Cocktails and Cuisine

By Sheela Baheti

South Asian Meals to Soothe your Mind, Body and Soul

Lazy days by the poolside are now gone and are getting replaced by new routines, such as hitting the books for students, planning back-to-school logistics for parents and, for urban dwellers like myself, having to get up earlier for work to beat the increased traffic in the D.C. area. A sassy diva can either deal with these changes with a great deal of stress, or be proactive and manage the change.

I like to handle seasonal change by only thinking about myself and no one else--at least for one evening! Part of this evening involves putting any pressing issues aside and cooking foods that make me feel good about myself and relax me. The feeling doesn’t just come from filling my hungry stomach, but also from the rich aromas that fill the air of my kitchen as the newly created seasonings penetrate their way into my life.

For years, I have been cooking my baked four-cheese macaroni casserole on these special evenings and go to bed feeling great. Such types of foods are known in the culinary world as comfort foods. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, comfort food is “food that is simply prepared and associated with a sense of home or contentment”. Other common comfort foods are minestrone soup, chicken pot pie, and beef stew. Being an American Born Confident Desi, I sought out to find some foods that give comfort while still reminding me of my South Asian roots.

Indian Shepherd’s Pie

Khichri (rice and lentils)

Dal (Lentils) with Spinach

For my quest I contacted Pritha Mehra, a prominent South Asian cooking instructor in Washington DC, and co-founder of The Mystic Kitchen. She provides ABCDs with delicious South Asian comfort foods that are easy enough for a culinary novice to cook, but still satisfying to the soul. The dishes described will be just as tasty days after they are cooked due to the masala that goes into them, so the ladies cooking for themselves have a week’s worth of delicious food at their fingertips!

Here are three delicious recipes for South Asian comfort foods directly from Pritha’s kitchen:

Indian Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

¼ cup oil
3 cardamoms
3 cloves
1 piece cinnamon stick (1 inch)
1 cup onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped or paste
1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped or paste
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 cups tomatoes finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 pound ground beef, ground lamb, ground chicken, or ground turkey (your choice)
1 cup peas (optional)
¼ teaspoon garam masala powder (available in some American grocery stores and in your neighborhood Indian grocery store)
1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 green chili finely chopped
4 potatoes boiled
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Salt to taste

Instructions

1) Heat oil in pan. Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and sauté for a few seconds.

2) Add chopped onions and fry until light brown.

3) Add ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, red chili, turmeric, tomatoes, salt, and fry for 5 minutes or until oil separates, mashing to a paste.

4) Add meat and cook until done, approximately 7 minutes.

5) Add peas, garam masala powder, coriander leaves, green chili, and sauté for 3-5 minutes.

6) In a separate bowl, mash potatoes with milk, ½ tablespoon of butter, black pepper and salt.

7) In a baking casserole add the meat, and top with mashed potatoes. Cut the remaining ½ tablespoon of butter into tiny bits and spread over the potatoes. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees until light brown.

Dal (Lentils) with Spinach

Ingredients

½ cup toor dal (lentils – available in Giant and in neighborhood Indian grocery stores)
½ cup masoor dal (lentils)
5 cups water
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 packet frozen chopped spinach
2 tablespoons oil
3 dried red chilies
¼ teaspoon onion seeds

Instructions

1) Combine lentils and soak for 20 minutes in 3 cups of water. Wash thoroughly and drain.

2) Pour 5 cups of water in a pan, add lentils, turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil.

3) A residue will form above the lentils when you boil them. Remove this residue.

4) Reduce the heat (medium to low), cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6) In separate small pan, heat oil over low to medium heat. Add red chilies, onion seeds and bring to a sizzle and cook for a few seconds, until chilies begin to darken. Pour oil seasoning over lentils and stir.

7) Serve with rice or pita bread.

Khichri (rice and lentils)

Ingredients

½ cup moong dal (lentils)
½ cup rice
4 tablespoons oil
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Yogurt (optional)

Instructions

1) Combine rice and lentils in a mixing bowl, wash thoroughly and soak in two cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain rice/lentil mixture and set aside.

2) Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaf and cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. Cumin seeds should turn light brown.

3) Add rice/lentil mixture and sauté over medium heat for two minutes, stirring gently until the rice dries out.

4) Add two cups of water and bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.

5) Fluff rice with a fork. Remove bay leaf before serving.

6) Serve with yogurt.

Sheela Baheti is a software consultant from Washington DC. When she is not in front of a computer, she loves to experiment with different vegetarian recipes and then taste-test her creations on her boyfriend, friends, family and coworkers. Sheela recently completed Pritha's Indian Vegetarian Delights cooking class, gaining a greater understanding and appreciation of cuisine from her motherland.

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