All together now
Gather friends and family for a vegetarian, thali-style dinner – the Indian version of a communal buffet spread. NZ House & Garden’s Sally Butters shows us how.
Potato & ku¯ mara with curry leaves & mustard seeds
This is delicious though totally untraditional. Serve it with rice for a vegetarian meal – or instead of rice if serving with meat. Don’t forget some naan, pickle, salad and yoghurt to round out your thali banquet.
3 roasting potatoes, such as Agria,
peeled and cut into 3cm cubes 3 orange ku¯ mara, peeled and cut
into 3cm cubes
3 tbsp olive oil or ghee
6 stalks curry leaves, leaves picked
and stalks discarded
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
Put potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to just simmering, add the ku¯ mara and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well.
Heat oil or ghee in a large frying an over medium-high heat, add the potatoes and ku¯ mara and remaining ingredients and season generously with salt. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serves 6
Matar paneer (Indian cheese with peas)
If you want to add a meat dish to go along with this vegetarian recipe, consider a rogan josh; this freshflavoured dish is an excellent complement to its richness. If you can’t find paneer you can substitute firm tofu – or simply leave it out and add another vegetable, such as broccoli or cauliflower florets, in its place.
3 tbsp sunflower oil
3 sprigs fresh curry leaves
300g paneer, cut into small cubes 1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped 1 tsp salt
1 green chilli, finely sliced
1 tbsp coriander seeds, ground
1 tsp finely chopped fresh turmeric,
or 1⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
400g can chopped tomatoes in juice 400g frozen peas
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the curry leaves and fry for about 30 seconds to crisp them up – stand back, as they splatter. Remove the leaves from the pan and add the paneer cubes in one layer, turning gently until browned. Remove from the pan, set aside and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the onion, ginger and salt and cook for 10 minutes until soft and just browning.
Add the chilli, coriander and turmeric and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes then add the peas to heat through. Stir in the paneer and serve garnished with the fried curry leaves. Serves 6
Chana dahl with fresh coriander
Split chickpeas hold together on cooking to create a chunky dahl. Kashmiri chilli powder is milder than regular chilli power. This dish can be made a day or two in advance and reheated – in fact, the flavours will get even better over time.
300g chana dahl or split yellow
or red lentils
1 large handful coriander, leaves
and stems separated
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger 1 tbsp chopped fresh turmeric
or 1 tsp ground turmeric
1⁄2-1 tsp Kashmiri or regular chilli
powder (optional)
11⁄2 tsp salt
2 tbsp ghee or butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
Lemon or lime wedges to serve
Pick through the dahl to remove any foreign particles and wash thoroughly. Put in to a large, heavy-based saucepan, add 1 litre water, bring to the boil and boil for about 5 minutes, spooning off any scum that forms on top. Reduce to a simmer. Chop the coriander stems and add to the dahl along with the garlic, ginger, turmeric and chilli powder, if using. Simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 11⁄2 hours, stirring occasionally and adjusting the salt to taste in the last half hour, until the dahl is cooked. Stir in the lemon juice.
Melt the butter or ghee in a small saucepan, add the cumin and simmer for a minute. Finely chop the coriander leaves.
Spoon the cumin over the dahl, scatter with the coriander and serve with lemon or lime wedges for squeezing. Serves 6