Cocktails and Cuisine

By Alamelu Vairavan

Enticing and Healthy South Indian Flavors

Many people who attend my cooking classes want to change their habit of eating fatty fast foods, like burgers and pizzas – a diet that leads to weight gain and health problems. After taking my cooking classes, these students whip up Indian meals regularly using fresh vegetables and lean meats. They cook a variety of vegetables enhanced with spices and legumes, amazed at how easy it is to find these ingredients in local and Indian grocery stores. They learn how to set up a basic spice pantry and discover the health benefits of spices. A steady stream of research continues to find new evidence of health benefits in the spices commonly found in Indian cooking. For example, turmeric and other spices may help prevent conditions such as arthritis and a host of other diseases.

Home-cooked South Indian food is healthful for the following reasons:

- South Indian cooking uses a minimal amount of light cooking oil, not the ghee (clarified butter) and heavy cream used in many restaurants.

- Salt can be reduced or eliminated entirely and substituted with cumin, ginger, garlic and other spices.

- In South Indian cooking, any vegetable can be made into many different dishes with spices and spice powders that each have a unique taste.

- South Indian cooking also uses a variety of daal (lentils) that are high in protein, iron and fiber.

- Breakfast items such as idli, dosa, uppuma and adai are light and easy to digest.

Try my enticing, healthy recipe for eggplant masala, a dish that will make anyone a vegetable lover!

Eggplant Masala
Serves 4

Serve eggplant masala as a complement to most rice and vegetable dishes or try serving it over cocktail breads and crackers for a delicious appetizer.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder
4 to 5 curry leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad daal (found at your local South Asian grocery store)
1/2 cup onion, cut in small lengthwise pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped tomato
3 cloves garlic, quartered
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/3 cups eggplant, cut in small oblong pieces
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons unsweetened powdered coconut
2 tablespoons water

Instructions
1. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat with asafoetida powder and curry leaves.

2. When oil is hot but not smoking, stir in mustard seeds and urad daal. Cover and fry until mustard seeds burst (listen for popping sound) and urad daal is golden.

3.Add onion, tomato, garlic and turmeric powder. Stir fry for a few minutes.

4. Add eggplant to the ingredients in the skillet and stir well.

5. Cover and cook over low-medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Add cayenne pepper and cumin powder. Add tomato sauce, salt and 2 tablespoons of water and stir well.

7. Continue to cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes or until eggplant becomes tender and sauce is thick. Stir often.

8. Add coconut powder. Stir briefly for a few minutes.

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