INTRODUCTION

“Indian food needs no introduction. Its rich, delicious flavors and enticing aroma of herbs and spices have tempted the most conservative palates and restaurants started by people from the Asian sub-continent have taken Indian food across the seas and made it available to a wide audience. Attention to detail, excellent chefs, clever packaging, and marketing have ensured that people know more about it now than ever before.

“I grew up in NORTH INDIA when it was still called CROWN OF INDIA , amongst great lovers of food, then went on to train as a chef at the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, commonly known as IHM, Mumbai. Every evening, I’d be in the family kitchen trying out recipes by blending spices and practising techniques such as grating coconut to make milk. Those were intensely food-related three years and I loved the chance to be creative and learn about the diversity of cuisine that had such a rich history and so much variety. Mumbai was and still is India’s commercial capital and therefore attracts people from all over the country. It was wonderful to taste a wide variety of regional Indian cuisines such as Sindhi, Gujarati, south Indian and Kashmiri, through friends, neighbours and speciality restaurants. I also tried a range of regional dishes on family holidays to almost every state of India. I remember eating Kerala ‘fish molee’ as an eight-year-old and Rajasthani ‘dal bati’, a rich dough bread served with ghee and lentils, at ten. I still visit India a few times a year and go on food trips

                          RICE RECIPES

1.Thengai Sadam(COCONUT RICE)

“The juiciness of fresh coconut is vital to this dish and therefore it cannot be substituted with desiccated coconut. For instructions on how to grate a coconut.

   “Serves 4 PREPARATION → 15 minutes COOKING 30 minutes

1.         200g basmati rice, washed and drained

2.         2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3.         2 tablespoons cashew nuts

4.         1 teaspoon chopped fresh green chillies

5.         1 teaspoon split, skinless black lentils (urad dal), soaked in water for 15                             minutes and drained

6.          large pinch of asafoetida

8.         7 fresh or 10 dried curry leaves

9.          50g fresh coconut, grated

10.         salt

1 .   Put the rice and double the amount of water by volume in a heavy-based saucepan and bring it

to the boiler. Reduce the heat to low, stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Remove from the heat and set to one side, covered.

2. heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat and add the mustard seeds. Fry until they start to pop, then add the cashew nuts, chillies, lentils, asafoetida and curry leaves (standing back from the pan if using fresh leaves, as they will splutter). Fry for 1 minute, then add the grated coconut and stir until the mixture starts to turn golden. Season to taste with salt.

3. Remove from the heat and fold into the cooked rice. Serve hot with Sambhar or Vellarikka Kootu.

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