Indian Curry in a Hurry

My friend Meg gave me this amazing vegetarian Indian cookbook for my birthday. (For those of you who are interested, it’s Indian Vegetarian Cooking At Your House.) I haven’t cracked the book much yet because we were away last week, but it sparked some major curry cooking in me. We’ve been eating vegetable curry for dinner most every night, and it’s all a variation on this Chickpea Mash recipe from years ago with some tips from the book.

So, I thought I’d give you some tips for how to make this dish work in your house . . . tonight! Well, at least once you gather a few key spices. We make this meal so often, we use whatever we have on hand to make it work. If you only have chickpeas, onions, and potatoes, use ‘em.

And don’t forget the naan (we have many recipes), but I’ll give you an update on that part, too.

VEGETABLE CURRY in a hurry

What you’ll need . . .

• Mince a couple cloves of garlic
• Chop one onion
• Chop one large bell pepper
• Consider adding a cup of broccoli cauliflower, or other veggies 
• Use a can (or 1-1/2 cups) chickpeas*
• Peel and halve 2 medium potatoes or sweet potatoes
• Consider adding frozen peas
• Heck, toss in a medium tomato from your garden
• Add spices!
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard or coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• salt + pepper

* I’ve been using frozen chickpeas. If you’d like to start cooking your own beans, follow these instructions. Works great. Freeze big batches for easy cooking.

PS: I know this seems like a lot, but once you get your spices -- a lot of this is stuff we all have on hand for making other healthy meals. Once you get the hang of cooking it, it’s a breeze. Here’s the process. Read through it once, then make it . . . and you’ll want to do it over and over again.


Method . . .

1. Start a pot of water boiling on the stove. You’ll add your potatoes to the water and cook until they are softened. Then remove from water and chop into pieces the size of your onions and peppers.
2. While those are cooking, you’ll heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan (sometimes I use my tagine) and add your mustard or coriander seeds. Honestly, either type tastes good in this dish -- so just use what you have/can find. 
3. Once they start popping, toss in the garlic and cook until lightly browned.
4. Then toss in the rest of your veggies. You’ll want to cook until the onions are translucent. You can add your spices (all of them) at any point. 
5. Then toss in the chickpeas and potatoes. Add a few splashes of water and keep cooking over medium heat until everything starts to cook together. The flavors will mingle, the potatoes will soften even more to make everything come together in an almost-mushy texture.
6. After 10 to 15 minutes of simmering, serve with naan.

5-MINUTE NAAN RECIPE

What you’ll need . . .

• 1 cup whole wheat flour 
• 1/2 cup bread flour
• 1 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegan mayo (!!!)
• Pinch salt

Method . . .

1. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add in the water and vegan mayo slowly. You want the mixture to be a nice, soft round, but not sticky. Add more water if it’s too dry or more flour if it’s too wet. 
3. Divide into four pieces, then follow these video instructions to get cooking.

ENJOY!

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Tarka Dhal for Dinner

I see this dish spelled both "Tarka Dhal" and "Tarka Dal" -- so, if I'm making an error in the title, I apologize. No matter how you spell it, though, this recipe is incredible. It's just one version of many dhals that are served throughout India. And since many of these folks are vegetarian, dhals are a key part of the diet there. As a vegetarian myself, I can assure you the same will be the case for me (and Stephen)!


So, in our last post, we covered the beauty of the microwaved sweet potato. You can eat it plain. You can eat it smothered in cheese. And now -- you can eat it covered in spices. With red lentils. And garlic. And eggplant. Etc.


Here's how . . .

What you'll need . . .

• 2 tablespoons canola or sunflower oil
• 1 medium cooking onion, sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (heaping) red lentils, rinsed
• 1 sweet potato, microwaved
• 1/2 eggplant, chopped
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Method . . .

1. Poke holes in your sweet potato with a fork and microwave on high for five to six minutes. Remove from microwave, and gently scoop the potato out of its skin. Mash 1 tablespoon of it . . . and chop the rest into soft cubes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola or sunflower oil in a large pan and add the onions. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes over high heat, then add the coriander seeds. Cover pan until the seeds begin to pop. (You'll hear it.)
3. Remove the lid from the pan and add the garlic, ginger, and salt.
4. Stir once and add the lentils, 1 tablespoon of the sweet potato mash, and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in the sweet potato cubes, chopped eggplant, lemon juice, and basil and let simmer for another 10 minutes. (Until lentils are tender.)
6. Remove from heat and serve into bowls.
7. Mix together the other 1 tablespoon of oil with the garam masala and chili powder (this is a topping). Pour over the tarka dhal and enjoy!

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