Good Food, Fast Food : From India: Hurry Curry

It took Rani Mahendri Kumari Arundale three hours to cook an Indian dinner. Could you call that fast food? Yes, because she produced an amazing number of dishes, far more than one would plan for an ordinary meal.

There were little disks of finely ground beef and lentils called shami kebabs, chicken curry, eggplant in a cream sauce, delicately spiced pigeon peas, basmati rice, yogurt-cucumber raita , big crisp papadams and two chutneys, one made with fresh coconut and the other with mint.

Dessert was rasmalai (clotted milk cakes in a sweet milk sauce). And afterward, there were tidbits to chew on: anise seeds, cardamom, cloves and supari (betel nut) mixed with pumpkin seeds and camphor, all good for the digestion.

Arundale had agreed to talk about fast cookery. But she also wanted to show off the variety, nutritious qualities and wonderful flavors of Indian food.

When in a hurry, Arundale can turn out shrimp curry in less than 20 minutes. And she does a marvelous, super-fast Indian “hamburger,” a blend of ground lamb, onion, garlic, ginger root and other tingly seasonings. The hamburger, and the other dishes she prepared, are from her book, “Feast of India” (Contemporary Books: $11.95).

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In the chapter “Curries in a Hurry,” Arundale’s idea was to provide easy, nutritious dishes that working people could turn out quickly. Arundale, who authored the book under a single name, Rani, well understands the plight of working cooks. She’s one herself. Luckily, she can walk to her job as billing coordinator for a Westside law firm. And she walks home at midday for her main meal.

For lunch, she has a curry, which sometimes is vegetarian and sometimes contains meat, then rice or chapatis , a chutney, yogurt and a vegetable such as cauliflower or okra. “If you’ve had a fairly good lunch, you don’t have the urge to eat a heavy dinner,” she says. At night she has a cup of dal (lentils) and steamed vegetables. After that, she says, “I feel light, and I feel good.”

Arundale was born in Vizagapatnam in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In “Feast of India” she writes: “I am very proud to say that my ‘gift of good health’ came from a spiritual reawakening through Indian food, because it promotes creativity, life, vitality, strength, health, laughter, joy and cheerfulness.”

It wasn’t always that way, though. Arriving in the United States as the young wife of an American, Arundale lost weight drastically. And she was homesick. The remedy for both was Indian food. Arundale drew on tastes of the past as she taught herself to cook.

Today, Indian food is almost all she eats. And her small apartment in West Los Angeles is as Indian as if it were in New Delhi, where her mother and sister live. Paintings of India’s six holy rivers line one wall of the living room; an illuminated miniature Taj Mahal gleams from the top of a bookcase, and assorted brightly covered pillows, stacks of books, amusing small figures and Indian batik paintings turn the room into a showcase of Indian culture.

The dinner table was set with a hand-embroidered cloth from Gujarat and inlaid wooden trivets from Kashmir. Stainless-steel dinner plates held small steel bowls into which to spoon the food. Incense perfumed the room, and for dinner music there was the strumming of a South Indian stringed instrument, the veena.

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The following recipes are from “Feast of India.” As Arundale says, “a good curry is time-consuming, definitely.” But you can reduce the time by using pre-ground spices and ingredients--such as ground meat--that cook rapidly.

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INDIAN HAMBURGER (Kheema Tikka)

2 pounds lean ground lamb or beef 1 egg 2 tablespoons bread crumbs 1 medium onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or mint 1/4 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns 1/4 teaspoon ground black mustard seeds Salt 2 tablespoons oil Whole-wheat buns or chapatis, optional *

Hot Cilantro Relish

Combine lamb, egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, ginger root, cilantro, peppercorns and mustard seeds in large bowl. Season to taste with salt. Mix thoroughly.

Divide mixture into 6 burger patties. Heat oil in large skillet. Add patties and cook over medium heat until browned. Turn and cook until browned on other side and done to taste. Serve on warm whole-wheat buns or with chapatis. Accompany with Hot Cilantro Relish. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

409 calories; 240 mg sodium; 120 mg cholesterol; 29 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 0.86 gram fiber.

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Hot Cilantro Relish

1 cup cilantro 1 medium onion, chopped 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 1 (1/4-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and chopped 4 hot green chiles 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon tamarind concentrate 1/4 cup water Salt

Remove and discard stems from cilantro. Place in blender container and add onion, tomatoes, ginger root, chiles, lemon juice, water and salt to taste. Blend to fine puree. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

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CHICKEN CURRY (Masaledar Murgh)

2 pounds mixed chicken pieces 1/4 cup oil 4 green cardamom pods 2 bay leaves 1 stick cinnamon 4 cloves 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns 2 medium onions, finely sliced 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and finely chopped 1 hot green chile, finely chopped 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon ground dried red chile Salt 2 cups water Plain steamed rice, optional

Remove fat and skin from chicken and separate legs and thighs, if using. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add cardamom pods, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns and fry over medium heat until spices turn shade darker.

Add onions, garlic, ginger root and green chile and fry until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in coriander, turmeric, cumin and ground red chile and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and season to taste with salt. Stir thoroughly.

Add water, cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, until chicken is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sauce from sticking to bottom of pan. Serve hot with plain rice and Hot Cilantro Relish. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving, without rice or relish, contains about:

347 calories; 176 mg sodium; 94 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 1.12 grams fiber.

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EGGPLANT IN CREAM SAUCE (Baigan ka Bhartha)

4 medium eggplants, cut into 2-inch slices 1 quart water Salt 1/4 cup oil 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds 1 large onion, finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, crushed 1 stick cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 (1 1/2-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and sliced into thin strips 2 hot green chiles, finely chopped 1 tablespoon ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon turmeric 1/4 cup sour cream

Place eggplant in large pot with water and salt to taste. Cover and boil over medium heat about 10 minutes, until eggplant is tender. Remove lid and increase heat. Cook until water evaporates. Mash eggplant with fork and set aside.

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add mustard seeds and fry until they start to pop. Add onion, garlic, cinnamon, peppercorns, ginger root and green chiles. Fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is browned. Mix in coriander, cumin and turmeric and stir 3 to 4 minutes, until oil separates. Add mashed eggplant and mix thoroughly. Mix in sour cream. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

153 calories; 62 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.61 grams fiber.

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LEGUMES IN GARLIC AND ONIONS (Dal)

2 cups pigeon peas, soaked in water 20 minutes, drained 1 quart water 1/2 teaspoon turmeric Salt 1/4 cup oil 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1 medium onion, finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon ground dried red chiles

Boil pigeon peas in water with turmeric and salt to taste over medium heat 20 minutes, until peas are tender.

Meanwhile, heat oil in medium saucepan. Add mustard and cumin seeds and fry over medium heat until mustard seeds start popping. Stir in onion and garlic and fry until browned and tender. Mix in ground chiles and stir 30 seconds.

Pour mixture over pigeon peas. Stir thoroughly, cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent pigeon peas from sticking to bottom of pan. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

338 calories; 64 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 2.54 grams fiber.