America's Test Kitchen (2000–…): Season 21, Episode 13 - Indian Feast - full transcript

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-Welcome to "America's
Test Kitchen" at home.

Today, I'm making murgh makhani,

Jack will help us better
understand tomato products,

and Becky's making palak dal.



We've got a lot in store
for you today, so stick around.

♪♪

-My daughter loves
murgh makhani,

which is butter chicken,

because the sauce,
it's tomato and cream.

It's fragrant but not spicy.

And I love it because
it comes together in a snap.

So it's perfect
for a midweek dinner.

Now, we always serve it
over basmati rice,

which I have cooking back there
in the rice cooker.

And you got to start that first

because the rice takes longer
than the dish itself.

Alright. Now we're gonna
focus on the sauce first

because it's all
about the sauce.



First up, a nice big onion
that we're just gonna chop.

I cut the tip off first

and then I cut it in half
through that root end.

And this is when I peel it.

I think it's easier to peel
after you've cut it in half.

To cut an onion the easy way,

you're gonna cut it
into quarters,

again, through that root end
so the layers stay together.

And cutting towards
but not through the root,

we're gonna cut down.

And then I'm gonna tip it
on its other side

and do the same thing,

and then you can simply slice
down into a nice, fine chop.

Alright.
With that onion out of the way,

it's time to focus
on the ginger.

You want to use fresh ginger
here, about 4 teaspoons.

And I have to say
that prepping ginger

is my least favorite
kitchen task,

but something that I found
that makes it a bit easier

is peeling with a spoon

because the peels
are really thin

and you can just scrape it off.

Quick way to grate ginger is
just using a rasp-style grater,

and it's really easy
once it's peeled.

Alright, so that's
about 4 teaspoons.

I'm gonna put that right in
the same bowl with the onions.

Next up, a serrano pepper,

and this adds a little bit
of spice and heat.

Of course, I always take out
the seeds and ribs

because those are the spiciest
parts of the chili,

but its fresh, grassy flavor

is really important
in the sauce.

And now I'm just gonna
mince up the serrano.

Alright, into the bowl
it goes.

Last but not least, some garlic
and a good amount of garlic.

This is five nice-sized cloves.

So I'm just gonna
trim the garlic,

take the skins off by banging it
against the side of my knife.

And then I love
using a garlic press.

Just makes this
whole process so easy.

And for this, having a perfect
mince just isn't important.

So that is it for the vegetable
prep for the sauce.

Now I'm gonna focus
just on the few spices

that really give
the sauce its flavor.

We're only gonna use
three spices.

Now, the first is garam
masala -- a tablespoon.

And garam masala
is a blend of spices.

Different brands
taste differently.

And of course,
there's lots of variations.

But anything you find
in the supermarket

will taste good here.

If you want to make
your own garam masala,

you can find a recipe
for that on our website.

Next up, a teaspoon
of ground coriander,

1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin.

Last but not least,
we're gonna add

1/2 teaspoon
of ground black pepper.

Veg prep is done.
The spices are measured out.

It's time to go to the stove.

Alright.

So we're gonna build this
sauce in a simple sauce pan.

And I've already got
2 tablespoons of butter

melting in here.

I'm gonna add those vegetables.

Takes only 8-10 minutes.

You want them to soften.

The onions are gonna get
a little brown.

But that is crucial for flavor
that you sweat those vegetables

and they release their flavor
into the pot

before you add the liquid.

It's been about 10 minutes,

and you can see that the onions
have really softened

and it started to brown
around the edges.

And that is perfect.

Time to add those spices.

I'm gonna add them all at once.

And again, we're cooking
over medium heat.

I'm gonna let these spices
cook for about three minutes.

We really want to work
their flavor into the vegetables

and into the pot
before we add the liquid.

It's been a couple of minutes.

You can really smell
those spices.

They don't smell as raw.
They're a bit more muted.

And that's what
we're looking for.

Now we're gonna add the liquid,
and the liquid is just water.

A cup and a half of water.

And the tomato paste,
1/2 cup,

which is more than
one of those little cans.

So stock up on your tomato paste
if you like this dish.

We're just gonna whisk this in.

And while I'm whisking,

I'm feeling
for any of those brown bits

or that fond that formed
around the edge of the pan.

You want to make sure you scrape
that into the sauce

because that's good flavor.

Alright. So there are no lumps
of tomato paste in there.

Now we're gonna add
a little sugar.

This is a tablespoon of sugar
and a teaspoon of table salt.

Return this to a simmer.
That happens pretty quickly.

There we go. Now,
I'm gonna turn the heat off

and I'm gonna add
a cup of cream.

So now I'm gonna use
an immersion blender

and put it in the pot to make
the sauce as smooth as possible.

If you didn't have one of these,
of course, you could transfer

this to a blender
and do the same thing.

But it can make a mess if you
don't know what you're doing.

The one tip is to make sure

these holes
are always submerged,

because if those holes
are visible,

sauce is gonna spit out
all over the place.

Alright,
so that's pretty good.

I'm gonna put this back
on the heat,

return it to a simmer,
and then we're gonna whisk in

just 2 more tablespoons
of butter

just for a little finish.

Again, this dish is known
as butter chicken for a reason.

Okay, so the sauce is done.

What I'm gonna do is

I'm gonna put the lid on
to help keep it warm.

Now, I'm gonna turn
the heat off.

Next up, the chicken.

With the sauce done,

it's time to focus
on the chicken.

And here I have 2 pounds

of boneless, skinless
chicken thighs.

Don't substitute
chicken breasts here.

The thighs have
much more flavor,

and they stay tender
as they sit in that sauce.

Even my daughter, who doesn't
really like chicken thighs,

likes them in this dish.

So no one is gonna complain.

You want to trim these.

Sometimes there's a lot to trim,
some fat and gristle.

Sometimes there's nothing.

And these were pretty clean,

and we're just
gonna season them

with a teaspoon of table salt.

Toss them around.

And now traditionally,
the chicken

is marinated in yogurt,
which is delicious,

but the yogurt actually does
too good a job of marinating.

And it'll make this chicken
a little on the mushy side.

So all we're gonna do
is toss it with the yogurt,

then cook it straightaway.

You just need 1/2 cup of nice,
thick Greek yogurt.

The yogurt also will help
the chicken brown in the oven,

and that browning is
pretty crucial for the flavor.

So you just want to toss
the chicken around,

make sure it's nice and evenly
coated with the yogurt

before you start cooking.

When it comes
to cooking the chicken,

we're gonna use the broiler

because it's as close
as we can get to a tandoor oven.

So the chicken gets a great
char, which is awesome flavor.

But in our kitchen, we're just
gonna use the broiler.

Just make sure the rack
underneath the broiler

is about 6 inches
from the broiler element.

That way you get
a good amount of browning.

Alright. I'm gonna place
this chicken on a wire rack,

set over a rimmed
baking sheet lined with foil.

And that is for easy cleanup

because the foil will look
like a mess.

These are ready for the broiler.

It's gonna take anywhere
from 16 to 20 minutes.

I'm gonna flip them over
halfway through

so we get browning
on both sides,

and we're looking
for a final temperature

of 175 degrees.

Oh, these look good.

I know they might look
a little burned

if you've never made
this before,

but that is the level of char
you're looking for.

That is good flavor.

So I'm just gonna
flip these over

and cook them
on the second side.

Back into the oven
another 10 minutes or so

until they register 175 degrees.

Hu-hooo. It smells good.

Now, I often find
that the second side

doesn't get as brown
as the first side,

but that's okay.

It's still gonna taste great.

So, again,
we're looking for a temperature

of 175 degrees.

We're good.
I'm gonna set these aside.

Let that chicken rest for five
minutes before we cut it up.

And in the meantime,
I'm gonna reheat the sauce

over medium heat before serving.

The chicken has rested,

and it's time to cut it up
into bite-sized pieces.

And generally, you want to go
for 3/4-inch pieces or so.

Basically, you want them
to fit on a fork.

Alright. So into the sauce,
all the chicken will go.

[ Sighs ] Ohh. Yup.

Last but not least,
I'm gonna chop up

a little cilantro
and stir it in.

And I add about 2 tablespoons
of cilantro in here,

maybe a little extra
for good luck.

Oh, goodness.

Here's that basmati rice,
which is great

'cause it soaks up
all the sauce.

Ah! The moment
I've been waiting for.

Mmm.

Oh, that's good

with that little
extra kick of heat.

If you want to make
murgh makhani,

remember two things --

First, you want to coat
the chicken with yogurt,

not marinate it.

And second, you want to
throw that chicken

under the broiler to cook
so it's nice and blackened.

From "America's Test Kitchen"
at home,

a house-favorite recipe
for murgh makhani.

♪♪

-Tomatoes are
the culinary backbone

of literally
thousands of recipes.

Canned tomatoes
are incredibly convenient,

and I keep a wide variety
in my pantry

so that I can match the tomato
product with the recipe.

Let's dig in and start
with whole tomatoes.

So these are the closest
to fresh.

They are literally
whole tomatoes.

Yes. That's why they're called
whole tomatoes

with the skins removed.

They're packed in juice,
so they're fairly fresh-tasting.

They're not really cooked.

You can see here
there's a nice, big --

That looks like
a nice Roma tomato.

Don't buy the brands
with basil and garlic.

You may be thinking, "Well,
doesn't it make it better?"

It's like, "No,"

because you don't always want
basil and garlic in everything.

These are really versatile.

So if you want to cut down
on the number of tomato products

you're buying,
buy the whole tomatoes.

You can put them
in the food processor

and turn them
into crushed tomatoes

or you can use
a pair of scissors

and literally go in
and snip the tomatoes

to make diced tomatoes.

This is gonna take
about two minutes.

I'm gonna shortcut it here.

Obviously, you're gonna get
the scissors

all the way deep down there.

But you can see, I've got a
couple smaller pieces of tomato,

and if you keep going,
you can turn whole tomatoes

into diced tomatoes.

Now, you may be thinking,

"Okay, but why not just
buy the diced tomatoes?"

The problem here
or the challenge

is that they are treated
with a firming agent,

calcium chloride,

and they don't always
break down.

So it's fine in a minestrone

where I may want little bits
and pieces of the tomato,

but if I'm trying to turn diced
tomatoes into a smooth sauce,

I'm actually gonna get there
faster with whole tomatoes

than the diced because there's
no calcium chloride there.

So if you insist
on the diced tomatoes,

I'm gonna suggest that rather
than these sort of regular --

And look at the size of these
chunks, they're pretty big.

You may not really
want them that big --

is to look for a product
named "Petite diced.'

This is much smaller.
They're gonna break down faster.

I should say, all of the brands
here on the table

are "Test Kitchen" favorites
and top choices.

So far, all of these
have been packed in juice.

When you move to crushed
tomatoes, two things change.

One is they've been crushed.

So the skins have been removed
and then literally crushed,

but then they're
enriched with puree.

So you see,
these are a lot thicker,

so a lot less fresh
but also a lot smoother.

So if you're trying
to make a sauce to go in,

let's say a baked ziti,

this may be the option
that you want to use.

So you get a really thick,
smooth sauce

as quickly as possible.

Next up, we have tomato puree.

So skins are removed here
as well as the seeds,

and then it's cooked.

So it's absolutely smooth
and really thick.

It doesn't have a lot
of fresh tomato flavor.

We use it in long-cooked dishes.

So like a chili, for instance,

where the tomato's
a background flavor.

Really want a lot of that
savory umami flavor.

It's cooked a long time,

so it's not gonna
be fresh anyway.

And really what we want
is that savoriness.

Last but definitely not least,

this may be my favorite thing
that's here on the table.

It's tomato paste.

So think puree and now cook it
a long, long, long time

until you get rid
of all of the water

and this is
what you're left with.

If you're going to buy this,
please buy it in a tube.

It is so much
more convenient than the cans

because you can open up.

Say I need a tablespoon
into a bowl,

put the cap back on
and throw it into the fridge.

You can use it again
two days from now,

two weeks from now,
literally two months from now.

I use this in marinara sauces
to add more umami.

Yeah, it's an umami bomb.

Anything where you want
more savoriness,

not necessarily
more tomato flavor,

a squirt of tomato paste --

Add it once you've cooked
the aromatics,

so the onions and garlic
are already cooked,

throw that in the pot.

Let that heat up with the fat
for another minute

and then go ahead
and proceed with the recipe.

It's gonna taste better.

So the wonderful world of canned
and tubed tomato products.

Now you know how to match
which product with which recipe.

Enjoy your tomatoes.

♪♪

-I have a son who's allergic
to nuts and peanuts,

and at Easter time, I like
to make him a chocolate bunny

because if you buy them,

sometimes they're processed
in a facility

or on shared equipment
with nuts and peanuts.

I have got this antique bunny
mold that my sister gave me,

and it's for chocolate.

It has a front and a back
and these little clips.

And I just microwaved
some chocolate chips

that I know are safe for him.

I just microwave
about 30 seconds,

stir it up till it's soft,

and then you just flip
this mold over.

Butter the inside.

I've tried oil.
Butter works better.

And you pour the chocolate in

and then you let it set
for a little bit

and then I just stick it
in the freezer

to firm up the rest of the way.

And then when it's done,
as this one is,

take off the little clips.

And you pry it open.

And there he is,
he's a little chocolate bunny.

If there's any little bits,
you just trim those off

and he's done.

Isn't he cute?

So that's my little hack for
making your own chocolate bunny.

♪♪

-I absolutely love palak dal,

and I make this recipe
all the time.

It's satisfying, it's
inexpensive, it's healthful,

and it tastes
absolutely amazing.

So it starts with dried
red lentils,

and we need 1 1/2 cups.

And when you're working
with any kind of beans,

it's always a good idea
to spread them out

on a white plate

or a platter just so you
can pick through them

and check for any little stones
or debris that might be there.

And I do occasionally
find something.

So it is worth it
to take a quick peek here.

It's just a tiny,
little something.

We'll...throw that on the floor.

[ Laughs ]

Okay, so these look good.

Let's take them
over to the sink,

and we're gonna give them
a little rinse.

Whoop. Lost a couple.

That's okay.
Alright.

So these guys can be
a little bit dirty,

so it's good to give them
a nice little bath.

Now we'll put them
into a saucepan.

Alright.
Now we'll flavor the lentils up

with a couple of seasonings,
starting with some fresh ginger.

The best way to peel ginger root
is just to use a teaspoon,

and you just kind of scrape
the peel off.

So this way, there's no waste.

See, all I'm taking off
is that papery peel.

Okay, so we need
a tablespoon of this.

I'm going to grate it
on the grater.

So a tablespoon of ginger
into the pot.

And now I'm adding
4 1/2 cups of water.

So there's our water.

And then finally
I'm going to add

3/4 teaspoon of turmeric.

Some cooks say that the turmeric
adds health benefits.

Others say it's just used
purely for its beautiful color.

It actually kind of matches
the lentils there.

Ooh. See?

Alright.
So our lentils are ready to go.

Let's take them
over to the stovetop.

Now, a lot of cooks make their
dal in a pressure cooker,

but because we're using hulled
lentils, they cook really fast.

These are gonna take
only 18 to 20 minutes.

So we'll do them
right on the stovetop.

I'm going to bring them up
to a vigorous simmer,

and then I'll stir them
once or twice.

I like to serve the dal
with basmati rice,

so I'm going to go over here
and start my rice cooker

so everything will be ready
at the same time.

This is the genius part
of the recipe.

It's called a tadka,

and it involves frying aromatics
and whole spices in fat,

and this extracts
their fat-soluble flavors.

So you end up
with this super aromatic,

flavorful, and colorful
topping for your dal.

Now, our tadka starts
with an onion.

So I'm just gonna
cut it in half first.

So, now, I'll chop the onion.

I'm looking for just sort of
a medium dice here.

The next thing
for our tadka is garlic.

I have six cloves
I'm gonna slice up here.

Alright, there's
our beautiful garlic.

And now I have
a single serrano chili,

and I'm just gonna
half this lengthwise.

So this will be a nice,
pretty addition to our tadka.

And I keep these in my freezer.

I just keep them
in a plastic bag,

and they freeze beautifully.

You could just take this
straight out of the freezer

and use it like that.

So...Ooh, that smells good.
[ Sniffs ]

Now's when things start
to smell good in the kitchen.

Okay,
speaking of smelling good,

these are curry leaves.

[ Sniffs ]
Mmm, mmm.

They have a smoky,
kind of citrusy aroma,

and they're not related at all
to curry powder.

They come from the curry tree,

which is native
to Southeast Asia.

So we need 15 of these.

14, 15.

[ Sniffs ]

And I'm just gonna tear
these up a little bit.

They soften and the whole thing
is entirely edible.

You can find these in Indian
markets and Asian markets.

You can also put in the freezer
for at least a month.

They keep beautifully.

So there's our curry leaves.

And then the next ingredient
is árbol chilies.

So we're gonna have
the fresh serrano chile,

and now I have four
dried árbol chilies.

And these are gonna go
in whole.

They're so beautiful,

and they'll add a little bit
of spice to our dal.

So four of those guys
and then a couple of spices.

We have some cumin seed.

Oh, I love the smell
of cumin seed, too.

So there's a teaspoon
and a half of the cumin seed.

And then I also have
a teaspoon and a half

of brown mustard seed.

You could also use
yellow mustard seed

if that's all you have.

Alright.
So everything is ready to go.

We'll take it over the stove
and cook it up.

Alright.
So I'm starting with ghee.

And some cooks like to use oil
for their tadka,

but I really love
the flavor of ghee.

It's made by simmering butter
very slowly

until all of its liquid
evaporates

and its milk solids
start to brown.

Then those milk solids
are strained off.

And what's left behind
is this really nutty fat

with a really high smoke point.

So I'm doing 3 tablespoons
in a 10-inch skillet here.

Ooh, look at that.
I just love the look of it.

Okay, so we're gonna put that
over medium-high heat,

and we'll let that melt here.

Okay, so I can see my ghee
is starting to shimmer

just a little bit.

I'm going to add my spices.

Remember, that's brown mustard
seeds and cumin seeds.

And we'll just let these sizzle
in the pan for about 30 seconds.

And you want to keep
a really close eye on these.

They can burn quickly.

So not a good time
to check your e-mail

or take a phone call.

Stay with them here
just for 30 seconds.

They're starting to pop.

I don't know if you guys can
hear that. I love that sound.

Okay, so that's a signal
to add the onions.

So I'm gonna stir this up.

We're gonna let this cook
for five minutes

until the onions just start
to brown at the edges.

Okay, it's been
about five minutes,

and the onions are just starting

to get a little bit brown
at the edges.

So I'm going to add the rest
of our tadka ingredients --

the fresh serrano,
the árbol chilies,

the curry leaves,
and the garlic.

I can't tell you
how good it smells in here.

Oh, mmm, so good.
[ Laughs ]

And the color is beautiful.

Oh, this is like magic happening
in the kitchen right now.

Delicious.

Okay, so I'm gonna turn
this off, and we'll go over

and finish up our lentils.

It's been 20 minutes,

and the lentils have
really started to break down,

which is exactly what we want.

So I'm just going
to take a whisk,

and they'll just fall apart
when I whisk them.

They'll turn into
a coarse puree here,

and we want this
to have the texture

of loose polenta or oatmeal.

So I'm going to let it cook
for about another five minutes,

and it'll reduce just
a little bit more.

It's been five minutes.
Let's take a look.

Yeah, it's reduced a little bit.

It's got this loose polenta,
oatmeal kind of texture,

which is just what I want.

So now let's season it up.

I'm adding 1 1/2 teaspoons
of salt,

and now I have 6 ounces
of baby spinach.

We're making palak dal,
and "palak" means "greens."

So baby spinach is great
because there's no prep.

It's going right from the box
into the pot here.

And I usually have to add this
in batches just to wilt it down.

We're just gonna cook this
for 30 to 60 seconds.

We just want the spinach
to barely wilt here.

Okay, that is ready to go.

I'm gonna put the lid on
and get everything together,

and then it'll be time to eat.
Okay, it's time to eat!

The spinach is nice and wilted.
Still a beautiful green color.

I'm just going to add a teaspoon
and a half of fresh lemon juice.

That'll brighten it up
a little bit.

And I'm just gonna give it
a quick taste here

and see if it needs any salt.

Mmm. Oh.

It's perfect, perfect,
perfect.

Alright,
this is my basmati rice

that I had going
while I was cooking.

I think one more spoonful.

And now our tadka.

Some of that all over the top.

And then I have some
fresh cilantro to put on top.

Let me give it a try.

Mmm.

Oh, so good.

The smoky curry leaves,

all the spices, the lemon,
the garlic, the onion.

Oh, I can't tell you how good
this is.

Super satisfying,

delicious,
and it's healthful, too.

So my kind of food.

So if you want to make
one of my favorite recipes,

use a 3-1 ratio
of water to lentils.

And don't forget the tadka --

the real genius part
of this recipe.

So from "America's Test
Kitchen" at home,

this fantastic recipe
for palak dal.