At Home with Hippocrene

Here's Colette with the next recipe in our series. In case you missed our first edition of At Home with Hippocrene you can find it here.

As members of the office can attest, I usually vote for Indian fare if we go out for lunch. So picking Chettinad Chicken Kurma from Healthy South Indian Cooking as the second featured recipe might not come as a surprise. We have several Indian cookbooks to chose from, so I certainly intend on trying them all! This recipe involved a trip to an Indian grocery store near the office on 28th Street. (Lexington Avenue between 26th Street and 30th Street is known as Curry Hill or Little India, and is packed with Indian restaurants.) I already had cinnamon sticks, curry powder, and bay leaves in my pantry, and was able to get garam masala, turmeric, white poppy seeds, and cardamom at my neighborhood supermarket. But I still needed unsweetened coconut powder, fennel seeds, and curry leaves.

I went up and down the spice aisle, with my marked up list in hand, but I couldn't find dried curry leaves. After going through the little store several times over, I finally asked for help and was directed to the refridgerated case! There were bunches of dark green sprigs hand-packaged in plastic bags. When I got home to look over the cookbook, sure enough it said "dry bay leaves" but not dry curry leaves! It just goes to show you that not only should you reread a new recipe's directions, but you should also pay attention to the ingredients.

Chettinad Chicken Kurma
(from Healthy South Indian Cooking, pages 228-29)

2 lbs skinned chicken pieces (about 6 thighs or breasts)
3/4 cup ground fresh coconut or unsweetened powder
4 small slices ginger root
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 green chili peppers or 2 to 4 whole dried red chili pepper (more, if desired)
1/4 cup roasted chickpeas
12 raw almonds
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons white poppy seeds
1teaspoon fennel seeds
4 to 6 slivers cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 dry bay leaves
8 to 10 curry leaves
3/4 cup sliced onion (cut lengthwise)
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/3 minced fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Wash them, drain, and set aside.

I found getting slivers of cinnamon to be quite difficult.
The best method turned out to be cutting the stick in half lengthwise,
between the curls, and then taking thin strips off the top.

2. In an electric blender, grind together coconut powder, ginger root, garlic, chili peppers, roasted chickpeas, almonds, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, white poppy seeds, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, and 2 or 3 slivers of cinnamon stick. Add 3 cups of hot water to facilitate the grinding process. (Water must be hot for the coconut to blend properly.) Process on high for at least 5 minutes until mixture has a creamy, liquid consistency. Set kurma sauce aside.

4. Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add bay leaves, curry leaves, remaining 2 or 3 slivers of cinnamon stick, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds. Stir-fry until seeds are golden.

5. Immediately add onion and tomato and cook for a few minutes. Add turmeric powder and mix well. This is a good point to start making your rice. I always have jasmine rice in the pantry, but I bought a box of basmati for this dish. It simply doesn't taste the same without it.

6. Add the chicken pieces to saucepan. Stir well and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until chicken becomes opaque and slightly brown.

6. Pour kurma sauce over chicken mixture. Add salt, curry powder, and 1 cup warm water. (I omitted the water simply because my pot was full, but the dish wasn't affected at all.) Mix well. Add cardamom powder. Cook, covered, over low heat until chicken becomes tender, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Give the sauce a taste to make sure it it's not too spicy, or too mild. You can add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce to cool it down, or add more chili pepper or cayenne powder to kick up the heat.

7. Add coriander (cilantro) and continue cooking over low heat for a few more minutes. At this point, I drizzled some store-bought naan with olive oil and put it in the toaster oven on the light setting. The rice should be finished by now, and you can serve the chicken kurma over the rice with warm naan and a little garnish of curry leaves. Delicious!

Cleaning up your plate with naan might be the best part!

Indian Cuisine Next Big Thing

Chutney Joe's, a "Chipotle-style" restaurant in Chicago, (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Our very own Editorial Director, Priti Chitnis Gress, was interviewed in an article on the increasing popularity of Indian cuisine in America.

"People, especially in metropolitan communities, are fairly sophisticated," she says. "It's not just chicken curry and rice and naan anymore."

"The American palate is no longer bland," [agrees] Andrew F. Smith, editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink of America, who predicts that Indian food will take off in the next decade the way sushi bars did in the 1980s and Thai food did in the '90s.

Check out the full story at ABC News!

And for those who want to master Indian flavors at home, any of these cookbooks are a great place to start:

In the famous cooking tradition of South India's Chettinad region, these mostly vegetarian recipes allow home cooks to create enticing fare such as Lemon Rice, Coconut Chutney, Chickpea and Mango Soondal, Eggplant Masala, Cauliflower Soup, and Black-eyed Peas Sambhar. These low-fat, low-calorie dishes are exceptionally delicious and nutritious, featuring wholesome vegetables and legumes flavored with delicate spices.
Each recipe is presented in a step-by-step format with complete nutritional analysis. Also included are 16 pages of color photographs, a shopping list for spices, and a list of recipes perfect for beginners. Sample menus offer complementary dishes and creative suggestions for preparing fusion meals.

Growing research about the significant health benefits of spices, especially the cumin and turmeric found in many South Indian foods, makes these recipes all the more appealing!

At the heart is the story of two women, a Punjabi villager and her American daughter-in-law, and the lives they built together. More than an exceptionally usable cookbook, this is also the intimate saga of a Punjabi family told through the food that has sustained, comforted, and offered them a creative outlet through the years.

Arguably India's most popular cuisine, Punjabi food boasts mouthwatering tandoori kebabs, satisfying curries, and an array of delectable breads. Twenty-two menus feature a wide range of dishes, from rustic, roadside dhaba offerings like Buttermilk Stew with Vegetable Pakoras and the famous Saag Mukke Di Roti (Stewed Mixed Greens with Corn Flatbread), to elegant Roast Leg of Lamb and Royal Bread Pudding that have graced the tables of Maharajahs. Remarkably healthful, over 125 of these recipes are designated vegetarian or vegan.

Veronica Sidhu will be your trusted guide, providing easy-to-follow recipes and advice on shopping, prepping, and creating menus with harmonious elements. Glossaries of food and religious terms, color photos, a resource section for finding Indian ingredients, and bibliography round out this collection.

This cookbook celebrates Kerala through 150 delectable recipes and the equally unforgettable stories that accompany them. Featured here are such savory delights as Meen Vevichathu (Fish Curry Cooked in a Clay Pot), Parippu (Lentils with Coconut Milk) and Thiyal (Shallots with Tamarind and Roasted Coconut). Equally mouthwatering are a variety of rice preparations, Puttu (Steamed Rice Cake) and Paalappam (Lace-Rimmed Pancakes), and tempting desserts like Karikku Pudding (Tender Coconut Pudding). These dishes are adapted for the North American kitchen, and accompanied by a guide to spices, herbs, and equipment, as well as a glossary of food terms.

In the best tradition of the cookbook memoir, there are tales of talking doves, toddy shops, traveling chefs and killer coconuts, evoking the beauty of a bygone era as well as the compelling pull of the present one. Full of beautiful photographs, charming illustrations and lyrical memories of food and family, The Kerala Kitchen is a delicious, memorable read.

Located in northwestern India, Gujarat is known as the country's "Garden State," and is renowned for its vegetarian specialties. Flavorful India showcases the cuisine of Gujarat—from street foods to traditional home-cooked dishes. Hot fluffy puri breads are used to scoop up fragrant vegetable curries and dals, seasoned with cumin, coriander, and freshly ground garlic and ginger. Kitchdi, the dinnertime staple of rice and lentils, is often served on a thaali, a large stainless steel plate containing four to six small bowls, each filled with a different delicacy. On the side, hot fresh chapatis (flatbreads), pickles, and chutneys complete the meal.

This collection of authentic family recipes will introduce you to some of India's most flavorful, yet often overlooked, culinary offerings. The simple, delectable recipes are written for the home cook and adapted to the North American kitchen. An introduction to Gujarati culture, sections on spices, ingredients, and utensils, and charming line drawings by the author's father bring the flavors of India to life.

Indian Spice Kitchen is not only a comprehensive encyclopedia of the ingredients used in Indian cooking, but a feast for the eyes as well as the mind. Monisha Bharadwaj shares the secrets of Indian cuisine and celebrates its variety and ingenuity. From asafoetida to walnuts, each of 100 ingredients is explored giving useful advice about its appearance and taste, how it grows, how to store it and, of course, its culinary uses, complemented with over 200 classic Indian dishes.

The author regularly cooks on TV for Good Food Live, on the UK Food Channel, and has been food consultant to the Times of India group of companies, creating menus for the Deputy Prime Minister of India as well as several top film stars. She also contributes to Elle, Delicious, and Food and Travel in the UK and Cookery Plus in India.

Short-listed for an Andre' Simon Award and the Guild of Food Writers' Book of the Year Award!

Veronica Sidhu wins Swanson Healthy Foods Recipe Contest

Hippocrene is proud to announce that Veronica Sidhu, author of the upcoming Menus and Memories from Punjab, has won the Swanson Healthy Foods Recipe Contest for the month of August for her sumptuous take on keema mutter. From the awards committee:

"A very popular dish in India, keema mutter is a main dish that packs a lot of spice. But just because it's spicy, doesn't mean that it's too hot for you to handle! It's jam-packed full of flavor to get your taste buds working overtime."

You can find the full recipe on the Swanson website.

Congratulations, Veronica!

PAPAYA SALAD
from Menus and Memories from Punjab, by Veronica Sidhu

Most Punjabis like to eat ripe papaya for breakfast with a splash of lime. Here I have used it to bring color and flavor in a fruit chaat that will brighten a brunch or bring a light touch to a heavier meal. The enzymes found in papaya help digest protein.

Yield: 8 1-cup servings

3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon crumbled gurd or brown sugar
2 teaspoons chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 cups peeled and cubed (1-inch) ripe papaya
1 cup halved red or green grapes
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes green or red apple
1 small to medium red onion, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup sliced cilantro leaves

Mix the lime or lemon juice, garlic, brown sugar, chaat masala, salt and pepper together until smooth.

Combine the fruit and the onion in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss carefully. Refrigerate until serving time and then add the cilantro just before serving.

Menus and Memories from Punjab, by Veronica Sidhu will be available in September 2009.

Seasoned Chickpeas with Tomatoes (Channa Masala)

Here's another recipe from Priti Chitnis Gress:

This recipe is one I often suggest for people who are trying Indian cooking for the first time. It has only a few ingredients and all of them are found at local grocery stores these days. Chickpeas are so nutritious with their protein and fiber content and more and more people are looking for easy vegetarian alternatives now. There are so many ways to serve this recipe: over hot basmati rice, with chappatis, stuffed into pita bread, and even pureed in a blender and used as sort of spicy hummus dip. I’ve even served this to my daughter with rice when she was a toddler. It is an easy-to-prepare, filling, and most importantly tasty meal!

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 teaspoons oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 large tomato, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon garlic-ginger paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in medium-size pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, and sauté until softened. Add the chopped tomato and continue to sauté until the tomatoes break down, forming a sauce. Reduce the heat slightly, and add the chickpeas and tomato paste, stirring to combine the ingredients. Add 1/4 cup of water.

Add the salt, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and garlic-ginger paste. Stir until the ingredients are well combined, adding more water if the mixture gets too dry.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Top with fresh cilantro before serving.

Questions about this recipe--or about Indian cooking in general? Leave a comment and Priti will respond!

You can use this map to locate authentic Gujarati cuisine, or you can just pick up a copy of Priti's cookbook.

Sixth Day Mixed Vegetables (Chaati nu shaak)

Priti Chitnis Gress, author of Flavorful India: Treasured Recipes from a Gujarati Family, has written a special introduction for this week's recipe. Priti's presentation is a special one, commemorating not only the recent reprinting of her book, a Hippocrene favorite, in paperback but also the birth of her second child, Jay Surya, in February. Here's what Priti has to say:

One of my favorite recipes in the book is a dish prepared especially for new mothers, “Sixth Day Mixed Vegetables” or Chaati nu shaak, in Gujarati. Roughly translated it is “vegetables for the sixth” and refers to the sixth day after a baby is born. According to Hindu belief, six days after birth God comes to bless the child and write his/her future. This is typically the time a baby is named. In the old days, a mother’s diet was somewhat simple and limited until this day. On the sixth day, the mother was encouraged to try a variety of vegetables to make sure she could easily digest and enjoy them all. A combination of religious belief and folk wisdom determined that this dish is ideal nourishment at that time. It can be made from virtually any combination of vegetables, but it is best to include a few leafy greens (like fenugreek leaves or dill) as well as beans and root vegetables.

I was lucky to have my mom stay with me after my daughter, and more recently my son, were born. She made these vegetables for me on the sixth day each time, but I can assure you that the recipe is delicious any day!

Serves (appropriately enough) 6

3 to 4 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoon ajwain seeds
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1.5 teaspoons salt



Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of all the vegetables you desire to make a total of about 2 pounds. Here are some suggestions:


potatoes, peeled and cubed eggplant
chopped okra, trimmed and chopped
ghilora (tindora), trimmed and chopped
bitter melon, peeled and chopped
bottle gourd, chopped
cauliflower florets
cabbage, shredded
carrots, chopped
corn kernels
green peas
green beans, chopped
pigeon peas
fenugreek leaves, chopped
dill, chopped
spinach, chopped

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and ajwain seeds. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until seeds are browned. Add onion and bell pepper and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add cayenne, turmeric, cumin, coriander and salt. Stir well and sauté for 30 seconds to release flavors of spices.

2. Add all the vegetables, EXCEPT any leafy greens. Reduce heat to low and stir and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add any greens and cook until tender, about 10 more minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Questions about this recipe or Gujarati cuisine for Priti? Post them here and we'll ask Priti to respond!