Cooking With Wilbur: Recipes From A South Indian Village
Ingredients
4 cups idly rice (sold in Indian grocery stores)
1 cup white lentils
3 fistful flattened and dried rice (also known as poha, and sold in Indian groceries)
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
Enough water to soak and grind
1 tablespoon salt
Equipment
Wet grinder (You can use a food processor, but the idly won't fluff up as much)
Idly rack
Pressure cooker
Directions
Wash rice, lentils, flattened rice and fenugreek seeds with running water three to four times to remove any grit or dirt. Soak them all in separate bowls for 6 hours. Remove water and set aside.
In the grinder or food processor, start grinding the white lentils and fenugreek seeds with 1/2 cup water. Let the machine run for 15 minutes until the white lentils turn into a smooth paste. Now add the flattened rice and 1/2 cup water and continue to run the machine for an additional 10 minutes. Turn off the power and transfer the batter to a clean bowl.
Add rice along with 1 cup water to the grinder. Grind to a smooth paste. It takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the rice paste to the bowl. Mix using hands or spatula. Add salt and let the batter ferment at room temperature (70 to 75 F). In colder countries, the batter can be fermented by placing in a warm oven. Set the oven to "keep warm" setting, then turn it off after a few minutes to let the temperature drop a bit.
The following day, transfer the batter to the holders on the idly rack and steam in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes. You can also steam them in ramekins in a sealed pot. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
Coconut Chutney
Chutney with coconut is a popular dip in South India. Green chilies or dry red chillies add heat; tamarind or lemon juice adds tartness. The coconut meat provides the creaminess. When these ingredients come together, flavorful chutney is created.
Ingredients
1 cup coconut meat, cut into cubes
2 green chilies, minced
1 inch ginger root, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon roasted chickpeas
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/4 - 1/2 cup water to grind them
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
10 curry leaves (sold at Indian grocery stores)
Equipment
Blender or food processor
Directions
Grind coconut, green chilies, ginger, garlic, roasted chickpeas and asafoetida into a smooth paste. Transfer to a medium-size bowl. Add salt.
Heat oil at high heat, add mustard seeds and let them pop — 5 to 10 seconds. Then add asafoetida and curry leaves and turn off the flame. Pour over the freshly made chutney and mix well to combine. Serve with idly.
Sambhar
Sambhar is a spicy lentil broth made with vegetables, tamarind pulp and spice powders. Its consistency is similar to a lentil stew. It is eaten with rice as a main dish.
Ingredients
1 cup yellow split peas
3 cups water
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 dried red chili
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
10 curry leaves
1 cup red onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1/2 cup chopped vegetables of choice (carrots, beans, eggplant)
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
1/2 tablespoon salt
Equipment
Pressure cooker
Cooking pan
Directions
Pressure-cook the yellow split peas with 3 cups water for 15 minutes (or 3 whistles from the cooker). Once cooled, reserve the water (it'll be about 2 1/2 cups) and mash the peas into a smooth paste.
Heat ghee or butter in a pan at high heat and let it melt. Add mustard seeds and cook until they pop. Toss in fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chili, asafoetida and curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add turmeric, chili and coriander powder and saute till the raw smell disappears, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the vegetables and mix well.
Pour in the 2 1/2 cups of split pea water and cook covered for 15 minutes. Add tamarind pulp and bring it to a boil.
Mix the mashed peas and add salt to taste. Cook for 10 minutes. Add more water if needed to dilute the sambhar. Check for seasoning. Serve hot with idly.
Tomato Rasam
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Plums Rasam Shots Courtesy of Vijitha Shyam/Spices and Aroma hide caption
itoggle caption Courtesy of Vijitha Shyam/Spices and Aroma
Plums Rasam Shots
Courtesy of Vijitha Shyam/Spices and Aroma
This is what Wilbur calls "pepper water" in his video: a watery soup made of tamarind pulp, tomatoes, peppercorns, cumin seeds and garlic. It is typically made from the leftover lentil stock. Like sambhar, rasam is made on a daily basis in South Indian homes. It can be eaten with hot rice or as a soup. In some homes, tamarind is replaced by lemon juice as a souring agent. In the photo at left, plums were substituted for the tomatoes for plum rasam shots.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
10 curry leaves
1 dried red chili
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1 inch ginger, minced
2 red tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 teaspoon crushed peppercorns
1 cup lentil water (recipe below)
1 tablespoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup cilantro for garnish
Equipment
Pressure cooker
Deep-frying pan
Directions
Pressure-cook 1 tablespoon yellow split peas with 1 cup water for 15 minutes or 3 whistles. Reserve the water.
Heat ghee or butter in a deep-frying pan and let it melt. Once superhot, add mustard seeds and let them pop. Throw in cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and dried red chili and saute for 1 minute.
Add garlic cloves, ginger and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle turmeric, chili and coriander powder and crushed peppercorns and pour in the lentil water. Stir to combine and bring it to a rolling boil.
Switch off the flame and add lemon juice and salt. Garnish with cilantro.
Thuvayal
Thuvayal is a chutney that follows the same principle as an Italian pesto, substituting herbs like cilantro, curry leaves or mint for the basil; white lentils for the pine nuts; and coconut instead of cheese to add creaminess. For thuvayal, the final step is to garnish the ground paste with hot oil tempered with black mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil
Skin of 1 long ridge gourd
1/4 cup white lentils
2 dried red chilies
1/2 tablespoon tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons unsweetened dried or fresh coconut
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
Equipment
Blender or food processor
Directions
Wash and clean the ridge gourd. Cut in half and scoop the flesh using a spoon. Discard the flesh. Cut the skin into small cubes.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a saucepan. Once hot, add the ridge gourd skin and cook for 15 minutes. Remove it and let cool.
To the same saucepan, add dried red chilies and white lentils. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tamarind pulp and saute for couple of minutes. Switch off the flame and add the coconut and cooked ridge gourd. Remove and let it cool.
Add a quarter cup of water and grind all the ingredients into a smooth paste. Add salt to taste. Mix well.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan. Once hot, add mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the curry leaves and asafoetida. Pour this mixture over the freshly made thuvayal.
Pazhaya Sadam
That's the way to say "day-old rice" in the South Indian language of Tamil. This is a common breakfast dish made with leftover rice, soaked in water overnight and mixed with fresh yogurt and salt the following day. Shallots and green chillies are thrown on top or served on the side. This is a common meal consumed by laborers in South India, with plenty of carbohydrates.
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Pazhaya Sadam Courtesy of Vijitha Shyam/Spices and Aroma hide caption
itoggle caption Courtesy of Vijitha Shyam/Spices and Aroma
Pazhaya Sadam
Courtesy of Vijitha Shyam/Spices and Aroma
Ingredients
1 cup cooked white rice
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup yogurt
10 shallots (you can cut in half but you should be able to bite into them)
1-2 whole green chilies or sun dried chilies
Directions
In a large bowl, soak the rice with water for 6 to 8 hours
The following day add salt and yogurt. Mix well to combine.
Transfer them to bowl and eat with sun-dried chilies, green chilies and shallots. It's hot, it's salty and it's yummy.
indian food