Masala Cook:: Indian Food, Indian Cooking, Indian Recipes & More

What are koftas?

Koftas are stuffed dumplings, deep-fried and served in rich gravy, among the many lavish dishes that came into India with the Muslim invaders. The original Persian word “koofteh” referred to spiced meatballs.

A rich vegetarian version is malai kofta, consisting of mashed potato balls with a stuffing of paneer, cream and perhaps raisins and cashew nut slivers in the centre. A light delicious substitute for summer is lauki kofta, made of bottle gourd.

What is kulfi?

Kulfi is a frozen, milk-based dessert, an exotic cousin to ice-cream. It’s possible that kulfi originated in the cold reaches of northern India, where people learned to freeze sweetened fluids in snow. The technique in fact, is the basis for one of the biggest differences between ice-cream and kulfi – while ice-cream is whipped and re-frozen to prevent crystallization, kulfi is hard and takes longer to melt. The flavors used for kulfi are those often found in other Indian desserts – pistachio, kesar or saffron, rose and cardamom.

Milk which is flavored, sweetened and reduced by slow boiling is poured into typically conical moulds and buried in a mud pot containing ice and salt. Salt speeds up the freezing, while the matka provides insulation. Kulfi is often eaten with falooda – rose flavored vermicelli with a gelatinous coating.

What is Halwa in Indian Cuisine?

Halwa, halava, helva, aluva – say it how you will, the various versions all refer to a sweet, dense preparation that’s popular across Turkey, the Arab world, among Jews and South Asians.

The ingredients for Indian halwa vary region wise. The common factor is ghee – lots of it!  Sooji (semolina) halwa is typically eaten with pooris in northern India. Flavored with saffron, it becomes rava kesari, an all India winner. Warm moong dal halwa, garnished with almond and pistachio slivers is a favorite north Indian dessert in winter. Gajar (carrot) halwa, cooked with khoya is another sumptuous dessert. There’s banana halwa from Kerala and a wheat based “jaw-breaker” from Tamil Nadu – Tirunelveli halwa!

What is tamarind rice?

Tamarind rice comes from South India, famous for its handy, time-saving  rice preparations that are ideally light, all-in-one meals during hot summers. Besides the two main ingredients, several spices valued for digestive properties go into this dish – fenugreek, coriander, sesame and mustard. Dry red chilies are used to spice it up while grated coconut balances the “heat”. A handful of peanuts add crunch and sesame (til) oil gives it a distinctive flavor. Great for picnic lunches or road trips!