Curry-Laced Tomato Lentil Broth

From Classic Indian Vegetarian Cooking, Julie Sahni, Doubleday, 1987.

When I read that this was the most famous soup of Madras I thought I’d have to try it.

First off I had to cook some lentils which I did in the morning so that I’d be ready later on to make the soup. Lentils done, it was easy to go ahead.

I took 5 tomatoes and blanched them to be able to peel them easily. They were then cut in half and the seeds and inside pulp removed. The shells were put aside. The seed material was put in the blender and pureed.

Now the cooked lentils were put in a saucepan and 300ml water added. Also into the pot went the pureed tomato pulp, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and ground coriander, about ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, a clove of chopped garlic, about ¼ onion finely chopped and a teaspoon salt. This was all brought to the boil then reduced to a simmer for about 10 minutes.  Now the tomato shells were added and the juice of ½ lemon. The lid was placed back on and the soup was left to stand while the spice butter was prepared.

A tablespoon ghee was heated in a pan until hot. Now a teaspoon black mustard seeds were added while I held the saucepan lid handy because the seeds began to pop. When they had finished some curry leaves were added and the heat was turned off. The butter was poured into the soup and it was ready to eat.

This was an enjoyable soup with lots of spice and the different textures of lentils and tomato shells.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔

Sweet Peppers stuffed with Cheese and Spring Onions in Sauce Afghan

From Classic Indian Vegetarian Cooking, Julie Sahni, Doubleday, 1987.

The last element of my Indian meal needed 2 capsicums (peppers) to be cut in half and the seeds and the membranes taken out.

There were two fillings to be made. There was a mixture of paneer crumbled, finely chopped spring onions, a red chilli finely chopped, some chopped coriander and a tablespoon of flour. These were well mixed and they were ready.

The second filling was made from mashed potato. A pinch of cumin seeds was fried for a few seconds in hot fat and then some grated ginger was added for a short time before the mashed potato was added and stirred in. This was fried until it started to become brown. The heat was turned off and a squeeze of lemon juice was added with some salt. The mixture was left to cool.

To stuff the capsicums, firstly the cheese mixture was placed into the halves. This was then topped with the potato which was tightly packed in and then smoothed over.

A pan had some oil heated in it and the capsicums were placed in it potato side down. These were fried until the potato had browned. They were then turned over and cooked for a few minutes more on the other side. When the capsicums seemed cooked but were still retaining a bit of crunch they were ready. They were served with Sauce Afghan.

This was made by frying chopped onion in a saucepan until it had softened. I then added a chopped red chilli, a chopped garlic clove, 2 chopped tomatoes, ½ teaspoon of ground cumin and the same amount of ground fennel, 5 tablespoons of yoghurt and salt to taste. This was cooked gently for about half an hour. It needed watching to make sure it did not burn and occasionally some water was added to stop it sticking to the pan. When it was ready a little more water was added to bring it up to 300ml.

I quite enjoyed this. With the courgette koftas and the cucumber and paneer salad it made a nicely balanced spicy meal.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔

As some of these books may be out of print if anyone would like a particular recipe, email me (alfcooksvege@ozemail.com.au) and I’ll send a version. Of course, the whole book would be better; it’s loaded with other goodies.

Spicy Courgette Koftas

From Classic Indian Vegetarian Cooking, Julie Sahni, Doubleday, 1987.

I was in a mood for Indian food so went to the bookcase and took down this book that I have not used for some time. When I have used it before I have always been satisfied with the results.

I decided on making these koftas as appetisers. It was a simple matter of putting all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing them together, then forming them into ball shapes and deep-frying them.

They were made with 3 grated zucchini, half a grated onion, about 45g of chick pea flour (besan), some ground coriander, a large pinch of paprika, 2 chopped red chillies, some chopped fresh coriander and a pinch of baking powder, with salt added to taste.

These turned out to be wonderfully crisp on the outside and soft inside. They were spicy and hot and quite moreish.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔

As some of these books may be out of print if anyone would like a particular recipe, email me (alfcooksvege@ozemail.com.au) and I’ll send an abbreviated version. Of course, the whole book would be better; it’s loaded with other goodies.

Paneer and Cucumber in Black Pepper-Lemon Dressing

From Classic Indian Vegetarian Cooking, Julie Sahni, Doubleday, 1987.

This is the easiest salad to make—and it’s truly refreshing and tasty.

I took about 150g of paneer and with a fork crumbled it. Then I dribbled on about a teaspoon of honey and gently mixed it in.

Next a small cucumber was peeled and grated. Lemon juice was mixed in to taste and some salt and quite a bit of freshly grated black pepper.

The grated cucumber was spread on a small plate and the paneer piled in the centre.

The slight sweetness of the paneer highlighted the bland flavour of the cheese and with the sour lemon and pepper worked extremely well with the cucumber. A salad to be made more often.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔✔