slow-cook dal soup

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook.  It is really good as leftovers, including frozen and reheated.  It can be with rice, but it's complete all on is own and quite satisfying.

Slow-Cook Dal Soup

Dal is an Indian dish usually made with lentils. It is sometimes served as a soup and sometimes as a side dish or condiment to complement a buffet or other Indian foods.

Makes 8 servings

1 lb red lentils, picked over and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 T canola oil
2 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground turmeric (optional)
1 t salt (to taste)
4c low sodium vegetable (or chicken) broth
2 c water

In a slow cooker, place the lentils, garlic, onions, carrots, ginger, oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Pour in the broth and water; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are soft and the vegetables tender, 9-10 hours.

Per Serving (1 cup):  5 points plus, 235 Cal, 2g Fat, 0g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 0 mg chol, 547mg sodum, 39 g carb. 10 g Fiber, 16 g. protein, 70 mg calcium

Curried Potato and Onion Curry

also from Aarti!

4 T olive or canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, diced
a few curry leaves
1-4 green Thai chilies (per preference)
2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes & submerged in bowl of cool water to prevent browning
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 T chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, then once they beign to pop add the cumin seeds which which will turn reddish.

Toss in the onion, ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves and green chilies. Stir fry for two minutes.

Cover pan and cook 15-18 minutes.

Drain potatoes and add to the pan. Add salt and turmeric. Stir. Add 1 cup of water and cover the pan. Cook until potatoes are tender, 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.

Carrot, Cucumber, Onion Salad with Lime Dressing

from Aarti!

1 c grated carrots
1 cucumber, peeled & diced
1/4 onion, minced
1/4 green pepper, diced
4 T lime juice
1 tsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped peanuts to garnish (optional)

Add carrots, cucumber, onions, and pepper to bowl.

In another bowl mix together the lime juice, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Add vegetables and toss. Garnish with chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro.

Indian butter chicken (chicken makhani)

This is definitely worthy of company! (especially if they are not on a strict fat regulated diet)

from here.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (she says frozen solid is fine)
1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2-4 T butter
15 cardamom pods (or more - sewn together or in cheesecloth)
2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garam masala
an inch or so of fresh grated ginger
1 can coconut milk (I used light)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 T lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt (to add at the end, I used nonfat)

Throw everything in (except yogurt), stir it up and turn it on. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 (or less - with my hot crock).

Stir in plain yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Discard cardamom pods. Salt to taste, serve with rice. Roasted cauliflower is a great side!

***

NOTE: If only cooking four hours (3 1/2 was sufficient for the chicken), then the onions will be a bit crunchy. So, either cook longer or saute them first (probably preferable, though it destroys the whole "I can put this meal together in 15 minutes" vibe).

garbanzo okra tomato curry

Heat oil (1-2 T).

Saute okra (1/2 - 1#, cleaned and chopped into 1-2" pieces) until browned.

Remove okra from pan. Add some more oil as necessary and turn down heat.

Saute:
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
peppers (hot, bell, whatever you got), chopped (very finely if hot pepper)

Add in:
2 chopped tomatoes

1 T cumin
1 T coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp fennel (though I accidentally put in cardamom instead!)
1/2 tsp amchur powder
1 tsp turmeric
Note: the spices are just about what I threw in. Choose your own mix or just a curry powder.

Add liquid if necessary.
Cook for a bit. (3-5 minutes)
Add in:
cooked garbanzos (I put in equivalent of 2 cans)

Cook for a bit longer. (another 3 minutes or so)

Add in cooked okra and let it cook another 5-10 minutes until it seems ready (tomatoes have lost shape, spices are distributed). Taste and adjust spices accordingly.

Eat on rice. Great as leftovers!

curried okra with chickpeas

So, I made "Hyderbadi-style" okra and it was ok. Who knew I wasn't a fan of amchur powder? It's dried green mango and adds a little acid balance (lemon juice can be substituted, I've read). I usually add it with many other things so its flavor doesn't come through. It's really the aroma that I don't like - it's prevalent in many Indian restaurants and shops. It smells ... I can't describe it. Almost like stale smoke-less incense. So this recipe really focused more on the amchur powder, and so now I know.

Anyway, my favorite part is the okra. I slice it into maybe 1-2" segments and saute it alone and can I just say again HOW MUCH I LOVE OKRA. I just can't get enough.

Next time I will try based on this recipe, adding some chickpeas. They're also a nutritional powerhouse - and cheap. I will fiddle with the spices though - not crazy of the curry mix I have now. Probably needs more cumin and coriander. I might try to get some fresh curry leaves and try that.

OK, grow, okra, grow! It'd be great if I could harvest enough to also pickle ... but that's looking doubtful at this point because I could eat it fried every day every meal until the end of the season ...

tandoori chicken, Indian okra & tomatoes, spinach raita

Tandoori chicken from here

Ingredients

• 1 (4 to 4 1/2 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed (I used chicken thighs)
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped serrano or jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 11/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

With a fork, prick holes in the chicken pieces. Using a knife, cut diagonal slices 1-inch apart, and 1/2-inch deep into the larger pieces. Place the chicken in a baking dish. (I kept the skin on to keep it all moist, and then it burned & I could take it off. So I cut/poked through the skin into the flesh.)

In a blender, combine the oil, onion, garlic, ginger, pepper, and process on high speed to a paste. Add the paprika, salt, cumin, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, and cayenne, and process until well blended. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and process to a smooth sauce, scraping down the sides to combine all the ingredients. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Turn to coat evenly, rubbing the marinade into the holes and slits. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat a grill.

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place on the grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on the first side. Turn, baste as needed, and cook on the second side for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and continue cooking, as necessary until the chicken is cooked through, but still tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. (Alternately, bake in a preheated 425 degrees F oven on a baking sheet for 35 minutes.)

(I cooked 10 min on first side, about 5 minutes on the other, then basted and cooked each side 2 minutes. I could have cooked a little longer - slightly pink inside but fine.)

Truth: this didn't really taste like tandoori chicken. But it was darned good!

*****

Indian okra & tomatoes from here. (But I'm changing the directions.) (Note: While this was fine the day it was cooked, warmed up the next day on some rice it was FAB-U-LOUS. A real taste treat. This will definitely stay in the okrepetoire.)

Combine & set aside:

2 teaspoon cumin ground
2 teaspoon coriander ground
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed ground (or take these as seeds and then grind)
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

3 tablespoon vegetable oil (or less)
1/2 lb okra; trimmed and left whole (or frozen) - about 20 pods - (I'm not sure the value of keeping the pods whole - I might try them sliced next time)

Heat oil. When oil is hot, add okra in a single layer & fry without stirring for 1 minute. Cook for a few more minutes, turning until lightly browned. Remove w/slotted spoon & set aside.

2 cup finely chopped onion
Saute until light golden (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.

Then add & cook until caramel brown (8-10 minutes:
2 cloves pressed garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Add spice mixture & stir a few seconds, then add:
1 1/2 cup finely chopped peeled fresh tomatoes; or 1 small can whole tomatoes
salt to taste
water or the juice from the canned tomatoes (recipe says 1 cup but that was way too much)

Cook for a bit until mixture thickens (about 3 minutes). Then add the okra back in and cook a bit (recipe says 20 minutes, but no way - just a few would have been way better).

Stir in a little & garnish with:
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro

*****

From The Spice Box:

Spinach yogurt salad (Palak Ka Raita)
2 c yogurt
1 c boiled, chopped spinach
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
1tsp mustard seeds

Beat the yogurt with a fork in a bowl until smooth. Add the spinach and stir.

In a little pan heat the oil and add mustard seeds and fry until they pop. Pour over salad. Stir & refrigerate until chilled.

(This was pretty good but either the seeds or oil was rancid - blech.)

lassi love

Mango lassis are popular in Indian restaurants and for good reason: super yummy! I think of it as dessert after a light meal or a meal itself if I'm not really hungry.

I find that little cools me down in hot humid weather like hot tea or a mango lassi. Hey, those Indian people knew what they were doing.

There are lots of recipes on-line and they mostly revolve around yogurt and fruit. Can add milk, sugar, cardamom, ice. Look, if it tastes good, then you've made it right.

I think it's best if the mango is at least mostly thawed - better flavor. My yogurt is really thick (made it myself and strained it) so I added milk. No sugar or cardamom though. I add ice for substance.

The Magic Bullet is perfect for this.

Almost out of mango so next time I'll use raspberries and then other fruit (bananas are good). I might also try to grind some almonds into it.

raita

Cucumbers
Yogurt
fresh mint
(Cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, or other herbs/spices as desired)

****

Yes, it's that simple! I had some lovely Persian cucumbers I picked up last week. Those, or English style cucumber, or baby pickling cukes are all good for this. Or the regular kind (especially if home grown!), but I would peel that unless it's really young and the peel is soft.

Chop up the cucumbers (if not Persian, you might want to scrape out the seeds & soft stuff around the seeds which can be bitter) - with Persians I just slice; with regular cukes I do half moons.

Mix with a good amount of yogurt.

Chop up some fresh mint (not too much - just a light taste; I really like the mint that Ahmed brought from Jordan; much American mint is too strong), stir and enjoy!

I don't put in any other spices because I like the simplicity of the tastes with just cucumber, yogurt, and mint.

It's great alone as a light meal/snack, or as a side to a spicy meal (especially Indian food).

Somali tea

This is really chai-esque. It's super yummy and I'm very excited because I just got

and that makes it even easier to make. Yay!

My Somalian friend Asha made this once and I modified her instructions to make the perfect tea for me. The point? You can add and mix it up however you like. But I tell you: I never would have gotten through the bar exam preparation without this!

Put into tea kettle:

1/2 mug of milk
1 1/2 mugs of water (she says should be equal amounts of milk & water)
2-3 teabags (I use one reg and two decaf)
5 or so cardamom pods
a stick or two of cinnamon, broken into pieces
a hunk of ginger chopped (mine's always frozen, so not very well chopped)
4-5 cloves
sugar or honey (I put in about a teaspoon but most people like it sweeter)

Heat it all up together. Let it simmer, turn it off, heat it up again. Stir so it doesn't boil over or burn. Enjoy!