Chickpea Curry over Riced Cauliflower

Here's an easy, spicy main dish from Eating Well.  We serve it over cauliflower rice, but you can use regular rice if you prefer.

Ingredients:
2 10-oz bags frozen riced cauliflower
1 serrano pepper, cap removed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1- to 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 onion, peeled and chopped
6 T. canola oil, divided
2 t. ground coriander
2 t. ground cumin seeds
1/2 t. turmeric powder
2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1/2 t. salt
2 t. garam masala (This is an Indian seasoning.)
2 15-oz cans chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

Method:
Take the riced cauliflower out of the freezer so it can start thawing.

Pulse the serrano, garlic cloves, and ginger in a food processor until minced.  Add onion and pulse until finely chopped but not watery.

In a small stockpot (not saucepan - This will still be a big pot.), heat 5 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion mixture, coriander, cumin, and turmeric, and sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

Pulse the tomatoes and their juices in the food processor until they are also finely chopped.  Add the tomatoes, salt, and garam masala to the onion mixture in the pan.  Cover and cook at a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir in chickpeas until warmed through.

While the tomato mixture is simmering, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the riced cauliflower and sauté until tender, 5 - 10 minutes.  Salt to taste.

Serve the chickpea mixture over the riced cauliflower.  Serves 4.

Indian Green Tomato Pakoras

These fritters are SERIOUSLY GOOD.  A big thank-you to Country Living magazine for the recipe!

 

Ingredients:

1 c. chickpea flour (a.k.a. garbanzo bean flour)

1/2 c. rice flour

1 t. cumin seeds

1 t. chili powder

1 t. turmeric powder

salt

1 lb. green tomatoes, chopped into matchsticks

3 shallots or 1 onion, thinly sliced

3 c. vegetable oil, for frying

 

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the chickpea flour, rice flour, cumin seeds, chili powder, turmeric powder, and 2 t. salt.  Stir with a fork to combine.  Add the tomatoes and shallots/onions to the mixture.  Divide the mixture into 16 patties, using your palm to gently flatten.

 

(NOTE:  I used green Roma tomatoes, and I had trouble getting the batter to hold together into patties.  I assume this is due to the fact that Romas have less juice and more meat.  I suggest using green slicers instead of Roma or paste tomatoes to make patties.  I made a few patties, but I ultimately just tossed in the coated vegetable pieces into the oil without forming patties.  It was still very good, mind you!  Just not what I expected.)

 

In a heavy 2-quart pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F.  Working in batches of 4, fry the fritters until golden, 3 - 4 minutes.  Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.  Serve hot.

 

The magazine provided this analysis per 2-fritter serving:  4g protein, 15g fat, 19g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 603mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 220 calories.

Curry Roasted Cabbage

Here's another bit of inspiration, thanks to The Food Network magazine.  I've labeled it an autumn dish, but it's really got to be early autumn when cherry tomatoes are reaching the end of their season and autumn cabbage is beginning its season if you use the tomatoes.  Hope you like it!

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil

1 t. curry powder

1/4 t. salt

2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1/2 head green cabbage, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

On a rimmed baking sheet, pour in the olive oil, curry powder, and salt.  Add the garlic, cabbage, and cherry tomatoes (if using), and toss so that everything is coated with the oil and seasonings.  Spread to a single layer, and roast until the cabbage is tender, about 25 - 30 minutes.

This serves 2 - 3 as a side dish and doubles easily.  I served it with a spicy red bean dish and broiled cheddar toasts:



Indian Dal

I loooooove eating dal at Indian restaurants.  When we lived in Hot Springs, AR, there were no Indian restaurants in town, so I decided to teach myself to cook some of it.  This recipe is a sort of mash-up of advice I received for Indian cooking in general and various recipes I found for dal, especially the Dal Makhani recipe from Madhu Gadia's great cookbook New Indian Home Cooking, which is what I used to learn about cooking Indian food in Hot Springs.  Serve this with basmati rice and a side of spinach...and some garlic naan, if you can find it at your market.  I'm making dal for dinner tonight!

1/2 c. urad dal (Don't panic!  You can order this online, which is what I did in Hot Springs, or you can try your local international market.  If you can't find it, increase the amount of dried black-eyed peas and dried kidney beans to 1/2 c. each.  It'll still work!)
1/2 c. lentils
1/4 c. dry black-eyed peas
1/4 c. dry kidney beans
2 t. salt
1 t. turmeric
2 T. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 T. canola oil
1 t. cumin seeds
2 small onions, chopped
1 T. ground coriander
1 t. garam masala (either make this homemade from a recipe you find yourself, or buy it premade at the store.  I've seen a McCormick garam masala, but I can't always find it.  However, I find giant jars of it for very cheap at the international market here.)
1/2 - 1 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cans chopped tomatoes (I like to use petite-diced.  Of course, you can use fresh tomatoes, too.  Canned is just so convenient.)
fresh cilantro (optional)
cooked basmati rice, to serve with the dal


Clean all the dried legumes of any foreign material and rinse it in 2-3 changes of water.  Add the salt, turmeric, and ginger to the legumes in a large stock pot and cover well with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer 3 - 3.5 hours until the beans and water have melted together to form a creamy consistency.  (I've even been known to get at the legumes with a potato masher to speed this up.)  Add water as the legumes are cooking if the mixture gets too thick.


(Don't forget to start your rice!)  Heat the oil in a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the cumin seeds and brown until golden, just a few seconds.  Add the onion and sauté until transluscent.  Remove from heat.


Add the onion mixture, tomatoes, garam masala, coriander, and cayenne pepper to the legume mixture.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat back to a simmer.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, or to desired consistency.  Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if using.

Aloo Gobi with Chana Dal (Indian potatoes and cauliflower with chickpeas)

This is my version of the recipe in Madhu Gadia's New Indian Home Cooking. When I moved to Hot Springs, AR, there were NO Indian restaurants in town, and I was devastated. I decided it was time to learn to cook some Indian dishes to keep from going mad! Here is one I rely on.

2 T. expeller-pressed canola oil
1/2 t. cumin seeds (not ground)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 can petite-diced tomatoes
1/4 t. turmeric
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
10-oz bag of frozen cauliflower
1 t. fresh ginger (not dried!), peeled and chopped
2 t. ground coriander seed
1/2 t. garam masala (Indian spice mix - McCormick makes a version)
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, and fry until they are golden brown (just a few seconds). Add the onion, and sauté until transparent (3-5 minutes). Add the potatoes, tomatoes (including juice), turmeric, salt, and cayenne (if using), and stir to combine. Cover with a lid, reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the potatoes a head start on the cauliflower.

Add the cauliflower and ginger to the pan, stir to coat everything again. Re-cover, and cook an additional 8 - 10 minutes, until the potatoes and cauliflower are both easy to pierce with a fork. Add the coriander and garam masala. Stir to combine.  Stir in the chickpeas.

Serve hot, garnished with cilantro.

I like to serve this over basmati rice.