Read Online The Café Spice Cookbook: 84 Quick and Easy Indian Recipes for Everyday Meals by Hari Nayak - Free Book Online
Authors: Hari Nayak
Tags: Cookbooks; Food & Wine, Quick & Easy, Cooking by Ingredient, Asian, Regional & International, Herbs; Spices; Condiments, Indian
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(100 g) packed fresh baby spinach leaves, washed
LEMON HONEY DRESSING
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
Whisk together the ingredients for the Lemon Honey Dressing in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside.
Mix together the cucumbers, carrot, onion, tomatoes, corn, and baby spinach in a large mixing bowl.
Pour on the Lemon Honey Dressing and toss gently. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve chilled.
Sweet Potato and Sprout Salad
The idea for this recipe struck me once when I had a lot of roasted sweet potatoes left over from a family Thanksgiving dinner. I conveniently used the surplus to make a salad the next day. Very soon, this became a habit! I use chaat masala in this salad to bring out the flavors of the cooked sweet potato. You can also use dried raw mango powder and black or sea salt to do the same and bring out the uniqueness of Indian flavor. During winter in India, sweet potato chaat is sold by street-side vendors and is a very popular evening snack.
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
2 large (about 1 lb/500 g) sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup (100 g) bean sprouts
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
2 cups (125 g) diced romaine or iceberg lettuce
LEMON MINT DRESSING
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Mint Chutney (page 27 )
2 tablespoons minced coriander leaves (cilantro)
2 teaspoons Chaat Masala (page 22 , optional)
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Apply one tablespoon of oil to the sweet potatoes. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 20–30 minutes until soft. Peel and dice. Set aside.
While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the Lemon Mint Dressing in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat and fry the sweet potatoes until light golden brown. Set aside in a large mixing bowl. (Frying is optional, as you can use baked sweet potato as is.) To serve, toss the sweet potatoes with the bean sprouts, apples, lettuce and Lemon Mint Dressing. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve chilled.
Chickpea, Mango and Watercress Salad
This recipe contains shredded raw mango. If you find it is a challenge to find fresh mangoes, you can easily substitute any other crunchy vegetable like radish or jicama. Also, this recipe uses olive oil, which is not a very traditional ingredient in Indian cuisine. This salad has partially been inspired by the very popular Thai raw mango and papaya salad, but selected Indian spices and grains add an interesting twist. The bitterness of watercress works well to balance the sourness of the mangoes.
Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time:10 minutes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons split black gram (urad dal)
5–6 fresh curry leaves, minced
1 fresh green chili pepper, minced
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
1 can chickpeas 15½-oz (439-g), drained and rinsed well
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shredded coconut, fresh or frozen
1 green mango (about 8 oz/250 g) peeled and cut into thin strips
Watercress
1 apple, cored and cut into thin strips (optional)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and black gram and sauté for 30 seconds until the mixture splutters. Then add the curry leaves, green chili, and red chili flakes and sauté for another minute. Add the cooked chickpeas and salt and sauté for another minute or 2 and then remove from the heat.
Let it cool for 5–10 minutes. Add the coconut, mango, watercress, apple (if using), and lemon zest and juice. Toss to mix all the salad ingredients together and check the seasoning.
Potato and Pea
LEMON HONEY DRESSING
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
Whisk together the ingredients for the Lemon Honey Dressing in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside.
Mix together the cucumbers, carrot, onion, tomatoes, corn, and baby spinach in a large mixing bowl.
Pour on the Lemon Honey Dressing and toss gently. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve chilled.
Sweet Potato and Sprout Salad
The idea for this recipe struck me once when I had a lot of roasted sweet potatoes left over from a family Thanksgiving dinner. I conveniently used the surplus to make a salad the next day. Very soon, this became a habit! I use chaat masala in this salad to bring out the flavors of the cooked sweet potato. You can also use dried raw mango powder and black or sea salt to do the same and bring out the uniqueness of Indian flavor. During winter in India, sweet potato chaat is sold by street-side vendors and is a very popular evening snack.
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
2 large (about 1 lb/500 g) sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup (100 g) bean sprouts
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
2 cups (125 g) diced romaine or iceberg lettuce
LEMON MINT DRESSING
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Mint Chutney (page 27 )
2 tablespoons minced coriander leaves (cilantro)
2 teaspoons Chaat Masala (page 22 , optional)
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Apply one tablespoon of oil to the sweet potatoes. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 20–30 minutes until soft. Peel and dice. Set aside.
While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the Lemon Mint Dressing in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat and fry the sweet potatoes until light golden brown. Set aside in a large mixing bowl. (Frying is optional, as you can use baked sweet potato as is.) To serve, toss the sweet potatoes with the bean sprouts, apples, lettuce and Lemon Mint Dressing. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve chilled.
Chickpea, Mango and Watercress Salad
This recipe contains shredded raw mango. If you find it is a challenge to find fresh mangoes, you can easily substitute any other crunchy vegetable like radish or jicama. Also, this recipe uses olive oil, which is not a very traditional ingredient in Indian cuisine. This salad has partially been inspired by the very popular Thai raw mango and papaya salad, but selected Indian spices and grains add an interesting twist. The bitterness of watercress works well to balance the sourness of the mangoes.
Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time:10 minutes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons split black gram (urad dal)
5–6 fresh curry leaves, minced
1 fresh green chili pepper, minced
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
1 can chickpeas 15½-oz (439-g), drained and rinsed well
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shredded coconut, fresh or frozen
1 green mango (about 8 oz/250 g) peeled and cut into thin strips
Watercress
1 apple, cored and cut into thin strips (optional)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and black gram and sauté for 30 seconds until the mixture splutters. Then add the curry leaves, green chili, and red chili flakes and sauté for another minute. Add the cooked chickpeas and salt and sauté for another minute or 2 and then remove from the heat.
Let it cool for 5–10 minutes. Add the coconut, mango, watercress, apple (if using), and lemon zest and juice. Toss to mix all the salad ingredients together and check the seasoning.
Potato and Pea
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