Hindustan Times
Saunf far, so good
I’ve never been able to cultivate a habit for saunf, that sweet, somewhat cloying after-dinner digestive beloved to us Indians. Of late, though, I’ve taken to using saunf as a primary ingredient for cooking.
So far, I am happy to report that the results have been quite delicious.
The West knows saunf as fennel seed. If you must know, fennel is not really a seed but the dried fruit of a relative of the parsley herb. I’ll stick to saunf. The Italians too love saunf, often adding it to meatballs or sausages. You can also try a simple pasta sauce of sliced onion and peppers and sausage.
A friend of mine makes a lovely saunf chicken, roasting the seed until it gives off an aroma. She then grinds it and uses it as the main spice. It’s all quite wonderful.
My experiment with saunf began with courtesy a recipe in a book by Tarla Dalal, the grand dame of Indian home-cooking guides. My wife, presently on a doctor-induced search for all foods derived from milk, made me try an achari paneer, supposedly a tangy cottage-cheese stir-fry laced with some sauce made of curd and flour.
I modified Ms Dalal’s recipe and the resultant stir-fry — laced with saunf — has now become a household staple, easy to make and particularly popular with guests who love paneer (Psst, even I, a confirmed non-vegetarian, like it immensely).
The other recipe is a tangy, light tenga, a fish curry that has its origins in Assam. I am not very familiar with Assamese cuisine, and I suspect the recipe I am offering you is not entirely authentic, but it is quite delightful.
It is not mine either. I must give credit to Atul Kochhar, a London-based chef who plays around with popular Indian cuisines. I have never previously used saunf with fish, but this curry really surprised me with its complex range of flavours: from saunf to the typically far-eastern lime leaf.
The tenga is as complicated as the paneer is simple. I had to do some serious shopping to get all the ingredients. It was worth the effort.
1. Simple saunf paneer
1 large cup of paneer, cubed
1 teaspoon saunf (fennel seeds)
1 onion, sliced
7 methi (fenugreek) seeds
1 tsp kalonji (black onion seeds)
½ tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
¼ tsp hing (asafetida)
¼ tsp mustard seeds
Saunf paneer is a very quick, flavourful entree. It should take you no more than 10 minutes to make once you assemble all the ingredients.
Mix all the ingredients, except paneer and onions, and throw into a tablespoon of moderately hot olive oil in a small wok.
When seeds crackle and release aromas, add onion and sauté till translucent.
Add the paneer and ½ tsp turmeric powder and ½ tsp red chilli powder. Toss.
Add black salt to taste.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley or coriander.
2. Sour fish tenga
This is the recipe from celebrity chef Atul Kochhar. I’ve modified it somewhat. It is more complicated than the quick, simply fish curries we make on the Konkan coast. I found it tangier and lighter with a host of flavours. Use half the salt in the marinade, the rest when cooking.
750 gm fish fillets (I used singhada)
Marinade: 1 tsp finely chopped galangal or normal ginger; 2 tsp red chilli powder; ½ flat tsp turmeric; 1 tsp fennel powder (saunf powder); grated zest and juice of 1 lemon; salt to taste. Marinate fish and keep aside for at least 60 minutes.
The Assamese-influenced tenga is a little complex, but it contains layers of flavours, from saunf to lime leaf. It could take more than 30 minutes to make.
Ingredients:
1 star anise
1 tsp kalonji (black onion) seeds
1 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp fennel powder (saunf powder)
100 gm bamboo shoots, sliced (I used canned)
3 lime leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 large tomato, slided
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
Salt to taste
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Add fish pieces, fry for 1 minute on both sides until lightly coloured and set aside.
Add the star anise, kalonji and saunf seeds to the oil left in the pan till the spices crackle. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown on medium heat.
Add the saunf powder, red chill and turmeric and sauté. Add the bamboo shoots, lime leaves, lemon juice and 300 ml water. Bring to a boil and simmer.
Add the fish pieces and the sliced tomato until cooked. Garnish with coriander.
(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted by Samar Halarnkar on Friday, October 16, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Filed under Food · Tagged Atul Kochhar, hindustan times, news, paneer, saunf, saunf paneer, Sour fish tenga, Tarla Dalal
Saunf in cooking. Wow! May not try the Paneer, but the fish seems like an interesting option. Thanks. On Paneer, my kids love it. But I’ve always find mashed paneer tastier than the cubed ones. The late Pramod Mahajan too, apparently liked his onion crushed (Mukka Maar Ke) rather than chopped.
And yes, we picked up Chicken Sausages the other day and steamed them rather than fried them. They grew substantially- in size and were soft and delicious.
Incidentally, we had a memorial service for Allen Mendonca at Delhi, alongwith some journalists.. you and Raj were missed.
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
I heard of the service for Allen, but I got to know too late. A real pity.
[Reply]
Looks like I am not alone in my quest for new flavours. Thanks for voting for saunfas a legitimate flavour in cooking.
I have been lacing the fresh paneer with sambuca (squeeze the water out, and put in a cap of two of sambuca when the paneer expands back to size) and using large quantitties of dhaniya seeds to make it crunchy.
But, as Billy Crystal will say, “I am confused”.
All along I’ve thought of saunf as aniseed. So if I were to go to the market, which saunf should I be asking for, badi saunf, vilayati saunf, moti saunf???
Help!! for I must try your concotion out soon!!
[Reply]
Suman Bolar Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Vilayati/chhoti/patli saunf = aniseed.
Badi/moti saunf = fennel seed (also known as sweet cumin in Indonesia).
Sambuca in paneer = wow, what a concept!
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
A good point Atul. And there’s your answer!
[Reply]
renuka Reply:
October 21st, 2009 at 3:51 pm
In my mad bad early twenties, Sambuca was the hair of the dog…somebody held your nose the morning after a binge and you swallowed it as your duty and your punishment for (possibly) having been a menace to society…only Lacryma Christi was harder to drink …I am just gobsmacked to think of Sambuca in paneer and congratulate Atul on his courage and daring and for opening my mind to new worlds.
You have to make allowances for a baby raised on Woodward’s Gripe Water and thereafter, given regular quarts to drink through childhood of bitterest Acquaptychotis (extract of ajwain, far from saunf).
Atul Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Heh Heh. I tell people, craziness is an acquired vitrue!!
We did not know about sambuca during our 20’s but figured that creme de menthe was a better antitode to those “never again” mornings instead of pudinhara.
Pity about your attitude towards the Tears of Christ. Will have to put it down to Woodwards!! (I dont know how to put those smileys in, so please assume the levity in my remarks)
WOW, i never knew saunf is a dry fruit. I keep chewing saunf all the time.
Saunf is widely used in kashmiri food. I recently made Kashimiri Dum Aaloo , was a complete disaster.
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
[Reply]
here on the topic of suanf..i would like to share a v simple but one of the most delicious recipes of Fish Curry - Oriya Style..My mom learnt this from a authentic oriya friend and i in turn got this recipe from my mom
and i love it to bits..do try this and let me know how you liked it!
1. Marinate fish in Salt,Turmeric, Chilli powder for an hour or so.
2. Shallow fry the fish in a pan with some oil..remove from oil n keep aside.
3. In a separate pan, pour some oil, heat it, add onion paste ( 5-6 onions for 1 kg fish)
4. add turmeric n salt and keep frying till onion is nicely brownn cooked.
5. Add a cup of dahi (curd) and cook till oil separates.
6. Add the Panch Phutan Masala to it.
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Wow, this sounds very good. I will certainly try it this week
[Reply]
Deb Reply:
October 21st, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Sounds suspiciously like Doi Machh of Bengali cuisine (not being parochial), though in that case the fish is sometimes put in raw instead of bein shallow fried first.
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Well, bengal and orissa (or Odisha) are next to each other
[Reply]
Arun Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:19 pm
It seems this dish is more similar to the Bengali ‘Macher Jhol’. This will give you a very spicy red gravy. The Dahi is used to add richness & fat to the gravy. Most of the red gravies you get in Delhi are either Dahi or tomato based.Dahi machh on the other hand ,gives a very thin off-white curry.
On a lighter vein.. Bengali cuisine is more hyped than other coastal cuisine in India.I have eaten better rasgolla’s in Orissa than Kolkata. The Portugese fish in south ( I had it in Bangalore) will any time beat the Bengali Fish Pathori…..The Mouglai parantha of Kolkata, however is unbeatable..:)
[Reply]
contd from my comment above..it for accidentally posted before itself..
The panch phutan masala is as follows:
Take equal quantities of these masalas. Dry Roast them in a pan n then crush them, while hot.
Fenugreek (methi)
Nigella seed (kalo jira)
Mustard seed (rai )
Fennel seed (saunf )
Cumin seed (jira)
7. Add these crushed masala to the Onion - Dahi paste being cooked..
8. After this , add a little water to create a curry like thickness.
9. once all this is cooked, add the fried fish pieces to it and cook barely for 2-3 minutes.
taste and check if salt is needed ( since fish already had salt in it so add little in the curry)
Hopefully, this will be a tasty dish which u will completely love…I have been a fan of it since past 15 yrs! :)))
Lemme know how it was!!
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Hey Chinz, I would love to offer this recipe for my column. If I do, how do I credit you — surely your real name isn’t Chinz?
[Reply]
Bahut acha -koshish karoonga but phi I am very fond of FISH here we don’t get the fresh ones only frozen ones so the same taste may not be there-i will follow your recipe.
thanks. keep going with more of yours.
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
where are you sudhakara?
[Reply]
This recipe m damn sure will turn out well
and when u use oil…use mustard oil for cooking the gavy..it gives a better taste
n when u add fried fish in the end..keep the flame on for max 2 minutes..else the fish would get soggy! it shud retain its fried crunchiness.
and yeah u can credit me with Sowmya..Thats my name
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Thanks. And where are you based Sowmya?
Mustard oil? Hmmm, not something I’ve used, but let me see if I can get it
[Reply]
Chinz Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
m based in delhi..and m a hardcore delhite!
mustard oil is what is used as a base cooking oil by bengalis predominantly..and it is a common oil used for cooking in punjab as well..esp bhindi/gobhi/karela..it imparts a strong flavor to the cooked veggie….though i have never used it to cook any non veg..apart from fish..that too for only this dish..
mustard oil is easily avlbl in any provision store..ask for sarson ka tel..or kachi ghani ka tel..
n like u..m a hardcore non vegetarian!! and truly love the non veg /omelettees recipes u churn out on ur blog..reading them makes me soo hungry!!
[Reply]
Deb Reply:
October 21st, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Thanks for coming back on mustard oil. When we were very young, there were only two types of oil - mustard oil & Dalda Vanaspati (the HLL brand which stood for all other oils, usually full of saturated fats), besides Ghee which completed the triumvirate of cooking media. And it was reputed that it was mustard oil which wouldn’t freeze (not totally at least) even in a refrigerator, as a proof of its non-saturated nature (tried it once - got a petroleum jelly like substance for my efforts (:-) ). You are quite right - traditional Bengalis still swear by mustard oil & prefer to cook certain foods (e.g. Machher Jhaal/Shorshe Ilish or mustard fish/Hilsa) only in mustard oil.
Hi Samar,
A very nice writeup.
It will interesting for you to know that in the traditional UP cuisine, Sauf is used as a mandatory spice in the cooking.
in all the dry vegetables cooking, my mom will mandatorily put saunf & dhaniya powder. she says they are not only digestives but give a very good flaovour to the food and have many other qualities!!!
So try the boiled aloo sabzi , our style.
the receipe is:
1/2 kg patoatoes (boiled and peeled and cut into small cubes)
1/4 tsp haldi
1/2 tsp zeera
1/4 tsp deegi mirch
1/2 tsp saunf powder
1/2 tsp dhaniya powder
1/2 tsp amchoor powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
2 tablespoon desi ghee
method:
Put the 2 tablespoon ghee in a hot kadai. then put the zeera . when the zeera starts to sputter, put everything except potato.
roast for 1 min and then add the potato and stir for 4-5 minutes till all the potatoes are coated with the masala.
Instant and very tasty Potatos are ready!!!!
awaiting ur comments!!!
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Jaya, this sounds very interesting. I will try this for sure!
[Reply]
PS. Hope your wife likes this receipe!!!
Instant mantra for happiness!!!
[Reply]
Half crushed roasted Saunf, gives an excellent crunchy taste to freshly cut salads. Try it on lowly placed Dal -Bhaat. It will lift your spirits !
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
[Reply]
Samar,
I’ve been using saunf or fennel seed or aniseed or whatever you may call for quite sometime and esp for chicken.The results are amazing.It has a very distinct aroma.There’s a south Indian chicken preparation where chopped onions,tomatoes,green chilly ,grated ginger ,turmeric,pepper,chilly pdr,aniseed pdr,raisin paste,coriander pdr and little bit of curd is mixed with chicken and along with oil put in the cooker n cooked.Before the water dries up ,add some curry patta.This preparation is called chicken chops n tastes yummy.Saunf is also included in paanch phootan ( five spices ),for giving tadka to dal or mixed vegetables.Thanks for the fish recipe.Would dfinitely love to try it some day.
[Reply]
Chinz Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:34 pm
ah…chicken chops..i have a variation recipe of this..it doesnt have saunf in it..but its the yummiest n spiciest chicken dish..
for 1/2 kg chicken …
in a mixie, take green chillies, fresh green coriander, black pepper seeds, salt, turmeric powder, onion, 1.5inch square cocunut , ginger, garlic..ground to a rough paste..
in a kadhai..heat some oil..put this masala..and fry till half cooked..(it cooks fast)..then add chicken pieces..and then cook..add only a lil bit water to it..so that masala just coats the chicken..and cook till chicken is done..keep adding water whenver reqd..but make sure its v little..as this dish will b almost dry..
This dish is served as a side chicken dish in bangalore/maharashtrians and is quick to cook and damn spciy n yummy..and its called it ‘chicken choppiece’.
Samarjee…u shud defntly try this recipe and lemme know how it turned out!
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Rita, Chinz,
What wonderful recipes!
[Reply]
Hi Samar,
I was wondering if there are any Indian recipes that use fresh fennel? I have come across loads of recipes using fresh fennel bulbs and it is pretty awesome in salads. Combine it with pear, toasted walnuts and oranges with an olive oil, garlic and lemon dressing- a lovely clean salad. Perhaps you could concoct an Indian recipe using fresh fennel!
Love your paneer recipe!
Cheers
Pranav
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Pranav, Hmmm. I don’t know of fresh fennel recipes in Indian cooking. If I do stumble across any, will let you know
[Reply]
nandini r iyer Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 9:44 pm
i had a friend who cooked fennel bulbs the same way you’d do with any indian subjis. chop it into four quarters. or eight if it’s one of those gigantic bulbs from INA market. saute onions, garlic, tomato in desi ghee (her mom insists that the ghee is what brings out the flavour of the bulb without turning it bitter), add haldi, mirchi, salt, dhaniya powder. add a squeeze of lemon on the plate. My dad, and my friend’s mom insist that you cant reheat anything once lemon has been added because it turns the food bitter.
It’s also great if you gratinate it and use a strong smelly cheese.
Though I personally hate flavour of fennel/aniseed/saunf I am planning to make a tam-brahm style molaghutal with some bulbs next week for above mentioned friend.
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:27 pm
do tell us how that emerges!
Samar,
Saunf can be used in roasting & grilling of chicken and meat as a part of marination. Just rub the chicken\ or the Lamb chops with saunf powder along with other marinades. I remember one friend of mine stuffing a Chicken with fennel stems & Carrots before puting it to the oven. It was in US.He did not use rosemary as commonly used. It gave a very pleasant flavour to the chicken.
I have never seen fennel stems in Indian subzi mandis.
Cheers,
Arun
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Thanks Arun. All good ideas
[Reply]
Hi Samar!!!
Tried the paneer recipe last night. Turned out quite well. My paneer freak husband also loved it.
U should try to use the paneer as a filling for a roti wrap. It will taste quite good.
I also added a little milk to the recipe which made the paneer evry soft.
Love ur blogs…look forward to them every week.!!
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Disha, thank you so much for your comments and feedback on the paneer! I will certainly try the milk option next time and will wrap it in a roti.
[Reply]
Hi Samar,
I remember we used to get our regular chilli powder ground together with a small amount of roasted saunf. That gave some divine quotient to that chilli powder and all those spicy curries, esp fish, used to turn out fantastic.
But of course, hardly anyone grounds their own chilli powder these days.
But if anyone wants to try:
Use 1 kg of any properly dried red chillies (Sankeshwari or Bedgi will do). Ground the chillies from your local flour mill along with 100 gm of dry, roasted saunf. Makes the most flavourful chilli powder ever.
[Reply]
Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Will certainly try this Sai. I don’t have a local flour mill, so let me try the dry grinding blade on my mixie.
[Reply]
i luv flavour of saunf in pickles,..;-)
[Reply]
hii….with this post i came across so many foodies who not only knw the true taste, also hw to acquire tht taste. Though m a hard core veg….bt i liked the recipe Samar and the idea of using saunf in paneer is great…m planning to cook this one today
[Reply]