SpiceLines

Hours later, when I was reviving myself with a pot of rose-scented Assam tea (from the pantry, of course), serendipity struck. My eye fell upon a basket of unripe green tomatoes which I’d scooped up at the farmers’ market the day before. I’m always sad to say goodbye to the luscious red summer tomatoes, but there are consolations that come with nippier mornings: the smoky fragrance of fire- roasted New Mexican chiles, bronze Scuppernog grapes (unbelievably sweet, even with all those pesky seeds), warty heirloom pie pumpkins---and bushels of luminous emerald green tomatoes.

All those tomatoes, all that garam masala…. Originally I was thinking of making my Aunt Elma’s green tomato and sweet pepper relish, or maybe fried green tomatoes, a dish thrifty Southerners invented to deal with all those early fall ‘maters that would never ripen. But then it occurred to me that the warm sweetness of the spices in garam masala would contrast beautifully with the tartness of the tomatoes. I could even use up one of the three jars of ghee I found in the pantry, making a truly Indian version of a Southern classic.

Garam masala is a widely used Indian spice blend. It varies, however, from region to region, and from kitchen to kitchen. Most good Indian cooks have devised their own secret mix. Most of the spices in the blend are classified as “warm,” or, as Julie Sahni explains in Classic Indian Cooking, “spices which generate internal body heat.” In fact, the word garam means “warm,” while masala means “blend.

For DIY-ers, Sahni has two easy versions in her cookbook, both of which were lurking in my pantry: Mughal garam masala is made of pulverized black or green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and black peppercorns and nutmeg, while her general, more pungent blend adds quite a lot of cumin and coriander to the mix. (You can also buy garam masala from any Indian grocery or order it on line.)

I have never been a big fan of fried green tomatoes and as I started experimenting with various ingredients, I remembered why—the “crust” is either too gloppy or as hard as cement. Ideally you should sink your teeth into a crisply fried golden brown crust that gives way to tomatoes that are warm but firm and full of tart green deliciousness. I tore through a lot of ingredients, not to mention tomatoes, trying to get the crust right--dredging them in semolina, cornmeal, and flour; dipping them in buttermilk, tangy yoghurt, egg and milk, and plain milk; frying them in peanut oil, canola oil, butter and ghee.

The kitchen was smoking up and I needed help. Luckily, I didn’t have far to go. Seasoned in the South, chef Bill Smith’s cookbook from the legendary Crook’s Corner right here in Chapel Hill, had a method that was as simple as it was well thought out. I had all the ingredients on hand, but not the process: First dip the tomatoes in flour, then in egg and milk, and finally-- this is the key—in breadcrumbs before frying them in clarified butter.

Once I had the method, it was a snap to make an Indian version of the dish. I already had flour mixed with garam masala, but I added more for good measure. Don’t be shy with the spices, by the way. For every cup of flour, you can use at least a tablespoon of garam masala, even more if you love the taste. You should be able to smell the sweet, warm fragrance of the spices when you stick your nose into the bowl.

Once the tomatoes are coated with the flour mixture, dip them quickly into an egg beaten with milk, and then roll them in breadcrumbs. I used ghee for frying, which is essentially the Indian version of clarified butter. (You can subsitute canola oil, but will lose the nutty flavor of the ghee.) Sizzle the tomatoes in the hot fat for just 1 to 2 minutes per side—any longer and they will get mushy.

The crust, I’m thrilled to say, emerged golden brown, rich and perfectly crisp, with sweetly pungent hints of cinnamon, black pepper and cloves.

I served these Indian fried green tomatoes for supper with a generous dollop of Sanjeev Kapoor’s mango and green chilli chutney. (Kapoor is one of India’s top TV chefs and a budding culinary empire builder.) His chutney has a surprise—tiny nuggets of cumin seed that explode with flavor which you chew them up—but you can use any sweet-tart chutney that you like.

Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices

To make 12 fried green tomato slices, serving 3 to 4 people:

Ingredients:

4 medium to large green, unripe tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon (or more) garam masala, to taste
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/3 cup ghee, clarified butter or canola oil (enough to fill the frying pan ¼ inch deep)
Chutney of your choice

Method:

1. Core the tomatoes and cut a very thin slice off the top and bottom. Cut each tomato into 3 horizontal slices, about ½-inch thick. Season the tomatoes lavishly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be liberal with the salt—the tomatoes need a good sprinkle to bring out their flavor.
2. Set up an assembly line of three medium-sized bowls. In the first bowl, mix 1 cup of flour with 1 tablespoon or more garam masala. The mixture should be quite fragrant. In the second bowl, briskly beat the egg and milk until frothy. In the third, put the breadcrumbs.
3. Prepare the tomatoes: Dredge each slice of tomato in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Next, dip the tomato in the egg and milk, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Be sure that the tomatoes are well coated with bread crumbs. Set aside.
4. In a heavy 12-inch cast iron frying pan, heat the ghee, clarified butter or oil over medium heat. When it is very hot, put four tomato slices in the pan. Fry them for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until the crust turns crisp and golden brown. If the ghee starts to smoke, lower the heat slightly. Do not overcook or the tomatoes will be mushy. Drain on a stack of paper towels. Proceed with the rest of the tomatoes.
5. Serve at once, with a generous dollop of sweet-tart mango chutney.