Feast of (De)lights
Monday ushers in Diwali, India’s feast of lights. This happy festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil: Business people settle accounts, and friends wish each other prosperity.
As does every holiday, Diwali calls for feasting. It’s a good time to try cooking Indian food, and don’t think this exotic cuisine is too difficult to attempt. The following menu makes easy work of one of the most popular Indian dishes in the West, tandoori chicken.
The secret is to use bottled tandoori seasoning paste. By itself, the paste is a little bland. Bolstered with additional seasonings, it makes a wonderful marinade.
If you live near an Indian market, pick up some ready-made chapatis or parathas . If you don’t, substitute Middle Eastern pocket bread or whole-wheat flour tortillas.
Basmati rice is widely available, but you could steam ordinary long-grain rice instead. Serve any kind of mixed salad or make a platter of sliced cucumber, tomato and red onion. Sprinkle the vegetables with lemon juice and salt or serve them plain.
Dessert is kheer , which translates to rice pudding, and nothing could be less intimidating than that. For Indian flavor, use basmati rice, cardamom seeds and pistachios.
Vegetable pakoras , which can be served as appetizers or along with the meal, are more complex and require a shopping trip for besan (garbanzo bean flour), garam masala and dried pomegranate seeds. If you hesitate to try this dish, make the pakoras well in advance. If they turn out well, you can easily reheat them, uncovered, on a baking sheet in the oven. Do not use a microwave because it toughens the pakoras . Leftovers can be reheated for snacks the next day.
Menu
Phulan’s Pakoras
Mira’s Cilantro-Mint Chutney
Easy Tandoori Chicken
Steamed Basmati Rice
Sliced Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion
Parathas or Naan
Indian Rice Pudding
Staples
Baking potato
Onions
Oil
Salt
Chili powder
Lemons
Ground cumin
Milk
Sugar
Shopping List
1 Asian eggplant
1 bunch spinach 1 (1/4-pound) container garam masala
1 (1/4-pound) package dried pomegranate seeds
1 (1-pound) sack besan (garbanzo bean flour)
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch mint
2 serrano chiles
4 chicken legs
1 (11-ounce) bottle tandoori seasoning paste
1 (8-ounce) carton plain yogurt
1 (1-pound) container basmati rice
1 cucumber
2 medium tomatoes
1 red onion
1 (2-ounce) jar cardamom pods or ground cardamom
1 (1-pound) bag pistachios
1 (2-ounce) package slivered almonds
1 package of 8 to 10 chapatis , parathas , pita bread or whole-wheat tortillas, optional
Game Plan
Day before: Skin chicken, combine with marinade and refrigerate overnight.
Afternoon of dinner: Make rice pudding. Serve cold or warm gently before serving. Mix pakoras and deep fry.
One hour before dinner: Remove chicken from refrigerator. Steam rice.
40 minutes before dinner: Bake chicken. Arrange on serving platter and keep warm.
20 minutes before dinner: Reheat pakoras, if made in advance. Place chutney in small serving bowl. Slice cucumber, onion and tomatoes and arrange on platter. Warm chapatis or parathas.
PHULAN’S PAKORAS
These golden brown vegetable fritters, which you dip into spicy chutney, make a great appetizer. Phulan Chander, of Culver City’s Bharat Bazaar, supplied the recipe. She sometimes adds cauliflower, using as many as five vegetables, chopped into small pieces. You can get away with using only one or two.
1 small Asian eggplant
1 baking potato, peeled
1 small onion
1/2 bunch spinach
Oil
Salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups besan (garbanzo bean flour)
Water
Mira’s Cilantro-Mint Chutney
Cut eggplant, potato and onion into 1/4-inch or slightly larger dice. Chop spinach into small pieces. Combine vegetables in bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil, about 1 teaspoon salt, garam masala, pomegranate seeds and chili powder. Add enough besan to coat vegetables well, mixing with hands. Add about 2 tablespoons water to make mixture that holds together and is very moist.
Heat oil for deep frying. Drop in rounded tablespoons of batter and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with Mira’s Cilantro-Mint Chutney.
Makes 3 dozen pakoras.
Each pakora, without chutney, contains about:
31 calories; 53 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.31 gram fiber.
MIRA’S CILANTRO-MINT CHUTNEY
This recipe comes from Indian writer Mira Advani.
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
1/2 bunch mint, leaves only
2 serrano chiles, seeded
1 small onion, chunked
2 cloves garlic
Juice 2 lemons
Salt
Chop cilantro, mint, chiles, onion and garlic in food processor or blender. Add lemon juice. Process until finely ground. Season to taste with salt.
Makes about 1 cup.
Each 1-tablespoon serving contains about:
6 calories; 19 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.11 gram fiber.
EASY TANDOORI CHICKEN
4 whole chicken legs, skinned
1/2 cup bottled tandoori paste
Scant 1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Cut small deep slits in chicken with sharp knife to allow marinade to penetrate.
Combine tandoori paste, yogurt, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Place chicken in glass baking dish, add marinade and coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Next day, drain chicken from marinade and place in baking pan, well separated. Bake at 400 degrees until done, about 30 minutes. Remove to heated serving platter.
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving contains about:
119 calories; 1,442 mg sodium; 46 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 2.12 grams fiber.
INDIAN RICE PUDDING (Kheer)
If you want to be extravagant, add a dash of saffron threads to the milk.
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup basmati rice, scant
1/3 cup sugar
2 cardamom pods, seeds only, or 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 pistachios, finely chopped
1 tablespoon slivered almonds
Combine milk, rice and sugar in saucepan. Add cardamom seeds. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, 35 minutes, until thickened but not stiff. If pudding becomes too thick, thin with additional milk. Turn into serving bowl and top with pistachios and almonds.
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving contains about:
235 calories; 78 mg sodium; 11 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.19 gram fiber.