Raghavan Iyer, CCP 

Bombay-native Raghavan Iyer, a Certified Culinary Professional, and a member of The International Association of Culinary Professionals, has acquired degrees in Chemistry (Bombay University), Hotel, and Restaurant Management (Michigan State University).  He is a cookbook author, culinary educator, and consultant to numerous national and international clients.  He is the author of Betty Crocker’s Indian Home Cooking (Wiley, 2001) and The Turmeric Trail: Recipes and Memories from an Indian Childhood (St. Martin’s Press, 2002) - 2003 James Beard Awards Finalist: Best International Cookbook.  He is currently at work on a book 700 Indian Curries (working title), (expected publication in 2006 by Workman Publishing, New York).  He received the highly coveted 2004 International Association of Culinary Professional’s Award of Excellence (formerly the Julia Child Awards) for Cooking Teacher of the Year, and was a Finalist for a 2005 James Beard Journalism Award.  His numerous articles have appeared in national food publications including EatingWell, Fine Cooking, Weight Watchers Magazine, Cooking Pleasures, and the internationally renowned literary food magazine Gastronomica. 

Iyer is co-founder of the Asian Culinary Arts Institutes, Ltd., an organization dedicated to the preservation, understanding, and enjoyment of the culinary arts of Asia.  

An accomplished and prolific culinary instructor at many international, national, and local venues, including the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ Annual Conferences in Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montreal, and Dallas with over 21 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Iyer is also fluent in more than six languages.  He leads food and cultural tours to India. 

He has appeared in numerous radio and television shows across the United States and Canada including The Splendid Table (national public radio show with Lynne Rossetto Kasper), A Chef’s Table with Jim Coleman (WHYY Philadelphia – NPR affiliate), WGN Morning News (WGN Chicago), Good Day Atlanta (WAGA TV - Fox Affiliate), Good Day Tampa (Fox Affiliate Tampa), The Morning Show (KARE 11 – NBC Affiliate in Minneapolis/St. Paul), and the Vicki Gabereau Show (national Canadian television talk show).

Raghavan Iyer’s Chingri Maach Malai Curry

Prawns with coconut cream and fennel

Serves 4 

Rekha Ganguly was an indomitable presence even at 5 feet tall, her mustard oil massaged hair cascaded past her waist as it dried with reckless abandon under the Calcutta sun.  Her shidoor glowed in red brilliance on her forehead between her doe-like eyes.  She bent down to turn the spicy-sharp cayenne chilies yet one more time to ensure even drying as they lay in hot glory on her old green-saffron saree.  Her shaka and paula, white conch-shell and mineral red bangles, tingling reminders to her marital status, jingled with each pepper’s twisted fate.  Her purple-black pullow draped over her left shoulder and around her slender neck as it was weighted down with her bunch of house keys resting against her right bosom.  She had just been married to Amritalal Mukherjee, fifteen years her senior, her first wedding, his second, much to the family’s dismay.  Her uncle had pushed the match into matrimony, a rebellious parallel to the family’s involvement in India’s independence movement. 

Rekha’s quiet demeanor was a stark contrast to Amritalal’s boisterous, commanding presence that rippled synchronously with his guffaws.  As he was the life of the party, she was the winsome beauty in the background tending to his admirer’s gastronomical needs.  Her expertise in cooking the Bengali way was fine-tuned by her paralyzed mother-in-law and her white-saree wearing widowed sister-in-law.  As was expected, her prowess in cooking fish and seafood, staples in her community’s diet, was matched by none.  The truth of the matter was the guests came not for Amritalal’s wild stories, but to indulge in Rekha’s succulent prawns bathed in creamy coconut milk perked up by her arid strong chilies and pungent ground mustard.  The resulting curry was as sweet as her honeyed daughter Mithu, my good friend, who was a harmonious blend of unassuming Ganguly and antithetical Mukherjee. 

Sidebar:

1.       For a variation, use scallops instead of shrimp (or a combination of the two).  For the vegetarian at the table, substitute slices of homemade cheese Paneer for the shrimp.  Fry the marinated paneer slices for the same amount of time, as you would shrimp.

2.       Black mustard seed, when ground, yields a required bitterness to the dish.  Use yellow mustard seed as an alternative if you have no black seed on hand.

3.       To pound dried chilies, place them in a mortar and pound 5 to 6 times with pestle until chilies break down into smaller pieces and some of their seed are released.  Chilies placed in between sheets of plastic wrap and rolled over by a rolling pin also do the trick. 

1 pound uncooked shrimp (about 16 to 20), peeled and deveined, tail-on
4 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 dried red Thai, cayenne, or serrano chilies, pounded
1 teaspoon fennel seed, ground
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed, ground
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seed (removed from green or white pods), ground
2 tablespoons mustard or vegetable oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro 

1.       In medium bowl combine all ingredients, except oil, coconut milk, and cilantro; mix well. Refrigerate covered at least 1 hour or overnight.

2.       In 10-inch skillet heat mustard oil over medium-high heat; arrange shrimp in single layer.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes until underside is salmon-pink in color.  Turn shrimp and cook other side 1 to 2 minutes until salmon-pink in color.
3.       Reduce heat to medium; stir in coconut milk and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until warm. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.