Lentil Dal

Lentil Dal

Cook 1 cup of lentils until almost completely cooked

Fry together

1 tsp black mustard seed

1 tsp cumin seed

in a small amount of oil- enough to coat the pan

until crackle

Add

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 diced onion

½ cup diced tomatoes

Fry until onions are cooked down

Add the fried mix to the lentils

and add

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Cook down until lentils are cooked, adding water as needed.

Finish with 1 tsp salt.

Adapted from The Indian Spice Kitchen: Essential Ingredients and Over 200 Authentic Recipes by Monisha Bharadwaj

Based on spicy yellow lentils recipe

Aloo Mutter

The Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) recipe can easily be changed to Aloo Mutter (potatoes and peas). Simply replace the cauliflower with frozen peas. The rules for fresh v. frozen still apply. So easy and so tasty.

Aloo Gobi

Once again I've grabbed a recipe, researched it, and tweaked it to make it my own.

ALOO GOBI
(Indian spiced potato & cauliflower)

Saute
1/4 stick margarine
1/2 sweet onion finely chopped

After the onion is translucent, add
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp minced garlic
Cook 2-3 minutes, just long enough for the garlic to cook but not burn.

Add
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed small
1/3 - 1/2 head of cauliflower
If you use frozen cauliflower, add the cauliflower about ten minutes after the potatoes. Frozen will break up if cooked too long.
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala or 1 tsp chole masala
1 tsp chili powder

Add just enough water to cover the mix.
Cook 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are done. This means you have to add water to keep it going.

Add
1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt as the dish finishes and mix well.

The end batch should be thick, sticking to the potatoes and cauliflower. You want the potatoes to cook through but maintain their shape.

With the potato in the dish, don't serve over rice. Rather, have a side of bread (naan).

Rajmah :Indian Spiced Red Kidney Beans

Once again it seems overstocked sale items have led to a new experiment. This time it's Rajmah (also spelled Rajma), Indian spiced red kidney beans. It was my first time trying to make this dish, As always, I went online for ideas, found similarities and some differences in ingredients, and had to go looking for some substitution ideas. For example, star anise has a similar flavor to fennel. Not having the anise, I opted for fennel. Others changes were off the top of my head. After eating Indian food for quite a few years, I've learned which spices compliment each other. Not to mention, the old fashioned method of taste as you go, which always helps.

RAJMAH : Indian Spiced Red Kidney Beans

Using 3 TBSP margarine
Saute lightly

2 TSP garlic paste

2 TSP ginger paste

2 bay leaves
1 TSP fennel seed

Add

1 TBSP oil

1/2 sweet onion, minced

Saute until the onions are done.

Add

1QTY 15-16 oz can of diced tomatoes, liquid included

1QTY 2inch cinnamon stick

1 chili pepper, whole

Cook about 5 minutes

Then add

2 cups water

2 cans of red kidney beans, about 32 oz total, rinsed and drained

2 TSP cumin powder

1 TSP ground coriander

1 TSP garam masala

1 TSP sugar

1/2 TSP spearmint, crushed and dry

2 TBSP dried cilantro

Set the heat to medium low and allow to cook down until a thick sauce forms. It took about 30 minutes simmering and the flavors mixed beautifully.

Remove the 2 bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Serve the chili pepper to the heat lover in your family.

Chana Masala

CHANA MASALA

Serves 4-6

One pan- a deep saute pan

Saute slowly
1/2 stick margarine
3/4 vidalia (sweet) onion finely chopped
then
2 tsp minced garlic after the onion has cooked a while

When the onion is translucent, add

1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 tablespoons chopped tomatoes (I used canned diced tomatoes)
1 cup water
2 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer
Then add
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon chana (chloe) masala**
1/4 tsp cardamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1 heaping tsp or ginger paste or 1 teaspoon ginger powdered. Fresh ginger will yield a hotter batch, try a scant 1/2 tsp fresh ginger instead of powdered. My preference is for the ginger paste because it has vinegar in it and this adds a slight tartness to the dish.

**Garam masala is more commonly found and can be used, however, eliminate the cardamon. I don't like the Garam masala because I think it's a bit too sweet and I find the hint of cinnamon distracting.

Remove about a cup of chick peas, mash and return to the pan.
Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. You want to create a thick sauce. The mash helps it reach this point. If the sauce isn't thickening, use a fork to mash a little more of the chick peas.

Chana Masala with a side of my chunky raita.

This can be served over rice, preferable if the sauce is a little thin, or try papads to scoop up a thickened version.

Baked Parma Rosa Penne

Necessity is the mother of invention. I won't go grocery shopping until Friday so it's use what you have day. Lack of time, 88cent pasta, left over cheeses and 25cent canned whole tomatoes set the mood for this experiment.

BAKED PARMA ROSA PENNE

Prep time 15-18 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Set water to boil for 1 lb of dry penne pasta.

In a deep saute pan, add 2 TSP minced garlic to 1 tbsp olive oil. Saute until done.

Meanwhile

Puree 2 QTY 14-16 oz cans of tomatoes in food processor

I'm sure sauce will work fine, but canned sale tomatoes were in my pantry.

About now you should be able to add pasta to the boiling water and prepare according to directions.

Add pureed tomatoes to garlic.

Toss in 1 TSP Italian seasoning. Any basil and oregano combination will do.

Add

1/4 TSP ground Cayenne Pepper

4 oz of cream cheese

1/4 cup parmesan grated

1QTY 4oz jar of diced pimento, liquid included

1/2 TSP ground black pepper

1/2 TSP salt

Stir constantly over medium heat until pasta is finished or until the cream cheese has completely melted. Other Parma Rosa recipes call for heavy cream but I am more likely to have cream cheese on hand, plus it's on sale at least once a month.

Drain pasta.

Spray lightly an 8x11 glass casserole dish.

Put pasta into the casserole dish.

Top with tomato sauce mixture.

Stir gently to mix.

Top with a layer of grated parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Not much longer or the top noodles get crunchy.

Go do laundry!

Leftovers: This makes a lot of pasta so you can halve this and use an 8x8 pan knocking off 5-8 minutes baking time. Or if you are too busy, this makes a great lunch box addition for adults and kids.