Indian Buffet
My coworker friend Deepika has been sharing authentic Indian recipes with me and a couple of them have made my regular rotation already! Tonight I made another batch of chick peas masala and also tried gobi mughalai for the first time. That one's cauliflower with a spicy cashew/coconut sauce. I had it at her house, loved it, and asked for the recipe months ago and only tonight did I finally get around to trying it out for myself. Delicious! These are still somewhat time consuming for me, but not terrible. And I know I will get more efficient with time. Plus, they are worth it regardless!
I have just copied and pasted exactly what Deepika sent to me because I love how she words things. :) [As usual, I added my own comments in square brackets.] A few notes: jeera = cumin seeds. Wherever it calls for cloves or cardamom, I have been using approx a teaspoon of ground instead of whole, because that's what I have. I made ghee rice the first time with peanut or sesame oil, but once I made it with the ghee that I finally found at the co-op, it was WAY better. The smell of onions sautéing in ghee is heavenly.
Ghee Rice
Ingredients:
1 onion
4 Garlic cloves (depends on how much garlic you would like)
Couple of cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom
3 table spoons of ghee (clarified butter, you could substitute this with olive oil too)
1 tomato
1 tea spoon of jeera (optional, can add more if you like its flavor)
1/4 cup peas (optional)
1.5 cups of rice [I used brown rice]
[You also need green chilies or thai peppers or something for spice. I have been using regular red chili pepper flakes and that seems to work fine.]
Procedure:
Sauté chopped onion in the ghee. After the onion turns slightly brown add chopped garlic, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, chopped tomato.
Now add peas or jeera or both if you wish.
Add water (1:2 ratio for rice:water) and bring it to a boil.
Add rice and once it’s cooked, ghee rice is ready!
Peas Masala
Ingredients:
1 cups of frozen peas [I have used a can of chick peas every time because I like those better]
1 small onion
1 tea spoon of jeera
Curry powder (depending on spice level)
1 table spoon cooking oil
3 table spoons of pasta sauce [Deepika's admitted "cheater" way - I use tomato paste or a tomato]
1 table spoon of cream (I use sour cream because that’s something which will be there at home most days) [I have been using coconut milk to replace this and the water]
Salt to taste
Cilantro leaves for garnishing
Method:
Sauté onion, add jeera and continue sauté.
Add curry powder to the onion and sauté for 15-20 seconds. Quickly add 1/4 cup of water to it.
When it starts boiling, add peas, pasta sauce and bring it a boil again.
Add sour cream, and cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat.
For garnishing you could put some cilantro leaves and then Peas masala is ready!
Gobi Mughalai
(Gobi = cauliflower, mughalai = type of cuisine associated with the Mughal Empire)
Procedure:
Cook cauliflower and set aside
Blend the below ingredients:
1 onion
1/2 tomato (I just use 2-3 tbl spoons of pasta sauce/tomato puree)
4 tbl sp of cashews
3-4 chillies (depends how spicy u want)
4 tbl sp of shredded cocunut
3-4 stems of corainder leaves if you like [I couldn't find these and used coriander seeds instead]
Heat a pan, add some oil.
Pour in the blended mixture and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for 2-3 mins. You may want to stir ocassionally when its boiling. The cauliflower can be added at this stage. Continue to cook on low heat for 10 mins.
I have just copied and pasted exactly what Deepika sent to me because I love how she words things. :) [As usual, I added my own comments in square brackets.] A few notes: jeera = cumin seeds. Wherever it calls for cloves or cardamom, I have been using approx a teaspoon of ground instead of whole, because that's what I have. I made ghee rice the first time with peanut or sesame oil, but once I made it with the ghee that I finally found at the co-op, it was WAY better. The smell of onions sautéing in ghee is heavenly.
Ghee Rice
Ingredients:
1 onion
4 Garlic cloves (depends on how much garlic you would like)
Couple of cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom
3 table spoons of ghee (clarified butter, you could substitute this with olive oil too)
1 tomato
1 tea spoon of jeera (optional, can add more if you like its flavor)
1/4 cup peas (optional)
1.5 cups of rice [I used brown rice]
[You also need green chilies or thai peppers or something for spice. I have been using regular red chili pepper flakes and that seems to work fine.]
Procedure:
Sauté chopped onion in the ghee. After the onion turns slightly brown add chopped garlic, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, chopped tomato.
Now add peas or jeera or both if you wish.
Add water (1:2 ratio for rice:water) and bring it to a boil.
Add rice and once it’s cooked, ghee rice is ready!
Peas Masala
Ingredients:
1 cups of frozen peas [I have used a can of chick peas every time because I like those better]
1 small onion
1 tea spoon of jeera
Curry powder (depending on spice level)
1 table spoon cooking oil
3 table spoons of pasta sauce [Deepika's admitted "cheater" way - I use tomato paste or a tomato]
1 table spoon of cream (I use sour cream because that’s something which will be there at home most days) [I have been using coconut milk to replace this and the water]
Salt to taste
Cilantro leaves for garnishing
Method:
Sauté onion, add jeera and continue sauté.
Add curry powder to the onion and sauté for 15-20 seconds. Quickly add 1/4 cup of water to it.
When it starts boiling, add peas, pasta sauce and bring it a boil again.
Add sour cream, and cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat.
For garnishing you could put some cilantro leaves and then Peas masala is ready!
Gobi Mughalai
(Gobi = cauliflower, mughalai = type of cuisine associated with the Mughal Empire)
Procedure:
Cook cauliflower and set aside
Blend the below ingredients:
1 onion
1/2 tomato (I just use 2-3 tbl spoons of pasta sauce/tomato puree)
4 tbl sp of cashews
3-4 chillies (depends how spicy u want)
4 tbl sp of shredded cocunut
3-4 stems of corainder leaves if you like [I couldn't find these and used coriander seeds instead]
Heat a pan, add some oil.
Pour in the blended mixture and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for 2-3 mins. You may want to stir ocassionally when its boiling. The cauliflower can be added at this stage. Continue to cook on low heat for 10 mins.