Kekada Chat (Crab Malabar)
1 pound cooked crab meat, fresh or frozen and thawed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 cups coarsely diced fresh tomatoes
Salt, to taste
2 scallions, green and white parts, finely chopped
Lettuce leaves (for garnish)
Chopped cilantro (for garnish)
Pick over the crab meat and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid over moderate heat and cook the onions, stirring frequently, until golden but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the paprika, thyme, fennel seeds, and cayenne and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1 cup of the tomatoes. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and gently fold in the crab meat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
Immediately before serving, add salt to taste and fold in the remaining tomatoes and chopped scallions. Serve on a bed of lettuce, garnished with the chopped cilantro.
Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer.
Hearty Pulse and Beef Soup (Maushawa, Afghanistan)
6 cups water
1/2 cup dried red kidney beans
1/2 cup dried green split peas
1/3 cup uncooked regular rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound beef boneless round steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes (with liquid)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 (8 ounce) containers plain yogurt
1 tablespoon minced dill weed
Heat water and beans to boiling in Dutch oven; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Heat beans and water to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour, being careful not to boil so that beans will not burst. Add peas. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Stir in rice. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beans and rice are tender, about 20 minutes.
Cook and stir onion in oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until tender; remove with slotted spoon. Add beef to skillet; cook and stir until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt, red pepper and onions; break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender, about 45 minutes.
Stir beef mixture, yogurt and dill weed into bean mixture. Cook uncovered over low heat until hot, adding more water, if necessary, until of soup consistency. Garnish with dollops of yogurt topped with sprigs of dill weed.
Serve with Indian Flat Bread if desired.
Fried Cakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon warm water
Butter or margarine
Sift flour and cinnamon together. Mix flour and milk to a smooth paste. Add sugar and butter and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add yeast to mixture. Set aside until cold.
Shape into balls and fry in butter or margarine.
Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce (Bonjan Borani, Afghanistan)
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1 (1 1/2 pound) eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons snipped fresh mint leaves or
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
Paprika
Cook and stir onion in oil in 12-inch skillet until tender; remove onion. Cook half the eggplant over medium-high heat, turning once, until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining eggplant, adding more oil if necessary.
Arrange onion and eggplant slices on ovenproof platter or in ungreased 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients except paprika; pour over eggplant. Sprinkle with paprika. Heat in 350 degrees F oven until hot and bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes.
Yields 6 servings.
Crunchy Almond Chicken (Pakistan)
1 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 clove garlic
1 thin slice ginger root
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
Place almonds, garlic and ginger root in blender container; cover and blend until finely ground. Mix almond mixture, salt, paprika, cumin and pepper. Dip chicken skin sides up in ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F until thickest pieces are done, 55 to 60 minutes.
Yields 6 to 8 servings.
Curried Peas and Rice
1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold cooked rice
Rinse peas under cold running water to separate; drain. Heat oil and butter in skillet until hot. Cook and stir onion, curry powder and salt in oil mixture over medium heat until onion is tender. Add peas and rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is hot and peas are tender, about 8 minutes.
Yields 6 servings.
Indian Stir Fry
1 pound boneless lamb*
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons chopped chutney
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet red bell pepper, cut into strips
Hot cooked rice (optional)
Slice lamb diagonally across grain into thin strips, and set aside. Combine cornstarch, chutney and beef broth; set aside.
Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil around top of preheated wok or skillet, coating sides; heat at medium-high (325 degrees F) for 2 minutes. Add garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add red pepper strips; stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove from wok, and set aside.
Pour remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil into wok; add sliced lamb, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in curry powder, coating well. Return reserved minced garlic and red pepper strips to wok, and add broth mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Serve with hot cooked rice, if desired.
* 1 (1 pound) top sirloin steak (about 1 inch thick) may be substituted for boneless lamb.
Foamy Coconut Fudge (Narial Barfi)
Use only freshly-grated coconut. For a combination flavor, add 2 tablespoons roasted unsalted chopped cashew nuts with the coconut.
3 cups freshly-grated coconut
2 cups granulated sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar (optional)
1 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons ghee or light vegetable oil
Heat a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add grated coconut, and fry it, stirring constantly, until it looks dry and flaky but is still snow-white, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the coconut to a bowl.
Combine sugar, cream of tartar if you are using it, and cold water in the pan, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. Let the syrup continue to boil over medium heat, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the syrup is thickened and looks frothy and full of bubbles. Add coconut and ground cardamom, and cook for 2 to 5 minutes, stirring rapidly and vigorously. Stir in the ghee or vegetable oil, and continue cooking until the mixture begins to foam and stick to the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Do not stop stirring the fudge during this last critical minute for any reason whatsoever, or you may end up with crystals of candy instead of flaky-textured fudge. Immediately pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch square pan or onto a square of greased paper, and working deftly and quickly, spread the fudge to form an even layer, patting it gently with a flat spatula. Do not pack too much or the fudge will become dense. The fudge should be light and foamy, filled with air pockets. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then cut it into 1 1/2-inch square pieces.
This fudge keeps well for several months if stored in tightly sealed containers.