Cooking Indian

I just returned from a two-week trek through Rajasthan, a state in northwestern India, on my first-ever visit to that country and to the cooking in situ of my “desert island” cuisine.

Of the 36 or so meals of Indian curries, dals, breads—all the idlis, pakoras, tandoori meats, soups, biryanis, scented rices, vegetables, gulabs—all of it, only one (a buffet breakfast) was marginally disappointing.

I kept saying to the small group with whom I was traveling, “Another fantastic Indian meal.”

In its manifest variety, Indian cookery is one of the more appetizing and savory cuisines with which I am familiar. Plus, perhaps above all cuisines I know, it lends itself particularly to cooking plant-based foods.

Indian cooking begins with flavors that pack a purposeful punch. Turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom, chile pepper, mustard seed, and the Indian “trinity” of onions, garlic, and ginger—you’ll likely find all of these (certainly often more) in merely a single savory Indian vegan or vegetarian recipe.

For me, the certain highlight of my two-week Indian table was to be served by our guide’s aunt, Ila Solanki, cooking from her own family’s kitchen. Sitting down with a small and delightful Indian family to a home-cooked meal of vegetables, lamb, dal, and handmade roti—no restaurant meal could be as meaningful.

However, the comestible find of my trip to India was a drink called “Jeera Water,” water flavored by steeping with cumin seeds. Indians drink it for a multitude of reasons, primarily to aid digestion and address a range of tummy troubles.

Make jeera (cumin) water in one of two ways. Either soak 1-2 teaspoons of cumin seeds in very warm water overnight; strain and drink in the morning. Or lightly crush 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds in the bottom of a coffee or tea cup, then pour simmering hot water over them and let the seeds steep for 10 minutes. Both methods keep the essential oils intact.

Recipes for Indian cooking at GET COOKING WITH BILL ST JOHN include:
- Yellow Curry Dover Sole
- Subji
- Lentil Dal with Rhubarb
- Mashed Curried Eggplant (Baigan Bharta)
- Vegetable Biryani
- Kadhi, a yogurt-based soup
- Aloo Tikki (Spicy Potato Patties)