It was a big bite to take, but on my first try everything came out delicious. There were a few bumps in the road, but I'll point them out to you as we go, so it'll be easier for you guys to make. And away we go!
Garam Masala
This is an Indian spice that you will need for all of these dishes. I have to admit I took a short cut on it. Usually you toast fresh spices and grind them. But sadly, I am without a coffee grinder, so I mixed already ground spices, which consisted of:
1 tablespoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon cardamon (I didn't have this in my pantry so I used 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of cloves and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon for a substitute)
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Whole Wheat Aloo Parathas
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/3-1/2 cup of water
3 teaspoons of olive oil
pinch of salt
For the filling:
2 medium potatoes
1/2 cup of peas (make sure to cook them before adding)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1 tablespoon cilantro (fresh is best, but I didn't have any)
pinch of salt
pinch of red chili flakes
Combine flour, salt and olive oil. Add the water a little at a time. You want just enough water so your dough will stick together and be nice and elastic. If you add too much water, just add a little more flour to even it out. Need the dough for a couple of minutes until you can form it into a ball that looks like this:
Then cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll into eight little balls. Place the balls in a oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. They should look like this:
Now you want to chop and boil the potatoes for the filling. Once they are fork tender pour them into a colander and rinse with cold water. Using a potato ricer mash the potatoes so they are nice and smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together. Then form the mixture into eight balls that are slightly smaller than your dough balls. You may have left over filling, but just store it in your refrigerator for next time. When your done, your balls should look like this
Next you'll take your dough balls, roll them in some flour and roll them out so they are big enough to stuff with your filling balls. As you wrap the filling balls make sure to tuck in the edges of the dough as you go. This process will look like this:
Once your filing has been successfully wrapped, roll this in some flour and roll it out lightly into an approximate 6" disk, like this:
As you can tell from the picture, I had a slight problem of the peas poking out of the dough. The next time I make these I'm going to mash the peas in my food mixer or blender to avoid this.
Once these are ready to go, cook them in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. The signature sign of when parathas are ready to be flipped is when they puff up, but, something about using whole wheat flour prevents them for doing this. Since these parathas don't puff, keep an eye on them and when they have a nice golden color with sporadic black dots they are ready to be flipped. When they are done, you will have these yummy guys to devour!
Basmati Rice with Peas and Dill
1 cup of peas (fresh or frozen)
2 cups of basmati rice (you can substitute with other types of rice)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala (recipe to follow)
4 tablespoons of fresh chopped dill
3 cups of vegetable stock
Heat oil in a medium size pan. Flick some water into the oil to test it. When the water sizzles you know the oil is perfect for frying. Then add the rice and peas. Stir fry this for about 3 minutes. Add the garam masala and dill and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Now add the stock and bring it to a boil. After it boils, turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover and let it simmer for about 25 minutes. Voila, now you have delicious basmati rice!
Bhindi Masala
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium yellow onions
1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger minced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I'd prefer fresh tomatoes, but I have so many cans in my pantry that I felt obliged to use one up)
40 okra (trimmed and cut up into small pieces_
1 green bell pepper diced
2 medium cloves of garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon of garam masala
Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat and saute the garlic, onion and ginger until the onions are translucent and soft. Add the turmeric, coriander, and cumin and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Then add the can of tomatoes, with juice, the green bell pepper and the chili powder. If you are using fresh tomatoes instead of canned, add a little bit of water. Stir fry for another 1-2 minutes, then add the garam masala. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and then you'll have this wonderful okra dish.
A note on the okra. Apparently many people are either afraid of cooking okra or don't like to because it can get kind of slimy. To avoid this, after you wash the okra make sure they are completely dry before cutting. This will definitely cut down the slime factor.
Chana Daal and Palaak
(translated: chickpeas, lentils and spinach)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup of lentils of your choosing
1 15 oz can of chickpeas (I'm working on moving into the dried bean world, but haven't made it just yet)
1 large onion
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (can use fresh too!)
5 oz of baby spinach finely chopped
1 thumb size piece of ginger minced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 green chilies diced (I used serrano)
3/4 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
Start off by cooking the lentils as indicated on the package. Once the lentils are done set them aside. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and stir fry your diced onion until translucent and soft. Then add your green chillies and ginger and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes, with juice, and rinsed chickpeas and stir fry for another 5 minutes. Next add the coriander, chili powder and garam masala. Once the spices are properly mixed you can add your chopped spinach. Cook the spinach for a few more minutes so it wilts a little, but try not over cook it. Spinach has great nutritional value and the shorter the cooking time, the more nutrients it retains. Once the spinach is done, add your cooked lentils and cook until just heated through and serve!
In the end you have this fantastic meal to share with family and friends. Enjoy!
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