Yin and Yang Indian Shots
Serves 4
Takes about 80 minutes
We had this unusual dish as an amuse bouche in a restaurant in the Gateway Hotel in Kochi on our India trip over New Year 2011, and jotted down some notes as soon as we left the table, we were so taken with it (we also invented the name!). Two shot glasses, one with a cool green buttermilky drink in it, the other with a hot red tomatoey drink in it, to be sipped at at the same time, alternating between Yin (the green one), and Yang (the red one). It makes a superb starter before an Indian meal.
Yin
Takes 80 minutes
160ml butter milk (or plain yogurt diluted with a little milk to create a runny consistency)
1/3 of a large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp ginger, very finely chopped
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
salt and pepper
pinch sugar
milk
Whizz the cucumber in a blender until completely smooth. Press through a sieve and set the juice aside
Place the cardamom pods in a small saucepan cover with just enough milk to cover the base of the pan, and bring to the boil. Take off heat and allow to cool. After an hour, sieve, and set aside
Place the ginger in another small saucepan, cover with just enough milk to cover the base of the pan, and bring to the boil. Take off heat and allow to cool. After an hour, sieve, and set aside. While you’re waiting, you can get on with the Yang component (right)
Put the buttermilk into a liquidiser. Add a pinch of salt, a good twist of pepper, and a pinch of sugar, 2 teaspoons of the cardamom milk, 3 dessertspoons of the cucumber juice, and 1 dessertspoon of the ginger milk. Blitz in the blender to make the mixture frothy. Check for flavour, and adjust the balance by adding more ginger, cardamom or cucumber juice. You are aiming for a subtle blend with just a hint of each of the flavours. No one flavour should dominate.
Reheat the Yang component. Allow two small shot glasses per person; half fill one with the cool green Yin drink, and half fill the other with the hot red Yang drink. Serve immediately
Yang
Takes 40 minutes
500mls Vegetable Nage or Stock
250g tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 hot chilli, finely chopped
10 curry leaves
½ tbsp chopped coriander stalks
½ stick celery, roughly chopped
a pinch of cumin
a pinch of chilli powder
Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a medium sized saucepan, and add all the ingredients except the nage. Sweat gently until the tomatoes are starting to go mushy. Add the nage, bring to the boil, turn the heat down a bit, and bubble for 30 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half
Sieve the mixture, pressing with a spoon to extract maximum flavour. It should have the same consistency as the juice from a tin of tomatoes. Check it for spiciness; it should be quite fiery, but not so much as to burn. If it’s too mild, add a pinch of chilli powder. Set aside, and return to the Yin component (left)