered the sweetest and best of all eating mangoes. For some recipes, I use canned Alfonzo mango purée (available in Indian grocery stores) when they are not in season. When shopping for ripe mangoes look for mangoes with unblemished yellow skin with a red tinge or blush. Avoid mangoes with bruises or soft spots. You can buy green mangoes and ripen them at home by placing them in a brown paper bag on your counter for a week. Ripe mangoes will last 2 to 3 days at room temperature or for up to 5 days in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. You can find green mangoes in most Indian, Southeast Asian or South American markets. When shopping for green mangoes, make sure they are firm and their skins are dark green in color and unblemished. Store them at room temperature uncovered. They will last about 2 weeks.
Mint Mint is an aromatic, almost exclusively perennial, rarely annual, herb with a very refreshing taste. Fresh mint is used in Indian marinades, chutneys, drinks and desserts, and in curries and rice dishes. I also use dried mint for making breads in my kitchen. Chopped fresh mint leaves steeped in a cup of hot water with tea and honey is one of my favorite after dinner beverages. The spearmint variety is most commonly used in Indian cooking. When purchasing mint, make sure the leaves are fresh and green in color without and black spots or cracks. See “Storage Tips for Spices and Herbs,” page 22.
Mustard seeds These tiny,