“Can you bring some Saag Paneer?” our friend Charles asked me.
“Let me write that down,” I said. I had answered the phone and Charles had invited us to a party with an Indian theme. I was just taking notes. Suzen is the chef.
“Just tell her saag with spinach. She’ll know,” Charles finished.
When Suzen returned home, I said “saag with spinach.”
“Oh, Julie Sahni will have it,” she replied, not missing a beat.
And in 1985’s Classic Indian and Vegetarian and Grain Cooking, Suzen found just the recipe she needed: saag paneer or Indian Cheese and Red Peppers in Fragrant Spinach Sauce. Look for the recipe and a picture this weekend.
You can find many wonderful thing in this cookbook. It’s rigorously vegetarian, so no eggs, no fish. Julie presents hundreds of recipes that will keep your mind off meat and probably focused on finding a tall, cold Indian beer. You won’t miss the meat. You’ll need the beer.
Indian dishes can be complex, and there are a number of 2-3 pages projects here, but then there are ones brilliantly short and devastatingly satisfying. Take the Gobhi Masalllam or Stuffed Cauliflower with Tart Tomato-Coriander Sauce. A whole cauliflower head is served beneath a crust of onion, almonds and chiles. After cooking it is sliced into wedges and served with the tomato sauce. It’s visually stunning, spicy and yet homey.
Some recipes here will make you think twice: Curried Avocado with Ginger and Green Chile. When I hear “avocado” I think in terms of guac and chips, not curry. Oh, there’s also the Cold Malabar Avocado Coconut Soup. I’m not sure if margaritas would be appropriate.
There is a recipe for corn bread where you start, not with corn meal, but corn kernels. I would like to try that and dip it into her Quick Ripe Mango Chutney in Spicy Pepper Sauce, or maybe her Sweet and Fragrant Pineapple Chutney. Heck, maybe both.
This book has more warnings than any other in our library. Julie says up front to be careful of the Fiery Mint, Green Chili and Onion Relish. She does offer ways to reduce the heat: Hyderabad Hot Green Chili Peppers Braised in Almond-Cream Sauce. It’s muted and smooth she suggests.
The recipes here are replete with cascading flavors generated by layering and stuffing. Chili and spice are employed, not with abandon, but with carefully controlled volume. Julie often notes the history and background of the recipes that she has carefully researched and preserved. The recipes are coordinated, with suggestions for using this sauce with that vegetable combo along with this other bread. It’s easy to build a meal here.
India is half-the-world away from New York City in terms of distance. And much further away if you measure in culinary terms. The ingredients, the preparation and the presentation are from a different world.
You may love Indian food and you may have some favorite dishes, but it’s likely you’ve never assembled a tabletop covered with spices and veggies for your own cooking experience. There is no better way to start than with Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. You can start with a simple soup, like the avocado with coconut, or do a chutney to put on rice. Or you can delve into the heat at the start with Sweet Peppers Stuffed with Cheese and Scallion in Sauce Afgan.
No matter where you begin your Indian expedition in this book, it’s sure to be a journey of satisfaction.