herbs in Indian cuisine. This herb is generally used uncooked for garnishes, marinades and chutneys. Many dishes also incorporate fresh coriander leaves at various stages of cooking, which dissipates the sharp flavor and aroma of the herb, leaving a mild flavor. Fresh coriander leaves is highly perishable and prone to wilting. See “Storage Tips for Spices and Herbs,” page 22.
Coriander seeds Coriander seeds are ribbed peppercorn-sized and-shaped, pale green to light brown–colored seeds of the coriander (cilantro) plant. They are extremely aromatic, with a spicy hint; yet, taste and aroma is nowhere similar to the leaves of the coriander plant. I always keep them in little quantities in airtight containers, as they lose their flavor with exposure and age. Coriander seeds are also available in a preground form.
Cucumbers Cucumbers are widely used in Indian kitchens and can be served with any Indian meal. Cucumbers can always be found in my refrigerator and are a summertime favorite. The cooling, clean flavor matches well with foods like chilies, coriander leaves (cilantro), cream, garlic, lemon, lime, mint, olive oil, onions, sour cream, tomatoes, vinegar and yogurt. I like to cut them into little finger-sized wedges and serve it with a sprinkle of salt, black pepper, Asian chili powder or cayenne pepper and a heavy dose of freshly-squeezed lemon juice. When purchasing cucumbers, look for smooth, brightly-colored skin. Cucumbers keep well in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to ten days. I prefer to use the long seedless variety called “English” cucumbers. They are usually sold shrinkwrapped and they aren’t actually seedless—the seeds are just very small. These cucumbers can be eaten without peeling and seeding unlike the common garden-variety salad cucumber.
Cumin seeds These seeds are the best-known and most widely used spice in Indian cuisine. They are either fried whole in hot oil or dry roasted and then used whole or finely ground, according to the recipe. Cumin is warm, intense, and has an almost nutty aroma.
Curry leaves, fresh and dried Curry leaves originate from the Kari tree, a sub-tropical tree native to India. They are used similarly to how bay leaves are used— mainly used as an aromatic and flavoring for most curries and soups. They are widely used in dishes along the southern coastal regions of India. When starting a curry or soup dish, curry leaves are placed in hot oil to fry until crisp, which makes the oil and the leaves intensely flavorful. It is common to use fresh curry leaves in India rather than dried. You can purchase fresh curry leaves in Indian grocery stores. Dried curry leaves can be purchased from specialty gourmet stores or online (see Shopping Guide, page 155). The best way to store fresh curry leaves is to wash and pat them mostly dry with paper towels. Store refrigerated, wrapped in kitchen or paper towels in ziplock bags. They will stay fresh for up to a month. For extended use, air dry them completely and store in an airtight container.
Dried legumes (lentils, dried beans and peas) In India, all types of dried legumes, be they lentils, peas or beans, are known as dal. They are an integral part of Indian meals, being economical, highly nutritious, very low in fat and a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, minerals and vitamins. Dals are a good substitute for meat, which has more fat and cholesterol. Many common varieties of dals, like chickpeas (kabuli chana), kidney beans (rajmah), whole green lentils (sabut moong) and cow peas (black-eyed peas), are available in conventional supermarket. Some not-so-common varieties that are used in Indian cooking include split pigeon peas (toor dal), split black gram, aka “black lentils” (urad dal), green lentils or mung beans (moong dal), split red lentils (masoor dal) and split yellow peas (chana dal). To procure these, a trip to an Indian grocery store or an online purchase is necessary (see Shopping Guide, page 155).
Dal dishes come in various forms—thin and soupy (Fiery South Indian Tomato Soup, page 67), thick and creamy (Spicy Urad Beans, page 70), hearty and comforting (Red Kidney Bean Curry, page 75)—and may be the basis of a salad (Mung Dal and Cucumber Salad, page 62) or an integral part of a steamed rice dish (Black-Eyed Peas and Rice, page 127).
There is nothing more comforting and soulful than a bowl of dal topped with some steamed rice. I incorporate dals into my everyday meals—both Indian and non-Indian. I cook my dried legumes the old fashioned way in my kitchen using a pressure cooker. Though this technique is not so popular in North America and Europe, I urge you to give pressure cooking a try: it uses less liquid, has faster cooking times and the food retains all the vitamins and minerals. Once you get used to a pressure cooker I can assure you that you will be eating more dals as part of your daily meals, especially the longer-cooking types. In anticipation that not everyone will have a pressure cooker, or be inclined to use one, the recipes in this book call for common kitchenware, such as saucepans or pots. If you want to experiment with a pressure cooker, simply follow the instructions provided with it; you will find that cooking time is reduced by more than 50 percent!
I often stock my pantry with canned legumes, which I find to be an acceptable substitute for dried and very convenient to use when I’m in a rush. In the dal recipes in this book, I include the option of using commonly available canned peas or beans. Make sure to drain and rinse them thoroughly before using them.
Fennel seeds These are the oval pale greenish-yellow seeds of the common fennel plant, a member of the parsley family. They are sweetly aromatic and have an aniselike flavor. In Indian cooking, they are used whole and ground in both sweet and savory dishes. Roasted fennel seeds are sometimes sugarcoated and chewed as a digestive and mouth freshener after Indian meals. They are easily available in most grocery stores.
Fenugreek leaves Known as methi when fresh and kasoori methi when dried, these leaves are extensively used in Indian cuisine. The slightly perfumed and bitter flavor of the leaves goes very well with curries. The leaves are sold fresh when in season or dried in packets year-round in Indian markets. The dried leaves can also be purchased online (see Shopping Guide, page 155). Frozen chopped fenu-greek greens are also now available at some Indian grocery stores. I use the dried version—kasoori methi—in the recipes in this book because of its unique flavor and strong taste. In comparison, fresh methi (young leaves and sprouts of fenugreek) has a very mild flavor. When fresh, the leaves are eaten as greens and are commonly cooked with potatoes, spinach and paneer and eaten with roti or naan. The dried leaves have a bitter taste and strong aroma and are used in small amounts to flavor dishes. There is no real substitute for this ingredient in Indian recipes, and so I have made its use optional throughout the book.
Fenugreek seeds The fenugreek seeds are bitter yellowish-brown tiny seeds that provide the commercial curry powders with their distinctive aroma. They are used in small quantities because of their strong flavor. The seeds are often oil-roasted and then ground to create a bitter balance in curries in the southern part of India; in the eastern part of India the seeds are stir-fried whole. This is available only in Southeast Asian or Indian grocery stores.
Ginger This is a knobby, pale-brown rhizome of a perennial tropical plant. It is available fresh, dried and ground into powder and as a preserved stem. Ground ginger or preserved ginger is almost never used in Indian cooking. Fresh ginger
