ABCDlady Magazine - for the American Born Confident Desi

Cocktails and Cuisine

By Rajni Hatti

Easy South Asian Cooking

Does the thought of cooking a South Asian meal bring to mind slaving over a hot stove for hours? Are you confused by the myriad of South Asian spices that you use a few times and then banish to the back of your cupboard? Are you mystified when watching your mom throw a “little of this” and a “little of that” into a South Asian dish? Well, you’ll be glad to know that you are not alone!

South Asian cooking often has a reputation of being complicated and time consuming because traditionally many recipes are made from scratch and include a lot of ingredients. Our cuisine also makes use of a variety of spices, some of which are unfamiliar and are not easily available. Yet, the idea that cooking South Asian cuisine has to be complicated is just simply not true. There are many accessible and hassle-free meals that will work for your everyday life.

Rajni Hatti

Whether you are a seasoned or novice cook, the easiest way to incorporate South Asian cooking into your daily life is to focus on quick and versatile recipes. If you already have the ingredients for a recipe on hand or can easily make substitutions, you are much more likely to cook! With that thought in mind, here are some recipes that are perfect for quick cooking—they have many variations and can normally be made in approximately 30 minutes!

Keema Matar (Spiced Ground Lamb and Peas)
Makes 4 servings

I always keep the ingredients for this dish on hand in my kitchen so I can make it at a moment’s notice. If you can’t find ground lamb, you can use ground pork, beef or chicken instead.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium clove garlic, chopped finely
1 medium size green chili, chopped finely
1 pound ground lamb (or any ground meat)
2 teaspoons salt, adjust as desired
¼ teaspoon turmeric
4 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon grated ginger
½ cup frozen peas
1 medium size tomato, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Variation: You could also put diced potatoes into this dish.

Tip: If you don’t use ginger very often, buy it in small quantities. Put it into a plastic bag and store in the freezer, where it will last indefinitely. Simply grate into dishes as needed.

Instructions:

1. Add oil to a large pan and heat over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, and green chili. Stir occasionally until onions brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Lower to medium heat. Add ground meat and salt. Sauté, breaking up meat completely.

3. Add turmeric, garam masala, crushed red pepper, and ginger. Mix to combine thoroughly. Stir occasionally until meat is almost fully browned.

4. Add peas, tomatoes, tomato paste. Combine, and then stir occasionally until tomatoes cook down, about 2-3 minutes. If it is difficult to break up the tomato paste, add a little water to pan and stir.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with any Indian bread and yogurt.

Variation: For an easy and satisfying meal, stuff keema into a pita pocket and add a spoonful of plain yogurt on top.

Dal Tarkari (Vegetable and Lentil Soup)
Makes 4 servings

Dal (lentil) is one of the most versatile of all South Asian dishes and a good one to get under your belt. I always keep either moong dal or toor dal on hand so I can quickly make a nourishing meal.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (use 1 teaspoon if you prefer spicy food)
1 cup moong dal
2 medium size potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
2 cups fresh chopped spinach
2 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
5 cups water
2 small tomatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Put oil in pot and heat over medium heat.

2. Add cumin and crushed red pepper and sauté until the spices begin to brown and give off an aroma.

3. Add moong dal, potatoes, salt, pepper, and turmeric to pan and sauté for a few minutes to roast. Add spinach and sauté for a few more minutes.

4. Add 4 ½ cups of water to pot, bring to a low simmer and cover pot with lid. Note: if the lid does not have a hole in it for steam to escape, just partially cover the pot so that it won’t overflow while cooking.

5. After about 20 minutes, add tomatoes and lemon juice. Recover pot and continue cook until dal is tender and begins to break apart, about 15 more minutes.

6. Using a whisk, stir the dal briskly to thicken it and make it creamier. Add remaining ½ cup of water if dal appears too thick.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with rice or Indian bread.

Variation: You can substitute any of your favorite vegetables in this dish (for example, zucchini or cauliflower).

Photos by Rajni Hatti

Variation: This dal tastes delicious as a soup, along with fresh bread or a sandwich.

Tip: When warming leftover dal, reheat first and then add additional water if necessary to return dal to desired consistency.

Rajni Hatti is a freelance food writer and is currently writing a South Asian cookbook which focuses on simple and delicious South Asian cooking. She lives with her husband and son in the Washington D.C. area. Email askrajni@yahoo.com with comments or questions about this column.