Paper Palate

If you’ve ever wanted to try some new flavours but have been unsure about how to go about it, might I suggest some Indian food? For some people, Indian cuisine conjures up images of long hours in front of the stove and a hot tandoor oven, but that’s not the case if you’ve got Madhur Jaffrey helping you out. In her book, Quick and Easy Indian Cooking, Jaffrey shows us that it’s possible to recreate complex Indian flavours in a fraction of the time and in your own home.

The majority of the dishes in this book can be made in under 30 minutes, proving that it doesn’t take forever to make a tasty and satisfying meal.  The book itself is vibrant and colourful, with beautiful photos and design. It’s the type of book that makes you want to cook from it, as well as read it curled up on the couch. Jaffrey introduces each recipe with a little blurb about when the dish is typically served or what to pair it with or an insight on the method used to cook it. She’s the type of cookbook author that you feel is in the kitchen with you and that’s the best kind.

The book is divided into 8 categories which range from Soups and Appetizers to Drinks and Desserts. Recipes include classic dishes like Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Korma and Mango Lassi, but also include something a little different like Garlicky Mushroom Masala Omelet, Chick Peas Cooked in Tea and Banana Halva. The recipes for fresh chutneys look particularly nice and infinitely versatile.

Although the recipes sound amazing, there are a couple things to note before buying this book. The first is that many of the recipes call for the use of a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker makes it possible to create meals in under 30 minutes although it is not necessary to have one as stove top directions are also given for all of the recipes. Making these dishes on the stove top will obviously take longer, but most of that time is not hands on. The second thing to note is that some of the ingredient lists may seem long. Once you have a well stocked pantry however (especially with the appropriate spices), the recipes don’t actually take any longer to make, despite the number of ingredients. I think you’ll also find that the added ingredients are what make the dishes distinctly Indian and full of flavour.

Madhur Jaffrey makes Indian cuisine accessible to all in this lovely book that I’m eager to try more from. This recipe that I’ve given here is for her Banana Halva and I wanted to try it as soon as I read that this was a recipe for banana lovers. I served it simply with a little powdered sugar, although whipped cream, as Jaffrey suggests, would certainly be wonderful.

Banana Halva
(from Quick and Easy Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey)

4 very ripe bananas
1 T vegetable oil or ghee
2 T sugar
1 T chopped, unsalted, peeled pistachios
½ T chopped walnuts
¼ cup lightly whipped heavy cream or clotted cream

Peel the bananas and mash them.

Put the oil or ghee in a nonstick frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the mashed bananas. Stir and fry for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and stir and fry for another 10 minutes or until the bananas have browned and turned to a kind of soft toffee. Turn the heat to low. Add the sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds or until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pistachios and walnuts and mix in. Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap until serving time. Serve with whipped or clotted cream.