My mother's cooking seemed effortless like she wasn't really even thinking about it. In reality, it had taken her years of trial and error. She had a giant lazy Susan turntable in her kitchen with bottles upon bottles of spices. No names, no labels, just neatly organized on the shelf. She would give it a spin, take a bottle, double-check that is what she wanted, and expertly add just the right amount of spice to her food. Voila, she would cook dinner day in and day out.
She cooked with andaaz. Andaaz is a lovely Urdu word that means intuitive style or grace. अंदाज़ It explains so much about how our mothers and grandmothers cooked. G's Mom cooks like this. She cooks fantastic vegetarian food. When he asks her for a recipe that he loved growing up or something she made last week, it is often a list of ingredients but no measurements.
I watched my Mom cook as a kid and had a general idea of how to cook. But when it came down to actually making her dishes, it was hard to get all the measurements right. This is precisely where and comes in. But I didn't quite have that - so my Mom spent months measuring her recipes, quantifying all the things that she did without a teaspoon or a tablespoon.
Cooking with andaaz is part of Indian cooking. Indian mothers and grandmothers cook this way, making wonderful food. Making a dish precisely like my mother made is hard to replicate, leading to a lot of trial and error. How can you make the perfect family recipe? But maybe that's the secret. By taking a recipe, experimenting with it, and changing it, we make it our own. Recipes stay with us through generations but slowly change to fit our tastes and lifestyle. Each recipe lives on, in our own special way.
A great recipe where you can play with measurements is Hara Masala Shrimp. Hara means green in Hindi. This is a lovely spice paste that you can use for shrimp, chicken, or lamb. It's made from cilantro, garlic, ginger, and onions. Garam masala adds a smoky, spicy note. Hara Masala is a versatile spice paste where you can also use mint or a combination of mint and cilantro. The measurements are not very important, as no matter what, your spice paste will turn out great. In this recipe, the green masala paste is simmered until it comes together. Then add the shrimp and let them just cook through. A few minutes until they are just cooked through really allows them to shine.
Hara masala shrimp is a great recipe my Mom passed down to me. You may not need a whole lot of and to make it initially. It's perfect to start thinking about recipes, not in the absolute but a great jumping-off point to create new and delicious food. You can easily adapt it to the way you cook. Slowly over time, I have made it my own.
Hara Masala Shrimp
Spicy masala shrimp. A bright spice paste with cilantro, onions, garlic and ginger comes together to make a delicious masala. A touch of garam masala adds a little bit of spice. It's incredible versatile and goes well with seafood, chicken or lamb.
- 1 1/2 pounds shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1 medium onion (quartered)
- 1 inch ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
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In a blender, combine the cilantro, onions, ginger, and garlic. Add 1 cup water and blend until smooth.
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In a medium saucepan, add the cilantro spice paste. Add the chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and 1 tablespoon oil. Mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer 20-25 minutes and reduced by about 1/2. You'll notice the masala will turn dark green and the oil will float to the top.
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Add the shrimp, salt and remaining oil to the masala. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through.
- Serve warm with basmati rice.
You can make garam masala at home. Combine 1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, clove, cardamon. It will keep for several months.
