Mastering the taste of India in your kitchen
An Indian kitchen can be anywhere in the world. Meera Sodha should know. Born in England, she’s never lived in India, but grew up eating the cuisine of her ancestors, much of it lovingly prepared by her mother.
Sodha’s first cookbook, Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen, invites cooks of all kinds to embrace fresh, simple, traditional recipes, from chapatis to street food such as chili paneer. The book: If you’ve never cooked Indian food, Made in India ($ 39.99) shows you how to start. Sodha walks readers through common ingredients and where to find them, provides menus and helps troubleshoot if your adventure turns out too spicy, salty or watery. The 320-page hardcover, released in Canada, features plenty of manageable recipes, from spiced hot chocolate or chana ka chips a.k.a. spicy roasted chickpeas (see accompanying video at thestar.com/living). The author: Meera Sodha, a chef and writer who lives in London, sets out to demystify Indian food, and the notion that cooking it has to be complicated. Her book is aimed at levels of cooks. Recipes I’m dying to make: Fire-Smoked Eggplants; Mum’s Chicken Curry; Roasted Butternut Squash Curry with Garlic and Tomatoes; Masala Omelette; Love Cake with Cardamom and Pomegranate Shrikhand.
20-Minute Fish Curry
Star Tested This mild but flavourful dish, adapted from Made in India, makes a quick and nutritious dinner. I used fresh haddock, but you can use cod or any other white fish. 3 tbsp (45 mL) canola oil 1/2 tsp (2 mL) mustard seeds 2 medium yellow onions, finely sliced 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 cups (500 mL) cherry tomatoes, halved 1 tsp (5 mL) chili powder 1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) ground cumin 1 tsp (5 mL) salt 3/4 cup (185 mL) hot water 1-1/4 lb to 1-3/4 lb (565 g to 790 g) cod, haddock or other firm white fish, cut into 1-3/4 inch cubes 1 lemon, cut into quarters Small bunch cilantro, finely chopped In a non-stick medium frying pan with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until they pop. Add onions and garlic and cook until golden and soft, about 8 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes.
Cover pan with lid and cook tomatoes 10 minutes or more until tomatoes are soft and saucy. Add chili powder, ground coriander, cumin, salt and hot water.
When liquid starts to bubble, add fish pieces. Stir gently and cover until fish is cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze lemon over fish and garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice.
Serves 4. agordon@thestar.ca
WINE PAIRING
Cono Sur 2015 Bicicleta Viognier (Chile), #64287, $9.95 Score: 88
Tomatoes are not an easy match for wine because they’re sweet and acidic. The sweetness can make dry wine seem searingly tart while the high acidity can make many wines feel flabby in the mouth, or lack zip. So this cherry tomato-rich curry needs just the right bottle.
One that works marvelously is the Cono Sur 2015 Bicicleta Viognier from Chile. Aromas of ripe pear lead to bright flavours of the same edge with sweet peach and a smooth, sweet, almost musky note of apricot. This fruity character masquerades as sweetness in the mouth while electric raciness (unusual for a viognier) keeps the wine taut and fresh after each forkful of fish curry.
Much like peach chutney lifts the earthiness of cumin, coriander and mustard seed in a curry, the stone-fruit flavours of this wine enhance and elevate the dish.
What I also like about the pairing is the price: At $9.95, it’s right for this terrific mid-week meal.