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South Asia spices a ‘palette of colors’

Actress, author’s latest book shares seasoning insights

Michele Kayal Associated Press

Cumin seeds or mustard seeds? One teaspoon or two? Added first or last?

Indian grandmothers will go to the mat over issues like this, but famed cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey says these grannies – and the grannies of all South Asia – share a single, striking power: a near mystical knowledge of spice.

“It’s like a palette of colors,” says Jaffrey, whose most recent book is “At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka” (Knopf, 2010). “You mix two colors, you know what you get as a painter. The same in India. You know what spices to mix. It’s that mastery that makes South Asia totally unique.”

Jaffrey, an award-winning actress, made her name introducing Americans to Indian cooking. Her newest book is her first to take on all of South Asia, a decision she says was prompted by a realization that culturally and culinarily speaking, these countries share more similarities than differences.

“I wouldn’t characterize it by nations, because to my mind these are artificial nations,” says Jaffrey, noting that little more than 50 years ago much of the region was one country. “These are states with their own cultural traditions.”

Take the example of fish curry. In Bangladesh it gets mustard oil and curry leaves; in Sri Lanka, coconut milk and fennel; and in the Indian state of Kerala, an extra dose of spicy ground black pepper. The specifics may differ, but the dishes are all joined by their identity as curries, and by their masterful, even reverent use of spice.

“I always say I could be in a kitchen blindfolded in India and I could say ‘This is a Kerala kitchen,’ ‘This is Tamil Nadu,’ ” Jaffrey says. “You can smell the fish and mustard oil in Bengal. You can smell the mustard greens in Kashmir.”

South Asians coax myriad flavors from the same spices by varying their combinations and cooking methods, Jaffrey says. “You can get 10 flavors out of the same spice,” she says. “You can roast them, pop them in hot oil. We instinctively know all this.”

But spices also are used for their medicinal properties. For instance, asafetida acts as a digestive, and therefore is used in lentils. Fennel and black pepper sometimes are ground into tea for colds. And turmeric, considered an antiseptic, gets sprinkled everywhere.

“We put it on cuts, and we put it on our faces when there are mosquitoes, and you put it on food because it’s an antiseptic inside you,” Jaffrey says.

For home cooks hoping to harness the power of the South Asian spice tub, Jaffrey offers some tips:

Start slow

You don’t have to make a whole Indian meal, she says. Better to try one dish at a time. “If you’re doing a roast, pair it with an Indian vegetable, broccoli or cauliflower, so you’re really learning what the flavors are.”

Be choosy

Resist the urge to snap up all the pretty spices in the store; you’ll be overwhelmed. “Look at a recipe and only buy what you need for that,” she says. “As your repertoire increases you’ll get more spices.” Ditto for equipment. The only special items you’ll need are a blender and a coffee grinder.

Be brave

Jaffrey says she’d like to see people become familiar with two items that get little attention: curry leaves for their unique, herbal-citrus flavor, and asafetida. “Asafetida, people can barely say it, but it’s so essential to Indian food,” she says. “And medicinally it’s so important people should get to know it.”

Punjabi Lamb Kebabs

Chaat masala is a mixture of hot and sour spices that is used as a condiment on these traditional Indian kebabs. It is widely available at Indian grocers and contains sour mango powder, roasted cumin, cayenne and other seasonings. If you can’t find it, substitute a dash of cayenne, roasted ground cumin seeds and a few squirts of lime juice.

3/4 cup whole-milk plain Greek-style yogurt

6 tablespoons mustard oil or extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic, crushed to a pulp

2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb from the leg, cut into 1-inch cubes (often sold already cubed as stew meat)

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon chaat masala (optional, see note above)

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, salt, cayenne, garlic, ginger and garam masala. Beat well with a whisk. Add the lamb and mix again. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, heat the broiler.

Divide the lamb cubes between 6 skewers. Brush each generously with the melted butter.

Rest the ends of each skewer on the rim of a broiling tray (to keep the lamb elevated and not resting on the pan) and place the tray about 5 inches from the source of heat. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes on the first side, then turn the skewers and broil for another 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the chaat masala over the top and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 573 calories, 45 grams fat (17 grams saturated, 71 percent fat calories), 37 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrate, 143 milligrams cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 526 milligrams sodium.