Northern India Cooking Class; Lesson 1: Green Tomato Curry

Note: This is the first of seven recipe installments, which compose a classic Northern Indian Feast. The following recipe for Green Tomato Curry, a recipe inspired from Southern Indian cuisine, is the exception. Fine Indian cuisine is not noted for its brevity. The good news is that each of Achla Karnani’s recipes may be made well in advance, then reheated prior to serving. Or divide the recipes amongst your friends, staging your own Indian Feast pot luck. All spices and dry ingredients are available at Indian grocery stores, Bombay Grocers on Packard in Ann Arbor.

Achla Karnani has been a good friend for years. She’s of Punjabi ancestry, but her father worked for the government so growing up she lived all over India. Achla is a fantastic cook, and I’ve often begged her to share her recipes. Her perennial response: “I’d give them to you if I had them, but I don’t. They’re all in my head.”

After insistent pestering from me, she devised a plan. She invited her friends over for a cooking class followed by an “Indian Feast”, and said I was welcome to record the event. For five, action-packed hours I followed Achla and friends around with my camera and note book.

I insisted on bringing a dish, made in my own kitchen, to nibble on during the class. With an explosion of green tomatoes harvested from my vines prior to the frost, I pulled out one of my favorite subcontinent cookbooks, “Mangoes & Curry Leaves,” and found a recipe for Green Tomato Curry.

I told Achla what I was bringing, and she was quick to point out that this was typical of dishes served in Southern India; dishes made with ingredients such as coconut milk and curry leaves. It would be a deviation from the Northern Indian theme.

Oh well; I’ve a lot to learn. It was a delicious curry, however, perfect for nibbling with flat bread, and makes great use of the plethora of green tomatoes found in gardens and markets, particularly at this time of the year.

Through the middle of next week, I will submit postings for Cauliflower, Dal (Black Lentil Purée), Chicken Biryani, Cucumber-Tomato Salad, Meatballs and Chapati. If you’re a fan of the kaleidoscopic cuisine of India, particularly Northern India, you may be interested in following them.