These recipes are fan favorites from The Chutney Life
The Chutney Life is so many things—a tribute to the nostalgic foods I grew
up eating, an extension of The Chutney Life blog, and a look inside my
blended Indian American experience. While my roots are Gujarati, and both
of my parents are from the state of Gujarat, I was born and raised in
Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, and, yes, the home of the best
cheesesteaks and soft pretzels IN. THE. WORLD. In many ways, you could
say I’ve lived the typical immigrant experience. My parents came to America
in the mid-eighties, worked multiple jobs, learned English as best they could,
and sacrificed a lot of their time and effort to provide a better life for my
brother and me. My childhood was wholesome, surrounded by cousins and
(loud) aunts and uncles at weekly family gatherings in our homes. It is this
joyful chaos that is the crux of my being.
For years we lived in a joint family home (seventeen of us at one point!).
Having so many people under one roof meant that there was pretty much
never any peace and quiet. But it also meant there was always lots of food,
which always brought us together. If the women in the family weren’t in the
kitchen cooking, they’d be on the floor, sitting on a bedsheet, splaying out
bunches and bunches of fresh cilantro to dry, or peeling mountains of garlic
for the next day. The food scene was always poppin’ in the Patel household.
Each day I would come home from school knowing we’d be having rotli
dal bhaat shaak (dubbed RDBS by my generation) for dinner. I see now that
this was my parents’ way of preserving our culture, hanging on to something
that often felt so far away. But I won’t lie, like your typical child and
teenager, I didn’t always love these traditional meals. Eventually my mom
gave in and tried her best to make us more “American” foods like pasta and
grilled cheese sandwiches—but always with her little desi mom touch. She’d
make sandwiches out of leftover shaak or whatever vegetable dish we hadleft over from the night before with a spread of chutney, or whip up a quick
spaghetti with some sautéed mustard seeds and jalapeños to jazz up a jarred
pasta sauce. Eventually her confidence in the kitchen and vast experience
with spices and flavor combinations led her to make fusion meals before
fusion was even a thing! Whipping up falafel and enchiladas for dinner, like
it was no big deal. I call her the OG food blogger.
There is so much of my mom in me that I am so drawn to, inspired by, and
eager to share with the world, especially her experimental intuition when it
comes to cooking. Honoring both parts of my identity has translated into the
way I cook. While I love traditional Gujarati dishes like bataka poha and
dangela, I also love me some tacos for dinner, or french toast for breakfast,
because guess what? Indian people eat more than Indian food!
The recipes you’ll find in this book are a true reflection of my experience
growing up in America, surrounded by so many different cultural influences,
communities, and the food that I’ve eaten along the way. You’ll see a lot of
Mexican inspiration in this book, including chilaquiles, enchiladas, and
tacos, because Mexican and Indian food have parallel flavor profiles,
including their heavy use of chiles, cilantro, and cumin. And both cuisines
offer tons of vegetarian options. In contrast, you’ll also find recipes for many
of the classic dishes that I might have taken a pass on when I was growing
up, but that I now crave (yes, Mom, you were right)! A comforting and cozy
bowl of dal fry or a recipe for chaat to spruce up a Friday night dinner is
sometimes just what I need.
The recipes in The Chutney Life reflect the way I live. On busy
weeknights, you’re likely to find me scarfing down a Samosa Grilled Cheese
(this page) with one hand and wrangling a rowdy toddler with the other. On
weekends, I may tackle more complex and time-consuming recipes, such as
Lamb Kheema–Stuffed Peppers (this page) or Paneer Makhni (this page), or
something more elegant like Panko-Crusted Halibut with Jammy Harissa
Tomatoes (this page).
My goal in writing this book is to offer recipes and techniques that capture
the intricacies of Indian cooking, but also present them in a way that is
realistic and attainable for home cooks. To help with this, I’ve included “Pro
Tips” throughout the book—tricks and hacks to save you time and effort, plus
plenty of recommendations for simple ingredient swaps to make a dish more
to your personal taste. Don’t like feta? Swap it out for cheddar. Cauliflower
not your thing? Try roasted sweet potatoes instead. And when it comes toheat and chiles, while I like to amp it up—the quantities called for in these
recipes are fairly spicy—you may want to take it down a notch, or even
crank it up some. Finally, with the exception of the “Non-Veg” chapter, most
of the recipes in this book are vegetarian, but you can add chicken or another
meat to many of the recipes, if desired. The same can be said for swapping
out some of the animal proteins for chickpeas, beans, or tofu in the non-veg
recipes offered here. I’m all about encouraging you to customize these dishes
to your own liking.
Guide to Indian Spices
Below is a list of spices that are used in recipes throughout The Chutney
Life. You may not be familiar with all of them, but chances are good you’ll
be using most of them as you cook your way through this book. Most
supermarkets will carry spices like ground cumin and coriander, but you will
likely need to visit your local South Asian market to find some of the less
commonly found spices. I promise it will be worth the trip, as they will be
less expensive and fresher than what might be sitting on supermarket shelves.
If you’ve never been to a South Asian market, give yourself a stretch of time
to wander the aisles, take in all of the offerings, and ask questions! Here, you
will find traditional spices and sweeteners including hing (asafetida) and
jaggery, and lentils such as split urad dal, dry white peas, and more. If you
don’t have a South Asian market near you, most of these items can be bought
online. Two of my favorite retailers are shopindianeats.com and
diasporaco.com. Penzey’s spices (penzeys.com) is a great resource for
stocking your spice cabinet with everyday spices such as garlic powder,
cinnamon, and peppercorns. Generally, I don’t keep spices for longer than a
year. If their color or aroma starts to fade, I know it’s time to replace them.
The Chutney Life is so many things—a tribute to the nostalgic foods I grew
up eating, an extension of The Chutney Life blog, and a look inside my
blended Indian American experience. While my roots are Gujarati, and both
of my parents are from the state of Gujarat, I was born and raised in
Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, and, yes, the home of the best
cheesesteaks and soft pretzels IN. THE. WORLD. In many ways, you could
say I’ve lived the typical immigrant experience. My parents came to America
in the mid-eighties, worked multiple jobs, learned English as best they could,
and sacrificed a lot of their time and effort to provide a better life for my
brother and me. My childhood was wholesome, surrounded by cousins and
(loud) aunts and uncles at weekly family gatherings in our homes. It is this
joyful chaos that is the crux of my being.
For years we lived in a joint family home (seventeen of us at one point!).
Having so many people under one roof meant that there was pretty much
never any peace and quiet. But it also meant there was always lots of food,
which always brought us together. If the women in the family weren’t in the
kitchen cooking, they’d be on the floor, sitting on a bedsheet, splaying out
bunches and bunches of fresh cilantro to dry, or peeling mountains of garlic
for the next day. The food scene was always poppin’ in the Patel household.
Each day I would come home from school knowing we’d be having rotli
dal bhaat shaak (dubbed RDBS by my generation) for dinner. I see now that
this was my parents’ way of preserving our culture, hanging on to something
that often felt so far away. But I won’t lie, like your typical child and
teenager, I didn’t always love these traditional meals. Eventually my mom
gave in and tried her best to make us more “American” foods like pasta and
grilled cheese sandwiches—but always with her little desi mom touch. She’d
make sandwiches out of leftover shaak or whatever vegetable dish we hadleft over from the night before with a spread of chutney, or whip up a quick
spaghetti with some sautéed mustard seeds and jalapeños to jazz up a jarred
pasta sauce. Eventually her confidence in the kitchen and vast experience
with spices and flavor combinations led her to make fusion meals before
fusion was even a thing! Whipping up falafel and enchiladas for dinner, like
it was no big deal. I call her the OG food blogger.
There is so much of my mom in me that I am so drawn to, inspired by, and
eager to share with the world, especially her experimental intuition when it
comes to cooking. Honoring both parts of my identity has translated into the
way I cook. While I love traditional Gujarati dishes like bataka poha and
dangela, I also love me some tacos for dinner, or french toast for breakfast,
because guess what? Indian people eat more than Indian food!
The recipes you’ll find in this book are a true reflection of my experience
growing up in America, surrounded by so many different cultural influences,
communities, and the food that I’ve eaten along the way. You’ll see a lot of
Mexican inspiration in this book, including chilaquiles, enchiladas, and
tacos, because Mexican and Indian food have parallel flavor profiles,
including their heavy use of chiles, cilantro, and cumin. And both cuisines
offer tons of vegetarian options. In contrast, you’ll also find recipes for many
of the classic dishes that I might have taken a pass on when I was growing
up, but that I now crave (yes, Mom, you were right)! A comforting and cozy
bowl of dal fry or a recipe for chaat to spruce up a Friday night dinner is
sometimes just what I need.
The recipes in The Chutney Life reflect the way I live. On busy
weeknights, you’re likely to find me scarfing down a Samosa Grilled Cheese
(this page) with one hand and wrangling a rowdy toddler with the other. On
weekends, I may tackle more complex and time-consuming recipes, such as
Lamb Kheema–Stuffed Peppers (this page) or Paneer Makhni (this page), or
something more elegant like Panko-Crusted Halibut with Jammy Harissa
Tomatoes (this page).
My goal in writing this book is to offer recipes and techniques that capture
the intricacies of Indian cooking, but also present them in a way that is
realistic and attainable for home cooks. To help with this, I’ve included “Pro
Tips” throughout the book—tricks and hacks to save you time and effort, plus
plenty of recommendations for simple ingredient swaps to make a dish more
to your personal taste. Don’t like feta? Swap it out for cheddar. Cauliflower
not your thing? Try roasted sweet potatoes instead. And when it comes toheat and chiles, while I like to amp it up—the quantities called for in these
recipes are fairly spicy—you may want to take it down a notch, or even
crank it up some. Finally, with the exception of the “Non-Veg” chapter, most
of the recipes in this book are vegetarian, but you can add chicken or another
meat to many of the recipes, if desired. The same can be said for swapping
out some of the animal proteins for chickpeas, beans, or tofu in the non-veg
recipes offered here. I’m all about encouraging you to customize these dishes
to your own liking.
Guide to Indian Spices
Below is a list of spices that are used in recipes throughout The Chutney
Life. You may not be familiar with all of them, but chances are good you’ll
be using most of them as you cook your way through this book. Most
supermarkets will carry spices like ground cumin and coriander, but you will
likely need to visit your local South Asian market to find some of the less
commonly found spices. I promise it will be worth the trip, as they will be
less expensive and fresher than what might be sitting on supermarket shelves.
If you’ve never been to a South Asian market, give yourself a stretch of time
to wander the aisles, take in all of the offerings, and ask questions! Here, you
will find traditional spices and sweeteners including hing (asafetida) and
jaggery, and lentils such as split urad dal, dry white peas, and more. If you
don’t have a South Asian market near you, most of these items can be bought
online. Two of my favorite retailers are shopindianeats.com and
diasporaco.com. Penzey’s spices (penzeys.com) is a great resource for
stocking your spice cabinet with everyday spices such as garlic powder,
cinnamon, and peppercorns. Generally, I don’t keep spices for longer than a
year. If their color or aroma starts to fade, I know it’s time to replace them.
ACHAR MASALA
This puckery Indian pickling spice blend combines more than a dozen spices,
including mustard seed, fenugreek, cumin, turmeric, and mango powder. In
addition to using it for pickling, I love using it to jazz up boiled eggs!
This puckery Indian pickling spice blend combines more than a dozen spices,
including mustard seed, fenugreek, cumin, turmeric, and mango powder. In
addition to using it for pickling, I love using it to jazz up boiled eggs!
AJWAIN SEEDS
I like to rub these sharp, slightly bitter seeds between my hands before
adding them to a recipe to release their strong oils and essence, which is
similar to thyme.
I like to rub these sharp, slightly bitter seeds between my hands before
adding them to a recipe to release their strong oils and essence, which is
similar to thyme.
AMCHUR POWDERMade from unripe mangoes that are dried and ground, this tangy powder can
be added to a variety of dishes, including chutneys, curries, dal, and even
some fruit, and is used much like citrus zest.
be added to a variety of dishes, including chutneys, curries, dal, and even
some fruit, and is used much like citrus zest.
BLACK SALT
This pungent salt is complex: It smells slightly of sulfur and adds a deeper
layer of flavor to dishes. It’s potent even when called for in tiny amounts. It
is a must-have!
This pungent salt is complex: It smells slightly of sulfur and adds a deeper
layer of flavor to dishes. It’s potent even when called for in tiny amounts. It
is a must-have!
GROUND CARDAMOM
Cardamom is part of the ginger family. It’s often combined with nutmeg and
cinnamon and used for both baking and cooking. It’s the special little touch in
my Banana–Cardamom Crumb Muffins (this page).
CHAAT MASALA BLEND
A spice blend used to add flavor to chaat, sandwiches, and meats. It is made
up of a variety of spices, including cumin, coriander, amchur, ginger, black
salt, and red chili powder.
CORIANDER SEEDS/GROUND CORIANDER
You’ll see ground coriander called for in many recipes, and in our home, we
use a blend of ground coriander and cumin, also called dhana jeera powder,
which you can find at almost any South Asian market or online. You can make
a similar blend by dry roasting coriander and cumin seeds (about 80:20
percent ratio of coriander to cumin), then grinding in a spice grinder. Using
just ground coriander is fine, too. To make ground coriander from whole
seeds, just toast them, let them cool, and then grind in a spice grinder.
CUMIN SEEDS/GROUND CUMIN
Probably my favorite whole spice, this nutty seed is found in Indian curries
and chutneys, rice dishes, soups, and more. Like coriander, cumin seeds’
flavor is enhanced when toasted and then combined with hot oil before
adding additional ingredients, to help flavor the dish.
FRESH CURRY LEAVES
These vibrant green leaves lend a fresh, slightly bitter, citrusy quality to
dishes. Add them to curries and dals when you incorporate other spices or
chop them finely and add them to chutneys.
FENNEL SEEDS
These seeds have a distinct earthy, licorice-like flavor. They can be used to
enhance vegetable dishes, meat, chutneys, and more. Gently crushing them
and tossing into chai is also a fave!
GARAM MASALA
This spice blend is widely used in Indian cooking. While its composition
varies by region, it generally tends to be some combination of black pepper,cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin, and red chili powder. It’s usually added
to dishes right before serving, so the spices remain bold and fragrant. It can
also vary greatly by brand and region, and I’ve found that packaged chole
masala provides a very similar flavor profile.
HING (ASAFETIDA)
This pungent, sulfur-like spice has hints of onion and leek and works to bring
out the flavor and intensity of all of the other spices it gets combined with.
JAGGERY
Used as a sweetener in many traditional Indian dishes, jaggery provides the
caramel flavors reminiscent of brown sugar. It is light brown and comes in a
smooth, hard block. You shave bits off with a paring knife, and it quickly
melts and combines into a dish. If you do not have jaggery, you can use white
or packed brown sugar in most recipes that call for it.
MUSTARD SEEDS
Commonly found in Indian cooking, when these bitter seeds are added to a
hot pan of oil they deliver extra flavor and texture to any dish. They are the
star in my Spaghetti Squash Masala (this page) and their ground version
provides the zing to my Athela Marcha (this page).
RED CHILI POWDER
When it comes to Indian cooking, there are a TON of different chili powders
to choose from. Some, like kashmiri chili powder, are used mainly to impart
color and minimal heat. Others, like dyagi, can vary in their heat and flavor
profiles. I like to have two, one that gives a great deep color and one that
brings the heat. I often blend the two together for a dish.
STAR ANISE
This licorice-like dried herb can be used whole or ground. It enhances
flavors in Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisines. It pairs
especially well with rich meats, can be mulled in wine, or used for a chutney.
TANDOORI MASALA
With its ginger, garlic, and fenugreek, this spice blend is similar in flavor to
garam masala but is traditionally added as part of a marinade, rather thanafter the dish is cooked. I prefer Swad brand, which is what I use in my
Tandoori Onion Tart (this page).
THECHA
This spicy, flavorful chutney-like condiment combines chiles, garlic, cumin
seeds, and salt into a paste that I use in so many ways that I’ve pretty much
lost count! It’s tasty mixed into cream cheese or mayo as a spread, or drop a
bit into soup to up the spice quotient. I add it to any dish when I want to raise
the heat level!
GROUND TURMERIC
This earthy spice, with its rich yellow color, is probably the most popular of
dry Indian spices because of all its health benefits. While it’s added in rather
small quantities to most dishes in this book, it’s still vital to any dish it lends
its flavor to!
Stock Up for Your Chutney Life!
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