A CULINARY EXPLORATION THROUGH INDIA
FOREWORD
Food has been a passion of mine since I was young - from simple ingredients to complex flavors, my entire life revolves around the table and what fills it.
I’d like to invite you on a culinary pilgrimage of India through my eyes. To enjoy a sampling of the cuisine that has influenced me from when I was a young girl, curious to learn everything I could in the kitchen, to an ambitious entrepreneur on a mission to bring Indian food to mainstream America.
Being an Indian restaurateur in the United States keeps me connected to my homeland and allows me to recreate memories of home on a plate. Food to me is a symbol of my homeland. It keeps me tied to my roots. It also allows me to share narratives and experiences about food in the form of new anecdotes, memories and valuable life lessons.
My hope is to see Indian food become something flavorful and familiar, a comfort food for you. More so, to see the cuisine I love become a part of the shared culinary tradition and heritage in this wonderful melting pot of the United States.
This is my invite to you: to join me in my love for simple ingredients, prepared well to create complex flavors to fill your stomach and brighten your soul.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for their unconditional support which allows me pursue my culinary passions. Ladies and Gentleman, it is my privilege to present to you, A Culinary Exploration Through India.
Enjoy,
Lavanya Mahate
LAVANYA’S PARENT’S WEDDING, 1968
My family life always revolved around food. From meals to special gatheringsthe food was always the center of the everything we did.
As a young girl of six, I used to watch my mom and Kanthama, our kitchen help, cook for our large extended family, every single day. Every day, started with an early trip to the local open air market where they purchased fresh vegetables, meats or seafood for whatever they were planning to cook that day.
Every day was a pageant of preparing fresh spice blends, chopping vegetables, cleaning meats and cooking under my mom’s expert supervision. My mom and Kanthama would make lunch and a dinner of curry every day from scratch. Along with sides and flatbreads. And I would watch with a childish curiosity as the dishes journeyed from raw ingredients to fragrant meals.
I learned to cook my first dishes from Kanthama, including how to make a basic spice blend from scratch and how to make a curry using that particular spice blend. These early childhood lessons in cooking ignited my passion for food.
My joy in all things culinary, which I developed as a child, expanded as I grew, traveled and experienced the variety of cuisine in India. I realized that the regions and flavors and styles of cooking are so vastly different. It was a delight and a personal culinary pilgrimage.
On moving to the United States in 2001, I was cooking for family and friends as a hobby. In 2010, I opted to go on another type of exploration, and quit my job to launch my own line of spice blends. Next, came my first restaurant, Saffron Valley, which has grown into 3 locations - each unique.
The food served at each Saffron Valley location is representative of the breadth and variety of regional fare from the North, South, East and West of India and is its own pilgrimage through the country and culinary traditions that I love.
WHAT IS ‘INDIAN FOOD’?
Over 5000 years of history
1.2 billion inhabitants
30 culinary regions
Hundreds of cooking techniques
Thousand of regional dishes
India is a melting pot of religions, ethnic groups, customs, language and traditions. Every state has its own history, culinary style and flavors tied to their cuisine. So where do we even start to unravel and understand the nuances of Indian cuisine?
It may come as a surprise, but there is no such thing as ‘typical’ Indian food. Yet within that diversity in regional Indian cuisine there is a common thread balance of six main flavors: Sweet, Salty, Sour, Pungent, Bitter and Astringent.
A proper Indian meal is a perfect balance of all 6 flavors, with one or two flavors standing out.
LADOOS
A traditional Indian Sweet made with chickpea flour, ghee jaggery (palm sugar) and cardaomom
THE HEART OF INDIAN COOKING: SPICES
India is the largest producer of spices in the world. Indirectly India’s spices led to the discovery of the Americas as explorers searched for another passage to the spice growing regions of the east.
So, naturally, the use of spices is common across the regions. Spices are not a supplement to cooking, but the entire basis of cooking. However the variety, style and blends of spices used varies from region to region.
We’ll visit each region, it’s flavors, dishes and spices.
NORTH / UTTAR
I spent a summer in the north of India and was struck by the speed and dexterity that the women in the households would make their Roti - an unleavened bread roasted over an open flame, served with vegetables, lentils, yogurt and pickles at every meal.
Tandoori cooking is a popular style from this region where meat, fish or bread is marinated in spicy yogurt before being barbecued Indian style in a clay oven. It was here in the north that I learned to love the many tandoori specialties which were not only healthy due to minimal use of oils and fats, but also highly appetizing and delicious.
Then there is the famous Chicken Tikka. This dish is so popular that the British parliament stopped everything it was doing at one point to dispute just who invented it. Was it the British, the Indians or maybe even the Scotts? They still have not reached an agreement to this day… But that does not seem to bother anyone across the globe enjoying this popular dish.
POPULAR DISHES FROM THE NORTH
CHICKEN TIKKA KEBAB
Ingredients for the Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
Serves 4
1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 big lemon
2 tablespoons oil, vegetable or olive
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into large 3 inch pieces
Method:
In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken in a grill pan and bake for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.
Serve hot with mint and tamarind chutneys.
POPULAR DISHES FROM THE NORTH
SAAG PANIR
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves aka kasoori methi (optional)
1 tsp cumin seeds
Spinach-1 (16-ounce package) frozen chopped spinach
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 medium tomato diced
1 tablespoon- ginger-garlic paste
1 green serrano chile, finely chopped (seeds removed if you don’t like it spicy!)
1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste
2 cups cubed panir
1/2 cup fresh cream
Method:
Thaw the spinach in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, 5 minutes on high, then puree in a food processor until smooth. Alternatively, you can chop it up very finely with your knife.
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add oil to the pan. Add cumin seeds and dried fenugreek to hot oil and slightly toast the spices. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chilies and sauté for about 10 minutes. If the mixture is drying out or burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin.
Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, and it all smells a bit more fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté further five minutes.
Add the pureed spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add salt and 2 cups of water, stir, and cook about 15 minutes.
Add panir cubes and cream. Heat through till the mixture gets hot. Serve with steamed rice or flatbreads.
SOUTH - DAKSHIN
Southern India is a hot, humid climate and all its states are coastal. Rainfall is abundant and so is the supply of fresh fruit, vegetables, and rice. With the coast so close, fresh seafood often graces the table.
Flavors in the south tend to revolve around tamarind, yogurt, coconut and curry leaves. Every meal comes with a side of rice mixed with yogurt and savory vegetable chutneys. Another nearly daily addition is a thin soup called rasam and a spicy lentil soup called sambar.
I once stayed on the Malabar Coast in the south of India, where I got to enjoy the beautiful back waters and fresh cooked seafood in abundance. As the home of pepper, turmeric and cardamom, Kerala, with its historic spice ports on the Arabian Sea, has attracted Jewish, Arab, Oriental and European traders from afar for thousands of years. They in turn have introduced new spices such as chilli, cumin, ginger and coriander to create a cosmopolitan and diverse cuisine.
A train ride over the hills of the Western Ghats, through lush forests of coconut palms, banana trees and coffee plantations, took me to Tamil Nadu. The region is famed for its savory breakfast dishes of dosas, which are a type of crepe made with fermented rice and lentils. I grew up in this region and also had my first internship in another part of the region - and so these flavors in particular invoke a sense of home.
Serves 4
For The Dosa Batter:
1 cup whole skinless urad dal (black gram lentils)
3 cups idli rice
1 tablespoon salt
Method:
Soak the rice and dal together submerged in water for 3 hours.
In a blender, grind the soaked rice and lentils in two batches into a smooth consistency adding just enough water to blend until smooth. Combine with salt, and let the batter ferment in a large enough bowl lightly covered, for about 6-8 hours in a warm place.
To Make The Dosas:
4 cups fermented dosa batter
1-1 1/2 cups of water
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Method:
Add enough water to the fermented batter until you have a smooth, pouring consistency. Make sure the batter is not too watery; it should coat the back of a spoon.
Heat an iron griddle and grease lightly with oil. Pour about 1/2 cup batter at the center of the griddle using a round ladle. Using the back of the ladle gently spread the batter with a circular motion from the center towards the sides of the griddle forming 8-10 inch round concentric circle.
Drizzle about 1 tsp of oil around the edges of the dosa and drizzle a few drops on the top as well.
If the griddle is greased adequately and is not sticky, the edge of the dosa will start to come off the pan in about 1 minute or so. Use a spatula to gently lift the dosa and turn over. Cook this side for about 60 seconds.
Place a few tablespoons of spiced mashed potato or chicken tikka masala as the filling and fold into a semi-circle. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.
POPULAR DISHES FROM THE SOUTH
SAMBHAR
Ingredients:
1/2 cup toor dal (yellow lentils)
Tamarind - small lemon sized ball
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, diced
For the seasoning:
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
A generous pinch of asafetida
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 whole red chilli
6-8 curry leaves
Serves 4
1 cup mixed vegetables – carrot, radish, beans etc
2 teaspoons sambar spice powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Method: Soak toor dal in hot water for 20 minutes and pressure cook with 3 cups of water for 4 whistles. If you are cooking the dal directly in a pan cook until it becomes soft adding water as needed for about 1 hr. Soak tamarind in hot water and extract 1 1/2 cups of tamarind juice and discard the pulp. Keep aside. Blanch the vegetables. Set aside.
Heat one tablespoon of oil and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add asafetida, red chilli, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, sliced onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and saute for another five minutes. Next add tamarind water, turmeric powder, salt and sambar powder. Let the mixture boil for 10 minutes.
Add the blanched vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes. Next, mash the dal with the back of a ladle; add to the sambar along with 1 cup of water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with steamed rice or dosas.
EAST - PURAB
Eastern Indians are seafood lovers and meat eaters, with fish being a very popular ingredient. The liberal use of chilies in Eastern Indian food gives their cuisine a spicy edge. This is the most fertile part of India which means vegetables are consumed as much as meat and seafood. Rice is the staple accompaniment to the various curries, stews and stir fries that are enjoyed by the people here.
The geographical location of this region means its food bears the strong influence of Chinese and Mongolian cuisine. Indo Chinese food is extremely popular and readily available at street side fast food shops.
Simple is the defining word for food of this region. Preparation is not elaborate and neither are most of the ingredients. Steaming and frying are popular methods of cooking. In coastal regions fish is the food of choice while further inland pork wins the position on the plate.
People of no other region in India can rival the Eastern Indians’ love for sweets and desserts. Some of India’s most popular and world-renowned sweets come from here. And to drink? Masala Chai of course.
POPULAR DISHES FROM THE EAST
ROSOGOLLA
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 liters whole milk - boiled and refrigerated overnight
1/4 cup lemon juice - mixed in 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon semolina
4 cups thin sugar syrup - flavored with cardamom or rosewater
Method:
Remove the cream that forms over the milk. Bring to a boil, lower heat and add the lemon mixture gradually, till the milk curdles.
Turn off the heat and leave mixture to rest for 5 minutes. Drain the water and leave the paneer in a hung muslin cloth for a couple of hours.
Mash paneer until very smooth, add semolina and mix well. Bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil, and shape the paneer into balls ensuring that they are smooth without any cracks. Transfer the balls into the boiling water, cover with a tight fitting cover and let cook till puffed up (about 20 minutes).
Let cool, squeeze out of the water, transfer to sugar syrup, chill and serve.
POPULAR DISHES FROM THE EAST
MASALA CHAI
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups water
3 pods green cardamom
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 inch sliced ginger (optional)
3 teaspoons loose black tea (Red Label Orange Peko, Taj Mahal, Darjeeling etc)
½ cup whole milk
Method:
Slightly crush the cardamom pods and sliced ginger in a mortar and pestle.
In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add cardamom, ginger, tea leaves. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add milk and bring it to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for another 2 minutes
Remove from heat and strain tea with a strainer.
Add sugar. Serve with tea cookies.
WEST / PASCHIM
Western India is largely desert. The climate being dry and arid, the food here is cooked with minimal water. Use of lentils is widespread in this region. Lentils in the form of dal - spiced lentil gravy is popular. Foods are steamed or roasted with dry spices for flavor. Preserves like chutney and pickles are also had at every meal. Meat dishes are sparse where a majority of people are vegetarian.
Thalis are a popular way of serving and eating food in the region. Essentially, Thalis are giant plates with small bowls serving a variety of food resembling an artist’s palette. It is a culinary kaleidoscope that offers something for everyone including delicious appetizers made with chick pea flour, wonderfully aromatic and intricately flavored soups, fresh-baked flat breads, and perfectly spiced vegetable dishes, daal and chutneys. Food is eaten by fingers scooping up food with your right hand.
Flavors of the region include dates, chickpeas, potatoes, coriander, mint and black salt along with coconut, red chiles and vinegar. Some of the dishes from the region contain peanuts and coconut and even a pinch of sugar for a hint of sweet. The famous Garam Masala comes from this region and is perhaps the most well known spice blend in the world.
POPULAR DISHES FROM THE WEST
PAV BHAJIServes 4
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped finely
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup each of each of these vegetables, finely diced and boiled: green beans, carrots, cauliflower
1 cup boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes
1/2 cup boiled green peas
3 teaspoons pav bhaji masala
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 pav buns (dinner rolls)
Method:
Heat vegetable oil in a sauté pan. Add onions, ginger, garlic, and green chillies and sauté till golden brown. Add boiled vegetables and mix well. Stir in the pav bhaji masala, turmeric, tomatoes, bell pepper and salt.
Add 1 cup of water and mix well. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Mash the vegetables with the back of the ladle until it resembles sloppy joe. Add lemon juice and serve with butter toasted buns or rolls.
POPULAR DISHES FROM THE WEST
GARAM MASALA
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon whole cloves
Serves 4
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds
3 tablespoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
Four 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup dried red chiles
1/2 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
Method:
In a large saute pan, combine the black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, and dried red chiles.
Over medium heat, cook just until slightly toasted, stirring constantly.
Turn off heat and stir in the grated nutmeg.
Transfer to a food processor and grind to a fine powder.
Pass through a fine strainer.
Allow to cool to room temperature.
Store in an airtight jar. Use as needed.
ORIGINAL SPICE BLENDS
From Top to Botton: Garam Masala, Tandori Masala, Chettinad Masala, Curry Powder
SPICE INDEX
CINNAMON
- the inner bark of a tree. The bark is harvested and it curls up into ‘quills’ as it dries. Can be used whole or ground into a fine powder
CLOVES
- flower buds from trees that are dried when harvested. They are highly aromatic and so strongly flavored that a small amount goes a very long way
CORIANDER
- in Indian cooking, the dried seeds of the Cilantro plant. Seeds have a heavy, lemony flavor when crushed. Roasting heightens the flavor & pungency
CUMIN
- a dried seed from a plant in the parsley family. Seeds can be used whole or ground and has a warm, earthy flavor
CURRY LEAVES
- the leaves of a tropical tree related to citrus. The fresh leaves are cooked in ghee or oil to infuse flavor into dishes
FENUGREEK
- can be used as vegetable (fresh leaves), and herb (dried leaves), or a spice dried seeds). Used in dishes throughout India, seeds are often roasted to mellow the flavor
GARLIC
- a member of the allium family along with onions and shallots. It is known the world over for its pungent flavor and sharp heat. Individual cloves can be used fresh or it can be dried, ground and used in spice blends
INDIAN BAY LEAVES
- looks similar to the European laurel bay leaf, though unrelated. But with a less floral fragrance and more of a mild cinnamon essence
MACE
- a spice made from the dried covering of the nutmeg seed. With a saffron hue and a more delicate nutmeg flavor.
MUSTARD SEEDS
- ranging in color from white to yellow to red to black. In Indian cooking, whole seeds are usually roasted until they pop. The flavor is sharp with a hint of heat.
PEPPERCORN
- grown on a flowering vine, pepper is a dried fruit that is harvested when it is unripe. It is the world’s most traded spice and was once even used as a form of currency.
STAR ANISE
- highly fragrant dried star shaped pod hailing from an evergreen tree. Has a strong licorice or ‘anise’ flavor and is commonly used in Indian Masala Chai.
TURMERIC
- a rhizome related to the ginger family. Its bright orange to yellow coloring is responsible for the recognizable bright color in many curry blends. When fresh, the flavor is floral and spicy. When dried and ground, the flavor is much more bitter and concentrated.
LAVANYA MAHATE
Lavanya Mahate was born and raised in Southern India. After moving to the United States in 2001, she worked at the Salt Lake Chamber for nearly eight years. While there, she decided to develop her interest in Indian cookery and, in particular, making her native food simpler to cook by creating a line of spice blends which she launched at the Salt Lake Downtown Farmers Market in 2009.
Her first restaurant, named Saffron Valley, came along in 2010. Lavanya was able to bring her passion for Indian cooking to a wider audience. The name Saffron Valley comes from the culmination of Indian spices (saffron) with local ingredients (from Salt Lake Valley) creating a perfect marriage between the two destinations.
Since the original Saffron Valley opened, Lavanya and the Mahate team, have opened up a second location in the Avenues along with Biscotts, a pastry and chai house and Dhanya Spices & Groceries. The third location of Saffron Valley is set to open summer of 2017. This 5000 sq ft location will feature a restaurant, a chai bar and a marketplace along with a culinary school thus making it a one stop shop for anyone who wants to explore Indian food.
Besides cooking, Lavanya enjoys her daily Yoga practice, the outdoors, traveling and watching food shows from around the world. She is happily married to Lakshmi Mahate with two kids Sanjana and Shalin.
Lavanya feels extremely grateful for the opportunities that the United States has provided her while being able to hold on to her home country through her food, and she hopes you’re excited to share in that experience with her.
CONTRIBUTORS
Narrative: Lavanya Mahate
Recipes: Lavanya Mahate
Editor: Lydia S. Martinez
Photography: Rashmi Choudhary Souk Mounsena
Art Direction: Souk Mounsena The Pursuit Society thepursuitsociety.com
© SAFFRON VALLEY GROUP 26 E Street Salt Lake City, UT 84103 saffronvalley.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the written consent of the publisher.
Special Thanks: Dr. & Mrs. Dinesh Patel for their mentorship and continued support