When purchasing cucumbers, look for a smooth, brightly colored skin. Cucumbers keep well in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to ten days. I prefer to use the long, seedless variety called “English cucumbers,” and though called seedless, they actually have very small seeds. They are usually sold shrink-wrapped. Unlike the common garden-variety salad cucumber, these cucumbers can be eaten without peeling or seeding.
Cumin Seeds These seeds are the best-known and most widely used spice in Indian cuisine. They are either fried whole in hot oil or dry roasted and then used whole or finely ground, depending on the recipe. Cumin is warm and intense and has an almost nutty aroma.
Curry Leaves Curry leaves originate from the kari tree, a sub-tropical tree native to India. They are used similarly to bay leaves—mainly as an aromatic and flavoring for most curries and soups. They are widely used in dishes along the southern coastal regions of India. When starting a curry or soup dish, curry leaves are placed in hot oil and fried until crisp, which makes the oil and the leaves intensely flavorful. In India, it is more common to use fresh curry leaves rather than dried ones. You can purchase fresh curry leaves in Indian grocery stores. Dried curry leaves can be purchased from specialty gourmet stores or online (see Shopping Guide, page 140). I recommend always buying fresh instead of dried leaves. The best way to store fresh curry leaves is to wash them and pat them mostly dry with a paper towel. Store refrigerated, wrapped in a paper towel inside a zip-lock bag. They will stay fresh for up to a month. For extended use, air dry them completely and store in an airtight container.
Dried Legumes (Lentils, Dried Beans, and Peas) In India, all types of dried legumes—be they lentils, peas or beans—are known as dals. They are an integral part of Indian meals, being economical; highly nutritious; very low in fat; and a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, minerals, and vitamins. Dals are a good substitute for meat, which has more fat and cholesterol. Many common varieties of dals, such as chickpeas (kabuli chana), kidney beans (rajmah), whole green lentils (sabut moong), and cow peas (black-eyed peas) are available in conventional supermarkets. Some not-so-common varieties used in Indian cooking include pigeon peas (toor dal), split black gram, aka “black lentils” (urad dal), split green lentils (moong dal), split red lentils (masoor dal), and split yellow peas (chana dal). For these, a trip to an Indian grocery store or an online purchase is necessary (see Shopping Guide, page 140).
Dal dishes come in various forms—thin and soupy (South Indian Lentils and Vegetables, page 56), thick and creamy (Homestyle Dal with Pumpkin, page 60), and hearty and comforting (Chickpea Curry with Sweet Potato, page 54)—and may be the basis of a salad (Chickpea, Mango and Watercress Salad, page 45).
There is nothing more comforting and soulful than a bowl of dal topped with some steamed rice. I incorporate dals into my everyday meals—both Indian and non-Indian. I cook my dried legumes the old fashioned way in my kitchen, using a pressure cooker. Though this technique is not so popular in North American and Europe, I urge you to give pressure cooking a try: It uses less liquid, has faster cooking times, and the food retains more vitamins and minerals. I can assure you that once you get used to a pressure cooker, you will be eating more dals as part of your daily meals, especially the longer-cooking types. Anticipating that not everyone will have a pressure cooker or be inclined to use one, the recipes in this book call for common kitchenware, such as saucepans or pots. If you want to experiment with a pressure cooker, simply follow the instructions provided with it; you will find that cooking time is reduced by more than 50 percent!
I often stock my pantry with canned legumes, which I find to be an acceptable substitute for dried, and very convenient when I’m in a rush. For the dal recipes in this book, I include the option of using commonly available canned peas or beans. Make sure to drain and rinse them thoroughly before using them.
Fennel Seeds These are the oval, pale greenish-yellow seeds of the common fennel plant, a member of parsley family. They are sweetly aromatic and have an anise-like flavor. In Indian cooking, they are used whole and ground in both sweet and savory dishes. Roasted fennel seeds are sometimes sugarcoated and chewed as a digestive and mouth freshener after Indian meals. They are readily available in most grocery stores.
Fenugreek Leaves Known as methi when fresh and kasoori methi when dried, these leaves are extensively used in Indian cuisine. The slightly perfumed and bitter flavor of the leaves goes very well with curries. The leaves are sold fresh when in season or dried in packets year round in Indian markets. The dried leaves can also be purchased online (see Shopping Guide, page 140). Frozen chopped fenugreek greens are also now available at some Indian grocery stores. I use the dried version—kasoori methi—in the recipes in this book because of its unique flavor and strong taste. In comparison, fresh methi (young leaves and sprouts of fenugreek) has a very mild flavor. When fresh, the leaves are eaten as greens and are commonly cooked with potatoes, spinach, and paneer and eaten with roti or naan (breads). The dried leaves have a bitter taste and strong aroma and are used in small amounts to flavor dishes. There is no real substitute for this ingredient in Indian recipes, and so I have made its use optional throughout the book.
Fenugreek Seeds The fenugreek seeds are bitter, yellowish-brown, tiny seeds that provide commercial curry powders their distinctive aroma. They are used in small quantities because of their strong flavor. In the southern part of India, the seeds are often oil-roasted and then ground to create a bitter balance in curries; in eastern India, the seeds are stir-fried whole. They are available only in Southeast Asian or Indian grocery stores.
Garlic A close relative to onions, shallots, and leeks, garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. Garlic powder is not a substitute for fresh garlic in traditional Indian cooking. Whole bulbs of garlic will keep for several months or more when stored at room temperature in a dry, dark place that has ample air circulation. Keep in mind, however, that garlic’s shelf life decreases once you start removing cloves from the bulb. Storing garlic uncovered, such as in a wire-mesh basket inside your cupboard is ideal. You can also store garlic in a paper or mesh bag. Just be sure there is plenty of dry air and little light to inhibit sprouting. To avoid mold, do not refrigerate or store garlic in plastic bags.
Ginger A knobby, pale-brown rhizome of a perennial tropical plant, ginger is available fresh, dried, ground into a powder and as a preserved stem. Ground ginger or preserved ginger is almost never used in Indian cooking. Fresh ginger root has no aroma, but once you peel or cut it, it emits a warm, woody aroma with citrus undertones. When used fresh, it has a peppery hot bite to it. Fresh ginger is used throughout India and is a very common ingredient in Indian cooking. It is often ground into a paste, finely chopped, or made into juice. We use chopped ginger to stir-fry vegetables, crushed ginger or ginger paste in meat stews and legumes, and thinly sliced slivers of raw ginger to sprinkle over curries just before serving. While shopping for fresh ginger, look for a hard and heavy root that snaps easily into pieces. Avoid dry, shriveled roots that feel light for their size. Keep fresh ginger in the refrigerator crisper in a plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb moisture (to prevent mold, change the towel occasionally). The root will last for two or three weeks. To extend its life, you can freeze ginger. You don’t