EXOTIC: A Fine Art : It Took a Decade to Complete This Indian Vegetarian Cookbook

This summer, Singapore suffered from a humid heat wave so intense that a few days exposure left me too weak to function.

A restorative was urgent. And I found one in afternoon tea at Komala Vilas, a South Indian vegetarian restaurant in the city’s Little India. English-style high teas are fashionable in Singapore, but mine was a do-it-yourself arrangement because formal teas are unknown at Komala Vilas.

Here, Indians bustle in from early morning well into the night to eat vegetable curries, lentil soups, rice, yogurt, coconut chutney, dosas, chapatis and other breads from banana leaves or compartmented metal plates. They use fingers instead of forks, wash off at basins at the edge of the room and dry their hands beneath a hot-air blower--unless plunging immediately into the hotter air outside.

The custom is to take any empty seat, so I joined a crowded table and ordered sweet milky tea, which came in a glass. Next, I studied the wares of a counter packed with as tempting an array of sweets as we would set out for Christmas. There were sticky, pretzel-like orange jalebis; trays of milk fudge called burfi; bright yellow and green sweets soaked in perfumed syrup and stuffed with something resembling cheese; slim triangles of almond-flavored milk fudge decorated with silver leaf; balls of gulab jamun floating in a pan of syrup and cheese patties called Ras Malai bathed in saffron-flavored cream. The Ras Malai have a disconcerting tendency to squeak against your teeth, which adds to their interest.

A plate heaped with these delicacies--and there were many more than those I’ve described--attracted glances from habituees surprised at such indulgence. Better than that, they brought a surge of energy that ended my lassitude.

Komala Vilas may be far from Los Angeles but a new book, thick as a dictionary, recreates that exotic world of rich desserts and aromatic curries. It is “Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking” by Yamuna Devi (Dutton: $29.95).

Devi is a westerner who assumed an Indian name when she became a disciple of an Indian swami. She has traveled extensively in India as personal cook for the swami, acquiring recipes from maharajah’s palaces, temples, festivals and other sources.

It took her 10 years to produce this book about the food she came to admire for its healthfulness and intricate flavors. Perhaps the intensity of her devotion as a convert provided the enthusiasm that enabled her to complete the monumental task.

About 80% of India’s inhabitants are vegetarians, and their cookery has developed into a high art. To make this art accessible to westerners, Devi has written her recipes in great detail, testing them on equipment ranging from wood stoves to glass cooktops. She explains ingredients and techniques thoroughly and suggests substitutions when the authentic utensil or food item is not available. One can, for example, use a Cuisinart vegetable steamer instead of the tiered racks of perforated molds in which South Indians steam their bread-like iddlis.

Devi devotes more than 60 recipes to desserts. Sweets similar to those I ordered at Komala Vilas are in the book although not exact copies. Here are slightly edited versions of two of them, Ras Malai and pistachio-flavored burfi. Special ingredients such as kewra and roseflavoring are readily available at Indian markets in Southern California.

“Presenting sweets conveys gratitude, affection, respect, joy or reward,” Devi writes. The reward will be obvious to those with a sweet tooth.

RAS MALAI

(Cheese Patties in Cream Sauce)

3 quarts milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons whipping cream, about

5 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds

Dash saffron threads

1 tablespoon blanched raw pistachios, minced

1 tablespoon blanched almonds, minced

1 tablespoon golden raisins, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons honey or golden syrup

Water

2 teaspoons cornstarch, blended with 2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 tablespoons slivered raw pistachios

1 1/2 tablespoons slivered blanched almonds

1 tablespoon rose water or 1/2 teaspoon rose essence

1 tablespoon kewra water or 1/2 teaspoon kewra essence

2 (3-inch) sheets edible silver or gold foil, optional

Place 2 quarts milk in heavy nonstick pan over high heat. Stirring constantly, bring to frothing boil. Reduce heat to moderate, add lemon juice and stir gently. Soft cheese curds should separate from yellow whey in 1 minute. If cheese has not formed by then, add up to 1 tablespoon more lemon juice. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

Line colander with 3 thicknesses moist cheesecloth. With slotted spoon, transfer larger pieces of cheese into colander. Pour whey and small pieces of cheese through strainer and add cheese to colander. Gather cheesecloth corners together and rinse bundle under lukewarm tap water 10 seconds. Gently twist cloth to extract excess moisture. Place wrapped cheese in colander over bowl. Flatten top, place salad plate on cheese and place large bowl or pan filled with water on plate. Press cheese 20 to 45 minutes, until it weighs 9 1/2 to 10 ounces.

Place remaining 1 quart milk in 5-quart heavy-bottomed nonstick pan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil vigorously, stirring occasionally, until milk is reduced to 1 cup. Add 1 cup whipping cream, 1/4 cup sugar and cardamom. Boil and stir 4 minutes. Pour into shallow serving dish at least 8 inches square and 1 1/2 inches deep. Set aside.

Dry roast saffron threads in heavy pan over low heat until brittle. Grind to powder with back of spoon. Combine saffron, nuts, raisins, honey and up to 1 1/2 tablespoons cream in small bowl and mash with fingers or fork. Oil fingers and divide stuffing into 16 portions. Set aside.

Combine 6 cups water and 5 cups sugar in heavy 5-quart pan and bring to boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Raise heat to high and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes, to 220 degrees on candy thermometer. Reduce heat to lowest setting while preparing stuffed patties.

Unwrap cheese and place on clean work surface. Roughly break apart. Press with paper towels to extract excess moisture. With heel and palm of hand, spread small amount of cheese at a time across work surface. Gather together and repeat process up to 3 minutes, or until cheese is fluffy and no longer grainy. Gather into mass. With oiled hands, divide cheese into 16 portions. Roll each into ball. Flatten into 1 1/2-inch patties. Place portion of pistachio stuffing in center of each patty. Pull edges together and shape into balls by rolling between palms. Then flatten slightly.

Return syrup to boil over moderate heat. Add patties one by one and cook gently 1 minute. Then raise heat to high and boil vigorously, covered, 20 minutes. At 4 minute intervals, pour 1/4 cup hot water down sides of pan, avoiding patties. Add cornstarch paste with first addition of water. Syrup should be very bubbly. Patties will swell to several times original size. During last 3 minutes, sprinkle syrup with water every minute. Remove from heat.

Gently lift out hot patties with slotted spoon. Drain briefly, then place in cream sauce. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate 6 hours to 3 days. Just before serving, turn patties over. Sprinkle with slivered pistachios and almonds, rose and kewra waters and decorate with silver or gold foil, if available. Makes 8 servings.

PISTA BURFI

(Pistachio Nut Milk Fudge)

2 cups unsalted raw pistachios, blanched

2 cups milk

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or ghee

3 drops kewra essence or almond oil

Green food color, optional

2 (3-inch) sheets edible silver foil, optional

Grind pistachios in food processor or rotary nut grinder until powdered. Combine milk and sugar in 5-quart heavy-bottomed nonstick pan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Cook vigorously until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup. Lower heat to moderate.

Add nuts and butter and cook, stirring, until mixture forms soft ball that pulls away from sides of pan. Remove from heat. Stir in kewra essence and food color. Scrape fudge onto buttered tray. Working quickly with buttered spatula, press and pat mixture into 7-inch square. Press silver foil over fudge. When cool, cut into 1 1/4-inch squares with sharp cold knife, wiping knife clean after each cut. Store in refrigerator in airtight container up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 pound.