DRINKS, SWEETS, AND DESSERTS

A POMEGRANATE AND MINT DRINK

ANAAR KA RAS

When I arrived at the Falaknuma Palace Hotel in Hyderabad recently, they offered me a pomegranate mojito. I wasn’t quite ready for a proper drink, so I asked if I could just have the pomegranate juice. This is how they serve it. You could try it with a gin or vodka if you like.

This recipe may easily be doubled. I used organic, pure pomegranate juice that is easily available in health-food stores. At the hotel, they simply squeeze out fresh juice. If you have a juicer, you could do the same.

SERVES 1

From the Taj Falaknuma Palace hotel in Hyderabad

1 cup pomegranate juice

15 fresh mint leaves, crushed, plus a mint sprig for garnish

2 teaspoons lime juice

4–5 teaspoons honey, or to taste

5–6 ice cubes, plus extra for serving

Combine the pomegranate juice, mint leaves, lime juice, honey, and ice cubes in a shaker or jug. Shake or stir well and strain into a glass. Serve garnished with the mint sprig and with a few extra cubes of ice.

SRI LANKAN LEMONADE FLAVORED WITH GINGER AND LEMONGRASS

SRI LANKA KI LEMONADE

I had this drink in Sri Lanka, at a very elegant ladies’ lunch in Colombo, where they also served a marvelous ginger beer. Both were offered before the grand multi-course lunch.

SERVES 6

2 sticks of lemongrass

An 8-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 cup sugar

1⅛ cups fresh lime juice

Ice cubes

1. Cut off the very top of the lemongrass sticks, retaining the bottom 8 inches. Lightly smash the bulbous end. Now cut the lemongrass crosswise into very fine slices. Place ends in a medium pan with the ginger, sugar, and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Strain and set aside to cool, then store the syrup in a small jug or screw-top jar.

2. Whenever you wish to make a glass of lemonade, put 4 tablespoons of the flavored syrup into a glass followed by 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice and ½ cup water. Stir to mix, then drop in 6–7 ice cubes and stir again. Taste and adjust the sweetness or sourness as needed. The syrup will make up to 6 glasses in this way.

GINGER MINT TEA

ADRAK KI CHAI

A wonderful tea to have on a cold day, or when you have a cold.

SERVES 4

A 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin round slices

20 fresh mint leaves

Honey, preferably unboiled, to serve (unboiled honey is available from health-food stores)

1. Put the ginger and 4 cups water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, then strain into a warmed teapot. Discard the ginger.

2. Crush the mint leaves lightly in your hand and throw them into the teapot. Cover and leave to steep for 5 minutes. Serve the tea with honey.

YOGURT AND CUCUMBER DRINK

SOUTHEKAI MAJJIGE

This is a very cooling and refreshing drink.

SERVES 1–2

From Heera Nandi

1 cup plain yogurt, nice and cold

7 oz cucumbers (3 smallish ones), peeled and chopped (I like the seedless Persian or Armenian ones)

1 teaspoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

2 teaspoons lime juice

½ fresh hot green chili, chopped (optional)

¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Ice cubes (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve, pushing out all the liquid, and pour into a glass. Add an ice cube or two if you wish.

CURRY LEAF–FLAVORED YOGURT DRINK

CHAAS

A simple, nutritious, and cooling drink that can be served with meals or by itself.

SERVES 2

From the Chinmaya Mission in Delhi

2 cups plain yogurt

About 30 fresh curry leaves

1 fresh hot green chili, chopped

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Ice cubes

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender along with 1 cup water. Blend thoroughly. Strain into a jug through a fine sieve, pushing out as much liquid as possible. Refrigerate until needed.

2. To serve, pour into two glasses, adding a few ice cubes to each one.

YOGURT DRINK WITH CURRY LEAVES, FRESH CILANTRO, AND CUMIN

CHAAS

Rohit’s family believes that curry leaves help to lower cholesterol. This is another simple, nutritious, and cooling drink that can be served with meals or by itself. “Chaas” is a common North Indian name for yogurt and buttermilk drinks. It is only in the state of Punjab that these drinks are known as lassi, a name that seems to have taken over.

SERVES 2

From Rohit Gandhi in Bombay

1. Put 1 cup water into a blender, add the cilantro, curry leaves, and green chilies and blend thoroughly. Add the yogurt, salt, and cumin and blend again. Strain into a jug through a fine sieve, pushing out as much liquid as possible. Refrigerate until needed.

2. To serve, pour into two glasses, adding a few ice cubes to each one, and dust with a little extra ground cumin seeds.

SWEET CARDAMOM-FLAVORED YOGURT DRINK

MEETHI CHAAS

A sweet, cooling drink that can be served with meals or by itself.

SERVES 2

2 cups plain yogurt

3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender, add 1 cup water, and blend thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed.

2. To serve, pour into two glasses, adding a few ice cubes to each one.

A NOTE ON RASAM

“Rasam” is the Tamil name for a watery, soupy dish that is eaten all over South India. It is known as “saaru” in Kannada and “chaaru” in Telegu, but it also has numerous other names, including “pulusu,” “pulichaar,” and “satamudhu.” Most of the names imply a juice, an essence, or an infusion of some sort.

A rasam is always sour and hot, and those characteristics initially came from tamarind and black pepper. But since India was introduced to tomatoes and red chilies in the fifteenth century, these have happily been added to the earlier ingredients. Stock can also be used in a rasam. The water comes not from meat but from cooked split peas, and is utterly delicious.

At a traditional meal in Tamil Nadu, where all courses are served with rice, prayers come first, then rice with ghee, followed by rice with sambar (see this page) and assorted vegetables, then rice with rasam, and, finally, rice with yogurt, pickles, and so forth. Everything is eaten with the right hand. No utensils are used, even for the soupiest of dishes.

If you have ever eaten a mulligatawny soup, you should know that its origins lie centuries back in a rasam. The British perhaps mispronounced the words “milagu tannir,” which mean “black pepper water.” Milagu tannir was just one kind of rasam made with an infusion of black pepper and tamarind. And, of course, the British wanted to eat the “soup” with a spoon, so the rasam was thickened, a little rice was added (instead of the rasam being added to the rice), and a spoon was provided.

And that brings me to the question of serving and eating rasams in the West. It has now become quite customary, even in India, to serve rasam in a small glass or cup or even a wineglass (if the liquid is at room temperature) as a drink. The only problem is that there are all manner of bits and bobs in a rasam. Some float to the top, others sink to the bottom, some hover in the middle. So, ideally, a small spoon has to be offered for stirring. You should stir the rasam from the bottom as you serve it, and stir it before you take a sip. Any curry leaves, chilies, etc., that float up should be put to the side as elegantly as you can. You could also try removing them before you serve.

I have yet another way to serve my rasams. I ladle them into old-fashioned soup plates and put an ice cream scoop of hot rice in the center. And yes, I offer soup spoons.

You will find four very different rasams in this chapter—one made with tamarind, another with yogurt, a third with tomatoes, and a fourth with the stock from toovar dal and tamarind water. Serve them as a small drink or a soup, however you wish.

TAMARIND RASAM

PACHI PULUSU

Like most rasams, this can be served in a glass as a drink, and often is, but its main function is to be eaten with rice (see note). In the Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh, where this dish originates, it is often combined with roasted and ground sesame seeds that thicken it slightly. If you wish to do that, roast 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds in a small cast-iron frying pan set over medium heat, stirring them until they are a shade darker and emit a roasted aroma. Allow to cool, then grind them and stir into the rasam. Also, some people like to roast the green chilies over a fire or in a hot cast-iron pan and crush them into the tamarind juice. I have done that here, but it is not essential.

There are many types of tamarind available. It is best to buy the kind that comes packed in blocks with most of the seeds removed. I like the blocks from Thailand best, as they are much softer and easier to handle.

In the summer this dish can be served cold, either in a small glass or cup. You could also serve it in a soup plate with a scoop of hot Rice with Moong Dal and Potatoes in the center. In Andhra Pradesh they serve this combination with Simple Hard-boiled Egg Curry and some crisp popadams as a light meal.

SERVES 3–4

From Shobhana and Padma Reddy in Hyderabad

1 ball of tamarind, about 1½ inches in diameter

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons peeled and very finely chopped onion

1–2 fresh hot green chilies, lightly roasted, then mashed

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons olive or peanut oil

1 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1–2 dried hot red chilies, broken in half

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

6–7 fresh curry leaves, lightly crushed in your hand

1. Break the tamarind into small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add 3 cups boiling water and set aside for 30 minutes. Rub the tamarind pieces with your fingers to release all the pulp. Strain into another bowl and add the salt, onions, green chilies (one at a time to gauge the heat), cilantro, and sugar. Stir to mix and taste for balance of seasonings.

2. Put the oil in a small frying pan and set over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as they pop, a matter of seconds, add the cumin and red chilies. When the chilies darken, add the garlic and stir once or twice. Add the curry leaves (take care, as they will splutter) and quickly pour the contents of the pan over the tamarind mixture. Stir and set aside for 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

A toddy tapper in Andhra Pradesh

A toddy tapper in Andhra Pradesh

YOGURT RASAM

MOR RASAM

The yogurt used in this South Indian dish needs to be quite sour. Some of the acidophilus yogurts sold by health-food stores are perfect for this dish. Indian grocers also sell good yogurt, often calling it “dahi,” its North Indian name. Try to get as natural a yogurt as you can, then leave it unrefrigerated for twenty-four hours: that should sour it.

The dry red chilies in the tarka (see this page) may be broken in half before dropping them into the oil. This will make the rasam hotter.

Serve with plain rice or as a drink with the meal or before it. Stir as you drink it.

SERVES 2–3

1 cup sour plain yogurt (see introduction)

Pinch of ground turmeric

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons plain toovar dal

½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

2 teaspoons olive or peanut oil

½ teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

2–3 hot dried red chilies

Pinch of ground asafetida

6–7 fresh curry leaves, lightly crushed in your hand

1. Put the yogurt in a medium pan and beat lightly with a whisk until smooth and creamy. Slowly add 1 cup water, whisking as you go. Add the turmeric and salt and whisk them in too.

2. Put a small cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the toovar dal, peppercorns, and cumin seeds. Stir and roast until the dal is a shade darker and the cumin smells roasted. Transfer to a plate to cool, then grind to as fine a powder as you can manage. Whisk this powder into the yogurt mixture. Set the yogurt over medium-low heat, whisking lightly. Just before it comes to a boil, take it off the heat.

3. Put the oil in the frying pan used for roasting the spices and set over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and red chilies. As soon as the seeds start to pop, a matter of seconds, add the asafetida and curry leaves (take care, as they will splutter). Quickly pour this mixture over the yogurt, then stir together. Serve warm or at room temperature, always stirring from the bottom first.

TOMATO RASAM

THAKAALI RASAM

Made mainly with tomatoes, this is a lovely rasam (see note) that can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. If you wish it to remain only as spicy as it is just after you make it, remove all the chilies when you finish cooking. In South India this dish is always very hot, making a perfect contrast with bland rice.

SERVES 4

1 ball of tamarind, about 1 inch in diameter (for the best type, see this page)

3 tomatoes (about 13–14 oz in all), peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and finely chopped

2–3 fresh hot green chilies, slit open lengthwise

1¼ teaspoons salt

1¼ teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons olive or peanut oil

½ teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

2 dried hot red chilies, broken in half if you want the dish really hot

Pinch of ground asafetida

7–8 fresh curry leaves, lightly crushed in your hand

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

1. Break the tamarind into several pieces and soak in 1 cup boiling water for 30 minutes. Rub the tamarind with your fingers to release all the pulp, then strain the tamarind water into a medium pan. Add the tomatoes, garlic, green chilies, salt, sugar, turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and 4 cups water. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Taste for balance of sugar and salt, adding whatever is needed.

2. Put the oil in a small frying pan and set over medium heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as they pop, a matter of seconds, add the red chilies and asafetida. When the chilies darken, add the curry leaves (take care, as they will splutter). Stir once and pour this mixture over the rasam. Stir again, then sprinkle the fresh cilantro over the top.

RASAM

SAARU OR CHAARU OR RASAM

This is the most traditional rasam served, with slight variations, in many South Indian homes in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka (see note). The base of this drink is the water that comes from boiling toovar dal. This is the “stock.” There are several little steps involved in getting this rasam right. None of them is hard to do, and the results are most gratifying.

SERVES 4–5

½ cup plain toovar dal

1 ball of tamarind, about 1 inch in diameter (for the best type, see this page)

1 medium tomato, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 fresh hot green chili, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

¼ teaspoon nice red chili powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon plain toovar dal

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

FOR THE TARKA

2 teaspoons ghee (clarified butter) or olive or peanut oil

½ teaspoon urad dal

½ teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds

1–2 dried hot red chilies

Pinch of ground asafetida

5–6 fenugreek seeds

7–9 fresh curry leaves, lightly crushed in your hand

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1. Wash the dal in several changes of water, then drain and place in a medium pan. Add 6 cups water and bring to a boil. Skim off the froth, then cover partially and simmer for 1 hour. Strain into a large pan, getting at least 4 cups of liquid. If there is not enough, add a little water. Save the cooked dal for other purposes.

2. While the dal is cooking, break the tamarind ball into pieces and soak in 1 cup boiling water for at least 30 minutes. Rub the tamarind with your fingers to release all the pulp, then strain the tamarind water into the pan of dal stock. Add the tomatoes, onions, green chilies, garlic, chili powder, ground coriander, turmeric, salt, and sugar.

3. Put a small cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the toovar dal, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds. Stir and roast until the dal is a shade darker and the cumin smells roasted. Transfer to a plate to cool, then grind to as fine a powder as you can manage. Add this powder to the pan of rasam and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer vigorously for 30 minutes or until reduced by about 20 percent. Taste for balance of seasonings, making adjustments as needed.

4. To make the tarka (see this page), put the ghee into a small cast-iron frying and set over medium heat. When hot, add the urad dal. As soon as it starts to color, add the mustard seeds, red chilies, and asafetida. When the seeds pop and the chilies darken, a matter of seconds, add the fenugreek seeds, curry leaves (take care, as they will splutter), and garlic. Stir once or twice, then empty the contents of the frying pan into the rasam. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes. Stir from the bottom before serving.

5. I like to serve this hot, in an old-fashioned soup plate with a scoop of hot, plain rice in the center.

MELON PAYASAM

KHARBOOJA PAYASAM

Meera Prasad cooked what can best be described as a banquet for us in Bangalore, at the end of which she presented this melon payasam. Nothing could have been nicer. Payasam, in South India, is a pudding, generally made with grains or beans and sometimes with fruit. I love fruit desserts, as they tend to be lighter and somehow perfect after a spicy Indian meal. This is served cold, so for me it is doubly perfect—cooling and refreshing. I have been serving it frequently, and now you can do the same. I like to serve this in an ice cream dish with a spoon, as it is fairly watery.

I have used jaggery, a raw Indian sugar here (see note). I buy the palest variety and grate it on the coarsest part of the grater. You can use light brown sugar instead, but taste as you go because you will need much less of it.

I bought a large melon that weighed about 3¾ lbs. After removing the skin and seeds and chopping it, I got 2 lbs finely chopped flesh. For chopping the melon into a kind of mush just short of pulverization, I use a large knife. I am careful to preserve all the juices and then add them to the melon. You could also put larger pieces of melon into a food processor and chop them very small by pulsing in short bursts.

SERVES 4–5

From Meera Prasad

4 cups very finely chopped melon (green or orange flesh)

2 lightly packed cups pale-colored jaggery, grated

¾ cup coconut milk, from a well-shaken can

½ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds, plus a little extra for sprinkling

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. Dust with a little ground cardamom before serving.

MELON BALLS WITH MINT

PUDINA KHARBOOJA

A lovely summery dessert, this needs to be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

The melon should be very sweet. If you have a double-ended melon baller, use the larger end of the scoop.

Kewra water has an aroma very similar to that of the Southeast Asian paandaan leaf, a lovely tropical fragrance. Rose water or orange blossom water may be substituted.

SERVES 4–5

1 large melon, about 3¾ lbs

1 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

6 tablespoons sugar

About 35 fresh mint leaves, very finely chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

2–3 teaspoons kewra water, rose water, or orange blossom water

1. Cut the melon in half and discard all the seeds. Using a melon baller, scoop out the flesh and place in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the cardamom and mix well.

2. Put the sugar in a small bowl. Add the mint leaves and rub them into the sugar with your fingers. Add the lime juice and your choice of fragrant water. Mix well and pour over the melon balls. Mix, cover, and refrigerate, stirring every now and then. Serve cold in small dishes with the juices.

CARDAMOM-FLAVORED BUTTER BISCUITS

NAAN KHATAI

These are my favorite Indian biscuits, and very easy to put together. I have loved naan khatai since I was a child. They are light and crumbly and also slightly chewy, with a texture somewhere between that of shortbread and a macaroon.

MAKES 24

⅓ cup flour

⅓ cup sooji (Indian semolina)

⅓ cup chickpea flour (besan or gram flour)

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

½ cup soft unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing

⅔ cup sugar

1 tablespoon chopped flaked almonds

1 tablespoon chopped raw pistachios

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Combine the flour, sooji, chickpea flour, baking powder, and cardamom in a medium bowl. Mix together with a fork or dry whisk.

3. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric beater, cream the two together until light and frothy. Add the flour mixture, then use your hands and a light touch to combine them and form a ball of dough. Break the ball into 24 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Make sure there are no cracks in the balls. Flatten the balls very slightly between your palms.

4. Grease a baking sheet with butter. Lay the slightly flattened balls on it about 1½ inches apart. Cut shallow lines in the pattern of a tic-tac-toe grid on top of each biscuit without going right to the edge. Place a mixture of the nuts in the central square, pushing them down a bit so they do not roll off. Bake for 12–14 minutes (they will still be very soft), then set aside to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Using a fine spatula, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a flat, airtight container.

FRIED STUFFED DATES

KHAJOOR KA MEETHA

A long time ago, when I was working on my very first cookbook, I wrote a recipe for simple fried dates that I had learned from my sister, Kamal, who had learned it from her Gujarati Bohra in-laws. It was a sticky, chewy, and easy-to-make sweetmeat, and I just loved it. So, apparently, did Elizabeth David. When my book was published, she wrote me a little note to say so. That made my day! I have been cooking those dates for several decades, but over time I have added this or that to them. Here is my newest variation. I serve it at the end of the meal with coffee, along with Cardamom-Flavored Butter Biscuits, and squares of Sooji Halva, both of which I make in advance. The dates, though, have to be made at the last minute, but they could be stuffed well ahead of time and kept covered.

Note that the nuts need to be chopped to a fairly small size so they can be stuffed into a date, but not so small that they turn into crumbs.

MAKES 16 DATES

16 medium-sized dates, stoned

About 3 tablespoons chopped raw pistachios and walnuts

3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to a soft foam

1. If the dates have been stoned by making a slit down one side, open them up slightly, one at a time, and stuff about ½ teaspoon of the nuts inside them. If the stones have been pulled out from the top, you will have to push the nuts in from the top and bottom of the date. Cover the stuffed dates with plastic wrap and set aside until you are ready to eat them.

2. Put the ghee in a medium nonstick frying pan and set over medium heat. When hot, add the dates and stir them around for 10–20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, quickly transfer them to a dish and serve immediately. Offer the cream separately to put on top of the dates.

CARAMELIZED BANANAS WITH SESAME SEEDS

KELAY KA MEETHA

A simple sweet or dessert that could be made hastily for a hungry child or grown-up.

SERVES 2–4

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or ordinary butter

2 tablespoons sugar

2 ripe but very firm bananas

½ cup heavy cream, lightly whipped to soft peaks (optional)

1. Put a small cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the sesame seeds and roast them for a minute or so, stirring until they are a shade darker and smell roasted. They might fly about, in which case, cover loosely but keep stirring. Transfer to a small bowl when done. (This can be done ahead of time.)

2. Put the ghee or butter in a medium nonstick frying pan and set over low heat. When it has melted, sprinkle in the sugar evenly. Stir and let the sugar start to caramelize. Peel the bananas and cut them in half crosswise, then lengthwise. Place them in the pan in a single layer and cook over medium-low heat for about 1½ minutes on each side or until they are golden and coated with the caramel.

3. Transfer the bananas to a serving dish and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Serve hot, offering the whipped cream separately (if using).

SOOJI PUDDING WITH COCONUT MILK

SOOJI KHEER

From the Goa region of western India, this dish is one of those soothing, calming puddings that would make toddlers as happy as grown-ups. It is similar to rice pudding, except it is made with sooji, not rice. It is somewhat like the next recipe for halva, but kheers are less dense and a bit more flowing. This also has the lovely coastal taste of coconut and cashews.

In India, some fresh coconut, ground so it is satiny smooth, is added to the kheer. I can never get mine to the right texture, so I have just left it out and used only coconut milk, which is also called for. This kheer gets thicker as it sits, so you might need to thin it with water or coconut milk if you do not eat it immediately.

SERVES 6

From the Highway Gomantak restaurant in Bombay

4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

4 tablespoons coarsely chopped raw cashews

4 tablespoons golden raisins

3½ oz sooji (Indian semolina)

1½ cups light brown sugar (taste and add more, if desired, when the kheer thickens)

½ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

A 14-fl-oz can coconut milk, well shaken

1. Put the ghee in a medium nonstick deep frying pan and set over medium-low heat. When hot, add the cashews and stir until they turn golden. Using a slotted spoon, quickly transfer the nuts to a plate.

2. Add the golden raisins to the ghee remaining in the pan. They will plump up almost immediately. Remove them with the slotted spoon and put next to the cashews.

3. Put the sooji into the remaining ghee and fry over low heat for 6–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until it is golden. Add the sugar and mix well. Add 2½ cups water, the ground cardamom, and most of the reserved nuts and golden raisins (save some for the decoration). Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then stir and cook over low heat for 4 minutes. Add the coconut milk, stir, and cook for 5–6 minutes, until the kheer has thickened. Turn off the heat and keep stirring gently until the kheer has cooled a bit. It will also get thicker. Cover the kheer with plastic wrap in such a way that it touches the whole surface of it. This will prevent a skin forming on the top.

4. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, decorated with the remaining nuts and golden raisins.

SOOJI HALVA

Sooji, an Indian semolina made with soft wheat, may be used to make quick savory dishes, but it makes equally quick sweet dishes as well. The most popular among them is probably this halva, enjoyed equally by the poorest villager and the richest industrialist in North India. As it is always offered to the gods at temples on religious occasions, then given back to people praying at the temples as prashad (blessed food), it carries with it an air of holiness even when it is cooked at home.

Sooji halva is cooked in ghee and very easy to prepare. It is often eaten by itself as a sweet dish or dessert. You can eat it just the way it comes out of the frying pan, hot and soft, or you can put it into a square or rectangular cake tin, press down on it, and then cut it into squares. These have a cake-like texture and are perfect with a cup of tea.

But there is another way sooji halva is served. At Sunday breakfasts it is frequently offered, nice and hot, with Pooris (see this page) and spicy potatoes, such as Potatoes Cooked in a Banarasi Style. The combination of something sweet and something spicy is quite enticing.

My halva is lightly sweetened, just the way I like it. If you want it sweeter, add another 1–2 tablespoons of sugar.

SERVES 4–5

4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

2 tablespoons flaked almonds

2 tablespoons raw, shelled pistachios, cut into slivers lengthwise

½ cup sooji (Indian semolina)

⅓ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

1. Put the ghee in a medium nonstick frying pan and set over medium-low heat. When hot, add the almonds and pistachios, and stir just until the almonds turn golden. Using a slotted spoon, quickly transfer the nuts to a plate.

2. Put the sooji into the ghee remaining in the pan and fry over low heat for 6–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until it is golden. Add the sugar and mix well. Add 1½ cups water, the ground cardamom, and the reserved nuts, and bring to a sim mer over medium-low heat. Stir and cook over very low heat for 2–3 minutes, then turn off the heat and stir for another minute. Serve hot.

3. If you prefer, you could put the halva into a 7 × 7 inch cake pan or similarly shaped dish. Press down lightly and flatten the surface, then cut into 1½ inch squares. When it has cooled to room temperature, place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cake to stop a skin forming. Serve immediately or later, as you would any cake.

SOOJI CRÊPES STUFFED WITH CARAMELIZED APPLES, COCONUT, AND WALNUTS

SOOJI KI BHARVA PANCAKE

In Goa, pancakes are often stuffed with a sweetened coconut and nut mixture. I have added apples to it to make a stuffing of my own. The crêpes are very similar to the Sooji Pancakes, but instead of spices, they have a bit of sugar in them.

The filling and the crêpes may be made a few hours ahead of time, but do not refrigerate them. Put the filling in a covered dish, then stack the crêpes, interleaved with sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper, and wrap the bundle in foil. Shortly before serving, put the dish of stuffing and the foil bundle into a warming oven to reheat. Serve warm, not hot.

SERVES 6

½ cup plain yogurt

1 cup sooji (Indian semolina)

½ cup rice flour (also called rice powder)

2 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

About 2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil

FOR THE STUFFING

8 tablespoons/1 stick unsalted butter

4 large Granny Smith or other sour, firm apples

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons chopped raw pistachios

2 tablespoons chopped flaked almonds

½ cup finely shredded fresh coconut, or defrosted if frozen

½ cup sugar

FOR SERVING

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Place the yogurt in a bowl and beat lightly with a fork or whisk until smooth and creamy. Slowly add 2½ cups water, mixing well as you go.

2. Put the sooji, rice flour, flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Slowly add the yogurt combination, mixing until thoroughly blended and you have a batter free of lumps. Set aside for at least 1 hour.

3. To make the stuffing, put the butter into a medium nonstick frying pan and set over very low heat to melt. Meanwhile, peel and core the apples and slice them straight into the butter, folding them in as you do so. I get about 6 thinnish slices from each apple quarter. Add the cardamom, all the nuts, the coconut, and sugar. Stir gently and cook over medium-low heat for about 4 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Increase the heat to medium high and continue cooking, stirring gently now and then, until the mixture has caramelized a bit, about 7–8 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside, covered.

4. Put the oil in a small bowl and stick a teaspoon in it. Have two plates nearby to hold the pancakes as they are made. Measure ⅓ cup water into a ladle and mentally note the level to get an idea of how much batter you will need each time.

5. Place a nonstick frying pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil to it. When hot, stir the batter from the bottom and slowly pour a ladleful into the pan in an expanding circle about 6 inches in diameter. This batter is very forgiving, so you can fill up any holes and round off the pancake to get the shape you want. Let the pancake sit for a minute or so, until the underside is golden red.

6. Slide a spatula underneath and flip the pancake over. Cook for another minute or so, until the other side is also golden red. Transfer to a plate.

7. Make at least another 6 pancakes in the same way; the first one rarely turns out perfectly, so you might be making 7 or 8. Remember to stir the batter thoroughly each time from the bottom. Place a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper between each pancake and cover the stack with an upside-down plate. Leftover batter can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

8. Whip the cream into soft peaks, adding the sugar and the cardamom. Refrigerate until needed.

9. To serve, lay a pancake, best side down, on a plate. Place as much stuffing as will fit easily on half of it, then fold the uncovered half over it. Put a good-sized dollop of cream on top. (Leftover stuffing can be refrigerated and used later.)

MANGOES MUMTAZ

AAM MUMTAZ

It has never been easy for me to decide what the dessert should be after one of my more formal Indian dinners. I like light, fruity desserts, but India seems to have a shortage of them (we tend to eat fresh fruit instead), so I have taken to creating my own. This is one of them. I have been serving it in different versions over the last twenty years, and this is the latest incarnation.

I was to attend the Mango Festival in Florida one year, and shortly before it a reporter from the Miami Herald came to interview me in New York. She turned out to be an old friend, Maricel Presilla, the most knowledgeable wizard of Latin American cooking. I made a lunch for her that ended with this dessert. “What is it called?” she asked as she took notes. “I don’t know,” I answered. “It is just something I make.” “You can’t have no name for it. Let’s call it…” And so Maricel named it “Mangoes Mumtaz.”

The best mango purée you can use is one that comes from canned, sweetened Alphonso mangoes. Indian grocers sell them.

SERVES 4

FOR THE PRALINE

Olive or peanut oil, for greasing

½ cup chopped unsalted, raw pistachios

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

FOR THE MANGOES

1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

½ cup chopped unsalted, raw pistachios

¾ cup canned, sweetened Alphonso mango purée

1 cup fresh mango flesh, preferably from an Indian Alphonso or other good ripe mango, neatly diced

1. First make the praline. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a small baking sheet with oil.

2. Spread the pistachios on another baking sheet and put them into the oven. Stir every few minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside.

3. Put the sugar into a small, heavy-based saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Keep swirling the pan as the sugar melts and then starts to caramelize. As soon as it becomes light brown, add the toasted pistachios and the ground cardamom seeds. Let the mixture bubble for a few seconds as you stir. Quickly take the pan off the heat and spread the praline on the oiled baking sheet. Allow 10 minutes for it to cool and harden, then break into pieces and either crush in a mortar or whiz in a blender. Keep it in a screw-top jar and use as needed.

4. The rest of the dessert should be made just before serving. Whip the cream with the sugar until it forms soft peaks. Add the ground cardamom and pistachios, plus 1–2 tablespoons of the praline, and fold together. Pour in the mango purée and fold lightly so you can see swirls of both white and orange.

5. Scoop the mixture into four serving bowls. Divide the diced mango between the bowls, mixing it in lightly. Decorate each bowl with a teaspoon of the praline and serve immediately.