Roasted Red Potatoes with Turmeric and Thyme

January 28, 2013 Leave a Comment

 I have often said that I am blessed in the fact that I find comfort and creativity in cooking for my family. Like it or not, cooking for a family is an everyday necessity and so I am blessed that I can approach it with joy and creativity.

Now,when it comes to working with food for the kids, the stakes are much higher. LOL! I think I will take a NYT food critic over my two in-house food critics.

 I might have mentioned earlier that they are chili pepper adverse. However, they are very good with most flavors. They are happy to try new things. Not all my recipes find success with them but I feel that every year we do better. We also find ways to come closer in our preferences. 

Ironically enough, I am probably the only one in my family who gets excited about potatoes. 

Today’s Sunday dinner offered me the opportunity to offer these well rooted beauties to the family in all their glory.

I had come up with the concept of family dinner Sundays late last year and I am happy that we have all been enjoying each other’s company and the meal. In fact, so much so, I passed the opportunity to get out and eat this weekend because it was a Sunday.

 My intial misgivings about the fact that we can only do these relaxed dinners on a Sunday has now been abated by the fact that these have become quite the production.

With the kids it is often about the hoopla. The kids and I have been able to make family dinner Sundays a lot of fun. We plan the menu and on certain weeks we go ahead and pick different countries to cook and talk about. I take time to research their requests and often like the case of these potatoes, I have to adapt them.

They are my version of a deep fried North Indian style potatoe dish, originally made with carom seeds that I have nicely subbed with thyme and instead of adding the chili peppers while cooking,  I finish them off with red pepper flakes later in the game.

I also add in a bunch of thinly sliced onions that crisp up really well when baked.

I actually used white onions that tend to be a novelty in my kitchen.  They work better for this recipe than my usual red ones. If you want a version with more heat add in up to a teaspoon of cayenne with the turmeric. If you want more character you can add in some fenugreek leaves, I think you get the idea.

The post script on this recipe is that all the potatoes were finished and the kids agreed that they tasted almost like french fries. Not sure whether to take that as a compliment.

I had paired them with a simple recipe for broiled fish, you can enjoy them with anything including your morning eggs.

 

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Roasted Red Potatoes with Turmeric and Thyme

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Makes 4 Servings

A simple and flavorful recipe for roasted potatoes. Addictive,vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients

  • 10 to 12 small red potatoes (preferably organic, since I leave the skin on)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 pods garlic, minced
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons freshly snipped thyme
  • 1/2 medium sized white onion thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin Olive Oil
  • Red Pepper Flakes to finish

Instructions

  1. Clean the potatoes well and cut them in half.
  2. In a large pot bring some water to boil and add the potatoes and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
  3. Turn off the heat and drain the potatoes in colander.
  4. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  5. In a mixing bowl toss the potatoes with the turmeric,salt,garlic and the thyme and onions.
  6. Place in a baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil.
  7. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes,the potatoes should be lightly crisped and the onions golden.
  8. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste and serve immediately.
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Filed Under Deepta and Aadi Tagged With Potatoes, Roasted Red Potatoes, Thyme, Turmeric, Winter

Alu Posto – Bengali Potatoes in a Poppy Seed Paste

December 12, 2012 Leave a Comment

As I write to share this recipe for Alu Posto or Potatoes in a Poppy Seed Paste, which I think is perfect for the cold weather I remember and think of someone in gratitude. 

The recipe for Alu Posto or Potatoes in a Poppy Seed paste, is a fairly classic Bengali recipe and something that most of its fans like to savor anytime of the year. The soft and comforting flavors are certainly delightful during the winter months, but since poppy seeds are supposed to have cooling properties the dish is also appreciated during summer.

As I write more about this recipe, I will tell you that I am offering a variation on the recipe in my book, to make it sans onions, partly because my mother will tell you that this is right way to make and also because I want to offer Ammini a version that she can make well in her kitchen, and while I am at it this version will actually work well for my mother-in-law who also eats her vegetarian food without any onions. This variation is pretty simple, eliminate the onions and add in a pinch of asafetida with the panch phoron, this will actually also save you about five minutes since you do not have to wait for the onions to wilt and turn softly golden.

When my book project was wrapped up my editor sent the book to their group of people to comment on it, this was anonymous to me so not necessarily something that was very prominent on my radar skin. I wanted some people, whose work I liked and who were advocates of regional Indian cooking in their own right, so I wanted to reach out to them. I did this with nervous trepidation, after all, what if they did not like my work, what if they did not respond, this was not anonymous.

One of them was Ammini, and I loved her website that showcased such insightful and deep cultural insights about her home state of Kerela, located in lush and beautiful coastal South India. Ammini was so gracious and reassured me with her kind words about the books. Her feedback was the first external feedback that I received on the book and went a long way in making me feel at least the book would be palatable to some.

In one of her exchanges with me she shared her nostalgia about this recipe, this is what she told me,

“When I first came to the US many years ago it was hard to find most Indian ingredients. As graduate students my husband and I shared a small house with a Bengali couple. We lived downstairs and they were upstairs. When the fragrance of poppy seed masala wafted downstairs, practically every week, I knew Gowri Mukhopadhyay was cooking that delicious potato dish. Soon she would knock on my door with bowl of her potatoes. In Rhode Island, potatoes were easy to find and she had brought a good stock of poppy seeds with her, so it was a staple in her house.” 

So, I think of Ammini and many others as I share with you this simple recipe that we Bengalis call comfort food.  I have also included a video demo, which might have some technical glitches, but something that my husband is learning to work on.

 

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Alu Posto – Potatoes in a Poppy Seed Paste

Ingredients

  • 3 or 4 russet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons mustard oil
  • ½ teaspoon panch phoron
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 or 3 green chilies, slit
  • 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ cup poppy seed paste (poppy seeds soaked overnight and ground to a paste)

Instructions

  1. Place the potatoes in a pot with water to cover and boil for about 6 to 7 minutes (the potatoes should be parboiled but not completely cooked through).
  2. Cool the potatoes, peel them, and cut into wedges and set aside.
  3. Heat the mustard oil in a wok or skillet on medium heat for about 1 minute and add the panch phoron and wait until it crackles.
  4. Add the onion and sauté lightly for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
  5. Add the green chilies and cumin-coriander powder.
  6. Add the salt and the potato wedges and mix well.
  7. Cook, stirring well, until the potatoes are coated with the spices and
  8. begin to turn golden.
  9. Add the sugar, poppy seed paste, and ½ cup water and cook until the mixture is fairly dry (the moisture should dry out leaving a soft coating of the poppy seed paste over the potatoes).
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Filed Under Bengali, Bengali Five Spice, Uncategorized Tagged With Alu Posto, Ammini Ramachandran, Bengali, Bengali Five Spice, Gluten Free, Poppy Seed Paste, Posto, Potatoes, Potatoes in a Poppy Seed Paste, The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles, Vegan, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Winter

Saag Alu – Potatoes with Seasonal Greens

July 23, 2012 2 Comments

 This has been our third year of backyard cooking and living. We have settled into a comfortable more. I am at a point, I sort of know what to expect, sure we vary the “catch” a little, but overall I know we will get a good summer crop that will comfortably see us through the winter months. As most people know, I have adapted our cooking to work with the backyard and honestly it works very well.

Today was a different level of accomplishment, I had my first, “farm to table” class. I did not label it such, but we cooked with kale, tomatoes, beets, spinach and green beans from the garden. I was thrilled to see how well things worked out. In particular, this was not one of my very enviromentally conscious groups, but I think I have just persuaded a few people to visit the farmer’s markets this season.

So one of the surprising great creations was, this adaptation of the classic Indian greens and potatoes, that we call Saag Alu. Now, Saag is a generic name for greens, not just spinach.  This recipe made with Kale will offer fenugreek lovers familiar notes of sweet and slight bitterness. Overall the soft potatoes offer a perfect background for the kale. Just a note, to make this recipe work like the kale and potato were made for each other, you need a touch of spinach to soften the kale and the kale needs to the very finely choped. I use a pair of scissors and do this with my kids. We actually have a lot of fun, slicing the kale into super thin ribbons.

The potatoes in this recipe are organic baby potatoes, that I boiled and peeled and halved.

 

 

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Saag Alu – Potatoes with Seasonal Greens

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 pounds baby potatoes (about 15)
  • Water for boiling
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 2 cups (about 6 to 8 large kale leaves) very finely chopped kale
  • 1 cup finely chopped spinach
  • 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
  • 1 lime (optional)

Instructions

  1. Wash the potatoes and place in a large pot of water to boil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. Drain the potatoes in a colander, peel the potatoes and cut into halves.
  3. Heat the olive oil and add the cumin seeds and wait till they sizzle.
  4. Add in the ginger-garlic paste and saute lightly for 1 minutes, until the mixture is very fragrant.
  5. Add in potatoes and mix well.
  6. Add in the turmeric and the salt and mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Add in the chili powder and the tomatoes and let the mixture rest on low heat until the tomatoes soften, this will take about 3 to 4 minutes.
  8. Mix the tomatoes into the potato mixture.
  9. Mix in the kale and spinach, with the cumin-coriander powder and stir well, this should mix into the the tomatoes, continue cooking stirring frequently until the kale wilts and coats the potatoes in a soft dark green coating.
  10. Squeeze in the lime juice if using the lime and mix well, check the seasonings and serve.
  11. Squeeze in the lime juice if using and con

Notes

Vegan and Gluten Free.

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Filed Under Class Vignettes, Local and Backyard Cooking, Turmeric, Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Desi, Kale, North Indian, Potatoes, Saag Alu, Spinach, tomatoes, Vegetarian Main Dishes

Lamb Curry with Cumin and Potatoes

January 7, 2012 Leave a Comment

  The year had started out as a mixed bag. I was happy to have the company of my favorite friends and family. We closed the year with a quiet gathering at our house, drank some good bubbly and went to sleep. Well, between the bubbly and some, I woke up with a headache and an empty fridge.

With a houseful of 8 hungry children, not to mention the grown ups, my new year started with a dash to the grocery store.

This was actually not a bad start for me. I could think of worse places to be at and while the aisles were a little picked over, it was a quiet and pleasant shopping experience.

For lunch, I made some lamb curry with potatoes. My favorite way to savor the meat. Yes, I do not always admit it but my idea of comfort is often about meat and potatoes.

 The potatoes used in this recipe were creamy australian cresents that I had procured from the last week of the market. Adding meat or some kind of vegetable that readily absorbs flavor is a very Bengali thing, essentially you are left with a flavorful gravy and these vegetables have actually absorbed all of the great flavor.

Before we wrapped up for the season, we picked a bumper harvest of hot peppers, along with the bells, I had chopped and frozen the habaneros. They made a wonderful spicy addition to the curry. Outside of the peppers, I did not use much by ways of spices but the curry with white rice actually offered a wonderful balance to the meal.

This recipe is a laid back kind of curry that is slow simmered to fork tender perfection. While I did most of the slow fixing of the spices and sauting the meat, I did end up with finishing it off in the pressure cooker.

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Lamb Curry with Cumin and Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 red onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 pounds of boneless leg of lamb, cubed
  • 1 and ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 to 3 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 habanera chili, minced
  • 1 tablespoon powdered cumin
  • 1 teaspoon powdered coriander
  • 3 tomatoes cut into a dice
  • 6 fingerling potatoes, peeled and halved
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil and add the onion and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes, until the onions turn a pale golden color.
  2. Add in the cumin seeds and wait till they sizzle lightly.
  3. Add in the lamb and sauté for 5 minutes.
  4. Add in the salt, turmeric, bay leaves, habanera, cumin, coriander and mix well.
  5. Keep stiring the meat till it darkens and the oil is released from the spice mixture.
  6. Mix in the tomatoes and continue stiring until the tomatoes have softened and melted into the sauce and the oil is released.
  7. Add in the potatoes and mix well.
  8. Add in about 1 and 11/2 cups of water and bring to a simmer.
  9. At this point either place in a pressure cooker and cook for 6 minutes, or cover and cook on low heat until the meat is fork tender (this will take about 45 minutes).
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Filed Under Cumin, Local and Backyard Cooking, Slow Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With cilantro, Cumin, Curry, Habanero, Lamb, Main Dishes Non Vegetarian Slow Cooker, Potatoes, Winter

Fiddlehead Ferns with a Bengali Seasoning

August 3, 2011 1 Comment

Earlier this year, at the peak of spring when the fiddleheads are in season I had actually picked them up at the Briarcliff Manor Farmer’s Market.

Fiddleheads to me are a this very local specialty and one that is a harbinger of spring. They grow in the forests spontaneously, in fact, like most things found in the wild they need a little care while cooking. They are said to contain a mildly toxic substance which if not cooked properly can cause a bad stomach for some people. Fear not, they withstand a relatively long cooking period with grace and so all that is needed is a little bit of boiling prior to cooking.

I had made a couple of pasta dishes, my favorite being this one. When I had posted this on my facebook page, I was surprised to learn from one of the comments that said,

Hi Rinku, Thanks for the recipe now I know one more way of cooking fiddleheads. Fiddlleheads also called dheki saag is a staple in the hill regions of Northeast India, often paired with panta bhaat(fermented rice). My husband who is from …Chittagong introduced me to it(sans panta bhaat) when we were living in Montreal. Every spring we foraged for it in the Laurentian Mountains with our children when we went sugar shacking. You can cook this exquisite vegetable with kalo jeera, shukno lonka phorun in a bit of desi ghee and lightly fry the boiled greens and serve with hot rice, simple and nourishing.

 

This surprised me, but then again as said here, Bengali cuisine is indeed an organic cuisine in that it seems to have uses for almost all of natures edibles. So I essentially listened to her directive and came up with a very interesting dish. As with some of my evening creations, I did not like the darker shades of the photographs, so I had hesitated about posting. Last evening, I was cleaning out my pictures, it has been a process to organize my pictures as it always tends to be after any trip and just when in my son’s words I feel “all caught up” it is time for the next.

So onto what I did,

Dheki Shaag – Fiddleheads cooked with a Bengali Seasoning

 For the best use of time, you can begin simmering the fiddleheads and proceed to chopping the potatoes.

 Prep Time: 5-7 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup fiddlehead ferns (about ½ a pound), trimmed

3 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

1 and 1/2 tablespoon mustard oil

½ teaspoon nigella seeds

2 medium russet or Idaho potatoes (peeled and diced)

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon red chili powder

1-2 green chilies

1 dried red chili

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon ghee

Method of Preparation

1. Place the fiddlehead ferns and the water with about 1 teaspoon salt on the fire. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Place in a colander to drain.

2. Heat the mustard oil on medium high heat for about 1 minute and add in the nigella seeds and wait for them to sizzle. The oil should be hot enough to begin this right away.

3.Add in the potatoes with the turmeric and chili powder and continue cooking the potatoes for about 5 minutes until the potatoes are golden and crisp. They need to be stirred frequently through this process.

4. Once the potatoes are crisp and a nice golden brown color add in the remaining salt, green chilies and red chili with the ginger paste and sauté for another minute.

5. Add in the drained fiddleheads with the ghee and cook for another 2 minutes.

6.Serve with a nice serving of steamed white rice and a simple dish of lentils like this.

 I realize that this post is early for next spring but I did want to share it. If you are looking for some lentil inspirations, you might want to check out some of the rounds ups for my legume love affair on Susan’s Blog  , and for summer inspirations try some of the seasonal blogs like Fabulicious Food.

Filed Under Bengali, Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Bengali, Dheiki Shaag, Fiddleheads, Indian, Nigella Seeds, Potatoes, Vegetarian

Alu Gobi – Curried Potatoes and Cauliflower with Green Peas

May 18, 2011 Leave a Comment

Comforting and classic this is recipe is something that has many fans, it is perfect for family nights.

It is also good for company. The soft absorbent potatoes feature wonderfully as a soft backdrop against the mild just slightly crunchy mellow taste of the cauliflower. This is a well tested duo in Indian cooking that has met the test of both taste and appearance.

This friday I made a batch of these with a little more variation than my usual variation of this dish that skips the tomatoes and onions. This is closer to a more classic version. We have some leftover that will work well for tonights dinner with I plan on eating with luchis (Indian puffed breads). This particular version is closer to the North Indian variation and has a nice thick soft sauce formed from the tomatoes and the spices well seasoned by the flavorful cilantro that I had picked up from the farmer’s market this weekend. We were also suprised at the depth of flavors that the simple potatoes afforded.

Alu Gobi – Curried Potatoes and Cauliflower with Green Peas

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

1/4 cup of oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 medium red onion, cut into a dice

2 teaspoons minced ginger

3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into eights

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1.5 teaspoons salt

1 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces

3 tomatoes, cut into a dice (or 1 cup canned organic diced tomatoes)

1/2 cup green peas

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil on medium heat for about 1 minute and add the cumin seeds and wait till they sizzle.

2. In about 20 seconds, add in the onions and the ginger and saute lightly for about 4 minutes, until the onions are soft and begining to turn pale golden.

3. Add the potatoes, turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chili powder and the salt and mix well, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spices begin to smell fragrant.

4. Turn the heat to low and cover and cook for about 6-7 minutes until the potatoes are about half way done.

5. Add in the cauliflower and  tomatoes and mix well. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a steady simmer.

6. Cover and cook the curry undisturbed for about 15 minutes. Remove the cover and stir well.

7. Add in the green peas, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the vegetables are nice and soft and coated with a nice thick sauce.

8. Turn off the heat and mix well.

9. Garnish with cilantro and serve.


Cauliflower

 

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Alu Gobi – Curried Potatoes and Cauliflower with Green Peas
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 6
 

A curried preparation of potatoes, cauliflowers and green peas
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup of oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into a dice
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into eights
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
  • 3 tomatoes, cut into a dice (or 1 cup canned organic diced tomatoes)
  • ½ cup green peas
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Instructions
  1. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil on medium heat for about 1 minute and add the cumin seeds and wait till they sizzle.
  2. In about 20 seconds, add in the onions and the ginger and sauté lightly for about 4 minutes, until the onions are soft and beginning to turn pale golden.
  3. Add the potatoes, turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chili powder and the salt and mix well, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spices begin to small fragrant.
  4. Turn the heat to low and cover and cook for about 6-7 minutes until the potatoes are about half way done.
  5. Add in the cauliflower, tomatoes and the yogurt and mix well. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a steady simmer.
  6. Cover and cook the curry undisturbed for about 15 minutes. Remove the cover and stir well.
  7. Add in the green peas, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are nice and soft and coated with a nice thick sauce.
  8. Turn off the heat and mix well.
  9. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Filed Under Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Cauliflower, Curries, Fall, Green Peas, Indian, Main Dish, Potatoes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Seriously Good Potato Fries

January 11, 2011 1 Comment
This recipe is as essential and as basic as it gets. This being said, these potato fries are seriously good! And in keeping with their flavors they are called Seriously Good Potato Fries. They are a classic Bengali snack and can be done with any vegetable of your choice the popular favorites being eggplant and potatoes. I like them both but as with everything else I eat, I tend to be partial to potatoes.                                       Somewhere a few weeks back, the husband was running fever and needed to get to the immediate care facility.                                            Actually, this was about a week before, the cat and his Christmas day visit to the kitty emergency center. Well, the problem with our house like most houses is that one of the grown ups are sick. It is not quite so easy for the other partner in crime to leave the house and take the sick grown up to the doctor. Taking the thus far well little ones to such a place is just asking for trouble.

Anyhow, one of the husband’s friends obliged and took him over, so to thank him for spending the Sunday helping us out I made these addictive crispy potato fries. Interestingly, enough even in the midst of actually transcribing the recipe I ended up with a bout of the flu. However the fact that trancribe them I did should give you and indication of how much we enjoyed them.

 

 

Filed Under Bengali, Local and Backyard Cooking Tagged With Besan, Chickpea Flour, Fries, Gluten Free, Potatoes, red pepper, Side Dishes, Vegan, Winter

Alu Baigan – Potatoes and Eggpants in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

January 18, 2010 Leave a Comment

Alu BaiganThis melt in your mouth gently spiced concoction that simply melts in your mouth, did not start out with such delicious aspirations. In fact, it started out as a lone eggplant, occupying some space in the refrigerator. I asked my helper to cut it into wedges and keep this in a zip lock bag for me. This is something that she does on occasion, although her knife skills are really, really appalling, there is not too much damage one can do cubing a large eggplant.

What was an adaptation of my mother-in-law’s recipe which she makes with eggplants very finely diced and loads of tomatoes and just the right amount of potatoes, not unlike a Indian version of a caponata had become a chunkier and very comforting dish in my house that I make to celebrate late summer. What I do retain from my mother-in-law’s version is her generous use of tomatoes, I mean seriously how can there possibly be too much tomatoes in any dish especially if we are using eggplants.

Alu Baigan or Potatoes with Eggplants is a very Indian comfort dish, that is served with freshly made Indian flatbreads or chapatis. I have been known to serve this with well toasted sourdough bread, whole wheat of course…

Alu Baigan or potatoes with eggplants is quite a classic dish, there are several variations of this dish. I have for some reason never really tried it, but then as they say there is always a first time. This recipe after the first time visits me frequently every summer.

Here is how I did it,
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Alu Baigan – Golden potatoes and eggpants in a spicy tomato sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized, fresh eggplants, cut into 1 to 2 inch wedges
  • 2 medium sized potatoes, cut into wedges to match the eggplants
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • ¼ cup oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
  • 4 tomatoes, diced
  • 2 green chilies, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Rub the potatoes and eggplants with half the salt and turmeric and set aside in separate bowls.
  2. Heat the oil and add in the cumin seeds and wait until they begin to sizzle, this will take a few seconds.
  3. Add in the ginger-garlic paste and the potatoes and stir well for 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the potatoes are almost cooked and a pale golden yellow.
  5. Add in the eggplants and mix well. Cook on medium high heat for about 5 minutes until the eggplants and potatoes are mixed well with the spices.
  6. Add in most (reserve about 1 tomato) of the chopped tomatoes, green chilies, salt and sugar and stir well.
  7. Cover and cook the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
  8. Remove the cover and mix well, the eggplants should be soft and cooked through. Cook until all the liquid is fairly dry and the mixture is sizzling at the edges of the pan.
  9. Add in the remaining tomato and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the tomato is soft and melting.
  10. Mix well and add in the cilantro and serve with a flatbread of your choice.
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Filed Under Cilantro, Ginger and Garlic Paste, Local and Backyard Cooking, Regional Indian Tagged With Alu Baigan, cilantro, Eggplant, Eggplants, Gluten Free, Indian Food, North Indian, Potato and Eggplant Curry, Potatoes, Summer, ve, Vegan, Vegetarian Main Dishes

Cauliflower with Ginger and Fenugreek – Methi Gobi

April 21, 2009 3 Comments
Cauliflower with Ginger and FenugreekOMG! looking at the monsoon outside, who would think spring was almost here this weekend!

What a perfectly clear day! We went to the teatown lake’s Earth Day, hikathon! I tried to be good over the weekend, did not use plastic bags, drank lots of NY wine and cooked mostly vegetarian food.

Actually the recipe, I am posting was done earlier in the week a somewhat different variation of my usual cauliflower, with a touch of dried fenugreek. It is quite amazing how much flavor this adds to the dish! This recipe does, something that I have been doing lately, taking a more classic potato based dish and adapting it for cauflower. I am not unique in this, think mashed cauliflower. After all, caulflower’s neutral notes, make it just perfect to substitute for comforting and soft potatoes. Some of the gentle softness, with more nutrition and less carbs, even the marathoner brother would approve.

The lively colors of this dish work well, particularly with the somewhat duller rainy skies, it pairs perfectly with almost anything I can think of. The flavors perky enough to hold their own with a heavier and bold flavoring and light enough to be served with something light and simple like tofu. We tend to have it quite often with fish. I know that we tend to have almost everything quite often with fish, it tends to be our go to protien and cauliflower of course is my go to vegetable.

Outside of things, I paid homage to Sparkles the clown and prepped for my kids birthday party next week!

 

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Cauliflower and Potatoes with Ginger and fenugreek

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

An interesting and very flavorful variation of the classic potato and cauliflower combination seasoned with fenugreek and yogurt.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 medium sized red onion, diced
  • 11/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • 1 medium sized cauliflower chopped
  • 1/2 cup frozen green peas (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek
  • 2 tablespoons whole yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil on medium heat for about 1 minute.
  2. Add the mustard seeds and heat until the seeds begin to crackle.
  3. Add in the onion and the ginger and saute the onion for 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Add in the cauliflower and cover and cook for 3 minutes.
  5. Stir in the green peas if using.
  6. Mix in the turmeric, chili powder and salt and stir well.
  7. Add in the tomatoes and cover and cook for five minutes.
  8. Remove the cover and stir well.
  9. Mix in the dried fenugreek, yogurt and the sugar and cover and cook for another five minutes until the vegetables are nice and soft.
  10. Stir in the cilantro and serve.
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Filed Under Fenugreek, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Cauliflower, Fenugreek, Ginger, Indian, Potatoes

Flashworthy Alu Palak – Curried Comforting Potatoes with Spinach

March 11, 2009 4 Comments

A heavenly medley of tomatoes, potatoes and spinach.

Made this at a class, at the request of one of my students. It is one of my favorite recipes, it covers all the bases for a good weeknight recipe – it is healthy, it is comforting and pairs beautifully with most dishes actually makes a complete side since it works and both the vegetable and the carbohydrate.
 
What makes it practical and also useful for winter, is that I use a baby spinach mix – anything you find in the local store, Dole or Earthbound Farms usually works for me.
 
These packages come tripple washed and all I need to do is through this into the cooking pot. In summer, of course there is the garden and I do have to wash the spinach, but I have the comfort of knowing that it is not packaged and there is no posibility of it having a hint of anything processed or chemical like in its composition.

 Now, I told you we had this houseguest visiting us. He had been sitting on the table working on his laptop which was right oposite me cooking in the kitchen. I am so used to taking pictures while cooking, (yes, even in the evening), I sometimes do this to rememeber well, he suddenly sees the flash and the next thing I knew he was in the kitchen wanting to know what spice caused that effect… It took me sometime to explain that the camera is one of my kitchen tools.

Well, I think I might have impacted this young scientist’s thinking for life. Oh well, for what its worth he like the dish.

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Curried Comforting Potatoes with Spinach

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

A simple slightly tangy rendition of alu palak, a classic Indian spinach and potato dish.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 red onion, cut into a dice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
  • 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 3 tomatoes, finely diced
  • salt to taste
  • 4 cups of shredded baby spinach leaves
  • 1 lime (optional)
    • To garnish
  • 1 minced green chili
  • Red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil on medium heat and add in the cumin seeds and wait until they sizzle.
  2. Add in the onion and the ginger and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions wilt and soften and begin to turn into a golden toffee shade.
  3. Add in the potatoes, tomatoes and the salt with 1/2 a cup of water.
  4. Cover cook the potatoes on medium low heat for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
  5. Add in the spinach leaves and stir well.
  6. Cook the spinach for 3 to 4 minutes until they wilt and the liquid is all absorbed.
  7. Cut the lime and squeeze in the juice.
  8. Stir in the minced chili and sprinkle with red pepper flakes and the chopped cilantro.
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 I am sending this over to Deepa for this months cooking with kids event, originally started by Sharmi .

 

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Regional Indian Tagged With Alu Palak, Curries, Gluten Free, Potatoes, Spinach, Vegan, Vegetarian Main Dishes

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