A Colorful Indian Feast

I've hijacked today's Friday Favorites to share one of my favorite foods or cuisines rather, Indian. I received this cookbook for Christmas and I haven't spent enough time with it yet. Not only is it beautiful—most recipes are printed on colored newsprint!—but it holds over 1000 recipes. As we were eating tasty dosas at an Indian restaurant in Vancouver, I vowed to cook from it more when we got home.

The fresh spices, herbs, and condiments make the dishes irresistible. I love a spicy curry, tangy mint chutney, and refreshing raita to cool the palette. Shopping at an Indian market in your area can help you find those exotic spices or ingredients your supermarket doesn't carry. We picked up store-bought papadum, since the husband loves the super thin lentil cracker. Plus it was convenient and I didn't have time to make the paratha recipe I was eyeing.

The South Indian potatoes and spinach (to the left) had much more flavor than I thought it would. It was savory, yet had a hint of sweetness from the coconut. I'll definitely be making this dish again soon.

Just look at that vibrant green chutney! I love all the textures here too. Serve the spicy cauliflower, potatoes and spinach, and condiments with brown rice and papadum or these yogurt flatbreads. A lentil dal would be a great addition too.

Cucumber raita
1.5 c plain yogurt
1 small cucumber, seeded, diced small
juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp cumin, toasted and ground
2 T cilantro, minced
1/4 of a red onion, diced small
dash of pepper

Combine all ingredients, stir well, and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Coconut cilantro chutney
Adapted from India Cookbook
1 large bunch cilantro, rinsed, with stems
1/2 c shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 jalapeño, minced
1/2 tsp cumin, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp sea salt
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 lemon
1/4-1/2 c of water (or coconut water)

Toss the cilantro, coconut, jalapeño, cumin, sea salt, lime, and lemon juice into a food processor. Add the water little-by-little until you reach the consistency you like. Refrigerate and eat (on everything!).

South Indian potatoes and spinach
Adapted from India Cookbook
2 T coconut oil
1 small onion, white or red, diced
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 red potatoes, diced small

1 T ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp sea salt
5-6 c spinach, chopped
1/4 c shredded coconut, unsweetened
lemon wedges for garnish

Heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions, cooking until transparent. Then add the mustard seeds, stirring, until they begin to pop. Mix in the potatoes, cooking for five minutes. They should be almost fully cooked. Add the ginger, garlic, and salt. Cook for a minute before tossing in the spinach and coconut. Cover with a lid and cook until the spinach starts to wilt. If you need to add the spinach in batches, go right ahead. I would stir every minute to help the spinach wilt. Remove from heat when all the spinach is wilted and serve with lemon wedges.

Spicy cauliflower
1 T coconut oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, whole
1 tsp coriander, ground
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp yellow curry powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 head of cauliflower
1 T ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeño, minced (to taste)
3 medium tomatoes, diced small
1 T lemon juice
Cilantro to garnish

Heat the coconut oil. Add the whole cumin seeds, stirring until fragrant. Add the coriander, gram masala, curry powder, and sea salt. Stir well. Add the ginger, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes, and cover. Cook for 8-10 minutes. The cauliflower should be cooked and the tomatoes should have cooked down to a thick paste. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon juice, and garnish with cilantro.

An Indian-inspired meal

Last week in class, we made an Indian-inspired lunch for a group of fourteen. I decided to make a similar meal for dinner this week. I made these rosemary chickpea pancakes topped them with turmeric rice, coconut-braised brussels sprouts and a red lentil dal. It was delicious.

Indian food is full of spice. It's important to use whole, fresh spices. Common spices to use are fenugreek, fennel seed, cumin seed, mustard seed, star anise, clove, and asafetida. Dry roast the spices whole in a pan before grinding and using. Believe me, the time and effort is worth it.

We were hesitant to braise brussels sprouts with coconut milk at first, but after we tasted it, we were sold. The coconut milk imparted a sweetness to the savory brussels sprouts.

Coconut-braised brussels sprouts 
Recipe by Chef Kelly Taylor
1 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black mustard seed or yellow mustard seed
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 bag brussels sprouts, cleaned and quartered (~ 3 cups)
1/2 small red onion, medium dice
1 can coconut milk (full fat)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or fresh chile minced, to taste
1 T lemon juice
sea salt to taste

Dry toast the spices in small saute pan. Set aside to let cool. Then grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Add oil to a wide, shallow saute pan over medium heat. When you see the oil glisten, toss in the sprouts. Cook until the sprouts start to brown and caramelize. Add the red onion and cook until they begin to brown, about a minute. Now add the coconut milk, spice mixture, a dash of salt and cayenne. Cook and cover for 15-20 minutes or until the sprouts are done. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste.

Turmeric is a health-promoting spice. It's been used in Chinese and Indian cultures for it's anti-inflammatory healing properties. The yellowish-orange pigment is called curcumin. Turmeric is thought to help prevent against cancer. 

Turmeric rice
Recipe inspired by Cafe Flora
3/4 c basmati rice, rinsed well
1 1/4 c water
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp sea salt

Put the rice and water into a pot. Stir in the turmeric, cumin and sea salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

Have a happy Halloween!