Culinary India recipes from Escoffier Boulder

This is the final ‘chapter’ of a 3-part article about Auguste Escoffier’s School of Culinary Arts’ Home Cooking series.  The class was called Culinary India, and focused on home-cooking as it is actually practiced in India.  Part one of the article was about the chefs and guest lecturers; part two was about Escoffier’s programs, and part three, below, contains a few of the recipes we learned during the two-day class.  Enjoy!

TAMARIND CHICKEN WINGS by Suvir Saran

 

Ingredients:

2 TBS honey

2 TBS olive oil

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp Garam Masala (GM)

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp ground cumin

2 lbs. chicken wings, halved at the joint

¾ Cup Tamarind Chutney (see recipe, below)

 

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Whisk the honey, oil, salt, pepper, GM, paprika and cumin in a small bowl.  Scrape the mixture into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, add the wings and coat well.  Refrigerate for at least 30 mins, preferably overnight.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire cooling rack on top of the baking sheet.  Arrange wings in single layer on rack, bake for 35 mins.
3. Remove wings and baste with ¾ cup of tamarind chutney.  Place back in oven and continue roasting until slightly charred and crispy; 15 – 25 minutes.  Remove, sprinkle with salt and cool 5 mins before serving.

 

TAMARIND CHUTNEY

 

Ingredients:

1 TBS canola or grapeseed oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp fennel seeds

½ tsp asafetida

½ tsp Garam Masala (GM)

1 & ¼ Cups sugar

3 TBS tamarind concentrate

 

Preparation:

 

1. Heat the oil, cumin, ginger, cayenne, fennel, asafetida, and GM in a medium saucepan over medium high heat until the cumin is fragrant and lightly toasted, shaking the pan often.  About  1 minute.
2. Whisk in 2 Cups of water, sugar, and tamarind concentrate until fully dissolved.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until the sauce turns dark brown and is thick enough to leave a trail on the back of a wooden spoon.  About 20 or 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool.  Ready!

 

 

 

KERALA SHRIMP STIR FRY by Asha Gomez

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. 20-24 count shrimp

1 tsp mustard seeds

10 curry leaves

¼ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 Tbs coconut oil

Salt to taste

 

Preparation:

 

1. Heat a 9 inch iron skillet, adding oil and then mustard seeds
2. Once the seeds begin to pop, add curry leaves and stir
3. Add all other ingredients and simmer until done and fragrant
4. Serve as is, or over rice with a squeeze of fresh lemon

 

 

SIMPLY SPICED KOHLRABI by Manisha Pandit

 

Ingredients:

4 – 5 tender kohlrabi

1/3 Cup chana dal

2 tsp vegetable oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

1 pinch asafetida

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tomato, cut into 6 wedges

salt to taste

 

Preparation:

 

1. Soak the chana dal in about ½ cup water for about an hour
2. Wash and peel the kohlrabi and discard all tough fibers; slice long and slender like a french fry.
3. Heat oil in kadhai; add mustard seeds when hot.  Once seeds start popping, add asafetida, turmeric and chili powder.  Quickly add chana dal and kohlrabi and mix well.
4. Add tomoatoes, then stir in the brown sugar and salt.  Add about ½ Cup of water.
5. Cover and cook until kohlrabi is tender but not soggy; about 15 minutes or so.  Add more water if it looks dry.
6. Serve hot with fresh rotis.

 

 

 

CARMELIZED PINEAPPLE IN CARDAMOM & JAGGERY SAUCE by Ammini Ramachandran

 

Ingredients:

1 Pineapple peeled and cut into rounds (or 1 20 oz. canned rounds, if you must)

1/3 Cup ghee

¾ Cup powdered jaggery

1 TBS orange blossom honey

1 tsp crushed cardamom seeds

 

Preparation:

1. If using canned pineapple, drain.  Heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat and add ghee.  Fry slices on both sides, remove when brown spots and carmelization occur.
2. Add jaggery to same skillet, along with 2 TBS water; stir.  When jaggery has dissolved, reduce heat, and stir in honey and cardamom.  Simmer for a minute, and then remove from heat.
3. Drizzle jaggery sauce on pineapple slices, and serve.