INDIA AND NEPAL

A PASSAGE TO INDIA

Nothing can prepare you for India. From the moment you step foot upon her humble shores, your senses will run riot. Trying to absorb it all is impossible. But if you succumb to her charms and follow the rhythm of this ancient land, you will be fine.

After weeks of travelling on a shoestring, my boyfriend and I opted for some five-star accommodation in Varanasi. I was thrilled. Finally, I could have my clothes washed in a real hotel laundry. None of this ‘pay per kg for hand wash’ rubbish you get everywhere else, I thought. Whenever I returned to my air-conditioned suite I would find a chocolate on my pillow and clean clothes hanging in the wardrobe. I felt rich.

One morning we took a boat trip down the Ganges River, the lifeblood of India. Old and young come to her shores to wash, drink, swim, feed, die and be cremated. Cows walk amongst corpses, stacked onto a funeral pyre, nibbling the marigolds from the forbidden fruit, woman wade waist-deep in the water, washing their hair and brushing teeth, while young boys swim past floating debris and water buffalo.

All things being equal, it was an amazing sight. That is, until I spotted my brown dress drying on the cement at the washing ghat … The washer men were knee-deep in the water, scrubbing the rest of my laundry and neatly laying it out to dry before the sun rose to her highest point. Welcome to India!

I have since returned many times, nowadays for art as much as travel. I am very fond of Indian cuisine and over the years have recorded many more adventures and recipes. Perhaps even enough to fill a whole book …

Rogan josh (mutton curry)

My love affair with rogan josh began in a small village near the world-famous Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan, where I travelled to see one of the last remaining Siberian cranes in the world. Rogan josh is actually a Kashmiri dish brought to the area by the Mughals, who were determined to escape the heat of the Indian plains. Nowadays rogan josh adorns menus on every continent. As with all authentic Indian dishes, recipes differ greatly according to the region where they originate and the families who cook them! Over the years I have adapted this recipe to become my absolute favourite curry dish of all time.

WHAT IS GHEE?

Ghee is the clarified butter used extensively in Indian cooking. It can be purchased at any large supermarket and will keep for months in the fridge.

30 ml (2 Tbsp) sunflower or canola oil or ghee
2 large onions, chopped
7 large cloves garlic, crushed
15 ml (1 Tbsp) grated fresh ginger
10 ml (2 tsp) chilli powder (more if you like it hot)
10 ml (2 tsp) paprika
15 ml (1 Tbsp) ground coriander
15 ml (1 Tbsp) ground cumin
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cardamom or
6 cardamom pods, bruised
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) ground cloves
10 ml (2 tsp) turmeric
1 large stick cinnamon
5 ml (1 tsp) salt
1 kg lamb shanks, cubed on bone or similar
1 × 410 g can whole peeled tomatoes
1 × 70 g can tomato paste
330 ml (1¹⁄₃ C) plain yoghurt
45 ml (3 Tbsp) garam masala
45 ml (3 Tbsp) slivered almonds (optional)
Fresh coriander leaves to serve

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and sauté the onions, garlic and ginger for a few minutes. Add the chilli powder, paprika, coriander, cumin, cardamom, ground cloves, turmeric, cinnamon stick and salt. Add the lamb and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring continuously to coat well. Add the canned tomatoes with the juice, the tomato paste and the yoghurt. Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1¹⁄₂–2 hours or until the meat is soft and the sauce has thickened. Taste the curry and see if more salt is needed at this stage. Sprinkle garam masala over the top and stir in the almonds. Sprinkle fresh coriander leaves over the dish just before serving with rice, naan or roti.

Serves 4–6.

TIP

This curry can be frozen for up to three months and is better made the day before eating. The best cut of meat for this curry is lamb shanks, cut on the bone.

Aloo tikki and tamarind chutney

Aloo tikki is the king of Indian street food and a popular snack sold on every street corner in northern India. It’s commonly served in little cups made from a dried lotus leaf or old newspapers – complete with an ice cream stick to mop up the sauce! I can’t get enough of it when I am in India. My friend Bavesh Negandhi, who worked for the Fine Art Trade Guild in London for many years, gave me his family recipe.

DID YOU KNOW?

Besan or chickpea flour is also known as gram flour, and is made from Bengal gram or chickpeas. It is yellow in colour. Rice or cake flour will also do the trick as it is only used to thicken and bind the mixture.

500 g (about 2 large) potatoes, peeled and quartered
30 ml (2 Tbsp) butter or ghee
60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) chickpea flour or cake flour
15 ml (1 Tbsp) sunflower or canola oil or ghee
2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped
5 ml (1 tsp) grated fresh ginger
15 ml (1 Tbsp) chopped fresh coriander
15 ml (1 Tbsp) chopped fresh mint
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) hot chilli powder
5 ml (1 tsp) ground coriander
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) salt
Extra oil or ghee for frying
Cake flour or rice flour to dust
1 egg, lightly beaten

Tamarind chutney

1 × 100 g packet tamarind paste
250 ml (1 C) boiling water
60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) chopped pitted dates
10 ml (2 tsp) grated fresh ginger
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) palm sugar or soft brown sugar

To make the aloo tikki, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water, then drain and add the butter. Mash while still warm; Make sure there are no lumps. Stir in the chickpea flour. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan and sauté the chillies, ginger, chopped coriander and mint. Add the chilli powder, ground coriander and cumin and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mixture to the mashed potato, mix well and season.
Divide the mixture into equal-sized balls, almost as big as a golf ball. Flatten to form patties. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat a little oil in a nonstick or heavy-bottomed frying pan or griddle, dip the patties into flour and then into beaten egg to coat. Fry for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on absorbent paper towel.
To make the chutney, soak the tamarind paste in boiling water for 30 minutes. Strain to remove the seeds. The liquid should be smooth. Combine all the chutney ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook until the dates have dissolved. Serve warm with the aloo tikki.

Makes 12–15.

TIP

Dried tamarind and palm sugar are available from any large supermarket or Asian food speciality store. Palm sugar is often associated with Thai ingredients, collected from coconut palms, but is widely used in all Asian cooking and for making alcoholic drinks. Substitute with brown sugar.

Kathmandu butter chicken

Butter chicken is Indian in origin but the best version I ever tasted was in Nepal. I have some wonderful memories of Kathmandu, a city nearly as old and majestic as the Himalayas themselves. Across the alleyway from the Kathmandu Guest House is a little restaurant called the New Orleans Café. The courtyard fills up early in the evening with throngs of trekkers and mountaineers, all huddled around the fire and sharing tales of great adventure and elusive summits. The menu has not changed in years and the first thing I do when I arrive is order the butter chicken. Oh yes, and a cold beer. The chef cooks in an open courtyard so I was able to watch and scribble down the recipe.

WHAT IS GARAM MASALA?

Garam masala is a North Indian spice mix used for meat dishes, and consists mainly of ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. It is not used in the cooking process, but rather added at the end as a grand finale. As with all things Asian, there are several variations and today the term garam masala is used loosely in South Africa, often referring to curry powder. Garam masala is easily found in all supermarkets.

4 cloves garlic, crushed
10 ml (2 tsp) grated fresh ginger
60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) ground almonds
10 ml (2 tsp) garam masala
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) ground cloves
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) ground coriander
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) chilli powder
1 × 70 g can tomato paste
125 ml (¹⁄₂ C) plain yoghurt
750 g–1 kg skinless chicken fillets
60 g ghee or butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 large stick cinnamon
2 cardamom pods, bruised
5 ml (1 tsp) salt
15 ml (1 Tbsp) sweet paprika, but not smoked
1 × 410 g can tomato purée
80 ml (¹⁄₃ C) fresh cream

Combine the garlic, ginger and almonds in a bowl. Add the garam masala, cloves, ground coriander, chilli powder, tomato paste and yoghurt. Mix well. Add the chicken to this mixture and leave to marinate for about 4 hours or overnight if possible.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Heat the ghee in a saucepan and sauté the onion. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, salt and paprika and cook for a few minutes. Add the marinated chicken. Stir well to combine with the other spices and the onion. Stir in the tomato purée. Transfer the chicken mixture to a casserole with a tight-fitting lid or an ovenproof dish covered with two layers of foil. Bake for 1 hour. About 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and stir in the cream. Return the dish to the oven without the lid or foil and bake for the remaining time or until the dish is browned on top.
If you like, sprinkle over some chopped fresh coriander and slivered almonds, and serve with basmati rice, plain naan or roti.

Serves 4–6.

Jet Airways samoosas

Some years ago my mother and I travelled to Goa. During the return journey the plane engine caught fire and we had to do an emergency landing at Ahmedabad in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The new plane took seven hours to arrive. Eventually the airport staff, no longer sure what to do with us, made tea and served samoosas until I couldn’t eat another one.

Pastry

500 ml (2 C) cake flour
5 ml (1 tsp) salt
50 g cold salted butter about 60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) water

Filling

15 ml (1 Tbsp) sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green chillies, finely chopped
5 ml (1 tsp) chilli powder
15 ml (1 Tbsp) hot curry powder
5 ml (1 tsp) ground coriander
250 g lean beef mince
1 × 70 g can tomato paste
25 ml (1¹⁄₂ Tbsp) chopped fresh coriander
25 ml (1¹⁄₂ Tbsp) chopped fresh mint
25 ml (1¹⁄₂ Tbsp) lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper
Sunflower oil for deep-frying

Mint chutney

125 ml (¹⁄₂ C) roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves, washed
250 ml (1 C) roughly chopped fresh mint leaves, washed
5 cloves garlic, crushed
4 green chillies, chopped
4 spring onions, roughly chopped
45 ml (3 Tbsp) lemon juice
125 ml (¹⁄₂ C) plain yoghurt
60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) water
10 ml (2 tsp) white sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add just enough water and combine the mixture into a smooth, firm dough. Do not overwork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the fresh chillies, chilli powder, curry powder and ground coriander. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the mince and cook until the meat is well browned. Add the tomato paste, fresh coriander, mint and lemon juice, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring from time to time. The mixture should be a little dry. Season to taste. Leave to cool.
Divide the pastry into about eight equal pieces. Dust with flour and roll each into a thin circle of about 12 cm in diameter. Cut the circle in half. Fold each semi-circle into a cone and brush the seam with a little water to seal. Place a spoonful of mixture into the centre, but do not overfill. Dampen the top edge and seal firmly. You should now have a triangular shape. Repeat until you have used up all the pastry and filling.
Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan or deep-fryer to 190 °C. Test to see if the oil is hot by frying a cube of white bread; if it turns golden brown in 30 seconds, the oil is ready. Deep-fry the samoosas a few at a time until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper towel.
To make the chutney, blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, season well and cover with plastic wrap until needed. It will keep well in the fridge for up to three days.
Serve hot with the Mint Chutney or Tamarind Chutney (see page 213).

Makes 12–16.

VARIATION

Use the same mince mixture and puff pastry to make curry puffs, or make South African samoosas using shop-bought samoosa pastry.

TIPS

• This recipe is for authentic Indian samoosas, and the pastry, filling and method of folding is different from the samoosas we make in South Africa. South African samoosas have a spring roll-like pastry and are folded into triangles. My recipe calls for a pastry that puffs up slightly during cooking.

• This pastry is very delicate. Add only a little water at a time until you have a firm dough. Don’t make the dough too soft or it will break as you try to fold the cones.

• The uncooked samoosas can be frozen for up to three months. Deep-fry direct from the freezer.

Mutton kofta with sweet smoked paprika

This dish is superb. I have infused the little mutton meatballs with smoked paprika in a rich tomato base to create a somewhat unconventional sauce.

Koftas

1 small onion, grated
500 g mutton or lamb mince
15 ml (1 Tbsp) grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 large green chillies, finely chopped
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) salt
1 large egg
15 ml (1 Tbsp) finely chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley or coriander

Tomato and sweet paprika sauce

15 ml (1 Tbsp) sunflower or canola oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
10 ml (2 tsp) ground coriander
10 ml (2 tsp) ground cumin
1 large stick cinnamon
6 dried cloves
6 cardamom pods, bruised
5 ml (1 tsp) turmeric
10 ml (2 tsp) smoked sweet Spanish paprika
10 ml (2 tsp) garam masala
5 ml (1 tsp) chilli powder
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) salt
1 × 400 g can tomato purée
190 ml (³⁄₄ C) plain yoghurt
5 ml (1 tsp) sugar
Chopped fresh coriander to serve

To make the koftas, grate the onion and push it through a sieve with the back of a spoon, or squeeze with your hand to remove the moisture. In a small bowl, combine the onion with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Divide the mince mixture into equal portions, rolling into little balls about 5 cm in diameter or the size of a large walnut. Place the meatballs on a plastic tray or baking tray, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. The meatballs must be firm enough to hold their shape while cooking.
Meanwhile prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan and sauté the onion. Add all the spices and salt. Cook for a few minutes to brown the spices. Stir in the tomato purée, yoghurt and sugar. Bring to the boil, and then add the meatballs. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Give it a good stir from time to time, ensuring that you don’t break up any of the meatballs when you do this.
Serve with fresh coriander and naan bread or roti.

Serves 4–6.

VARIATIONS

Use the kofta meatballs as a pasta sauce for penne pasta or, better still, use the meatballs and sauce as the filling for a lasagne. Proceed as usual with the white sauce, dried lasagne sheets and cheese layers.
For more spice, add smoked hot paprika instead of sweet paprika. Both are available at most large supermarkets or speciality food stores in South Africa. These paprikas are prevalent in Middle Eastern and North African cooking – a long way from India – but I love the smoky flavour when used with lamb or mutton.

Devilled potatoes

This is a super potato dish to serve with any meat dish. I normally make it when I have a braai.

25 ml (1¹⁄₂ Tbsp) sunflower or canola oil
2 large red onions, sliced not chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
5 ml (1 tsp) dried crushed chillies
5 ml (1 tsp) salt
5 ml (1 tsp) chilli powder
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) turmeric
1 kg potatoes, peeled, cooked and cooled
20 curry leaves
1 large stick cinnamon
8 large fresh green chillies, sliced
25 ml (1¹⁄₂ Tbsp) freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan and sauté the onions, garlic, crushed chillies, salt, chilli powder and turmeric until the onion is soft and there is no more moisture in the onions. The mixture must be dry. Quarter the potatoes; add them to the saucepan with the curry leaves, cinnamon stick and fresh chillies. Cook for 8–10 minutes or until well coated. Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice and serve immediately.

Serves 6–8.

VARIATIONS

Omit the turmeric, curry leaves and cinnamon. Add half a chorizo sausage, 5 ml (1 tsp) finely grated lemon rind and 2 dried bay leaves.
Omit the turmeric, curry leaves and cinnamon. Add 125 g roughly chopped bacon and 100 g whole pitted black olives and 2 dried bay leaves.
Use whole unpeeled baby potatoes if preferred. They are low GI and look great – particularly useful as a party dish.

Peanut brittle

Although this recipe comes from Sri Lanka, you’ll find peanut brittle in every market on the Indian subcontinent. Slabs of sickly sweet peanut bars are stacked sky-high on plastic tables. I never travel to India without stocking enough to supply a small spaza shop at home. These are to Asia what energy bars are to the West and no great pilgrimage would be the same without them, none more so than Adam’s Peak. On a recent visit to Sri Lanka, Sue convinced me to walk up the famous Buddhist pilgrimage site. What she failed to mention was the 4 750 steps to the top. I must admit the climb was certainly a breeze after running the gauntlet past throngs of peanut brittle sellers congregated at the seven-kilometre start. Traditionally, peanut or sesame brittle is made with jaggery, which is basically a moulded lump of sugar made from sugar cane with a slight caramel flavour and alcoholic aroma. Jaggery is similar to Thai palm sugar and can also be substituted with brown sugar in both Indian and Thai dishes. I have simplified the recipe using white sugar.

75 g salted butter
125 ml (¹⁄₂ C) golden syrup
2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) salt
330 ml (1¹⁄₃ C) white sugar
250 ml (1 C) boiling water
330 ml (1¹⁄₃ C) salted peanuts or raw cashew nuts

Grease a large baking tray with butter. Set aside.
Combine the butter, syrup, salt, sugar and boiling water in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook without stirring until a sugar thermometer reads ‘hard crack’ or 147 °C.
Alternatively, drop half a teaspoonful of the mixture onto a saucer with a little cold water. If the mixture sets hard and cracks when broken, it’s ready.
Remove the caramel from the heat and immediately stir in the peanuts. Immediately spread the mixture onto the prepared baking tray and smooth with the back of a greased spoon. Leave to cool. Before it is set completely, about 8 minutes, mark out the pieces with a buttered knife. When cold, break the pieces into squares.
Store in an airtight container. Keeps for up to two weeks at room temperature.

Makes about 24 squares.