|
Chef explores India’s expansive tastes
 Step
inside most restaurants offering Indian cuisine and you are usually
only presented with the opportunity to taste the flavors of India’s
northern region. This cuisine dominates the west’s understanding and
perception of Indian cooking. But if Lachu Moorjani stays in the
kitchen, that is bound to change very soon.
The former industrial engineer in Mumbai is today a successful
restaurateur in California who strives to bring the flavors of all
parts of India, from Goa to Bombay and Kashmir to Uttar Pradesh, to
dinner tables everywhere with his new cookbook “Ajanta: Regional Feasts
of India.”
Moorjani says he decided to leave the life of engineering and “do something on my own,” after layoffs at his Mumbai employer. The obvious next path for this lifelong foodie was restaurateur. Starting
with a 44-seat restaurant in Berkeley, Calif., in 1987, he came up with
an inventive idea in the Indian restaurant industry: Moorjani would
offer a changing menu. The novel idea — each month three dishes from a
different region in India were a featured addition to the menu — proved
a success, prompting Moorjani’s first venture, New Delhi Junction, to
soaring popularity. Soon the
doors of a larger location, Ajanta, were opened. Ajanta took the
changing menu concept further. At this restaurant, not only do some
dishes alternate, but the entire menu is subject to change. There is no
static main menu. It is this same idea of
experiencing new tastes and traveling through India’s traditions with
our taste buds that Moorjani offers in his recently released cookbook.
The book is a testament to the self-taught cook’s life experiences. “Growing
up, I was exposed to different types of cooking,” he says. Between
visits to friends and family, Moorjani says over the years he has
gathered recipes from all parts of India and with fine-tuning in his
own home kitchen, he has made them his own. Some
experimentation is evident in Moorjani’s creations, such as his
tandoori portabella mushrooms, but he holds that he does not westernize
his food. Traditional dishes he says “are very authentic Indian.” Staying true to traditions in food is so important to Moorjani that “Ajanta” also
includes brief histories of the various cuisines. And rather than the
traditional cookbook design, which separates only by courses, “Ajanta”
is organized also by regional feasts. Each section offers recipes for a
complete dinner from a region. For those
daunted by cooking Indian food, let alone a full feast, Moorjani offers
comfort with a parallel to lessons he learned in the engineering lab. “Indian
food is not necessarily complicated; it is a matter of getting used to
something. In engineering there is the learning curve effect. The more
often you do something, the less complicated it becomes and the time it
takes is reduced. The same thing applies to cooking Indian food.”
Small Plates – Appetizers from across India.
 Bhe’ Ki Tikki (Lotus Root Cakes)
Moorjani says: Lotus
root, one of my favorite vegetables, grows abundantly in Kashmir. I
like this vegetable for its texture—hard and crunchy, somewhere between
bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. I also like its flavor nuances of
artichoke and asparagus. Bhe’ Ki Tikki will prove to be an unusual and
exotic appetizer. Lotus root can generally be found in Chinese markets
or specialty produce stores.
Ingredients Serves 6 1/2 pound lotus root 3 medium red potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups mashed) 3 slices white bread, crust removed, chopped into bread crumbs in a food processor 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh dill 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon crushed chile pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried pomegranate seeds 1 teaspoon black cumin seeds 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine Oil for shallow frying
1.
Cut lotus root near root ends or joints. Discard joints or root ends.
Cut lotus root into 2-inch-long pieces. Scrub or peel outer skin; clean
dirt from holes if necessary. Boil for 1 1/2 hours, or until the lotus
root is tender. Cool and cut into a fine dice, 1/8 to 1/4 inch in size.
2. Mix diced lotus root with the rest of the
ingredients except oil. Divide into eight to twelve portions and form
each portion into a round, smooth cake, about 2 inches in diameter. 3.
Heat oil (about 1/4 inch deep) in a large skillet. When the oil is hot,
almost to the smoking point, drop 2 to 3 cakes in the oil. Fry on each
side for about 2 minutes, until crispy and brown. Remove and place in a
tray lined with paper towels. Repeat until all cakes are fried, adding
more oil as necessary. Frying too many cakes at one time will reduce
the oil’s temperature; the cakes will fall apart and soak up too much
oil. Serve with Yogurt Mint Cilantro Chutney. Yogurt Mint Cilantro Chutney1 large tomato, cored and coarsely chopped 1/2 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 cups loosely packed cilantro, with stems and roots discarded 1 cup loosely packed mint leaves 1 green chile pepper (serrano or jalapeño), chopped (optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 to 4 teaspoons tamarind concentrate 1/2 cup plain yogurt
Puree
all ingredients except yogurt together in a blender. The blending
process will be easier if items with more moisture—tomato and onion—are
pureed first. Transfer to a bowl and mix in yogurt. Taste and adjust
for salt and tamarind. This can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. Sanha Pakoras (Chickpea-Flour Fritters)Moorjani says: Pakoras,
or chickpeas fritters, are very popular all over India and most regions
have their own version. Usually Pakoras are made by dipping slices of
potatoes or other vegetables in a batter made with chickpea flour
(called besan in Hindi) and then deep-frying them. Chickpea-flour
batter is often flavored with spices, which may include turmeric, chile
flakes, cumin powder, ajwain, etc. At times, some rice flour or baking
powder is added to the batter to make the pakoras crispier. Sindhi
Sanha Pakoras are different from most pakoras made in the rest of
India. Onions and potatoes, are finely diced and mixed with many other
ingredients, such as ginger, chile peppers, cilantro and pomegranate
seeds. The result, in my very biased opinion, is pakoras that taste
better than any others in the rest of India. Ingredients Serves 6 1 cup chickpea flour 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup finely diced potatoes (1/8- to 1/4-inch dice) 1 tablespoon dry pomegranate seeds, coarsely pounded 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, coarsely pounded 1 teaspoon salt 1-inch piece ginger, finely diced 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon chile flakes 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro Oil for deep-frying
1. Mix all the ingredients except oil and add just enough water to make a thick paste. 2.
Heat the oil in a 6- to 8-quart saucepot. Using a large spoon, drop
several large dollops (2 to 3 inches in diameter) of the paste, into
the hot oil and deep-fry to a golden brown at medium to high heat.
Frying too many pakoras at one time will reduce the temperature of the
oil and the pakoras will fall apart and soak up too much oil, becoming
heavy. Remove and place in a tray or platter lined with paper towels.
Repeat until the entire mixture is finished. 3.
Break up the fritters into about 1-inch pieces, and fry these pieces
one more time at high heat to a crispy, dark golden-brown color. Remove
and place on another platter lined with paper towels. Serve with Mint
Cilantro Chutney.
Jhingri Pakora (Shrimp Fritters) Moorjani says: These are very addictive. I find it difficult to stop eating these every time I have cooked them. Ingredients Serves 6 1/2 cup chickpea flour 1/2 cup rice flour 1 cup large uncooked shrimp peeled and deveined, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 1 teaspoon white poppy seeds 1 teaspoon ajwain seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon chile flakes 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro Water Oil for deep-frying
1. Mix all the ingredients except oil and add just enough water to make a thick paste. 2.
Heat the oil in a wok to about 300 to 325 degrees F. Using a large
spoon, drop 5 to 6 large balls of the paste, about 1 to 2 inches in
diameter, into the oil and deep-fry to golden brown
over medium heat. This may take six to eight minutes for each batch. Do
not fry too many balls at one time. Oil may become
cold and the balls may soak up too much oil. Remove fried balls and
place on paper towels to drain. Repeat until the entire mixture is
finished. 3. Serve warm with Mint Cilantro Chutney. * All recipes and images reprinted with permission from “Ajanta: Regional Feasts of India.”
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
