Ingredients

Serves 4

Crab & Ginger Salad (Nandu Puttu)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 cm piece ginger, cut into thin julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
50 g finely sliced onion
2 tsp small green chillies, finely sliced
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garam masala
2 tbsp curry leaves
150 g freshly picked crabmeat
1 tomato, diced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt


Sweet & Sour Tomatoes
1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
4 tomatoes, quartered
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
1½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Method

Crab & Ginger Salad (Nandu Puttu)
This deliciously light crab salad, flavoured with ginger and pepper, is a speciality of chef
Praveen at Dakshin in Chennai, and is one of my favourite Indian salads. At home I use
mud crab, as its inherent sweetness works brilliantly with all the flavours.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the mustard and fennel seeds over a high heat. When the seeds crackle, add the ginger, garlic and onion. Fry until the onion is translucent. Add the chilli, turmeric, pepper, garam masala and curry leaves. Mix well.

Working quickly, add the crabmeat and tomato and toss over a high heat to coat the crab with the masala base. Take care that the mixture is not mashed. Add the lemon juice and salt and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
 

Sweet & Sour Tomatoes
This is one of my all-time favourite tomato preparations. From Rashmi at Rohet Garh, it epitomises the food of the desert. It can be served with other vegetable dishes and makes a great accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken, especially during summer when clean, light flavours are in demand.

Heat the oil in a kadhai or wok and fry the cumin and mustard seeds over a medium heat until they splutter. Add the tomato and stir until coated with the seeds, then stir in the ground spices, salt and sugar.

Add 1 cup (250 ml) water, then reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes – not too long, or the tomato will break down. Sprinkle with the fresh coriander to serve.

 

Tasting India by Christine Manfield, Penguin, RRP: $89.95