You know those long Christmas brunches filled with the best of the season’s fare, people crowded around it with mulled wine glasses in hand? Sure, a good-looking turkey roast, salads and heart-warming casseroles make for a perfect #TopShot for Instagram, but so can these Indian counterparts that find a place in Tiffin, a recently-launched expansive cookbook by food editor at Vogue India, Sonal Ved. A compilation of 500 authentic Indian recipes from around the country, it’ll help you swap a menu you don’t identify with, with a spread speckled with homegrown picks. Think a deep-fried chicken dish from Punjab, a baked pasta casserole from the Bohri community in Gujarat, a bean stir-fry from Odia kitchens, breads from Rajasthan, and a banana bake from Karnataka. Let the feast begin.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
5 tbsps/75 gms yogurt (dahi)
1 tbsp/15 ml vinegar (sirka)
2 tbsps/30 gms ginger-garlic (adrak-lasan) paste
1 tbsp/6 gms coriander (dhaniya) powder
1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
2 tsps red chilli powder
1 tbsp/6 gms garam masala
1 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
30 ml cream, heavy
Salt, to taste
Vegetable oil, for fryingMethod
1. With a sharp knife, make incisions over the entire chicken.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, vinegar, ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder, chaat masala, dried fenugreek leaves, and cream. Season to taste with salt. Rub the paste over the chicken and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
3. In a steamer, steam the whole chicken for 20 minutes.
4. In a large deep pan over low-medium heat, heat the vegetable oil for frying. Add the steamed whole chicken, adjust the heat to low, and deep-fry for 20–25 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown.
5. Serve hot, carved into pieces.
DABBA GOSHT
Shredded lamb cooked with vegetables in a white sauce pasta
Time: 1 hr; Serves: 4
Origin: Gujarat
INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup/80 gms onion paste
1 tbsp/15 gms ginger-garlic (adrak-lasan) paste
1½ tsp paprika
Salt, to taste
Black pepper (kali mirch), freshly ground, to taste
2 cups/480 gms lamb, boneless, cubed
2 tbsps/30 gms butter
3 cups/720 ml white sauce
1 cup/240 gms assorted vegetables, boiled
2 eggs, boiled, peeled and chopped
2 cups/280 gms macaroni pasta, boiled
1 tbsp/15 ml vinegar (sirka)
½ cup/120 gms tomato ketchup
¼ cup/20 gms cashew (kaju) powder
2 eggs, whisked
½ cup/120 ml milk
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METHOD
1. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the lamb and rub the marinade into it. Refrigerate to marinate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the butter. Add the lamb. Saute for 35-40 minutes, or until tender.
3. Remove the lamb pieces from the mixture and shred. Set aside.
4. In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, combine the white sauce, vegetables, hard boiled eggs, pasta, vinegar, ketchup, cashew powder and shredded lamb. Mix well to combine.
5. Transfer this mixture to a baking dish and pour the whisked eggs on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
6. Serve hot.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup/125 gms whole-wheat flour (atta)
1 tbsp/13.5 gms dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tsp carom (ajwain) seeds
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps/30 gms ghee, plus more for serving
Water, for kneadingMETHOD
1. In a medium-size bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, dried fenugreek leaves, carom seeds, salt, and ghee. Rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Add enough water to knead into a tight dough.
3. Cut the dough into 6 roundels and roll each into a thick bread about the size of your palm.
4. With your fingertips, punch indents on the bread and pinch the corners.
5. Place a griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, roast the bread on both sides until crisp.
6. Pour warm ghee over the indents and serve hot.
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BANANA COCONUT BAKE
Breakfast or tea favourite from Konkan coast
Time: 35 min; Serves: 2
Origin: Karnataka; Recipe contributor: Nuzhat Fakih
Ingredients
2 tbsps/30 gms butter
½ tsp vanilla essence
2 cups/160 gms coconut, grated
1/4 cup/50 gms sugar
½ tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
3 bananas, medium-sized, halved lengthwise
½ cup/120 gms milk
A few threads of saffron (kesar)Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
3. Add the vanilla essence and coconut. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned.
4. Stir in the sugar and cardamom powder. Remove from the heat.
5. In a baking dish, layer one-third of the coconut mixture. Top with half the banana pieces. Cover with one-third of the coconut, and layer the remaining banana pieces on top. Top with the remaining one-third of the coconut.
6. In a small bowl, combine the milk and saffron threads. Pour this over the coconut mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Serve hot.
INGREDIENTS
½ tbsp cumin (jeera) seeds
Mustard seeds (rai)
2 dried red chillis (sookhi laal mirch)
3 garlic (lasan) cloves, peeled
1 tbsp/15 ml mustard oil (sarson ka tel)
1 cup/125 gms broad (fava) beans (simba), boiled
¼ cup/60 gms tomato, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
1 cup/240 ml water
Salt, to tasteMETHOD
1. In a food processor, combine the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dried red chillies and garlic. Blend into a paste.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the mustard oil.
3. Add the spice paste. Cook until fragrant.
4. Stir in the broad beans, tomato, and turmeric powder. Sauté for 5 minutes.
5. Allow the water. Cook the beans for 10 minutes. Season them to taste with salt. Serve hot.
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