On a recent trip to Kalustyan's, I veered from my well-worn path—a speedy, head-down approach to finding my usual staples for favorite Indian recipes. Usually, I head first to the spice shelves, where I buy sleeves of sweet paprika and cinnamon, then to the row full of plump packages of shredded coconut. After grabbing one (just one!) delicious pre-made spread or snack, I hurry straight to the checkout. It's a method learned from my grandmother, a Sri Lankan home cook who has shopped at this spice mecca for forty years. She's warned me how easy it is to come out with arms full when all you actually needed was just a tiny bag of cayenne.
This time, though, I lingered in the frozen aisle. It's not just an economical choice; the freezer is a source of lots of great produce that can't be easily found fresh stateside. Plus, with frozen foods, it was less likely that that whatever delicious thing I bought—imported carefully from halfway around the world—would go sour in my fridge before I got to it. And you can defrost only what you need, meaning there's less waste.
So along with the okra that's always a staple in my kitchen, I picked up a few bags of other Indian vegetables—and one fruit—that I had never cooked with before. Then, I started calling and emailing a few experts for tips. Here's what I found, and what I learned.
Drumsticks
Drumsticks, also called Moringa, are thin, ribbed vegetables that look similar to okra when trimmed. "I remember having fresh drumsticks, stirred into a curry, at a friend's house in Florida in the seventies," my grandmother tells me. "Now, I wouldn't bother trying to get them whole—the ones that are flash frozen are fresher than what I could get in New York." The exterior is tough, while the flavor really resides in a soft, pulpy center that you pull out with your teeth once the vegetable is cooked. "I've made drumsticks in two different ways," says chef Preeti Mistry, author of The Juhu Beach Cookbook Club. "One is a vegetable dish, where they are simmered in a yogurt/chickpea flour-thickened cream sauce. [It's] very tasty with corn and sweet peppers." Mistry also mixes them with winter greens and sweet butternut squash for sambar.
Sambar Mix
In South Indian and Sri Lankan households, sambar is a staple. This soupy lentil and vegetable-based dish can vary greatly, but a pre-made frozen mix will often have a mix of sturdier vegetables like drumsticks, carrots, and various gourds, plus yams or potato for sweetness and creaminess, and brighter greens like cucumber or spinach. When mixed with spices like coriander, black peppercorn, turmeric, curry leaves, and cumin, plus lentils, onion, ghee, and often coconut, the result is a warming, richly flavored dish that can stand alone as a meal.
Karela
Karela, otherwise known as bitter gourd, is a spiny, sharp-flavored vegetable which is often sliced, tossed in spices, and deep fried to make tasty hot-and-bitter chips. It's essential to salt the bitter gourd and press out excess liquid to get the best possible texture if you're using frozen Karela instead of fresh. Bitter gourd can also add complex flavor to curries—just thaw and scrape out the seeds with a spoon, and let it mellow with a bit of salt sprinkled on top, then rinse before using.
Fenugreek Leaves
The leaves, stems, and seeds of fenugreek all can be eaten—the seeds give off such a pleasant sweet aroma when cooked that the wafting smells from a factory in New Jersey that uses them to create fragrances led to an investigation by New York City investigators in 2009. The leaves, which are small and bright green in color, can be whipped into pesto or substituted for the dried leaves in many recipes, including this vibrantly green Saag Paneer. They also offer a an essential contrast to the creamy potatoes in Aloo Methi.
Lotus Root
"I cook almost entirely with frozen lotus root—the sell it fresh at Asian grocery stores, but usually those are really big, whereas in India we use it when it's younger and more tender," says Sana Javeri Kadri, the founder of direct-trade spice Diaspora Co. Another benefit: frozen lotus root is perfectly sliced in even rounds. To prepare it, Javeri Kadri turns to a recipe in Indianish, where a sweet-salty-spicy combination of tomatoes with cloves, turmeric, cumin seeds, and chili fills the pinwheel-like rounds of crisp lotus root.
Okra
"I really love fried okra, which is a classic Indian snack, but also popular in the American South, where I grew up," says Chandra Ram, the editor of Plate and author of The Complete Indian Instant Pot Cookbook. "It’s hard to find okra out of season, so I rely on frozen okra. I cut each pod lengthwise into slivers, then toss them in flour seasoned with salt, pepper and turmeric and fry them in oil," she says. Ram serves the fried okra with julienned red onion, plus tomato, cilantro, cucumber, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
My grandmother also taught me to rely on frozen okra from the Indian grocery, saying it's often "softer and smaller, more tender than what you find in the average American grocery store." If you've been wary of okra's potential gumminess before, try grabbing a bag at an Indian store, regardless of whether you've got an Indian recipe queued up. "Most of the sliminess," Javeri Kadri explains, "has been bred out of Indian okra."
Amla
Amla, a small, plump fruit also known as Indian gooseberry, makes for a sweet and tangy pickle. Fiery and tart, like a sort of flavor-boosted mango chutney, amla pickle will brighten up any stews, braised meats, or rice. If you find a bag of frozen amla, you can substitute it for the vegetables in this vegetable pickle recipe.
