Jalapeno Falafel and Chili Lime Babaghanoush – Mexican/Mediterranean Mash-Up

Tags

baba ghanoush, chili, eggplant, falafel, jalapeno

To paraphrase the blog of one of my personal heroes, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, it’s a good idea to try to be nimble and light when the times are dicey.  And I happen to agree that high holiday season is the first world exemplification of ‘dicey.’  Being busy with work and trying to do the bare minimum of holiday festivities, my fridge is a strange place full of strange odds and ends.  The two things that needed to get used up were a bunch of guacamole and half a roasted eggplant, and so this strange dinner was brought into the world.

It’s a meta-mezze platter…

The more I thought of it, Mexican and Mediterranean cuisines aren’t so far apart.  Both use lots of happy chilis, cumin and citrus.  It all came together pretty well.

Chili Lime Babaghanoush – served with garlic toasts

Makes 1 – 2 cups – serves 4 as an appetizer, cost approx $.59 per serving

Ingredients

• 1/2 roasted eggplant, flesh scooped out of the skin ($1)
• 1/2 cup tahini ($.50)
• 2-4 tbs olive oil
• salt, to taste
• 1-2 Tbs chili powder, to taste
• 1 lime’s juice ($.25)

• toasts rubbed with garlic ($.25)
• sliced scallions, for garnish ($.12)

Give everything in the first list a whirl in a food processor or blender.  Taste and adjust for seasonings.  Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and sliced scallions.

Jalapeno Falafel

Serves 4 – cost approx $.69 per serving

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided use ($.50)
• 1/2 red onion, minced ($.25)
• 1 – 2 jalapenos, diced – use more or less, seeds or no seeds depending on the level of heat you want ($.50)
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, from 1 cup dry beans – you can totally use canned beans here ($.60)
• 1 egg ($.15)
• 1/4 cup tanini ($.25)
• 1 lime’s juice ($.25)
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, divided use ($.25)
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs ($0 if home made!)

Start off by sauteeing the onion and jalapenos in a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Blend up the chickpeas, egg, tahini, lime juice, salt and the cilantro stems (yes, they’re totally edible and just as tasty, just not as pretty.)  Stir in the sauteed onions and jalapenos and the bread crumbs.

Make patties and pan fry them in the remaining oil.  Serve with rice or flat bread to round out the meal and maybe some guacamole too. ($.50 for rice and $2 for guac) Garnish your plates with the reserved cilantro leaves.

All together, this meal cost me just $1.90 per serving!

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Holy Steak Seasoning Batman!

Tags

everything bagel flavor, grilled, Steakhouse Steak Seasoning, Tri-tip

Hello lovlies! It’s nice to have some time for interneting, it’s been crazy here in the mountains but it’s good to make that hay while the sun is shining.  Here’s a quick post to alleviate my guilt at ignoring my little blog.

Anyway, I got a free sample of ‘Steakhouse Steak Seasoning’ from Raley’s as part of their ‘Something Extra Try-It’ program, and I’ve been putting it on just about everything.  I’ve been really surprised about how versatile it is.

Of course it’s good on any sort of beef, I’ve mixed it into some burgers and rubbed it on a grilled tri-tip; which were both a hit with the Fireman in my life.  Off the beaten path a little bit, I also used it to season some oven fries and it was delicious!  It was also really yummy sprinkled on the top of some fresh bread.  In addition to salt, pepper and onion flavors, this spice mix has some caraway and dill flavors in it too and makes bread taste like an ‘everything bagel.’

Last night I used this steak seasoning rub on another tri-tip I got on sale, but I dressed it up with a few additional spices to make it have a little Middle-Eastern/North African flair to it.  I toasted up a tablespoon of corriander and teaspoon each of mustard seeds and cumin and coarsely ground all three.  I rubbed the toasted spices and the ‘Steakhouse’ seasonings on my happy little tri-tip and let it sit in the refrigerator for most of the afternoon.  When my fireman came home, I fired up the grill and slapped on the meat (and also some onions and lemons for my side of tabbouleh!) and dinner was had.

Gypsy Chickpea Stew with Apricot Rice Pilaf – Another vegan dish that’s good any day of the week!

Tags

apricot, chickpeas, gypsy, rice pilaf, stew, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

 

As much as I love bacon and cheese (and I do!), I really like having experience cooking vegan dishes and having a few proven-yummy vegan recipes in my back pocket.  These days there are people with every sort of dietary restriction there is, and chances are, someone that you know and love has one.  From people who don’t eat meat for ethical reasons, people with all sorts of allergies and people who have religious restrictions to their diets.  My Soon-to-be-Mother-in-Law belongs to an Orthodox Christian church and requires an almost vegan diet during their period of Lent.  (Luckily, she’s a creative and curious cook that doesn’t mind testing out all sorts of international recipes!)  With a couple of great vegan dishes in your repertoire you can serve everyone you love a dish that they will love.

Chickpeas lend themselves to any sort of cuisine that touches the Mediterranean and I love to keep them around.  I started out wanting to make a Moroccan stewed chickpea dish, but then I started throwing in all sorts of spices and flavors and it came out like something delicious that traveling gypsies would make.  It’s a spicy chickpea and vegetable stew served with a sweet and savory apricot rice pilaf.  It’s got a complicated and rich flavor and it’s dirt cheap, just the way I imagine gypsies would like to have their dinner.  Yum!

Gypsy Chickpea Stew

Serves 4 – cost approx $.80 per serving, including Apricot Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, medium dice ($.12)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small green bell pepper ($.30)
• 1/2 stalk broccoli, medium dice ($.35)
• 3 carrots, medium dice ($.17)
• 2 Tbs olive oil

• 1 Tbs cumin
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• crushed red pepper, to taste
• 1″ piece cinnamon stick
• 1 Tbs garam masala – it’s an all purpose Indian spice mix, it might lend a different flavor, but you could use any middle eastern spice mix or chili powder as a substitute
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch saffron, literally a few threads, it’s super expensive – tumeric would be an excellent substitute

• 1 can diced tomatoes ($.59)
• 1-2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 Tbs minced parsley ($.12)
• 1 cup dry chickpeas, cooked and drained ($.47) – you could substitute 2 drained cans of chickpeas
• salt, to taste

Start by sauteing all the vegetables in the olive oil over medium heat for approx 10 minutes.  Add in all the spices in the second set of ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes more.  Add in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes, uncovered so that the juices reduce.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.  Serve with Apricot Rice Pilaf, recipe below.

Apricot Rice Pilaf

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 onion, minced ($.12)
• 1 1/2 oz, approx 6, dried apricots, diced ($0, my fireman saved me the dried fruit that he doesn’t like eating plain from his fire camp lunches because he knows that I can cook with it, he’s so thoughtful of my uber-cheapness!)
• 2 cups long grain rice ($.47)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• salt
• 1 bay leaf
• margarine, to taste

Start by heating the olive oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat, saute the onion 5-8 minutes or until fully cooked and translucent.  Add in the rice and apricots and cook 2-3 minutes more.

Add in the vegetable stock, salt and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.  Cover the pot and set over low heat for 15-20 minutes.  Fluff the rice with a fork and taste to adjust the seasonings, add margarine and cover and let sit another 5 minutes so that the margarine melts into the rice.  Yum!

Roasted Garlic Babaghanoush – a munchie Meatless-Monday!

Tags

baba ghanoush, dip, eggplant, roasted garlic, vegan, vegetarian

For as little experience as I have with Middle Eastern food, I am completely smitten with it.  Aside from a little feta cheese in the salad, this meal is totally vegan.  (Damn my addiction to cheese!)  I built a Middle Eastern tasting but Tapas feeling meal from some of my previously posted recipes and some pita with babaghanoush eggplant dip.

To make vegan falafel, I omitted the egg from my regular falafel recipe.  (https://fullbellyfullwallet.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/spiced-falafel-with-yogurt-herb-sauce-herb-overload-part-deux/)  However, the mixture was a little looser and I was afraid of them falling apart in the frying pan, so I baked them instead.  I also made a brown rice salad for this meal, quite similar to the one I posted a few weeks ago.  (https://fullbellyfullwallet.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/green-goddess-rice-salad-springtime-is-for-eating-al-fresco/)

This babaghanoush recipe is a ‘no recipe’ sort of thing.  It’s a basic framework that you can tailor to you family’s tastes.  It’s so quick, just a teeny bit of prep and then blend it all together!

Roasted Garlic Babaghanoush

Makes approx 1 cup – cost $1.61 per batch

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant ($.99)
• 1 head garlic ($.12)
• 2-4 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs sesame seeds or tahini
• 1/2 lemon, juice and zest ($.25)
• salt
• cayenne, to taste/optional
• 2 Tbs fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley or green onions

Start by preheating your oven to 375 F.  Cut the eggplant in half and slice a little bit off the top of the garlic heat, just to expose a little bit of the cloves inside.  Sprinkle the eggplant and garlic with a pinch of salt and a teeny drizzle of olive oil.  Roast for 20-40 minutes or until the eggplant and garlic are completely soft and mooshy.

Like so!

Let your roasted veggies cool then scoop the goop out of the eggplants into a blender or food processor and squish out the roasted garlic cloves as well.  Combine with all other ingredients and process until a smooth dip is achieved.  All the ingredients are just a starting place, taste it then adjust the seasonings and make it something you love!  Who doesn’t love a good dip?

Indian Spiced Pea Soup – Sunday Soup-day gets culturally confused…

Tags

garbanzo beans, indian, peas, rice, spices, vegan, vegetarian

It’s been an amazing Spring week here in the mountains! Us girls had a legitimate discussion about going to the beach and whether enough snow had melted off the path that leads to the beach so that we could ride our bikes. This clearly calls for a Spring-time vegetable soup! What a lovely coincidence that it’s St. Patty’s Day and this soup is very green.  Now that’s a culture clash, Indian and Irish!  In my case, the soup tastes 100% Indian but looks quite ‘luck of the Irish’ green…

I based this spicy soup with Indian flavors off of a recipe I saw in ‘Complete Indian Cooking’ by Hamlyn.  I love how fresh and light this soup while still being filling.  While it is a vegetarian dish as-is, if you were to substitute the milk for a soy/rice/almond milk it could be vegan as well.  I’m such a fan of vegetarian meals, they’re so cheap and so healthy.

Plus, this soup is a cinch to make!  If you don’t have the whole spices, using ground spices would be fine.  Also, you can use canned garbanzo beans if you’re short on time too.  Since you puree the soup, you don’t have to be precise with your chopping either, just a rough chop is just as tasty and perfectly minced veggies.

Indian Spice Pea Soup – with rice

Serves 4-5 – cost approx $.66 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/4 tsp anise seeds
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs ginger, rough choped
• 5 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 1 onion, rough chopped ($.40)
• serrano chilis, to taste, rough chopped
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups frozen peas ($.46)
• 1 cup milk, or milk alternative for vegans. ($.18)
• 1-2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, I cooked up 1 cup of dry beans. ($.60)
• Cilantro, for garnish
• Cooked rice, optional ($.50)

Begin by dry toasting the cumin, coriander and anise until brown and fragrant in your soup pot, about 2 minutes over medium high heat.  Remove the spices and grind them either in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.  (If you’re using already ground spices, add them in with the veggies later.)

Heat the oil in the pot and saute the garlic, ginger, onion and chilis for 3-5 minutes.  Add in the spices, saute another minute.  Add in the vegetable stock and peas and bring to a simmer.   Simmer for 10-15 minutes then puree with an immersion blender.  Adjust the seasonings and stir in the milk or milk alternative and the garbanzo beans.  Simmer another minute or two to meld the flavors.

To serve, put a little bit of rice in the bottom of your bowl, pour the soup over the rice and garnish with the cilantro leaves.

Chilled Barley and Herb Salad – is spring here yet?

Tags

barley, cold, cucumber, fresh, herbs, salad, vegetarian

The weather has been so spring-like up here that I decided to make a cold barley salad with dinner, served up with some yummy falafel and pomegranate glazed squash and onions.  Also, every now and then I like to have something that tastes bright and fresh when it’s a little brisk outside.

You could use any starchy thing you like for this salad: white rice, brown rice, small pastas like orzo or dilatini, cous cous, or tabouleh.  You could also switch out any of the herbs too, it’s so basic and versatile, you can tailor it to any sort of meal you’re making.  It practically begs you to make it your own.  But, however easy and unassuming this recipe is, it’s a great one to have in your back pocket for potlucks or when you need a quick and simple side dish.

So fresh and so green!

Chilled Barley and Herb Salad – served with falafel and pomegranate glazed vegetables

(Need a good falafel recipe?  I’ve got one!:  https://fullbellyfullwallet.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/spiced-falafel-with-yogurt-herb-sauce-herb-overload-part-deux/)

Serves 4-6 – cost approx $.55 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 cups pearl barley ($.75)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro ($.25)
• 1/2 bunch parsley ($.17)
• salt and black pepper – to taste
• 1/2 lemon, zest and juice ($.25)
• 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil – since you’re not cooking with it, this is a good time to use a nicer olive oil. ($.59)
• 1 cucumber, peeled and small dice ($.50)

Boil the barley in salted water until it’s fully cooked but not mushy.  How long it needs to cook may depend on the type of barley you have as some are more processed than others.  Start to check it after 10-15 minutes.  Drain and cool your barley.

When the barley is cooled, mix in all the other ingredients and adjust the seasonings.  This dish can sit happily in the fridge for a day or so, if you prepare it ahead of time, it may be good to give it another drizzle of olive oil and fluff it up with a fork a bit when you’re ready to serve.  It’s as simple as it is pretty!

Curried Vegetable Mish Mosh Soup – Sunday Soup-day gets spicy!

Tags

carrot, curry, ginger, lentils, potato, soup, vegan, vegetarian

It was difficult for me to come up with a name for this soup.  It’s a mash up between the classic ‘carrot and ginger’ combination, the hearty texture and consistency of a split pea soup, an Indian dal, and a basic roasted veggie soup.

This soup follows my basic ‘Roasted Veggie Soup’ procedure, just like my first Sunday Soup-day recipe: Tuscan Squash Soup.

(https://fullbellyfullwallet.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/tuscan-squash-soup-with-rosemary-foccacia-rolls-sunday-soup-day/).

It just goes to show how one technique can yield drastically different flavored dishes based on what veggies and seasonings you choose.  I really love how healthy these soups are.  It has a good mixture of starchy potatoes, veggies and lentils.  This one is even vegan!

Curried Vegetable Mish Mosh Soup – with naan bread

Serves 4-6 – cost approx $.52 per serving, including bread

Ingredients

• 4-5 carrots, peeled, 1″ dice ($.25)
• 1 onion, 1″ dice ($.35)
• 4-6 russet potatoes, peeled, 1″ dice ($.40)
• salt – to taste
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 4 Tbs veg oil, divided use
• 1 1/2″ piece of ginger, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 serrano chilis, minced, optional – I seeded mine to take some of the evil out and it was a pleasant medium, pervasive heat, but use as much or as little as you like
• 1 cup lentils, rinsed ($.50)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves ($.10)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare the  carrots, onion and potatoes then put them on a sheet tray and toss with the salt, dry spices and 2 Tbs vegetable oil.  Roast for approximately 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.  You want to slowly roast the veggies till they get soft and slightly browned.  This step can be done ahead of time and you can pull the soup together later, at your convenience.

Heat the remaining 2 Tbs of vegetable oil in a large pot.  Saute the ginger, garlic ans chilis 2-3 minutes.  Add in the lentils, turmeric, curry powder, fenugreek powder and vegetable stock, bring to a simmer.  When the lentil are soft and fully cooked, about 20-30 minutes, add in the roasted veggies.  Simmer all together for 5 minutes or so.  Puree well with any sort of blender you have.  I think an immersion blender is easier, but a regular blender will give you a finer puree.  Check the seasonings and the consistency.  It you want a thinner soup, blend in more vegetable stock.

Pour yourself a bowl and garnish with some cilantro!

Fun Fact for the Lush: Much like IPA beers, the gin and tonic was a drink born out of the British occupation of India.  Tonic water, containing the medicine ‘quinine’, was bitter tasting but necessary for the British soldiers to drink, as to prevent them all dying horribly from malaria.  So they turned lemons into lemonade, so to speak, by adding gin and lime to their tonic water!

Indian Braised Chicken with Rice and… – The Cabbage Conclusion

Tags

cabbage, chicken, curry, indian

And now this little exploration into cabbage can end the way it started, with my awesome Mama-Bear-In-Law.  A few weeks ago, she inspired me to post several cabbage recipes and now I’m finishing up my head of cabbage with an Indian meal.

My fireman went down to the Bay to run a marathon (He kicked butt and won his age division!) and to take his Mama on a date in The City, but the two of them were kind enough to spend some time to picking out some fresh veggies for me at their local farmer’s market.  It’s such a treat to have farmer’s market goodies, as it’s far to snowy to have a year-round farmers market up here in Tahoe.

This dinner is surprisingly American at its root, it’s braised chicken with rice and a vegetable.  The spices in this meal are simple and more warming than they are spicy, making it a good dish for a someone who is wary of Indian cuisine or for someone who doesn’t have a whole cabinet of Indian spices! (Yet)

Simple Indian Braised Chicken

Serves 3 – total meal cost approx $1.51 per serving

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced ($.09)
• 1 Tbs ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs coriander seeds
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 pinch smoked paprika
• salt – to taste
• 3 chicken thighs ($1.30)
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves and stems thinly sliced ($1.50)
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Begin by heating up the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan.  Saute the onions until golden and translucent, 3-5 minutes, next add in the ginger, garlic, coriander and dry spices and saute 2 minutes more.

Heating the spices helps to open up their flavors.

Season the chicken thighs and then brown them on both sides in the pan with the onions and spices.  Add in the Swiss chard to saute, one handful at a time (just because it won’t all fit, if you have a big enough pan, feel free to add it all at once).  Lastly, add in the stock and bring to a simmer.  Cover the pan and let braise for 30 minutes, stirring the mixture and turning the chicken a few times during this process.  Check the seasonings, adding salt if necessary, and enjoy!

Cabbage with Mustard Seeds

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 serrano chili, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 head of cabbage, cut into 1″ pieces ($.64)
• salt – to taste
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Heat the vegetable oil in over high heat, when the oil is nice and hot, add in the mustard seeds and cover.  In a minute or so, you should hear popping, similar to making popcorn, once the popping starts, add in the serrano chili and turmeric.  Saute 1 minute.  Next, add in the cabbage and saute about 3 minutes, add some salt.  Add in 1/4 cup of water and cover the dish, cook covered for 5 minutes, or until fully cooked.  Take off the heat and stir in the cilantro.  Now crack yourself an IPA and dig in!

Fun Fact!  India Pale Ale was developed during the English occupation of India.  In order to get the soldiers their ale, the English brewers had to add a whole bunch of hops as a preservative (and as a flavoring) so that the beer wouldn’t spoil on the long trip to India.

Moroccan Lamb and Vegetable Stew – I <3 baby animals

As cruel as it sounds, there’s nothing in this world that tastes better than baby animals and lamb is certainly no exception!  (I’m not kidding, I ate and LOVED raw veal carpaccio when I was in Sienna, while my Mamma sat across from me, slightly horrified.)  I’m at the top of the food chain, and I’m okay with eating any sort of non-endangered animals we’ve got.

That being said, I stand by a mantra that a chef instructor in culinary school said:  “Every animal deserves a good life, a good death, a good butcher and a good chef.”  When I do go out of my way to purchase a nice cut of meat, I try to buy from a local producer or butcher that I know did right by this animal that died to give us sustenance.

I was happy to discover that a former roommate left behind a few lamb shoulder chops from the local butcher in the freezer and they just begged to become a Moroccan style stew.  Lamb’s strong flavor holds up really nicely to the spices in this stew, and it’s loaded with veggies too! I love how the sweetness from the squash and the carrots pair with the spicy lamb.

This dish can be a meal in itself or can be combined with some sides to make it go farther and feed a crowd.  For a simple side dish, I boiled some pearl barley and tossed the cooked and cooled grains and tossed it with the mint pesto I made a few weeks ago for a twist on the conventional lamb and mint pairing

(https://fullbellyfullwallet.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/mint-pesto-and-basil-oil-herb-overload/)

Moroccan Lamb and Vegetable Stew

Serves 4-6 – cost approx $.68 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 bone in lamb chop (or about 3/4 lb lamb stew meat), 1 inch cubes ($2)
• salt and pepper – to taste
• pinch cayenne
• pinch cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 3 cardamom pods
• 3 cloves
• 1″ cinnamon stick
• 1/2 star anise
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 dry red chiles
• 1 onion, small dice ($.10)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 bay leaves
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1-2 cups butternut squash, medium dice ($.38)
• 2 carrots, peeled, medium diced ($.13)
• 3-4 medium potatoes, scrubbed, medium dice ($.30)

Toss the lamb with the cayenne, cumin, turmeric and salt and pepper.  Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  When the oil is quite hot add the lamb (and save the lamb bones and toss them in if you used a bone-in chop) and sear on all sides.  Remove the lamb, leaving any oil and lamb fat in the pan.

Gather up the whole spices: cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, anise, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and red chiles, and ‘wet toast’ them by briefly sauteing them until slightly browned.

Next add in the onions and garlic and saute over medium heat until translucent.  Return the lamb and bones to the pot.  Add in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, making a simple roux thickener.  Add the vegetable stock, bay leaves, nutmeg and oregano and bring the pot to a simmer for 1-3 hours (it’s very flexible).

When you’re starting to get hungry, about half an hour before you want to eat, add in the butternut squash, carrots and potatoes.  Check the seasonings and as soon as the veggies are cooked through you’re ready to eat!

Kashmiri Style Chicken Curry- Spices warm the soul

Tags

chicken, curry, indian

My Daddy always tells me what a culinary renaissance it was for him as a young man, moving away from his home town of Racine to attend the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  (Go Badgers!)   Madison’s higher population offered more diverse restaurant options and it was there where he discovered the wonders of fantastic lamb gyros, taco stands and delicious curries so spicy they make your eyes water.  When my palette passed out of its childhood ‘picky’ stage, my Daddy was quick to share his love of international cuisines with me.  As a result of which, we spent a significant amount of time in my high school years frequenting our local Indian restaurant, testing out as many dishes as possible.

It was about that time when my love of eating grew into a love of cooking as well.  Since the first time I gave it a whirl, I was fascinated by the way the spices change and develop into an infinite number of flavors when you cook them.  I was extremely fortunate to have a few Indian friends whose moms were nice enough to put up with me in their kitchens for a few evenings.  It was extremely beneficial for me to see first hand how authentic Indian cooks utilize all the spices.  Also, because of that, I now know the names of a few spices and herbs in Hindi!

The starting point for this recipe was in the book ‘Complete Indian Cooking’ by Hamlyn.  This chicken curry is full of flavor and spices but it isn’t spicy.  If you want to make your curry a little more masochistic, feel free to toss in as much chiles and cayenne powder as you want.  For side dishes, I made steamed long grain rice with a teaspoon of cumin seeds tossed in (rice cooker, for the win!) and naan, Indian flat bread.

If you don’t have these spices on hand, don’t buy them in the regular spice section of your super market!  They are much cheaper in an ‘ethnic’ market or the ‘international’ section of a larger store, and you are more likely to find whole spices there too.  I strongly advise getting whole spices, they keep longer and that way you know your expensive spices aren’t being diluted by the manufacturer.

I convinced my fireman to help me roll out the flat breads

Kashmiri Style Chicken Curry –served with rice and naan

Serves 3 – cost approx $.93 per person (note: I increased the ‘incidental’ seasoning cost that I normally use of $.25 to $.50 because there are more exciting spices in this recipe)

Total meal, including sides costs approx $1.18 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns
• 5 cardamom pods
• 2″ cinnamon stick
• 2 onions, sliced ($.33)
• 1/2 bell pepper, sliced – I used green, but any color would be delicious ($.50)
• 1 Tbs ginger, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced ($.52)
• 1 lb. chicken leg pieces, approx 4 ($.79, I got a great sale!)
• salt, to taste
• 1 cup yogurt ($.16, since I make my own)
• 1 Tbs scallions, thinly sliced – for garnish

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon stick, onions and bell pepper.  Saute for a few minutes, until the onions begin to sweat.  Next, add the ginger, garlic, chili powder, paprika and cabbage and cook for another few minutes.

Season the chicken pieces.  Push the veggies off to one side of your pan to clear some space to sear the chicken pieces.  By this point there may be ‘crud’ sticking to the bottom of your pan, as long as it’s not obviously burning, this is a good thing; don’t worry and carry on with browning your chicken on either side.  When the chicken is browned, stir in the yogurt and bring to a simmer.  You may want to add stock or water if your curry sauce is too thick.  Be sure to scrape up the yummy spice crud on the bottom of the pan.  Simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, 20 – 30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces.

Simmering delicious-ness.

You’re now ready to dish up some curry and dig in!