Despite the rise of supermarkets and convenience foods, certain rituals and practices still give the day its rhythm in a traditional Indian kitchen.
First thing in the morning, my aunt washes her legumes and soaks them for the daily evening dal. Occasionally she’ll take some to one side, place them in a thin layer of hot water, and leave them somewhere warm to germinate and sprout.
During the day, she might make fresh paneer by boiling milk gently with lemon juice and straining the curds from the whey. They will then be bound and set in muslin and put under something heavy, like a brick, to squeeze out all the water, ahead of that evening’s meal.
Last thing at night, fresh yogurt is made in my grandmother’s house. The milk is boiled, left to cool a little, and the temperature then judged with an experienced finger—it must be not so hot that it will kill the bacteria needed to make yogurt, and not so cold that they won’t be activated. The milk is then mixed with a spoonful of the previous day’s yogurt, and placed in an ancient steel pot to settle overnight. The cream that separates from the rest of the yogurt is scooped up by the first person down to breakfast in the morning.
It’s true that most of these things can be bought if you’re short of time, but as with cooking your own food versus buying takeout, there is something life-affirming about doing it yourself. It will most definitely taste better too.
GHEE
GF
1 cup unsalted butter
Pop the butter into a saucepan over the lowest heat and leave to melt slowly. It’s important not to stir the butter because you need the ghee to form at the top while the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan.
Keep over the heat for around 20 minutes. During this time, a white film will form on top and milky bubbles of the other ingredients will push through to the surface. When the bubbles are clear, your ghee is ready.
Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for around 20 minutes, then delicately move the film off the top with a spoon or a spatula, and pour the clear liquid into a jar through a sieve.
Your ghee should keep for up to a month either in the fridge or in a cupboard.
BUTTER
GF
1 cup heavy cream
Pure joy. Sweeter and creamier than the butter you buy, and made in just 10 minutes. You can make butter with any amount of cream, but the more you use, the easier it becomes, as it retains its own momentum in a blender rather than clinging onto the sides.
Pour the cream into a blender or electric mixer, and blend or whisk on a medium speed. At first the cream will transform into whipped cream and then stiff peaks. You might need to stop it and push the cream mixture back toward the blades. Keep blending, and it will break down into soft creamy crumbs. Finally, after 6 minutes or so, the butter will come together, leaving the white buttermilk behind.
Remove the butter and put it into a bowl. You can use the buttermilk as milk or in baking.
Add ice and some cold water to the bowl, and knead the butter under the water to “wash” it of any buttermilk (which will make your butter sour and spoil if left in). Pour off the cloudy water and repeat until the water is much less cloudy, or clear.
If you want to salt it, do so now. Wrap the butter in parchment paper and store in a container in the fridge. Use within a week.
PANEER
GF
Makes 1½–1¾ cups
2 quarts whole milk
4 tablespoons lemon juice
This recipe makes the “soft” or “homemade” paneer some of the recipes in this book call for. It’s more like ricotta in texture than the harder cheese you can buy in supermarkets, which is more like halloumi. You’ll need a fine cloth, like a muslin cloth, and a heavy weight to press the paneer. I use my mortar and pestle.
Put the milk into a saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring frequently so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. When it starts to boil, turn the heat down. Add the lemon juice and stir until it curdles. You’ll see the curds separate from the whey and form lumps, at which point, turn the heat off.
Line a colander with a muslin cloth and put it in the sink. Pour the curds through it slowly, draining off all the liquid into the sink. Fill the saucepan with water and pour it over the curds again to wash off any lemon juice.
Grab the corners of the muslin cloth and squeeze the water out by twisting the top of the cloth until it’s tight around the ball of paneer. Keeping it twisted, put a weight on top of it to press it, and leave it in the colander in the sink or set over a bowl so that any remaining water can drain out.
Leave for 3 hours or so, until firm to the touch, and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. If stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container, the paneer will keep for 3 to 4 days.
0 Comments