There are 375 Billion Vegetarians in India: Yogurt Curry with Onion Pakora

Readers, I have a confession to make. I adore Indian food and have been cooking it at home for years. But Nichole, you ask, why haven't we seen any recipes from you for Indian meals? (Note: Carrie did put up a lovely Sweet Potato Samosa Recipe.) Honestly, I have been depriving the Veggie Horizons audience of recipes because I've been too lazy to type them up. (For Shame!)

But I shan't be lax in my duty any longer. There are over 375,000,000 vegetarians on the huge Indian subcontinent, and they hail from the many ethnic and religious communities the make up India's extremely diverse population. To say that there is a single definition of "Indian cuisine" is like saying that there is a single type of "European cuisine."

There's an almost infinite amount to learn, but novice cooks need not face the task alone. From Indian Cuisine blogs to books, there are many wonderful resources out there. Some are very authentic, some not so much. However, in my opinion, if what you're cooking tastes good, then a little Indian-American fusion here and there never hurt anyone.

On that note, I'd like to present my personal Indian cooking bible: 1000 Indian Recipes, by Neelam Batra. I discovered this book about five years ago (long before I was hip to the blogging scene), and have probably used it once or twice a week since then. Well, maybe less often in the past two years or so, because I've memorized so many of the recipes by heart. Anyway, I love it for the following reasons:

1. The early sections of the book offer lots of information about how to stock an Indian-Cooking friendly kitchen. Chapters include information on basic ingredients and procedures (including making one's own paneer cheese, ghee, and garlic-ginger paste), as well as detailed explanations about the spices used throughout the book and possible substitutions
2. An intuitive and clear organization with a fabulous index searchable by both the Indian and English words
3. Um.... 1000 Recipes! One of my life goals is to try them all (except maybe the meat ones).

A final piece of advice for beginners before we get to the recipe of the day: Do. Not. Buy. Spices. At. The. Grocery. Store.

Seriously, don't do it. You will get ripped off so severely you will never forgive yourself. Find an Indian Grocery Store, take your 1000 Indian Recipes spice list, and stock up. You will be shocked at how affordable spices are at the Indian Grocery Store, and the prices on dried legumes and flour aren't bad either. The only caveat is that spices do go stale after a bit, so buy smaller containers if you're not planning on cooking Indian regularly. Okay, now you're ready!

Yogurt Curry  with Onion Pakora

This recipe is a slight adaption of "Nani Mama's Yogurt Curry with Onion Fritters" in Neelam Bartra's 1000 Indian Recipes. Make the fritters first, and then add them to the curry sauce at the end. The recipe for the pakora precedes the recipe for the yogurt curry sauce. 

Onion Pakora or Onion Fritters

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon Chaat Masala
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour (aka gram flour)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped or minced
• 1 small potato, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, including soft stems
• 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried, ground fenugreek
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ajwain seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of peanut oil for deep-frying

Directions:

1. Sift the chickpea flour into a medium bowl and mix in the onion, potato, ginger, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, ajwain seeds, baking soda, and salt. Add the water as needed to make a semi-thick mixture.

1. Heat the oil to 350F or 375F on a frying thermometer or a small teaspoon of batter dropped into the hot oil bubbles and rises to the top immediately.
2. Use a tablespoon to drop 1-inch uneven balls of the mixture carefully into the hot oil and fry as many pieces as the wok can hold at one time without crowding, turning each piece a few times with a slotted spoon until crispy and golden on all sides, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. 

1. Set aside until it is time to add them to the curry sauce. 

Yogurt Curry with Onion Pakora

Ingredients:

• 15 to 20 Onion Pakora
• 3 cups nonfat plain yogurt
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1/8 teaspoon ground asafoetida
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 tablespoons peeled minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
• Chopped cilantro

Directions:

• Prepare the pakoras. Then, in a blender, blend together the yogurt, water, chickpea flour, and curry leaves until smooth. (Blend well, or the yogurt will curdle while cooking.) Transfer to a bowl and mix in the coriander, turmeric, and salt. 
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onion and ginger, stirring, until golden about 1 minute. Add the black mustard seeds and continue to heat until they begin to pop. 

• Add the coriander, fenugreek, asafoetida, and tumeric. Stir momentarily. Then slowly add the yogurt mixture, stirring constantly, and continue to stir until it comes to a boil, 2 to 4 minutes. Watch carefully and reduce the heat if the sauce starts to boil over.

• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and watching carefully, until the sauce looks smooth and silky and traces of oil are visible on the top of the surface and the sides, 30 to 35 minutes. (At this point the sauce should be somewhat soupy; it will thicken after the pakoras are added.)

• Add the pakoras and simmer another 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the pakoras to soften as they absorb the sauce. 

• Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with chipped cilantro. Serve with rice or flat breads.