Walk into a supermarket of any size these days, and you are likely to find ingredients like fresh lemongrass and plantains, udon noodles, star anise, jicama and masa harina — foods that are available to indulge our tastes for the cuisines of countries like Cambodia, Japan, China and Mexico. Unfortunately — unless you live in a large urban center or an area with a large Indian population — your supermarket is probably not doing so well on Indian ingredients. You’re likely to find a row of jarred chutneys, a few canned or “instant” Indian meals and some basmati rice, but it is still difficult to Indian find staples like garam masala or sambhaar (spice mixes), asafetida (a spice), nigella (black onion seeds), paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or atta (finely ground whole-wheat flour).

You don’t have to mail-order exotic ingredients or find an Indian specialty store to make this luscious, spicy shrimp curry. Photo credit: Photograph by Ben Fink for “American Masala,” by Suvir Saran (Clarkson Potter, 2007)

Now, along comes “American Masala” by Suvir Saran (Clarkson Potter, 2007), a “fusion” cookbook that marries Indian and American flavors using ingredients that, thankfully, most of us can find. Some of the dishes, like the shrimp curry below, are more “traditionally” Indian, made with the spices and ingredients we associate with the country. Others, like his macaroni and cheese, employ a typically Indian technique, like frying seasonings first (he uses thyme, rosemary, ground peppercorns and red-pepper flakes) before making the cheese sauce.

“Masala,” according to the book, is the Hindi word for a blend of spices and also refers to the “excitement and vibrancy that come from a house full of friends and family.” The book, then, is well named. The author, who owns a restaurant in Manhattan, is said to be on the brink of launching a chain of “Indian Olive Gardens” to be named — according to a report in New York Magazine — “American Masala.” This could be Indian food’s first — and long-overdue — leap into the American mainstream.

In the meantime, we can happily putter in our kitchens to create some of the foods that Saran offers. In addition to the shrimp curry, here is a tasty eggplant caponata that is an example of Indian/Italian-American fusion and that deserves a long run.  

In both recipes, the “hard-to-find” ingredients are optional, or substitutions are given.

GOAN-STYLE SHRIMP CURRY

For the shrimp:

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 pound large or extra-large shrimp, thawed (if frozen), peeled and deveined

For the sauce:

1 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

24 curry leaves, roughly torn (optional)

4 dried red chilies (see Cook’s note)

1 teaspoon ground peppercorns

1 (3-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt (see Cook’s note)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juices

1 teaspoon sambhaar or 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (sold in Asian aisle of supermarket; see Cook’s note)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

cooked rice, for serving

Cook’s note: I used chiles de arbol, because that’s what I had; it was plenty spicy. If you like less spice, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot red-pepper flakes instead. I reduced the salt to 1 tablespoon. It was plenty. I used “lite” coconut milk and used the entire 14-ounce can. I then decreased the water that I was adding to the sauce by 1/4 cup. The recipe says it feeds 8, but I would adjust that to: “feeds 4 to 6.”

Prepare the shrimp: Combine the salt, peppercorns, cayenne and lemon juice in a large, resealable plastic bag. Add the shrimp, jostling the bag until they are well coated. Seal and refrigerate up to 2 hours. (If you don’t have a bag, use a bowl; cover it before refrigerating.)

Make the sauce. (You can make it 24 hours ahead of time, up to the point that you add the coconut milk; cover and refrigerate and then reheat gently before proceeding.) Place 1/2 cup of the water in a cup next to the stove. Heat the oil and curry leaves (if using) and chilies in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the ground peppercorns and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the ginger, onion and salt, and cook, stirring often, until the onion browns, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with water and stir whenever the onion and ginger begin to stick. (You may not need to use the entire 1/2 cup of water.)

Add the garlic, coriander and turmeric, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring and scraping the browned bits up from the sides and bottom of the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the sambhaar (or curry powder) and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the coconut milk and remaining 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are curled and opaque, about 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Yield: 8 servings (see Cook’s note)

Recipe from “American Masala” by Suvir Saran (Clarkson Potter, 2007)

 INDIAN EGGPLANT CAPONATA

2 large eggplants

1 cup water

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped (if you prefer a milder flavor, remove the core and seeds)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

1-1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin made from toasted cumin seeds (see Cook’s note)

1 large tomato, cored and chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 1/2 lemon

pita or bread, for serving

Cook’s note: Toasting cumin seeds brings out the smell and taste, but you can’t easily toast 1 teaspoon. Instead, place 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cumin seeds in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Toast, shaking the skillet frequently, until the cumin begins to smoke, 4 to 5 minutes. Place the seeds in a bowl to cool. When cool, grind in a spice grinder or clean coffee mill until fine. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 months.

Set a rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Prick the eggplants three times with the tines of a fork and place them on the prepared sheet. Broil the eggplants, turning every 3 to 4 minutes, until they are blistered and blackened on all sides and completely deflated; this should take 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer to a plate and set aside to cool. When cool, cut open and scrape the soft flesh from the charred skin. Discard the skin and transfer the flesh to a cutting board and chop finely.

Place the water in a cup next to the stove. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, jalapeno and salt and cook until the onion is deeply browned, stirring often, about 10 minutes. When the onions start sticking, splash with a little water and scrape up the browned bits. (You may not use all the water.) Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the chopped eggplant and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the coriander and cumin and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook just until they barely melt into the eggplant, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped cilantro and taste for seasoning. Add the lemon juice and serve warm or at room temperature, with pita or bread.

Yield: 2 cups

Recipe from “American Masala” by Suvir Saran (Clarkson Potter, 2007)

 

Marialisa Calta is the author of “Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family” (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.