Three Indian-inspired cookbooks tantalized my tastebuds this year. Each presents a new way of experiencing Indian flavors and food.

Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking is actually a reprint of a book first published about ten years ago, but you-know-who made the whole "quick and easy" thing in fashion again so I can see why it was reprinted. What's interesting about the recipes, is that Jaffrey is not trying to dumb down the cuisine or simplify it. There actually are plenty of Indian recipes that don't take days to make or long shopping lists. The notes with each recipe tell you if it is a one-pot dish, how to serve it and sometimes the history of the dish. Many of the recipes are ones I had not seen before such as Chickpeas Cooked in Tea, Gently Stewed Beets, and Stir Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds.

The next book called Modern Indian Cooking, is still firmly more Indian than American but presents contemporary interpretations of classic Indian dishes. The merging of traditional Indian flavors with ingredients or techniques more likely to be found in the West, makes the dishes seem fresh and exciting. Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Lime is a perfect example of the unexpected, of a combination of India and European cuisines. Curry Corn Chowder with Roasted Poblanos sounds enticing and Paneer Picatta (sic) is a great vegetarian version of the classic Italian dish. Slices of paneer cheese are sauteed then the pan is deglazed with sherry, onions, capers and ginger are added and finally lemon juice, butter and cilantro.

American Masala is in some ways the least Indian. These are the recipes from the home kitchen of restaurant chef Suvir Saran. Masala is the Hindi word for a spice blend, and also refers to excitement and vibrancy, says Saran. While there are plenty of Indian recipes, there are also plenty of recipes with nary an Indian hint of spice such as Three Cheese Spinach Dip, Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake or Honey Glazed Pork Roast with Vegetable Confit. Still, the use of garam masala changes the nature of some dishes such as Fried Chicken Masala, Spiced Meatballs with Tomato Chile Sauce or Scallops with Roasted Red Pepper Chutney. I guess if the concept is vibrant dishes, it certainly achieves it.

Curry Corn Chowder with Roasted Poblanos
makes 4 servings

2 poblano chiles
1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced into (1- inch) cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
Salt to taste
3 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen corn, thawed
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

PREPARATION
Pre heat the grill or a broiler. Grill or broil the chilies until the skin begins to blacken, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam until the skin loosens, about 10 minutes. Peel the chiles and chop coarsely, Set aside In a small sauce pan, add the potatoes and enough water to cover and cook until tender. Drain and set aside. In a large sauce pan, heat the oil, cumin, onion, celery and pepper and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and corn and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer. Stir in the roasted chiles, potatoes, stock, cream, curry powder and 1 tablespoon of cilantro and simmer until the soup thickens, 20 to 25 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Modern Indian Cooking, Copyright 2007, Silverback Books

Every year, on the first Sunday of November, tens of thousands of Sikh from across the U.S. and Canada travel to Yuba City for the largest gathering of their extended community in North America. It's the only public festival I've seen in this country where not a single piece of food is sold, yet I still managed to eat and drink for six hours straight.

Food is offered free to all who come: Every single one of the 60,000 Sikh (give or take 20,000 in any given year) who take part in the festival, and the few hundred curious folk like me who show up for the food.

Cauliflower pakoras fresh from the oil.

All along the side of the parade's path are stations of Sikh men and women rolling roti, frying pakoras, stirring curries, and cutting sweets. Everything served is vegetarian, to be as inclusive as possible. Friendly, young men offer fresh fruit, water, juice, and hot chai to all who walk by -- even the Christian evangelists with their placards and flyers.
A line of women roll fill bread with potatoes masala while a two-man team shares dipping and frying duty.

Men from the Punjab region of Northern India were among the earliest immigrants to the Pacific Northwest and then the Central and Imperial Valleys of California. Many of them were Sikh, and their hard work -- felling trees, laying rails, and laboring in fields and orchards -- helped build the West.

The November festival in Yuba City honors the Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, and the recitation of its words is central to the procession. Large, decorated semi-trucks help pull the priests and musicians through the crowded streets.

This Thursday, I'll be giving a presentation about the importance of the communal kitchen in the Sikh religion. There'll be lots more photos, including many archival ones, and we'll discuss how Asian Americans such as the Sikh navigated strict immigration and alien land laws to establish thriving farms in the Central Valley.

"Sikh Temples and Communal Meals: Religion, Politics and Potluck in California's Central Valley"
Presented by Thy Tran
Thursday, October 11, 2007
5:15-6:45 pm

Magnes Museum
2911 Russell Street, Berkeley, CA
Contact: Erica J. Peters, Culinary Historians of Northern California
Phone: (650) 938-4936
Email: e-peters-9@alumni.uchicago.edu

The Indian karahi has the same lovely, generous shape as a Chinese wok.

I met Ruta Kahate at an Asia Society's Off the Menu dinner a few months back. I had just received a review copy of her book, 5 Spices, 50 Dishes and was eager to try some recipes. Even better, that night I got to try a dish from the book, prepared by the author herself. The theme of the evening was Asian food myth-busting and there wasn't a better candidate for the job that Kahate.

"Indian food is hard to prepare and time consuming"
"Indian food uses tons of spices and everything is hot!"
"Indians don't eat meat, especially not beef"

Busted, busted, busted. In one dish, she showed how false each of those assertions are. The dish was a curry called Indian Brown Beef Stew and it has only three spices in it, along with fresh garlic and ginger. "Curry" just means a dish with sauce, though some curries can be on the drier side too. The dish is oniony and satisfying. It takes a little over an hour to make, but most of that is unattended. Special skills required to make it? None.

Last night I made yet another recipe from the book, Spicy Eggplant with Tomatoes and I was struck by how forgiving Kahate is, she inspires her readers to take on her recipes and at the same time grants them wide berth to alter her recipes to their taste. I admit I skimped on the cayenne, but otherwise wouldn't suggest changing a thing. A perfect Summer dish when your kitchen is overflowing with tomatoes and eggplants, it makes for a great vegetarian or a light-on-meat meal. In fact, many of the dishes in her book are stir fry and "one pot" meals. There are also salads, rice dishes, and even a couple of desserts.

Kahate's recipes are not necessarily the kinds of things you'll find in restaurants and that's a good thing. Cook the way Indians cook at home and you'll discover how easy it is to integrate Indian flavors into your own kitchen. The book is filled with tips and tricks for getting the most out of your efforts.

An important lesson I learned from the book is that turmeric is not just for color. Fresh turmeric really does add an earthy flavor that is key to a myriad of dishes. Replace your turmeric with some fresh stuff and you'll see what I mean. After stocking up on the 5 spices--coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, ground cayenne and ground turmeric, you'll find the rest of the ingredients at any supermarket. Indian food doesn't mean a trip to an exotic market. Poof! Another myth busted.

Indian Brown Beef Stew

This is what you would call an "everyday" meat curry in India. It's simple to put together but you'll need to simmer the beef for about an hour until tender. Indians accomplish this in approximately one-third that time with a pressure cooker--an indispensable tool in every Indian kitchen. If you have a pressure cooker you inherited from Grandma, dust it off and put it to work; this curry would be ready in a mere twenty minutes. If you favor carrots over potatoes, feel free to substitute them.

3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, finely ground
2 teaspoons finely grated garlic (about 4 large cloves)
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (about 2-inch piece)
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 pound beef sirloin, cut into 1-inch square pieces
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large russet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 2-inch cubes
1 medium green serrano chile, cut lengthwise in quarters
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Heat the oil in a large stockpot and saute the onion until golden. Add the coriander, garlic, ginger, cayenne, and turmeric and stir over medium heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan by adding a few tablespoons of water and using a spatula to loosen the browned bits, if the mixture starts sticking to the bottom.

Add the beef and saute over medium heat until well browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the 2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Add the potatoes and chile and continue cooking until the beef and potatoes are tender, another 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the vinegar, simmer for an additional 2 minutes, and remove from the heat. Serve hot with crusty bread or steamed white rice.

Serves 4

Recipe from 5 Spices, 50 Dishes, Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices by Ruta Kahate Photographs by Susie Cushner, Chronicle Books, 2007

Ruta Kahate is the Oakland-based author of 5 Spices, 50 Dishes. She teaches popular Indian cooking classes and leads tours of India. Check out Ruta's Indian Kitchen to learn more.

1. Which do you love the most, teaching classes, writing cookbooks or leading tours to India?
Oh dear, tough one. I do enjoy all of them equally! Ten years ago when I questioned myself as to what I wanted to do in life, the answer was "Indian food: research, teach, write and travel." And I am incredibly lucky to have fulfilled that dream!

2. How did you come up with the idea to write a cookbook that features dishes with 5 spices?
This cookbook was inspired by my students, many of whom simply didn't have the time to create elaborate Indian recipes requiring numerous spices and steps. I wanted to write a cookbook that would simplify Indian cooking without compromising on the taste. And since many Indians cook like this at home, it wasn't much of a stretch.

3. Did you consider including any other spices? If you had chosen 6 or 7 spices what would you have added?
Actually, no. These five go together so well, any other selected at random would disrupt the harmony.

4. What are the biggest misconceptions about Indian food?
That it HAS to be spicy. That it's greasy. "Curry."

5. How would you characterize the Indian food available in Bay Area restaurants?
It's typical "restaurant" food i.e food that for generations has been served only in restaurants, like Tandoori chicken. But things are definitely changing and there is a crop of new places that's serving up more regional fare.

6. What are the most important techniques for students of Indian cuisine to learn?
Tadka -- the technique of infusing hot oil or ghee with spices is one of the cornerstones of Indian cooking. And it is essential that one learns to do it just right. I've attempted to make it very straightforward in the book. There are others -- like, just how much to brown the onions for a curry, or how to toast spices correctly, but the tadka to me is foremost.

7. What's your favorite dish in the book?
Another tough one, there's several. The Mild Fish Stew with Potatoes because it has one spice -- an Indian dish with ONE spice?! Thalipeeth -- because it showcases a different bread other than Naan. Crispy Okra Raita because I make okra haters into okra-lovers with it.... I could go on and pretty much I'd be at all 50! Just goes to show these 50 were really chosen with much care... so many things I want to convey to people with this collection.

Next week we'll have a review of Ruta's book and a recipe.