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    Dances with Spices
    Dances with Spices
    Dances with Spices
    Ebook145 pages1 hour

    Dances with Spices

    By Shelina Edgar

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    About this ebook

    Unique and delicious fusion of Indian, Persian & African cuisines. Edgar takes authentic family recipes and adds her own special touches to create beautiful, tantalizing dishes that are simplified for the modern kitchen.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherShelina Edgar
    Release dateJan 13, 2013
    ISBN9781301216475
    Dances with Spices
    Author

    Shelina Edgar

    Shelina Edgar was born in Uganda and immigrated to Canada with her family in 1972. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia and a diploma in Financial Management from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She has worked in various fields including finance, marketing, real estate and insurance. Shelina's love of cooking began early in life. She spent her holidays in the rich countryside of Uganda where there was an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. In the city, she helped her grandmother prepare authentic Indian/Persian food. As a teenager growing up in Canada, she watched her parents, both excellent cooks, combine Indian, Persian and African cuisines.This book is the culmination of these different experiences.

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      Book preview

      Dances with Spices - Shelina Edgar

      INTRODUCTION

      My first memories of food are of our African cook preparing the evening meal with the chicken he literally caught from our garden. He would cook the chicken into a fragrant curry and serve it with fresh chapattis and perfectly cooked basmati rice.

      For this book, I began with recipes from my parents and sister. I then updated these recipes and added a few of my own to reflect the availability of a wide range of ingredients in most countries today. Where possible, I simplified methods and chose more healthy ingredients.

      The recipes in this book may look daunting at first sight but rest assured that it is just a matter of measuring ingredients. The actual cooking is really quite easy. By grouping ingredients into categories such as Aromatics or Spices and pre-measuring them, the actual cooking process is tremendously simplified. Also, by using this method, all the necessary ingredients to give depth to a dish are included even if it is just a pinch. Using readily available ingredients such as fried onions, further simplifies the cooking process.

      Go ahead and try any of the recipes and you will understand how easy it is to cook your own delicious food at home.

      Happy cooking!

      Shelina Edgar

      SPICES USED IN DANCES WITH SPICES

      All of these spices, except curry leaves, can be found at specialty food stores. The curry leaves are available at Indian grocery stores. Whole, unroasted spices will keep longer than ground spices so roast and grind spices in small batches.

      Asafetida (Hing)

      Bay leaves

      Black mustard seeds

      Black peppercorns (Kali Mirchi)

      Cardamom pods (Ilaichi, whole)

      Cardamom, ground (Ilaichi, ground)

      Cayenne pepper

      Cinnamon sticks (Tuj/Dalchini)

      Cinnamon, ground

      Cloves, ground (Lavang)

      Coriander, ground (Dhania)

      Cumin, ground (Jeera)

      Curry leaves (Limro)

      Curry powder

      Fennel seeds (Saunf)

      Fenugreek leaves (Methi leaves)

      Fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds)

      Freshly ground black pepper

      Garam masala

      Ginger, ground

      Mace (Javitri)

      Nutmeg, grated (Jaiphal)

      Paprika, hot

      Paprika, Hungarian

      Paprika, smoked

      Saffron (Kesar)

      Star anise (Chakraphool/Badian)

      Turmeric, ground (Haldi)

      THE ESSENTIAL PANTRY

      Coconut Milk

      You can substitute light coconut milk in all the recipes but the flavour will not be the same. I find the organic brands to be superior to non-organic ones.

      Cumin & Coriander

      The recipes in this book use a lot of cumin and coriander. It is best to buy the seeds in bulk, then spread them on a cookie sheet and roast in a 300°F (180C) oven for 5 minutes or until you can smell the spice. Grind the roasted seeds in a spice or coffee grinder and store in an airtight container. If you are making a small quantity, dry roast in a frying pan on the stove for 2 minutes on medium heat. Bulk spices are very reasonably priced at Indian grocery stores and are often fresher because of the high turnover.

      Fried Onions

      Fried onions are available in Indian grocery stores. Be sure to check the label and buy those which do not have any other ingredients added. Fried onions should be stored in the refrigerator.

      If you want to fry your own onions, just double the amount called for, and deep-fry in oil until they are a rich golden brown. This should be done slowly, at a lower heat, so as not to burn the onions. Drain on paper towels and store in an airtight container, refrigerated. I don’t fry my own onions because I don’t like the smell around the house. Also, by buying pre-fried onions, you eliminate a lot of the cooking time.

      Garam Masala

      All garam masalas are somewhat different. Many store-bought ones are heavy on cumin and coriander. My recipe does not have any cumin or coriander because I prefer to include these within the recipe. This garam masala recipe includes star anise which is somewhat unusual in garam masalas but imparts a fabulous aroma. If you use store-bought garam masala in the recipes in this book, the final result will be quite different, but still acceptable.

      6 4-inch cinnamon sticks or ¼ cup ground cinnamon

      1 tablespoon whole cloves

      1 tablespoon cardamom seeds

      2 teaspoons black peppercorns

      1 whole star anise

      Toast spices in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes. Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Store in an airtight container.

      Yield: 6 tablespoons

      Ginger and Garlic, Crushed

      Crushed garlic and ginger are readily available in most grocery stores but those you find in Indian grocery stores are a fraction of the price and of very good quality. You can peel and crush your own if you like but this will add considerable time to the cooking.

      Japanese Panko Bread Crumbs

      These are available at specialty food stores. They are light and fry to a beautiful golden brown. You can substitute dry breadcrumbs.

      Lemon Juice

      Bottled lemon juice is fine to use in these recipes unless fresh lemons are specifically called for.

      Lentils (Dals)

      Moong Dal is made from moong beans.

      Gram Dal (Chana Dal) is made from chick peas. It is also called Bengal Gram.

      Red Lentil Dal (Masoor Dal) is a beautiful salmon colour when raw and turns yellow when cooked.

      Pigeon Peas Dal (Toor Dal) is sometimes called tuvar or arhar.

      Black Gram Dal (Urad Dal) comes in many varieties. For the recipe in this book, use the skinned and split variety.

      Serrano Chilies

      You can substitute any fresh hot chili such as jalapeno for the Serrano chilies. I find that Serrano chilies have a more consistent heat but this is not always true. It is best to taste your chilies before adding them. Often, the smaller the size of the chili, the hotter it will be. You can also remove the seeds and ribs to tone down the heat and maintain the flavour.

      Spice Box (Masala Dabba)

      A round spice box with individual containers is an excellent way to keep Indian spices. There is usually room for seven different spices so instead of opening seven different little jars, you open one large box and quickly have access to seven spices. I keep two of these, one for whole spices and the other for ground spices. An example of a selection to keep in the box would be: garam masala, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, turmeric, mustard seeds and salt.

      Tamarind Chutney

      A lot of the recipes call for tamarind chutney. Store-bought varieties are quite good and readily available at Indian grocery stores. I have included a recipe to make it in the Chutneys section.

      APPETIZERS

      BAKED SAVOURY SEMOLINA CAKE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES (ONDHVO)

      Ondhvo is easy to prepare even though the ingredient list may look daunting. It is traditionally offered as a snack at tea time but it also makes a lovely lunch. Serve it with Chutney for Baked Savoury Semolina Cake.

      YIELD: 24 2-INCH PIECES

      ¼ cup warm (105°F to 115°F) water

      1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

      pinch sugar

      —

      BATTER

      3 cups semolina (commonly sold as wheatlets)

      2 ½ cups plain yogurt (not Greek style)

      1 cup water

      ½ cup chickpea flour (also called gram flour)

      ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

      1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon

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