Recipe for one fillet - adjust as needed for quantity.
Materials:
- 1 fresh fish fillet. I've used catfish (US farmed as well as Basa - Vietnamese catfish) and tilapia and both work well.
- jeera (cumin) - about one level teaspoon; grind coarsely.
- 3 to 4 dried red chili peppers: If possible, use Kashmiri deghi mirch or Bedagi (Byadgi). These have a wonderful flavor and low heat. If not available, use cayenne peppers. Either way, grind coarsely and combine with salt (according to taste). If you don't have the whole peppers, the chili powder works as well.
- Garlic: use as much as you like; 3-4 cloves are good but add more if you enjoy a stronger garlic-ification.
- Hara dhania (Cilantro): small bunch; clean and dry; shred coarsely by hand.
Preparation:
Rub fish with the ground cumin, crushed chili peppers and salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a tava (I use my trusty Lodge griddle; you could use any suitable pan including non-stick types). Brush the surface with oil and heat. Lay the cilantro and garlic and cook on medium heat until the cilantro wilts. Then lay the fish on top and cook each side until done - usually 7-8 minutes per side.
Serving:
Enjoy as part of a meal, perhaps with some lentils (arhar or chana dal) and rice. Also works really well in a wrap or sandwich.
An easy and delicious way to preserve some of summer.
Materials:
- Fresh hot chili peppers: use any kind you like - store bought jalapenos; Thai green peppers if available (the Asian stores in many big cities keep these in their fresh veges section); and it's probably most fun to go pick these on a farm especially as you can get a variety of peppers and then experiment with them. Wash and pat dry. Slice down the middle or dice into smaller pieces.
- Oil: Mustard oil results in the most flavorful and sharp achaar; you can also use other oils like olive, peanut, corn or canola.
- Salt
- Mustard seeds - Grind. I use a coffee mill that I've reserved for spices. I like to get a coarse rather than a superfine mustard powder.
Preparation:
Prepare jars for the pickle by cleaning well with soap and water. You can also pasteurize them as for jams (see this site for example). Add a 1/2 inch layer of the peppers followed by salt and mustard powder. Then pour oil to cover this layer. Repeat until you're at about 1 inch form the top of the jar. Add oil to ensure that it completely covers the chili peppers, salt and mustard.
Cover with cheesecloth to allow it to breathe and leave at room temperature for about two weeks. Check every two or three days to ensure that the oil level is above the solids and also stir well.
Enjoy with any savory dish - I like to add it to dal (lentils), prepared vegges, sandwiches, eggs, pizza... in short, it spices and flavors most dishes superbly.
Options: Adding chopped garlic or peanuts provides further dimensionality to this pickle. Combining different chili pepper types also gets you great new flavors - such as jalapenos with Thai greens.
This is a slightly different take on an old reliable - baingan bhaji (eggplant cooked with potatoes and spices).
Materials:
- 1 medium or large eggplant, cubed into 1 inch chunks
- 1 large onion, dice or chop thin rounds
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed about 1 inch chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coarsely ground dhania (coriander) seeds
- 1.5 tablespoons Chettinad masala (see NOTE below)
- 1/2 cup roasted chana dal (Bengal Gram)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- salt to taste
NOTE: You can find a number of recipes for making Chettinad masala online.
Preparation:
Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add mustard and cumin seeds and roast on medium heat until the seeds sputter. Add roasted chana dal and chopped onions; stir. Cook on medium heat until onions are golden brown - you may have to add water to prevent the onions from sticking to the pan and also to get them browned nicely.
Add diced potatoes and turmeric and stir well stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add ground coriander and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup water and cover and cook until potatoes are about 1/2 done. Then add diced eggplant and Chettinad masala and stir well. Add salt. Stir fry on medium heat until everything is well combined. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and cook on medium-low heat until cooked - usually about 15 minutes.
Uncover and stir fry on medium-high heat until all water is evaporated and oil separates out. If you've earned it :-) add a chunk of butter or a tablespoon of ghee and stir well before serving.
Serving:
Serve with chappatis, whole wheat pitas, rice or bread.
