Indian Cooking Class

We got a package of cooking classes from Home Cooking New York for our wedding (in 2006!), and just used the second of three this week.  Not because we didn't love the first one, but to try to make a long story short we were waiting until we moved into our new apartment which was delayed over a year, and then we were waiting until we could do renovations and have a nice new kitchen in which to do the class, which has also been delayed over a year (and counting) on top of the previous delay.  Well, got tired of waiting, so we chose to do and Indian meal this go around, because it's something we had no idea how to do.  Well it's not so difficult, and darn good.  We made mango lassi, aloo samosas with cilantro chutney, and fragrant rice with chicken tika masala.  Here's the finished product:

The samosas and chutney were awesome and although every recipe is a keeper, they will make the most frequent appearance in the future. Plus you can make tons of them and they keep well in the fridge, or you can freeze them for even longer.  The Dave's Gourmet Ghost Pepper Naga Jolokia Hot Sauce isn't from the class, but something a friend turned me onto recently and I thought it was appropriate to bust out.  This stuff ridiculously hot.  And awesome.  And unbelievably hot.  And fantastic.  And seriously the hottest thing you will ever taste, I shit you not.  If you're anything like me you've already gone and ordered some to test your mettle, but be fearful.  First try the smallest possible drop.  Like from the head of a pin.  And don't complain in the comments that I didn't warn you.  But you should try it.

I was intrigued by the mango puree leftover from the lassis and decided to try to whip up an off the cuff cocktail using it.  It could use some tweaking but was not bad:

Mango Leash

• 1½ oz gin (Bulldog London Dry Gin)
  
• ¾ oz Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
  
• ½ oz mango puree
  
• 1 tsp Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette
• 2 dashes Fee’s Whiskey Barrel-aged bitters (2008)
• pinch fresh ground cardamom seeds
  

Shake and double strain into cocktail glass, dust with more crushed cardamom to garnish

 

And if you want to continue to see how the sausage is made, here are some highlights.  Cooking onions in the toasted spices (there was much such toasting) for the samosa filling:

 The finished filling:

 The dough proofing:

Ready to be rolled:
















Putting it together:

Browning the chicken:

 Mies en place (garlic, ginger, cilantro, onion):

Freshly ground cardamom seeds (I love my mortar and pestle from MoMAstore):

The sauce for the chicken:

 

 

The finished rice:

And frying up the samosas right before we ate: