660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking – Raghaven Iyer

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup Indian or Pakistani white basmati rice
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 8 to 10 green or white cardamom pods, to taste
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches long), broken into smaller pieces
• 2 tablespoons Ghee or canola oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt

Directions

1. Place the rice in a medium-size bowl. Fill the bowl halfway with water, to cover the rice. Gently rub the slender grains through your fingers, without breaking them, to wash off any dust or light foreign objects (like loose husks), which will float to the surface. The water will become cloudy. Drain this water. Repeat three or four times, until the water remains relatively clear, drain. Now fill the bowl halfway with cold water and let it sit at room temperature until the grains soften, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. While the rice is soaking, combine the peppercorns, cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon pieces in a mortar. Pound the spices with the pestle, breaking them down into smaller chips and releasing their aromatic oils.
3. Heat the ghee in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, sugar, and pounded spices, and stir-fry until the onion turns dark purple-brown and soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Drain the rice and add it to the onion mixture, tossing them together gently. Pour in 1 1/2 cups cold water and add the salt. Stir the rice once to incorporate the ingredients. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the water has evaporated from the surface and craters are starting to appear in the rice, 5 to 8 minutes. Now (and only now) stir once to bring the partially cooked layer from the bottom of the pan to the surface. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes (8 for an electric burner, 10 for a gas burner). Then turn off the heat and let the pan stand on that burner, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve.

Jhinga Vindaloo (Shrimp with Cashew Nuts and Vinegar)
660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking – Raghaven Iyer

Serves 4

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
10 raw cashew nuts, ground (see Tip)
1 pound large shrimp (16 to 29 per pound), peeled and deveined but tails left on
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing

1. Combine the vinegar, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, turmeric, and cashews in a small bowl and stir to make a smooth, slightly thin paste. Pour this over the shrimp in a medium-size bowl, making sure you scrape in every spicy, acidic drop. Toss well to coat the shellfish with the marinade. Refrigerate, covered, for about 15 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, arranging them in a single layer and reserving the residual marinade in the bowl. Sear the shrimp on each side to seal in the flavors, about 1 minute per side. Pour in the residual marinade and stir once or twice. Lower the heat to medium and simmer the curry, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are salmon-orange, curled, and tender and the sauce is almost entirely absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with the cilantro, and serve.

Tip: I grind the cashew nuts in a spice grinder. Oftentimes, a few small pieces refuse to incorporate. When that happens, I remove some of the packed cashew powder, especially around the blades, to free up more space for the remaining pieces to end up powdered.

660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking – Raghaven Iyer

Serves 4

1 cup shredded fresh coconut; or 1/2 cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut, reconstituted (see Note)
1/4 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate
4 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
1 chicken (3 1/2 pounds), skin removed, cut into 8 pieces

1. Pour 1 cup water into a blender jar. Add the coconut, cilantro, salt, tamarind paste and chiles, and puree, scraping the inside of the jar as necessary, to make a smooth but slightly gritty paste.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (not unlike popcorn), about 30 seconds. Immediately add the chicken pieces, meat side down in a single layer, cover, and cook the chicken until the underside is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the pieces over, cover, and cook until the other side is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Pour the coconut sauce over the chicken pieces, making sure the sauce covers each piece in addition to forming a small pool underneath them. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, turning the chicken occasionally and basting it every 3 to 4 minutes, for about 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and simmer until the meat in the thickest parts of the chicken is no longer pink inside and the juices run clear, 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, pour the sauce over them, and serve.

Note: To reconstitute coconut, cover with 1/2 cup boiling water, set aside for about 15 minutes, and then drain.