Indian cuisine is an ethereal blend of spices mixed with vegetables, lentils, and protein such as chicken, fish, or dal that provides startling layers of flavor. Described by some as vibrant, subtle, hot, and complex, interest in this diverse cuisine is becoming a culinary trend.
Eating habits and cooking ingredients vary among the regions of India, and are affected by the climate, socioeconomic conditions, religion, and ethnic background.
For example, on the Kerala coast in southwest India, a mainly Christian area, diets are more likely to have meat and coconut as ingredients. Among the Hindu population, vegetarianism is a custom. Staple crops in northern India are wheat, basmati rice, and barley. "You'll find basmati rice, which has a nice flavor and aroma, in north India," Rae Chillapalli told a class that she and her husband, Siva, gave this month at Essential Gourmet in Sylvania. "Basmati comes from the state of Punjab."
Their families are from the southeastern coastal city of Vizag. They came to Toledo as students - he in 1976 and she in 1980. They married here. Thus, their cooking reflects their region of India. Here in America, "we eat little rice," Mrs. Chillapalli says. "We mostly eat [Indian] bread, salad, vegetables, and dal, chicken, and fish."
Dal is the Hindi word for any of almost 60 varieties of dried peas, beans, and lentils. The word also refers to a dish made with lentils that have been cooked in water and then seasoned with spices, tomatoes, and onions. Dal is a source of protein, especially for those who are vegetarian. It is often used in rasam soup with rice and sambar soup, which is a thicker version, she says.
Then she passed around the East Indian flat bread called parathas, which is made with whole-wheat flour and fried on a griddle. "You knead the dough, roll in portions, and fold into a triangle," she says. "When fried on the griddle, the result has layers."
With a menu of Chicken Curry, Colorful Vegetable Pulao, Cool Cucumber Riata, and parathas, Mrs. Chillapalli gave a decidedly Indian flavor to an American dessert: She made Mango Cream Pie garnished with sliced strawberries.
The goal of the class is to introduce people to the couple's native cuisine. "We want to popularize Indian food," says her husband as he assists her in cooking.
"While Indians are mostly vegetarian, some still eat fish and chicken. We eat lentils and legumes," she says, noting that not all Hindus observe vegetarian customs, but they do not eat beef and pork.
For many Americans, this is a new way of cooking. "We are both good cooks and this is healthy food," she says.
It has been said that to be a great cook in India, you must be a master at blending spices. Spices can make a world of difference between home-cooked Indian food and that served in an Indian restaurant; they can also make a difference in convenience Indian foods, which are increasingly available in area supermarkets.
"Convenience products taste and smell different than [food made] in south India," Mrs. Chillapalli says. "I like my own [spice] powder." She uses no canned or frozen products.
In fact, Mrs. Chillapalli demonstrates how to use a mortar and pestle to grind spices. She also uses a spice mill to make masala, of which there are many variations. Among the spices in her masala powder are coriander seed, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cumin, and poppy seeds. "This is for a nonvegetarian dish," she says.
To season a vegetarian dish, she and her husband also use fenugreek, red chiles, chili powder, cumin, dal, and black mustard. For the curry and vegetable pulao, she adds many of these spices and a little star anise. "If you add too much star anise, it totally changes the flavor," she says.
"It is a myth that Indian food is spicy," she says. And yet, as I watch the couple add spices to the Chicken Curry (turmeric powder, masala powder, coriander, and cumin) and to Colorful Vegetable Pulao (ginger garlic puree, green chiles, masala powder, mint leaves, cilantro leaves) and for the seasoning (cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves, and star anise), I anticipate a high level of spice.
Instead, the curry is milder than expected and the pulao has layers of flavor that explode in your mouth. I taste the different spices. Both dishes are delicious.
And note there is no curry spice in either dish. Curry is the English derivative of the word "kari," meaning spice sauce. A curry is a sauce prepared with spice blends called masalas. Curry means sauce created with spices, and there are versions for vegetables, meals, and fish.
Mrs. Chillapalli uses smooth and creamy homemade yogurt as she prepares the salad riata. When asked for that recipe, she replies with a smile, "that's another class." When mixed with ingredients for riata (RI-tah) - cucumber, tomato, red onion, and spices - the flavor is cool and refreshing.
These yogurt salads are popular in India. Often they are used as condiments and are seasoned with black mustard seeds, garam masala, and herbs such as coriander, cumin, dill, mint, and parsley. They are designed to be a cooling counterbalance for spicy Indian dishes.
"We often end a meal with homemade yogurt, made from 2 percent milk. It cools the digestive tract and is a source of calcium," Mrs. Chillapalli says.
For this class, she has made a Mango Cream Pie using mango pulp and unflavored gelatin with cream cheese and sour cream. Traditional Indian sweets include laddu, a round ball made of sugar, ghee, and besan flour, or fried balls of cashews and raisins.
Breakfast in India might be sambar soup made with vegetables and lentils, providing carbohydrates for energy; "idli" made from red dal and rice, Indian bread, and chutney. Or it may be Indian omelets made with onion, green chiles, and ginger. Boiled eggs are sometimes used in curry. Fish dishes are common.
At home, the couple with their two grown daughters enjoy a variety of foods. "My husband cooks the best Italian food," she says.
"We also make Mexican food. We do fusion cooking."
First Published February 24, 2004, 3:30 p.m.