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Cocktails and Cuisine

By Rajni Hatti

Mughlai Cuisine

The Mughal Empire was one of the largest empires of its time and ruled South Asia beginning in the 16th century. During their rule, which spanned more than a thousand years, they influenced almost every aspect of South Asian culture, including the cuisine. As the Mughals began to intermingle with the indigenous people of South Asia, two distinct cuisines came together to form a new way of cooking that is still used today in northern India and Pakistan. The rich and decadent Mughal cuisine brought items such as nuts, dried fruits, butter and cream to South Asian cuisine. From these newly introduced ingredients, dishes such as biryani, matar paneer, kebabs and naan were born.

Although Mughal cuisine was once considered the food of aristocrats and royalty, today it is available to people of all walks of life and is the primary cuisine served in Indian restaurants all over the world. With the use of a few simple techniques, you can even make some of these delicious dishes right at home!

Rajni Hatti

Matar Paneer (Peas and Indian Cheese in Tomato-Yogurt Curry)
Makes 4 servings

The Mughals introduced the use of cream, which was used in South Asian cuisine to create rich and creamy curries.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 teaspoons oil
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon peeled grated ginger
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
½ cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ cup plain low fat yogurt, room temperature
¼ cup half and half, room temperature
1 cup pressed paneer (Indian cheese), cut into 1 inch cubes

Tip: To keep the cream and yogurt from curdling when added to the tomato sauce, add them both to the dish after it has cooled a little.

Tip: You can use ready-made or homemade paneer (see recipe below) in this recipe. Ready-made paneer can be found at some specialty grocery stores and South Asian grocers.

Instructions:
1. Heat cumin and coriander seeds, without any oil, until they begin to brown and give off an aroma. Grind the coriander seeds and cumin seeds together in a spice grinder.

2. Heat a medium size pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil.

3. Add onion and stir occasionally until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

4. Add garlic, turmeric and crushed red pepper. Stir occasionally until onions brown, about 3-5 minutes.

5. Add crushed tomatoes, ground cumin and coriander, ginger, brown sugar, salt and water and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally until sauce thickens slightly, about 5-8 minutes.

Photo by Rajni Hatti

6. Add peas and garam masala and stir occasionally until peas are warmed through.

7. Remove from heat and let cool until warm to the touch, about 15 minutes.

8. Combine yogurt and milk together in a small bowl. Add yogurt mixture to the pan and mix to combine.

9. Heat a non-stick medium size pan over medium-low heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil (or enough to coat the bottom of the pan). Add cubed paneer and stir occasionally until both sides are golden brown.

10. Add paneer to curry and mix gently.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with Indian bread.

Paneer (Indian Cheese)
Makes about 1 cup of paneer (pressed)

Unlike cheeses that are popular in the West, paneer is not aged and does not melt when cooked. It is most comparable to ricotta or cottage cheese.

Ingredients:
5 cups 2% milk
2½ tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions:
1. Line a colander with a cheese cloth or a clean kitchen towel and place in sink.

2. Heat a medium size pot over medium heat. Add milk.

3. Slowly bring the milk to a boil. The milk will begin to rise. When the milk has almost risen to the top of the pot, add the lemon juice and stir occasionally until milk thickens and separates into liquid and solids, about 1 minute (the liquid will be yellowish in color, the paneer will eventually be white).

4. Remove pot from heat and pour contents into the prepared colander. Let the paneer cool for about 5 minutes, or until it is cool enough to handle safely.

5. Gather the ends of the cheese cloth (or towel) and twist to form a pouch. Wring out the excess water from the paneer.

6. Place the cheese cloth (or towel) on a baking sheet. Loosely cover the paneer with the cheese cloth (or towel) and place a heavy pan over the paneer. Press down to flatten the paneer to a thickness of about a ½ inch. Let the paneer drain for at least 30 minutes.

7. Remove paneer from cheesecloth and use as desired.

Rajni Hatti teaches Indian cooking classes in the greater Washington D.C. area and is currently writing a cookbook that focuses on simple and delicious South Asian cooking. Email askrajni@yahoo.com with comments or questions about this column.