Category Archives: indian

shrimp and cauliflower curry from Floyd Cardoz

Posted on by
  • 1 1/2 pounds144-145_Shrimp-Curry-with-Cauliflower_0/680 grams (21–25 count) head-on shrimp
  • Sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, ground
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, finely ground
  • 1 serrano chile, sliced lengthwise in half
  • 1 tablespoon Tamarind Paste
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 3 cups cauliflower florets
  • One and a half 13.5-fluid-ounce cans Chaokoh-brand coconut milk (stir well before measuring)

1. Remove the heads and shells from the shrimp, reserving both. Devein the shrimp and rinse them well. Season the shrimp with salt and refrigerate.

2. Place the shrimp heads and shells in a medium saucepan, add cold water to cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 3 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Strain the stock and set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a 4- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, cumin, and pepper and cook until the garlic is lightly colored and the spices are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add the reserved stock, the chile, tamarind paste, and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Add the cauliflower and coconut milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Season with salt. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the cauliflower is just beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Stir in the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are firm, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard the serrano, if desired. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot.

Changing It Up

Sometimes I make this with fish instead of shrimp, using one 4- to 5-ounce (113- to 142-gram) halibut or fluke steak per person. (The steaks come from cutting a whole fish crosswise into 1/2 – to 1-inch-thick slices. It’s a very pretty cut, resulting in a nice oblong shape with a bone in the middle and the skin ringing the steak.) Use fish stock or plain water in place of the shrimp stock; the fish’s bones and skin add depth and richness to the curry, just as the shrimp shells do. Add the fish steaks where the recipe instructs you to add the shrimp and cook until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.

 

Yellow Split Pea Dal, by Mollie Katzen

Posted on by

‘Dal’ in Indian cooking refers to porridge-like dishes made from dried legumes – usually split peas or lentils. Dal is often served in a thinned state as a soup, but equally often it will be a thick, hearty side dish. This is a thick dal, comprehensive and highly spiced enough to be the focus of a meal. Leftovers can be thinned with a little water and served as a soup. I serve this as an entrée, over brown rice.

kitchen witch 261
2 cup dried yellow split peas
2 thick slises fresh ginger, each about 2 inches long
4 large garlic cloves cut in half
8-10 cups water (plus more later if needed}
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp mustard seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 tsp each ground coriander and cardamom
2 tsp ground cumin
2 c. minced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1/4 c. tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne (optional)
peas
cooked potato
red pepper slices
cilantro
kale
cooked carrots

Place split peas, ginger slices, garlic halves and water in a soup pot or Dutch oven Cover and heat to boiling point, then reduce heat and simmer very slowly, partially covered – stirring intermittently- until peas are quite soft for about 60-70 min.  Add more water as necessary.

Meanwhile, place a medium saucepan over med heat for a min, than add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add all of the spices and cook, stirring, for a min or until they become fragrant.  Add the onion, minced garlic, minced ginger and 1 tsp salt.and stir so the onion becomes coated with the spices.  Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, covered until the onion becomes very soft.  Stir in the lemon juice at the end.

Add this mixture to the simmering split peas, stir to combine. add extra veggies and cook until they are done.  fish out the ginger slices and serve with rice.

Serve with rice.

 

Dal Tadka from fatfreevegan.com

Posted on by
  • easy-dal-tadka11/2 cup yellow moong dal (split mung beans) OR yellow split peas OR additional red lentils
  • 1/2 cup split red lentils (masoor dal)
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped (set aside other half)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger root, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (if desired)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala plus more to taste (see my recipe)
  • 1/2 large onion, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Instructions

  1. Put the lentils, water, and next 7 ingredients (through salt) into a pressure cooker(see Notes below for regular stovetop cooking). Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and allow pressure to drop naturally for 10 minutes. Open lid carefully and check to make sure lentils are tender. If not, continue to cook without pressure until lentils are fully cooked. Add garam masala and stir vigorously to make the lentils creamy. It should be a medium consistency, so add a little water if it’s too thick. Keep warm.
  2. While the lentils are cooking, heat a small non-stick skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until onions are softened and touched with brown.
  3. Check the seasoning of the lentils and add additional salt and garam masala to taste. Serve over rice and top each serving with the browned onions.

Notes

If cooking without a pressure cooker, bring ingredients to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook until lentils are soft, stirring often and adding water if they start to get too dry. Different types of dal take different amounts of time, so allow at least 30 minutes.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

 

Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas from fatfreevegan.com

Posted on by

Feel free to use othecreamed-kale-chickpeas-curry2r greens besides kale, whatever you have on-hand.

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger root, minced, or 1 tsp. powdered ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala (see below)
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 8 cups chopped kale, packed (1 10-ounce bunch, about 6 ounces after stems removed)
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 cup unsweetened soymilk or other non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
  • salt to taste
  1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes, adding water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
  2. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the kale and vegetable broth. Cover and cook until the kale is bright green and tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. While the kale is cooking, put the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, and tomato paste in the blender and puree until smooth. When the kale is done, add it to the blender and blend until smooth.
  4. Transfer blended mixture back to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Check seasonings and add more to taste. Stir in chickpeas and continue simmering about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve over basmati rice.  Number of servings 6

 

Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran

Posted on by

Panch phoran (also spelled panch phoron and panch puran) is a Bengali blend of five spices– fenugreek, mustard, kalonji (nigella), fennel, and cumin, in equal amounts. (In Bengal, radhuni would be used instead of mustard, but it’s not available in the U.S.) You can buy this spice blend in Indian grocery stores or you can make it yourself.

If you want a more assertive panch phoran taste, grind an additional 1/2 tablespoon of it and add it during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

  • 1 1/2 cups masoor dal or red lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/8 teaspoon canola oil (or canola oil spray)
  • 1 tablespoon panch phoran
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon ginger paste (or 1 tsp. minced ginger)
  • 16 ounces diced tomatoes (or 1 can)
  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets)
  • 1/2 cup water
  1. Pick over and rinse the lentils and add them to a pot with the water and turmeric. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the dal is tender, about 20 to 35 minutes. When done, add salt and set aside.
  2. While the dal is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Heat a large, deep skillet, preferably non-stick. When hot, add the canola oil and shake it to spread it around. Add the panch phoran and stir. (You may instead use oil spray; spray before and after adding the panch phoran.) When the first seed pops, immediately add the onion, garlic, pepper flakes, and ginger paste. Stir and cook until the onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cauliflower, and water, and stir. Cover and cook until the cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes.
  3. When the dal and cauliflower are both done, add the dal to the cauliflower mixture. Stir well, and check seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve hot, over rice if desired.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 55 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

 

Saag

Posted on by

(Indian spiced spinach) Saag, or palak, dishes are spiced purees of spinach or other greens common in northern India. They often contain additional ingredients such as potatos, fresh cheese, chicken or chickpeas to make a more substantial dish.

  • Oil or ghee — 2 tablespoons
  • Onion, chopped — 1
  • Garlic, minced — 3 to 6 cloves
  • Gingerroot, minced — 1 tablespoon
  • Coriander, ground — 2 teaspoons
  • Turmeric — 1/2 teaspoon
  • Cayenne pepper (optional) — 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
  • Spinach, chopped — 1 pound fresh or package of chopped frozen spinach thawed
  • Water — 1 cup
  • Salt — 1/2-1 teaspoons
  • Yogurt (optional) — 1 cup
  • Cream (optional) — 1/4 cup

 

  1. Heat the oil or ghee in a large pot or saucepan over medium flame. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Stir in the spinach, water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit. Don’t bother to use a blender or food processor to puree in batches.
  4. Add a little water if necessary and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes.
  5. OPtional — Stir in yogurt and return to brief simmer and immediately remove from heat. Stir in the optional cream, adjust seasoning and serve.

Variations

  • Saag, or Palak, Paneer (Spinach with fresh cheese): add 1/2 pound of paneer, cut into cubes, after pureeing the spinach. You may substitute tofu for the paneer if you can’t find paneer. Tofu is not an Indian ingredient, but it has a similar texture and flavor. Press tofu, cut in triangles and  brown in oil.
  • Jhinga Saag (Spinach with shrimp): add 1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp after pureeing the spinach. Simmer until the shrimp is just cooked through, 3-4 minutes.
  • Chana Saag (Spinach with chickpeas): add 1/2 pound cooked chickpeas after pureeing the spinach.
  • Saag Murgh (Spinach with chicken): add 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes, after pureeing the spinach. Simmer just until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Saag Aloo (Spinach with potatoes): add 1/2 pound cooked, cubed potatoes after pureeing the spinach.
  • You may use frozen or fresh spinach. Try substituting mustard or other greens.
  • A squeeze of lemon added at the end will brighten the flavor of this dish.

From whatsforeats.com