Maneet Chauhan takes mystery out of Indian food

COOKING WITH MANEET CHAUHANCOOKING WITH MANEET CHAUHANAre you intimidated by the ingredients that make up Indian cuisine? Well, you shouldn't be, and in Nashville there's an ideal guide to helpmake those ingredients look and taste a little less foreign. Maneet Chauhan of Chauhan Ale and Masala House offers a guide for the homecook.

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When strolling the aisles of the International Market atthe Nashville Farmers' Market, two things are certain:Being able to ask an accomplished chef what thedifference is between Reshampatti and Kashmiri chilepowder is a special kind of gift ...

Jim Myers, jtmyers@tennessean.com 8:06 p.m. CDT October 17, 2015

I call it the beautiful stink, and it's one of life's greatlessons.

There are some foods that are so strange andforeign, single ingredients whose nose can sorankle our deeply settled senses that we recoil infear.

That is why I am thankful that there are passionate chefs such as Maneet Chauhan,whose sweet breath and patient words can clear the deepest fog of culinarymisunderstanding and open your senses to the harmony of flavors.

And that is exactly why I enlisted chef Chauhan's help to guide me through the aislesof an Indian market, and help me demystify many of the ingredients that pack theshelves with vibrant flavors and rich colors.

We are fortunate today, with markets such as the International Market inside theNashville Farmers' Market, to have access to ingredients that longeluded adventurous home cooks who wanted to replicate authentic meals. Still, it canbe intimidating.

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That's how I found myself smelling the fetid drift coming from a small container ofasafoetida. Some swamps have more appeal. Indians call it hing, and when Chauhandescribes it, the sulfurous belch that greets you becomes softer, earthier. On its own,no, you don't understand, but expressing itself in hot oil, married with other spices,you discover hing's ugly beauty.

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The chef from Chauhan Ale and Masala House in Nashville shows how to make an Indian recipe.Larry McCormack / The Tennessean

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Forget the legion of boom. This is the passion of bloom, of Indian cooking whereunderstatement is not part of its bold vocabulary. This is where Chauhan, thecelebrity chef whose smile and sense of humor cranks the wattage of any room,somehow lights even brighter when she looks at your face and sees that you get it.

One border, many worlds

What at first sounded like a daunting request — please teach me to cook a multi-course Indian meal (see recipes at bottom of story) — turned into a fun andaccessible foray into a complex cuisine I have long admired.

If you think Indian cooking is a jar of McCormick curry, prepare for Chauhan'sincredulous scowl. "What?" she shudders. "It has celery. Who puts celery in currypowder?"

You find in listening to Chauhan that the cuisine of India has such regional depth andcomplexity that books cannot contain it. There are foods and ingredients that evenshe had not heard of when she met her husband, Vivek, and learned the cuisine ofhis Rajasthani homeland.

We stroll the aisles of the International Market while owner Srinivj "Steve" Pedireddilooks on. Two things are certain: Being able to ask an accomplished chef what thedifference is between Reshampatti and Kashmiri chile powder is a special kind of gift,and that you should never hesitate to ask a shopkeeper to help you find something orexplain what something is used for. Oh, and when a bag of bright red powder says"extra hot," you should believe it.

We talk about the rusticity of the cuisine, and the use of whole spices such as staranise, cloves and strips of cinnamon bark. She explains how sundried blackcardamom pods have a smoky flavor all their own and are quite different from themore floral green pods. We walk down a row of packaged flours, made from amaranthand millet, rice and sorghum, wheat and corn, and you see the adaptability of acuisine, open to new ingredients. India is a land that embraced the spices offoreign trade, appropriated exotics (to them) such as tomatoes and chili peppers andwove them into regional recipes.

"Indian cooking is about a concentration of flavors. There is no place for subtlety. It isa bold cuisine," she says, smiling as she explores another aisle, exclaiming with gleeat the sight of new products.

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An awakening of senses

We return to Chauhan Ale and Masala House, her eponymous Gulch restaurant.Though she travels to shoot episodes of "Chopped," where she serves as an affableand honest judge, Nashville is now her base.

"We just closed on a home," she says enthusiastically, as if I don't believe her.

Retreating to her back catering kitchen, a cramped cubicle behind the main line, weset to work. Granted, her staff had already prepared all the ingredients and laid themout, but still we went on to cook five courses in less than two hours. It could havegone even faster without my litany of questions and the intrusions of cameras.

Later, she shows me how to peel ginger with a spoon to get into the gnarledrecesses, and reiterates how "mise en place," the French technique for having allyour ingredients measured and at hand before you start cooking, is imperative. That'sespecially important for amateurs like us who don't have a staff at home.

Nevertheless, it strikes me how attainable this style of cooking can be for so manypeople. Except for the myriad baked breads, all you need is a stovetop and simplecookware. Dishes are a fairly rapid assembly of flavors, and few do not benefit frombeing cooked the day before and then served later with the improvement of a deepermarriage of flavors.

The mystery and the art is in the combinations of those flavors, in the juxtaposition ofherb and spice. Instead of classic Western foundations of garlic, leek and onion, youcan use hing as a base to knit together your sauce, just as fish sauce pulls togetherThai and Vietnamese dishes.

Brilliant green chutneys, like the uncooked bright blends of mint and coriander, servecounterpoint to something as simple as an Indian version of the Scotch egg, areminder of the United Kingdom's long occupation of the country. Instead of casingthe eggs in sausage, Chauhan uses spiced lamb. Fried golden and draped with herchutney, the eggs make a tremendous first salvo in a barrage of flavor.

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The unbearable weight of authenticity

At her own restaurant, Chauhan has built a cuisine that celebrates her newfoundsense of place. It's strikingly Indian, as you would expect, but playfully Southern instyle.

We spoke earlier this year about the meaning of authenticity, and agreed it can be animpossible line to draw. Who is the arbiter of such things? She reminds me thattomatoes are a food indigenous to the Americas, but that now show up across the

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globe and have gone so far as to be a defining ingredient in Italian cuisine.

As we cook, that conversation comes back to me. The two chutneys we make aresimilar in method, style and ingredients, but different enough to warrant differentpairings. Chauhan is then quick to point on that you can use it for whatever you want.You decide. The coconut "moilee" we make is brilliant with fish, but can be a base forvegetables, tofu, chicken or pork. That modular approach to food lends itself to broadinterpretation, and a deft hand such as Chauhan's makes the experience soworthwhile.

As we try each dish, Chauhan watches my reaction. It's easy to know what I'm thinkingbecause it's hard to stop smiling. Thanks to a little guidance, some well-vettedrecipes and ready access to every ingredient on the list, I'm confident I can do this athome. You should be, too.

And when you open that jar of hing, don't gasp in mock horror. Marvel at thepossibilities.

Reach Jim Myers at 615-259-8367 and on Twitter @ReadJimMyers.

THE TENNESSEANChauhan Ale and Masala House: An exotic diningadventure

WHERE TO FIND INDIAN INGREDIENTS

International Market - Shreeji's

(Inside Nashville Farmers' Market)

900 Rosa L Parks Blvd.

615-254-1697

Patel Brothers

4043 Nolensville Pike

615-833-1555

K&S World Market

5861 Charlotte Pike

615-356-8771

MANEET CHAUHAN'S FIVE-COURSE INDIAN FEAST

Nargasi KoftaIndian "Scotch" eggs with coriander and mint chutney

8 eggs1 pound finely ground lamb mince1 medium-sized onion, chopped very fine1 tablespoon garlic, chopped very fine1 teaspoon chopped mint1 tablespoon chopped ginger1 teaspoon Shan brand Aachari MasalaSalt to taste½ cup rice flourVegetable / canola / sunflower cooking oil for deep frying

1. Boil six eggs until hard-boiled. Immerse immediately in cold water and then peel.Keep aside.2. To prepare the Koftas: Put the lamb mince, finely chopped onion, garlic, mint,ginger, aachari, one egg (raw) and salt to taste in a large mixing bowl. Mix well to forma smooth paste. Divide into six equal portions.3. Take one peeled hard-boiled egg and a portion of the lamb mix. Wrap the lambmix around the egg and smooth with your hands to form an even "casing" around theegg until it is fully covered. Repeat for all the remaining hard-boiled eggs. Place all ina plate.4. Sprinkle all coated eggs with a fine dusting of rice flour.5. Heat the oil for deep frying in a deep pan. Whisk the last remaining egg in a bowland dip each lamb-coated egg in some of this whisked egg, gently shake off excessand deep fry until golden. When done, drain and place on paper towels.

Coriander and Mint Chutney

2 cups coriander leaves 2 cups mint leaves 1 cup mango pulp (available at market)½ inch piece of ginger 5-6 green chilies ½ cup lime juice Salt to taste

Grind the above items to a fine paste, add very little water if you need.

Cut eggs in half and serve with chutney on the side.

Dahi Elaichi RajmaSpicy kidney beans

1 large can rajma (kidney beans)½ teaspoon cumin seeds

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3 onions, sliced, deep fried and blended 1 cup fresh tomato puree 1 tablespoon ginger paste (equal parts ginger and water, blended)2-4 green chilies, chopped1 teaspoon red chili powder 1 tablespoon cardamom powder1 teaspoon rajma masala (MDH brand)salt to taste2 tablespoons oil ½ cup yogurt 2 tablespoons green coriander leaves (chopped)

1. Heat oil, add cumin seeds.2. When it crackles, add blended onions.3. Add ginger paste and garlic paste and sauté it.4. Add the tomato puree and sauté it.5. Now add the green chilies, red chili powder, cardamom powder, rajma masala,yogurt and salt.6. Cook the masala for 5-6 minutes.7. Add the rajma (beans), mix it well and add half a cup of water.8. Cook it for another 15-20 minutes.9. Garnish with green coriander leaves.

Shrimp MoileeShrimp in coconut curry

12 shrimp (13/15 count)¼ teaspoon hing/asafoetida 2 tablespoons vegetable oil½ teaspoon black mustard seeds2 whole dried Kashmiri chilies8 fresh curry leaves1 large red onion, finely chopped1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerrootSalt, to taste1 teaspoon sambar powder/curry powder1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk1/2½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the mustard seeds, whole red chilieand hing. As soon as they begin to sputter, add the curry leaves, onion and ginger;sauté until the onions are golden brown.2. Reduce heat. Add the salt, turmeric powder and sambar masala; sauté forone minute. Add the coconut milk and simmer for a few minutes. 3. Reduce heat, add shrimp and cook until just done.

Patrani MaachaliSteamed sea bass marinated in a fresh mint coconut marinade, wrapped in a bananaleaf

2 filet of seabass (6 ounces each) or any fish such as snapper or grouper½ cup coconut, grated (frozen, at market)1 bunch mint leaves 1 bunch coriander leaves 1 jalapeno pepper1-inch piece of ginger, peeled 2 tablespoons lemon juice½ cup coconut milk2 tablespoons Sambar Masalabanana leaves salt to taste2 tablespoons oil½ teaspoon black mustard seeds½ teaspoon cumin seeds2 stalks curry leaves1 pinch hing

1. In a blender, blend mint, coriander leaves, grated coconut, chilies, ginger, lemonjuice, salt and coconut milk to make coriander and mint chutney. 2. Season the fishfilets with salt and red chili powder. 3. Now, cut the banana leaves in such a way that it is big enough to wrap each fishpiece. Gently heat to make more pliable. 4. On the banana leaf, put a spoon of the mint coriander chutney; put the fish on itand then more chutney.5. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing, let it crackle andthen spoon over to marinate fish. Wrap the banana leaf around the fish, and thenwrap with a piece of foil. 6. Steam for 15 minutes, remove foil and check for doneness. Return to steamer ifneeded.

Carrot Halwa This dessert is rich and aromatic and a perfect finish to your meal.

1 can condensed milk5 cups whole milk1¾ pounds carrots 1-2 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoon Ghee (clarified butter) (br />

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½ cup grated paneer (white, Indian cheese)2 ounces pistachios, chopped ½ teaspoon cardamom powderA few strands of saffron

1. Grate the carrots 2. Add carrots, cardamom powder and saffron to milk and bring to a boil. Note:Chauhan recommends getting pan wet before adding ingredients to help preventsticking and scalding.3. Cook on low, stirring occasionally until milk dries up and the raw smell of the carrotsdisappears.4. Add ghee and paneer and cook for another 10 minutes.5. Add condensed milk and sugar. Cook on low until dry (about 25-30 minutes),stirring occasionally.6. Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve hot.

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