Indian Recipes

Golden curried rice cooked pilaf-style in butter with cumin, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne, then folded with diced ham and sweet green peas. A one-pot dinner that turns leftover ham into something special.

Compound curry butter with garam masala, curry powder, fresh ginger, shallot, garlic, and green chile, whirled smooth in a food processor. Endlessly useful pantry stash.

Homemade naan with a yogurt-leavened dough, no yeast required. Cooked on a cast-iron skillet then finished under the broiler for charred spots and puffed bubbles. Makes 9 pieces.

Three mini cream puff fillings: smoked salmon mousse, curried caramelized onions, and a crab-cream cheese spread with red peppers. Ready to pipe into pate a choux for elegant hors d'oeuvres.

Butter in India is called makkhan. Clarified butter, instead of being called makkhan ghee, is called usli ghee (usli means "real" or "pure," which in this context refers to the real or original fat of the ancient Indians). Clarified butter or usli ghee is essentially French brown butter with the brown residue strained off. Usli ghee has a light caramel color and a heavenly aroma. Since there is no moisture present, it keeps well covered, at room temperature, for several months.

Creamy baked shrimp and crab curry tossed with small pasta shells in a curried sour cream sauce, topped with buttered breadcrumbs and baked until golden. Rich, warm, and deeply satisfying.

Apple cheddar soup with curry, ginger, and dry mustard pureed silky smooth and topped with sharp cheddar. A warming autumn soup that balances sweet apples with spicy, nippy heat.

Fresh or in a pinch canned tomatoes add depth to the rice in this fluffy pilaf. A great side dish and I usually finish cooking the rice using my rice cooker while I'm busy watching the Food Network!

Malai kofta are golden-fried potato and paneer-style balls stuffed with cashews and raisins, simmered in a cashew-cream sauce warmed with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne. A North Indian restaurant classic.

Curry lobster risotto: arborio rice cooked the classic risotto way with West Indian curry powder, ginger, and shallots, finished with sweet papaya, mango, banana, and chunks of cooked lobster.

Curried cold asparagus soup with chicken broth, egg yolks, and cream, lightly spiced with curry powder and brightened with a squeeze of lemon. Elegant chilled spring soup for first courses.

Delicate crepes filled with poached scallops and scrod in a curried cream sauce with chutney, carrots, and peas. Folded into triangles and baked until warm. French technique meets Indian spice in every bite.

Versatile Indian curry sauce with apple, chutney, and curry powder that works with chicken, meat, or tofu. A creamy, flour-thickened curry you can build around whatever protein you have.

Creamy baked chicken curry layered over rice with tart Granny Smith apples and buttery avocado slices. A rich yogurt-cream sauce ties it all together in this 30-minute casserole.

Curried pumpkin soup with shrimp, coconut milk, jalapeno, and lime juice. A creamy, spiced bisque-style soup pureed smooth with shrimp stirred in at the end.

Old-fashioned baked beans made from dried navy beans, slow-baked 7 hours with bacon, molasses, dark rum, and a surprise hit of curry powder. From-scratch comfort that earns every minute.