A SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIA LUNCH – White Steamed Rice, Simple Fried Fish, Raddish and Dol Curry (Red Lentils), Plain Pepper Water, Beans Foogath and Tomato Sambal

A SIMPLE ANGLO-INDIA LUNCH – White Steamed Rice, Simple Fried Fish, Raddish and Dol Curry (Red Lentils), Plain Pepper Water, Beans Foogath and Tomato Sambal

PLAIN WHITE STEAMED RICE

 Serves 6       Time required: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup raw rice

2 cups water

A pinch of salt

 Wash the rice and soak in 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes. Place on heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook on low heat till done and all the water is absorbed. Cover and allow to stand  for 15 minutes before serving. This is the standard plain steamed rice eaten every day. Serve with any curry, dhal or pepper water.

SIMPLE FRIED FISH

 Serves 6     Time required: 45 minutes

Ingredients

8 or 10 slices of any good fleshy fish

2 teaspoons chillie powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Wash the fish and marinate with the chillie powder, salt, and turmeric powder for about 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a flat pan and shallow fry the pieces about 4 at a time till nice and brown on both sides.  Serve with bread and chips.

This is also a good accompaniment to pepper water and rice.  It could also be served as a snack. (For a more crispy fish, coat the fish slices with a little semolina or rice flour)

 RADISH AND DOL (RED LENTILS / DHAL) CURRY 

Serves 6      Time Required:1 hour

Ingredients

1 cup Red Lentils or Masoor Dhal

4 long white radish peeled and cut into 2 inch piece

 2 teaspoons chillie powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

2 tomatoes chopped

1 teaspoon crushed garlic (optional)

Salt to taste

For the seasoning: 1 teaspoon mustard, 2 red chilies broken into bits and a few curry leaves and 1 tablespoon oil.

Wash the Red Lentils / masoor dhal and cook it along with the tomato, chillie powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, garlic and radish with sufficient water in a pressure cooker.  When done open the cooker, add salt and some more water and mix well.

In another vessel, heat oil and add the mustard, broken red chilies and crushed garlic and fry for some time. When the mustard starts spluttering, pour in the cooked dhal and mix   well. Serve with rice

PLAIN PEPPER WATER

A simple and easy recipe to prepare the classic Anglo-Indian  Pepper Water. Pepper Water is an important dish on the Anglo-Indian lunch table and is invariably prepared many times a week. Pepper water can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days without spoiling due to the tamarind used in its preparation.

 Serves 6     Time required: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes chopped

1 teaspoon ground black pepper / pepper powder  

1 teaspoon chillie powder 

1 teaspoon cumin powder            

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

Salt to taste

½ cup tamarind juice extracted from a small ball of tamarind

or 1 teaspoon tamarind paste                

 Cook all the above ingredients with 3 or 4 cups of water in a suitable vessel on high heat till it boils. Reduce the heat and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Temper the Pepper Water, as follows

 To temper the Pepper Water: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in another vessel, add a teaspoon of mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter add a sliced onion, a few curry leaves, two broken red chilies and a teaspoon of chopped crushed garlic and sauté for a few minutes, till the onions turn light brown. Pour the pepper water into the seasoning and mix well. Turn off the heat.  Serve hot with rice and any meat side dish.

 Note: The pepper water can be prepared by using fresh red chilies cumin seeds coriander seeds, peppercorns ground in a mixer instead of the powders.

 BEANS FOOGATH (STIR FRY BEANS)

 Serves 6     Time required: 30 minutes

Ingredients

½ kg string beans chopped finely

½ cup grated coconut 

3 red chilies broken into bits

¼ teaspoon mustard seeds

A few curry leaves

Boil the chopped beans and carrots for about 5 minutes with some water.  Strain and keep aside.  Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the red chilies and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Now toss in the boiled beans.  Add salt and coconut and mix well. Stir-fry for a few minutes and then take down.

TOMATO SAMBAL

 Ingredients

2 big tomatoes chopped

3 green chilies chopped

½ teaspoon cumin powder

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 medium size onion chopped

Salt to taste

A pinch of sugar

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin powder, salt, sugar and green chilies and fry till the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp.  Season with mustard seeds, red chilies and curry leaves.