The East Indians

This is what I heard.  They were the original inhabitants of the seven islands that made up Mumbai. When the East India Company was in charge, many christians from other parts of the City migrated to Bombay, because Christians were given preference. The local Christian population then adopted the name 'East Indians' to differentiate themselves from those coming to Bombay from other regions.

What differentiates East Indian food from other Indian cuisines (even from Goan cuisine, despite a shared Portuguese heritage), is its use of masala. The Bottle Masala, which forms the basis of most East Indian preparations, is made up of 36 ingredients, which are hand-pounded to give the food a unique taste.

While everyday dishes are usually plain -- vegetables, dal and rice -- festivals and weddings see special preparations. These include dishes like Fugias (bread), Sarpatels (pork dish) and Vindaloos (pork curry).

 Below recipes are extracts taken from the book of Michael Swamy, author of The East Indian Kitchen 

 Swamy's ready plan for a lazy Sunday lunch

Chinchoni Fish Curry
Serves: 4
Ingredients

>> 8 fish slices, " thick (pomfret, surmai)
>> 2 tbsp oil
>> 500 ml water
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 2 tsp tamarind pur ©e

Masala
>> 6-8 dried red Kashmiri chillies
>> 100 g fresh coconut, grated
>> 8-10 garlic flakes, roughly chopped
>> 1 tsp cumin seeds
>> 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Method
>> Soak red chillies in hot water for 1 hour. Drain and grind with remaining masala ingredients to a smooth consistency, gradually adding 3-5 tbsp of water, as required.
>> Wash fish and set aside to drain.
>> In a pan, heat oil and fry the ground masala over low to moderate heat for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning.
>> Add fish and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
>> Serve hot with steamed rice.

Mutton Lonvas
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
>> 250 g white pumpkin (doodhi)
>> 500 g mutton, on the bone
>> 500 ml mutton stock
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1" piece of ginger, roughly chopped
>> 4 tbsp ghee / oil
>> 8 garlic flakes, finely chopped
>> 2 tbsp bottle masala
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1 tsp black pepper powder
>> 100 ml thick coconut milk
>> 25 ml tamarind pur ©e
Method
>> Peel pumpkin and cut into 2" cubes.
>> Wash meat and cut into 2" cubes.
>> Boil meat in stock with salt and ginger, till tender. Strain and reserve meat and stock.
>> In a pan, heat ghee or oil. Saut © garlic over low to moderate heat, till fragrant.
>> Add bottle masala and fry well. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning. Add pumpkin, cooked meat, salt, pepper, coconut milk and tamarind pur ©e.
>> Pour in reserved stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes till the pumpkin is cooked.

Duck Moile
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
>> 1 kg duck
>> 4-6 tbsp ghee / oil
>> 2 medium onions, sliced in rings
>> 12 garlic flakes, sliced in fine julienne
>> 1" piece of ginger, sliced in fine julienne
>> 6 green chillies, sliced in fine julienne
>> 2 tbsp bottle masala
>> 750 ml chicken stock
>> 60 ml brown palm vinegar
>> 1 tsp salt
>> 1 tsp black pepper powder
Method
>> Wash duck and cut into 16 pieces.
>> In a pan, heat oil and saut © onions over moderate heat, till golden brown.
>> Add garlic, then ginger and chillies and saut © till fragrant.
>> Mix in bottle masala and fry well, till ghee/oil separates from it. Sprinkle in a little water if required, to prevent burning.
>> Add duck and fry on high heat to seal the pieces. Stir for 5 minutes before adding the stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Add vinegar, salt and pepper in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve hot with crusty bread or steamed rice.
>> Variation: Use chicken in place of duck.

Foogath is a regular at any East Indian dinner table as a side dish with the meats. It is made with a variety of vegetables, like capsicum, drumstick, pumpkin and French beans.

Capsicum foogath

Ingredients:

• 250 g capsicums

• 3tbsp ghee

• 1 medium onion sliced

• 1tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper powder

• 1 tsp lime juice

Masala:

• 2 dried red chillies

• ½ tsp sesame seeds

• 6 garlic flakes roughly chopped

• 1” piece of ginger, roughly chopped

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds

• ½ bunch fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

• A pinch of saffron strands

Method:

Grind masala ingredients to a fine consistency, gradually adding up to 50 ml of water, as required.

Cut capsicums into quarters, removing and discarding the seeds and pith.

In a pan, heat ghee/oil and sauté onion over moderate heat till golden brown. Add ground masala, and fry well for a few minutes, till fragrant. Sprinkle in some water if required, to prevent burning.

Add the capsicum. Cook for about 7 mins, then add salt and pepper.

Sprinkle in lime juice a few minutes before removing from heat.

Apricot chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ kg chicken

• 200 g dried apricots

• 100 ml brown palm vinegar

• 2 tbsp oil

• ½ cup onion paste

• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped

• 500 ml chicken stock

Masala:

• 8 garlic flakes, roughly chopped

• 1” piece of ginger, roughly chopped

• 5-6 cloves

• 8 dried red Kashmiri chillies

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 5-6 black peppercorns

• 1 tsp salt

• 1” stick cinnamon

• 4-5 green cardamoms

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds

½ tsp poppy seeds

• A pinch of saffron strands or turmeric powder

Method:

Wash chicken and cut into 16 pieces.

Soak apricots in vinegar.

Grind the masala ingredients to a fine consistency, gradually adding up to 100 ml of water. As required.

In a pan, heat oil and fry onion paste over moderate heat till brown. Stir in the ground masala and tomates. Cook till the oil separates.

Add the chicken and brown well in the masala.

Pour in the stock and simmer for 45 minutes or till the chicken is tender.

Mix in apricots and vinegar during the last few minutes of cooking.

Serve hot.