I always tell myself I’m not going to order Indian food when I get home from an international flight, but I’m pretty much never right. Typically, it’s a Friday, and I’ve been on a plane all day, zoning out on movie after movie. We land, I go through customs, pick up my luggage, get in a taxi. It all feels like a bit of a time warp, difficult to remember how long you’ve been in between places. In between away and home. When I walk through my front door, into my warm house, I’m always so happy to be there.

When I get home, I check the fridge, thinking that I’m going to find some magical answer to my post-flight comfort food craving. But after being in transit for 12+ hours, mustering the energy to cook is just not realistic. So I cave and order malai kofta and naan and butter chicken (because it always takes two entrees to meet the delivery minimum) and $40 later I’m sitting on the couch, tucking in to the most delicious, creamy, comforting Indian food. It’s not the healthiest or most budget-conscious habit, but it’s a hard one to break.

The last time I did this, a few weeks back, I found myself wondering: what if I had my favorite Indian food in the freezer, waiting for me? That might solve the problem. Even at my most disoriented, I can usually manage to simmer rice. So I resolved to learn how to cook malai kofta and stash some away before my next trip.

Malai kofta is one of my favorite take-out orders. If you’re unfamiliar, they’re sort of a vegetable meatball served in a thick, tomato-based curry sauce. I’ve ordered them for years without ever really knowing what’s in them. When I made them myself, it became quite obvious why they’re one of my favorite foods – they’re basically fried potato and cheese balls served in a spicy tomato cream sauce. It’s probably not possible to get more of my favorite foods into one dish.

I have a little experience cooking Indian food but not very much, and it can be hard to get the same richness and balance of flavors as restaurant-quality takeout. These, however, were a very close approximation of my favorite malai kofta (and better than some of the ones I’ve had from inferior Indian restaurants). They’re still not particularly healthy – they are made of fried cheese and potatoes – but they are much more economical to prepare. And so good. Seriously, even if you don’t make these at home, promise me you’ll order them the next time you get takeout.

My plan to make this and stash it in the freezer for my next homecoming was good in theory. In practice, Trevor and I ate two thirds of this the first night. We couldn’t bring ourselves to freeze what was left, either – the idea of eating the leftovers for lunch the next day was too tempting. At least now I know how to make them. And since it’s not that difficult to scale up, next time I’ll make a double batch so that at least a little bit makes it into the freezer.

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Malai Kofta

Malai Kofta – a favorite vegetarian Indian takeout dish. Potato, paneer, and vegetables are rolled into kofta and fried, then served in a rich tomato-cream masala sauce. 

Recipe adapted from Spice up the Curry, Padhu’s Kitchen, and Veg Recipes of India.

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 4
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For the kofta:

• 3 medium red-skinned potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 8 oz. paneer cheese, grated or finely crumbled
• 1/3 c. frozen peas
• 1/4 c. grated carrot
• 2 TBS raisins
• 3 TBS finely chopped cashews
• 1 Thai green chile, chopped finely
• 3 TBS cornflour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• canola oil, for frying

For the masala sauce:

• 2 TBS canola oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed or pounded into a paste
• 2-inches fresh ginger, peeled and pounded into a paste
• 2 cups. crushed tomatoes
• 12 cashews
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 TBS butter
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2–3 cardamom pods
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

For the kofta:

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and boil until potatoes are very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain potatoes.
2. Add potatoes, grated paneer, peas, grated carrot, raisins, cashews, and chopped chile to a bowl. Mash the potatoes with a fork, then mix everything together thoroughly. Use your hands if it’s easier.
3. Stir in the 3 TBS of cornflour, sea salt, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Mix until evenly combined.
4. Roll mixture into golf-ball sized balls, pressing together gently with your hands. Pour the extra cornflour into a bowl and roll the balls through the cornflour so there is a light coating on the outside.
5. Pour enough canola oil into a high-sided frying pan to reach 1/4 inch up the sides. Heat over medium heat until a piece of potato mixture dropped into the oil sizzles on contact. Add two or three of the potato balls to the oil and fry until golden brown all over, using tongs to carefully turn the balls as each side cooks. When they are done, use tongs to transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel.

For the masala sauce:

1. Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger paste and saute until fragrant, another 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt, cashews, and all the ground spices. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Then remove from the heat.
2. Transfer the sauce to a blender (let cool first if your blender can’t process hot liquids). Add 1/2 cup of water to the sauce and blend on high until a very smooth sauce is formed. Set aside.
3. Rinse or wipe the frying pan out. Heat the remaining 1 TBS of oil and 1 TBS of butter in the pan until the butter has melted. Add the cloves, bay leaf, cardamom pods, and caraway seeds. Fry for 60-90 seconds, then add the blended sauce to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the oil begins to pool on the top of the sauce, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Add the kofta to the sauce, and serve over basmati rice.

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As promised, I’m balancing indulgence with healthfulness this month – since my last recipe was for a sausage-stuffed grilled cheese sandwich, this one will be much more restrained. It’s a simple lentil soup, bulked up by oven-roasted tomatoes and given warmth and depth with harissa, cumin, ginger, and saffron. A swirl of cool Greek yogurt balances out the subtle spiciness. It’s a very good recipe for these very cold days – satisfying and nourishing at the same time.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite healthy cookbooks, A Change of Appetite, by Diana Henry. It was only released last summer, but it’s already become one of 4 or 5 books that I turn to when I need inspiration for whole eating. It’s also the only cookbook I purchased as a gift for someone this year, which I think says a lot. Anyways, if you’re looking for sources of inspiration for healthy cooking, I’d highly recommend it – and if you’re curious but not sold, read more about it in my full review from a few months ago.

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Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup with Saffron

Recipe adapted slightly from A Change of Appetite. Serves 4-6.

• 6 plum tomatoes, halved
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp dried harissa powder
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1 red thai chile, stem removed, finely diced
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• good pinch of saffron stems
• 4 c. vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 c. red lentils
• plain Greek yogurt, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk together the olive oil, harissa, and salt and pepper, and pour over the tomatoes. Use a spatula to flip the tomatoes and coat in the oil, ending with the tomatoes cut side up. Roast the tomatoes for 40-50 minutes, stirring once, until slightly shrunken and charred in places. Set aside the 4-6 nicest looking tomato halves for garnish.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, thai chile, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and saffron and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the stock, the lentils, and the roasted tomatoes to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils have softened into a puree and the tomatoes have mostly dissolved into the soup. Taste and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and one of the reserved tomato halves.

The post Clean Eating: Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup with Saffron appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

After a long business trip, it always takes a few days to shake off the whirl of travel and settle back into my routine. While I’m out on the road, every day is a long mix of work and exploration, and I often lose sense of the boundaries I have between my work and personal lives when I’m at home. Of course, the one piece of my life that I’m truly missing when I’m away is Trevor, and the first thing I want to do when I walk in the door (well, maybe after a shower) is to just spend time being together.

Last week I returned from a 10 day trip to Malaysia, and although it took me a bit longer than usual to get over the jet-lag and general plane-induced malaise, by Sunday I was feeling like myself again. Although some might argue that when you live together and don’t have kids, every night is date night, in my book it’s nice to set aside time that’s solely about spending time with one another. So I declared Sunday night an official date night, and we set about brainstorming recipes (because in our house, date night almost always means cooking). This particular date night was spruced up a bit by some new kitchenwares from Uncommon Goods, an ethically-minded retailer for unique and unusual gifts. Part of Uncommon Goods’ mission is to support independent artists and designers, as well as to feature American-made goods, and it’s easy to get lost browsing the resulting collection of products they’ve curated. Of course, although they carry a broad range of items, the section I’m drawn to the most is dining and entertaining, especially the wine (here) and kitchen gadget (here) collections.

When Uncommon Goods offered to send some of their products our way for us to try out, we quickly agreed. We’re constantly breaking our wine glasses, so choosing some new ones from their collection of fun designs was high on our wishlist. We ended up going for this set of stemless aerating wine glasses, in addition to this very classy wine carafe. And despite Trevor’s protests about how cheesy it was (pun intended), I couldn’t resist adding this mini fondue pot for two to our shopping list as well. New kitchenwares in hand, we set about putting them through their paces for our date night – wine was decanted, glasses were set out, and we whipped up a curried tomato and gruyere fondue, kept steaming hot in the tiny tea-light powered fondue pot. Never ones to be satisfied with something too simple, we passed on the bread and crudites for dipping and instead fried up a batch of Indian-spiced rice balls stuffed with mushrooms, carrots, chiles, and peas. The combo of the crispy rice balls and the rich and spicy cheese sauce was spot on, and we polished off the whole batch in one sitting (although I’ll admit that we may have been helped along by the generous glasses of wine we poured).

Sometimes when I’m doing a post for the blog, I get so wrapped up in getting the right shots and taking notes that I forget to enjoy what we’re doing. This was not one of those times – sitting around the tiny fondue pot, joking about cheesy rice balls, taking goofy pictures of each other, and drinking (gulp) the whole bottle of pinot, it really felt like date night, not just a photoshoot of date night. It was fun. A lot of fun. So, corny as it may sound, I genuinely want to thank Uncommon Goods, not only for supplying us with some great new products for our kitchen, but for inspiring us to get in the kitchen and create and laugh and enjoy each other’s company. Definitely hop over to their site to see if anything inspires you!

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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Uncommon Goods, a retailer for unique and unusual gifts. All opinions are honest and my own.

Curried Tomato-Gruyere Fondue with Indian-Spiced Arancini

A Katie at the Kitchen Door original recipe. Serves 3-4 as an appetizer.

For the arancini:

• 2 c. cooked Basmati rice
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 tsp grated fresh garlic
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and stemmed, finely diced
• 2 small carrots, peeled and finely grated
• 10 crimini or button mushrooms, stems removed, very finely diced
• 1/3 c. frozen peas
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/8 tsp cayenne powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 eggs. lightly beaten
• vegetable oil for frying

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the grated garlic, grated ginger, and diced jalapenos and saute, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots, mushrooms, and peas and saute, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add cooked rice, ground ginger, ground turmeric, and cayenne powder and stir to thoroughly combine, fully coating rice in spices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. Add the beaten eggs to the rice mixture and stir to combine. Form the rice into golf ball sized balls, pressing firmly to remove any excess liquid, and set aside on a plate. Heat 1/2 an inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a deep frying pan. Once the oil is hot (test it by adding a small piece of rice to the oil and seeing if it sizzles immediately), fry the rice balls in batches, about 1-2 minutes per side, then drain the rice balls on a paper-towel lined plate. Serve immediately.

For the curried tomato fondue:

• 1 TBS butter
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp grated garlic
• 1 c. crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 lb. gruyere cheese, roughly grated

1. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the grated ginger and grated garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and curry powder and stir to combine. Cook tomatoes, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, then lower heat to low and add the grated cheese. Stir the cheese into the tomatoes until completely melted and just beginning to bubble around the edges, then transfer immediately to prepared fondue pot. Keep warm in fondue pot and serve with Indian-spiced arancini, crusty bread, or other foods for dipping.

The post Date Night with Uncommon Goods // Curried Tomato-Gruyere Fondue with Indian-Spiced Arancini appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Lately we’ve been making meals where almost every ingredient has come out of our garden, and it’s incredibly satisfying. With the cooler weather, we’ve been able to turn on our oven and stovetop again, saving us from daunting tasks like eating 20 gorgeous heirloom tomatoes raw before they start to mold (a 3 day window) and finding ways to use up pumpkin without the help of a long, slow, caramelizing roast. The first meal where nearly everything was homegrown was a Mediterranean Shepherd’s Pie – we had grown the garlic, the onion, the tomatoes, the eggplant, the zucchini, and the potatoes. Really the only ingredients that we hadn’t grown or made were the cheese and the ground beef. And now, we have this gorgeous yellow curry, packed full of vegetables taken straight from the ground – we even grew the cayenne chilies that give it its kick!

This yellow curry is relatively quick, easy, and deeply nourishing. It’s made from only vegetables, spices, and water, and I was skeptical about how much flavor I’d be able to coax out of such a limited number of ingredients. No rich and creamy coconut milk? No savory chunks of lamb? But the carrot and pumpkin deliver sweetness, the tomatoes acidity, and the potatoes break down into a thick, rich sauce that soaks up all the flavor of the toasted spices. It’s a lovely curry. Of course, I can’t take much credit for it, beyond, perhaps, the addition of the tomatoes, as it’s adapted from Mangoes and Curry Leaves, my Indian cooking bible. I love Indian food and have been attempting it at home since I first started cooking,  but it wasn’t until I took a step back and took time to learn the fundamentals that I started to turn out satisfying Indian dishes. Now my repertoire is slowly building – I love these potato and pea parathas and this chickea pulao, and now I can add this adaptable vegetarian curry to the list as well.

Bangladeshi Yellow Pumpkin Curry

Adapted from Mangoes and Curry Leaves. Serves 4.

• 3 TBS vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 c. cubed (1/4 inch dice) Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 c. cubed (1/2 inch dice) pumpkin
• 1 large yellow tomato, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• large handful of green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch lengths
• 1 fresh cayenne chile, sliced into thin rings
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• juice from 1/2 fresh lime

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add all of the spices and bay leaves at once, and stir-fry in the hot oil until the mustard seeds start to pop and sizzle. Add the vegetables in order listed, stir-frying for 1-2 minutes between each addition. If the vegetables begin to stick to the pan as you are cooking, add a few tablespoons of water to the bottom to deglaze any sticky parts of the pan. Add the fresh cayenne chile and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
2. Once you have added all the vegetables, pour the water into the pan and bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer until all vegetables are tender, potatoes and tomato have broken down, and the sauce is thick and spoonable. This should take about 15 minutes-20 minutes. Add the salt, sugar, and lime juice and taste for seasoning, adjusting as necessary. Remove from the heat and serve over rice.

The post Cooking from the Garden // Bangladeshi Yellow Pumpkin Curry appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Even though January, February and March felt never-ending, I find myself very surprised that it’s already June. Is this what it feels like to get old, the weeks seemingly disappearing into months like it’s nothing? Oi. It’s not a bad thing, but my life feels full, in a good way, and time is flying by. Given that I might have to spend the better part of August and September in Malaysia for work, I feel like I really have to make the most of summer in June and July, including, of course, sticking with my monthly fitness goals – it is bikini (or at least one-piece?) season after all.

I did a good job with exercise in May, even though I had a ten day, three-stop business trip that could have potentially thrown a wrench in my workout schedule. Not only did I complete my May goal of getting 180 minutes of strength training in (although it came down to the wire, with my last Nike Training Club session just squeezed in on the 31st), I also kept up with the running, clocking over 55 miles at an average pace that was 6 seconds faster than April. I feel good, and now I just have to maintain both components even as the weather gets hotter and working out becomes a sweatier proposition.

However, I did not do so well with my eating habits last month. Business trips are rarely good for my eating habits – too many three-course meals paid for by our hosts, an especially difficult thing to turn down in a world-class food city like Rome – but even when I was at home, I found myself eating out or resorting to cheese and crackers for dinner all too often. This month, I want to be better organized and prepared, bringing healthy lunches to work whenever I can, planning ahead for wholesome dinners, and, if I can really commit myself to this, kicking the daily latte and muffin/cookie habit I seemed to have developed over the past month (it used to be a less frequent habit, but I have somehow slipped into a pattern where I run downstairs to grab one on a daily basis now). Besides planning ahead, I want to rely more on fresh fruits and vegetables for my meals, especially since we’ve finally arrived in the season where a variety of local New England produce is available (beyond radishes and rhubarb, that is). So, the official goal? Have at least one serving of fruits or veggies at every meal (ideally fresh, but I’m not going to fault myself for having a bowl of vegetarian chili at dinner or lightly sauteed spinach in my omelets). I’m also going to try and make most of my afternoon snacks fruit or veggie based – replacing cookies and pretzels with apples and crudités. We’ll see how that goes in practice, but I swear I’ll try.

In that vein, this month’s recipe is packed with flavor, color, and freshness, while still being filling and balanced. I recently received a review copy of Golubka’s The Vibrant Table, and the very first night I flipped through it, I ended up making the Chickpea Crepes with Mango Salsa for dinner. Of course, once I’m inspired, just leaving recipes the way they are is very difficult for me, so I tweaked this and that and ended up with a recipe that’s a perfect dinner for me. The biggest change is obviously the addition of grilled chicken marinated in a curry yogurt sauce – I felt like I needed some more bulk to make this a stand-alone meal – but I also swapped out some of the flavors for a more Indian profile (cumin seeds instead of sesame seeds in the crepes, mint and basil instead of cilantro in the salsa), played with the consistency of the crepes to make them more pliable, and added a bunch of sweet red pepper to the salsa for even more color and freshness. The resulting meal is bursting with flavor, and just the kind of thing I need to get me excited about eating fresh vegetables.

Past Fitness Challenges

January: 10 Visits to the YMCA; Recipe: Gluten-Free Olive-and-Feta Corn Muffins
February: One vegan meal every day; Recipe: Pakistani Chickpea Pulao with Sweet-Hot Date-Onion Chutney
March: Run 40  miles in 20 days; Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Almond Butter Cookie Bites
April: Walk 8,000 steps a day; Recipe: Herb-Flecked Spring Couscous
May: 180 minutes of Nike Training Club; Recipe: Warm Arugula Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing

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Chickpea Crepes with Grilled Curry Chicken and Mango Salsa

Inspired by The Vibrant Table. Serves 4.

For the chicken:

• 1 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 TBS curry powder
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the crepes:

• 2 c. chickpea flour
• 2 TBS whole cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 1/2 to 3 c. water
• 1 large egg
• vegetable oil for frying

For the mango salsa:

• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/3 c. very finely chopped red onion (from about 1/4 of a large onion)
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
• juice from 1-2 fresh limes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• small handful of mint leaves, sliced into chiffonade
• small handful of basil leaves, sliced into chiffonade

1. To make the chicken: Mix the yogurt, olive oil, curry powder, crushed garlic, and 1 tsp of salt together in a large bowl until evenly combine. Add the chicken breasts and rub the curry marinade all over them to fully coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.
2. To make the crepes: Whisk together the chickpea flour, cumin seeds, turmeric, and salt. Add the water 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until as smooth as possible between batches. Resulting batter should be runny but not watery. Add the egg and whisk to blend with the batter. Cover the batter bowl and let rest for at least 30 minutes, and ideally 1 hour.
3. To make the salsa: Mix together all salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning (lime juice, salt, jalapeno, and herbs) to your taste.
4. When you are ready to eat: Fire up your grill and preheat. Grill the chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side, until cooked all the way through with no pink left in the middle (grilling time may vary significantly depending on the temperature of your grill and  the thickness of your chicken – always check that they are cooked in the middle before serving!). Set cooked chicken aside.
5. Heat 2 tsp of vegetable oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Once hot, add half a cup of the crepe batter and quickly swirl the pan to allow the batter to run into a large circle. Cook crepes for 30-60 seconds on each side, until golden brown and bubbly, then flip. Stack cooked crepes on a serving platter. Slice cooked chicken and serve over the warm crepes alongside the mango salsa. Serve as soon as possible after cooking, although leftover crepes can be wrapped in tinfoil and stored in the fridge if necessary.

The post Monthly Fitness Goals: June // Chickpea Crepes with Grilled Curry Chicken and Mango Salsa appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

The Book: The newest cookbook on my shelf is Eating with the Chefs, a photography-driven book that documents the family meals served at the world’s greatest restaurants. The goal of the book: to take you behind the scenes, into the kitchens and after-hours, to experience the “family life” of the people who make these restaurants run, and the “honest, simple food” they make for each other outside of the dining room. From the pillars of America’s modern dining scene (The French Laundry, Chez Panisse, Blue Hill at Stone Barns), to the international innovators that have been making global headlines for the past few years (Noma, Attica, Mugaritz), you will get a little taste of the experience and flavors of each restaurant, without needing to hop on a plane and fly to Denmark/Australia/Spain (as nice as that would be if you could). Like all of Phaidon’s books, Eating with the Chefs is gorgeously designed, an art book as much as a cookbook, if not more. The pages are thick and matte, the text sparse, and the stories are told primarily through the gorgeous and subtle photographs of Per-Anders Jorgensen, the book’s creator. The restaurant stories and recipes are found interspersed between the pictures in text “inserts,” further emphasizing the focus on the photography. It’s a book you’ll want to leave out on the coffee table. As for the recipes themselves, between the seemingly universal unwritten rule that family meals should be straightforward and comforting and the immense talent and creativity of the chefs cooking them, the 50 recipes included in this book fall right in the sweet spot of how I love to cook.

The Food: As soon as I saw the recipe for Indian Butter Chicken in Eating with the Chefs, I knew it had to be the first recipe I tried. I’m forever on the hunt for recipes that accurately approximate my favorite Indian takeout dishes, but making good Indian food requires such a thorough study of cooking techniques and knowledge of Indian pantry ingredients that it can be a real challenge. I’ve had good success with recipes like these Pea and Potato Parathas and this Pakistani Chickpea Pulao, but none of them have been “takeout-y,” by which I mean over-the-top rich and spicy and addictive. As you might expect from one of Australia’s pre-eminent chefs, this recipe hit all the right notes of great Indian food – creamy, spicy, salty, savory – and was perfectly balanced. I’m really excited to have added this one to my repertoire, and if the other recipes in the book are as dead-on as this one was, I’m going to have a lot more dinners in my rotation.

Recipe Shortlist: Basque-Style Garlic Soup; Emmer Wheat Foccaccia; Quark Pillows with Corn and Grilled Peaches; Holiday Cannelloni; Squab Torte; Roast Chicken with Apple and Onion Confit and Pommes Mousseline; Lentil Stew with Pork Ribs; Quay’s Green Chicken Curry; Chocolate Ripple Cake

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Eating with the Chefs from Phaidon, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Indian Butter Chicken

Recipe from Eating with the Chefs. Serves 2.

• 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 lb. 2 oz. skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 3 TBS butter
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 TBS grated fresh ginger
• 1 TBS whole cumin seeds
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1/3 c. canned diced tomatoes
• 1 fresh red chile, seeded and sliced
• 1/4 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 TBS ground almonds
• 3 sprigs fresh cilantro, to garnish
• salt to taste

1. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, salt (to taste, approximately 1/2 tsp), garam masala, and ground cumin in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour over the chicken, making sure chicken is fully coated, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. When ready to cook, melt the butter and oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes or until translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds, and cook for 3 minutes, until spices are fragrant and onions are lightly browned.
3. Add the cinnamon stick, diced tomatoes, and sliced chile to the pan and season with salt, then cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and it’s marinade to the pan and stir to combine, then cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through. Stir in the ground almonds and cook for a final 5 minutes. Serve with rice, garnished with fresh cilantro.

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Part of me wishes I had never discovered this recipe, because now I’m kind of obsessed with these tasty little pan-fried breads. Seriously. They are the best thing that I’ve made in a long, long time. You know that feeling where even as you’re putting something into your mouth your belly is telling you “too much! You will regret this!”? And yet you do it anyways, because whatever you’re eating is really tasty or somebody put a bowl of oreos in front of you or you’re just bored and noshing mindlessly? Well that has happened to me all three times I ate these, except when I’ve finished them and am sitting on the couch with a very full belly, instead of regretting it, I think “that was so worth it.”

Parathas are a type of stuffed, Indian flatbread. You make a filling – in this case a mildly spiced mixture of smashed potatoes and green peas – plop some into the center of a piece of simple whole wheat dough, fold the dough over the filling twice, and then roll it out again so that the potatoes and peas get all mushed into the dough itself. You fry it in a little hot oil for a minute or two, until the dough is cooked and the inside is hot, then you tear it open and devour it, potentially pausing to dip it in a sweet chutney if you have that sort of self control. They’re soft and doughy, addictively salty and spicy, and just so full of savory goodness. They’re a little bit messy to roll out, but even as someone who hates cleaning sticky dough off counters, these are worth the trouble. This particular recipe for parathas is another hit from Mangoes & Curry Leaves – I’m so glad I finally bought myself a copy of this book! For those of you who know me in person, don’t be surprised if I serve you Indian food anytime you come over to my house in the next few months.

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Spiced Potato and Pea Parathas

Recipe adapted very slightly from Mangoes & Curry Leaves. Makes 8 parathas, serves 4-8.

• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. AP flour
• 1 tsp salt
• scant 1 c. lukewarm water
• 2 c. Spiced Potato and Pea filling, recipe below
• 2 TBS vegetable oil

1. Mix flours and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in lukewarm water, then turn dough out into floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 2 hours.
2. Split dough into 8 equal sized pieces, keeping the ones you are not working with loosely covered. Roll a piece of dough out to an 8-inch round. Spread 3-4 TBS of the potato filling over one half of the dough. Fold the dough in half to cover the filling, then fold in half again in the other direction so that you have effectively folded the dough into quarters. Roll out again into an 8 inch circle, smushing the filling into the dough. Don’t worry if you’re filling starts to break out of the dough and gets a little messy. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and filling.
3. Heat 1 TBS of the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add a partatha to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Flip over and cook for 1 minute on the other side. Both sides should be golden brown. If they aren’t, cook for another 30-60 seconds on each side. Remove to a plate, add a little bit more oil to the pan, and repeat with remaining parathas. Serve immediately with sweet chutney.

Spiced Potato and Pea Filling

Recipe adapted very slightly from Mangoes & Curry Leaves. Makes 3 cups.

• 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 TBS vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp minced garlic or garlic mashed to a paste (1 large clove)
• 1 c. finely chopped onion
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

1. Place diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain, let cool slightly, and roughly mash potatoes with a potato masher or a fork. Leave some chunks.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high. When oil is shimmering, add mustard seeds, cook for 45 seconds, until they stop spluttering, add the turmeric and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the chopped onion. Lower heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5-8 minutes, until onion is soft and staring to brown. Add jalapenos and cook for 2 minutes longer, then add potatoes and peas and stir to mix thoroughly together. Cook just to heat peas and potatoes through, about 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Season to taste with salt. Let cool and use as filling for parathas or samosas. Also tasty on it’s own, or shaped into cakes and pan-fried.

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My January fitness challenge went pretty well – although I may not have stuck to the letter of the goal, I certainly accomplished the spirit of it. Starting from a place of zero athleticism at the end of the year, I wanted to work my way back into regular exercising, so I bit the bullet, joined the Y, and vowed that I’d go there at least ten times during the month of January. I only ended up making it to the Y eight times, but I also went to Brooklyn Boulders twice for a combo rock climbing and treadmill workout, so I’m counting those as well, because, well, they’re both gyms, right? All told, I worked out on 23 of the 31 days of the month, and I think I deserve a big pat on the back for sticking with the plan. I’ve definitely gotten my base back, both from an aerobic and strength perspective, and now it’s time to build on that. I had a lot of thoughts about how February’s goal could build on January’s success: I could focus on speed, stamina, strength, or workout frequency. But really, I think the next step is that stubborn number on the scale, and that basically means one thing: healthier eating.

Boooo, I can hear you all thinking, what is this, January? But hear me out, I promise it’s not that bad. After waffling back and forth between trying to not eat out at all during the week (including coffee breaks, takeout, happy hours, and the snack drawer), and doing Mark Bittman’s Vegan Before 6:00 program (wanna know more? check out Emma’s honest review here), I decided to start simple and just choose one meal a day that would be vegan. Now, I don’t ever want to actually be vegan, but I know that cheese, milk, butter, eggs, and salty meats (bacon, sausage, prosciutto) are frequently part of my go-to comfort foods, so I wanted to consciously remind myself that there are other options, and replace one potentially cheesy meal each day with something more fresh-vegetable-based. I’ve also been trying to be generous with the term “meal” by making it encompass a full 3-4 hour period after the meal itself, to keep myself from cheating and sneaking on non-vegan snacks immediately afterwards. E.g., if I have a green smoothie at 9, no latte at 10, and no brownie at 3pm after my virtuous lunchtime salad. You get the picture. So far I’ve stuck to it 95% of the time, with a slip or two for which I blame the allure of the office chocolate box in the afternoons. I think the biggest benefit is just that I’m more aware of what I’m eating. And I’m already hyper-aware of food, so that’s saying something. I have also noticed that it forces me to actively plan out my meals every day, because I know that every single day I need to have budgeted in something healthy and vegan and I can’t just wing it. Ten days in, I’m happy with it, but we’ll see if it has any impact on the scale by the end of the month.

Now, on to the good part – the food! I recently bought myself a copy of Mangoes & Curry Leaves, the first cookbook I’ve purchased for myself in over a year. Cooking Indian food that tastes even reasonably well-balanced is tricky, and I love Indian food so much that I really wanted to learn how to do it well, step-by-step. This book is great for that, and also happens to be the perfect resource for finding vegan recipes that don’t taste like they’re “missing” something – so much of Indian and Asian cooking is naturally vegan, with spices and precise cooking techniques supplying the flavor we often rely on dairy for. I’ve been cooking up a storm from this book – from Sri Lankan Beef Curry, to Mountain Dal, to Potato-and-Pea Parathas, to this Pakistani Chickpea Pulao that I’m sharing with you today – and everything has been amazing. This pulao is definitely comfort food, but the kind you can feel good about. Warming, filling, and slightly saucy, the mixture of rice, chickpeas, sweet onions, tomatoes, and spices is packed full of heartiness and flavor, and has lots of good protein and vitamins. With a spoonful of the sweet and spicy date and onion chutney stirred in, it becomes a head-clearing mess of goodness that’s almost impossible to stop eating (completely negating my weight goals, but c’est la vie).

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Pakistani Chickpea Pulao

Adapted very slightly from Mangoes & Curry Leaves. Serves 4.

Note: The rice needs to be soaked at least an hour in advance, so plan ahead. This can be made on the stovetop or in the oven. If you plan to finish it in the oven, make sure you use an ovenproof pot with a lid for the initial stages. Because the cooking times are relatively short for each stage, it’s important to have your ingredients prepared ahead of time – i.e. measure out your spices, pound your garlic and ginger, and slice your onions before you start cooking.

• 2  c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, divided
• 1 c. basmati rice
• 4 c. water, divided
• 2 TBS vegetable oil
• one small piece of cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
• 2 medium onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 c. crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped almonds, for garnish (optional)
• 1/2 c. chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
• Sweet Hot Date-Onion Chutney, for serving (optional, recipe below)

1. Toss together the chickpeas and 3/4 of a tsp of salt. Set aside. Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water, then add 3 cups of cold water and let the rice soak for at least one and up to three hours. After this time, drain the rice and set it aside.
2. If using the oven (for finishing the cooking, you may also use the stovetop), preheat it to 325°F. Place a wide, heavy-bottomed pot that has a lid over medium heat (use an ovensafe pot if finishing in the oven). Add the vegetable oil, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf, stir together, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Place the garlic and ginger into a mortar and pestle and pound into a paste. Alternatively, finely mince both. Add the garlic and the ginger to the spices and stir fry, stirring constantly for about 1-2 minutes, until golden brown. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft, about 10 minutes. If onions are starting to brown before they soften, lower the heat – you want the onions to remain a pale golden color.
4. Add the chickpeas, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne to the pot, stir to coat the chickpeas with the spices, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then, add the tomatoes, turmeric, and remaining 1 c. water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then sprinkle the drained rice over the top. Return to a boil, then lower the heat and tightly cover. Place covered pot in preheated oven, if using, or keep at a simmer on the stovetop. Cook for 45 minutes in the oven or 30-40 minutes on the stovetop,then remove from heat and let stand, still covered, for 15 minutes. If you’re cooking on the stovetop, you may want to check once or twice for burning on the bottom while it’s cooking – just give it a quick stir and then replace the lid.
5. If you can spot them, fish out the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, clove, and bay leaf before serving, to avoid inadvertently biting into them. Serve in bowls with chopped almonds, cilantro, and sweet hot date-onion chutney.

Sweet Hot Date-Onion Chutney

Adapted very slightly from Mangoes & Curry Leaves. Makes about 1 cup.

• 3 dried Thai chilies, stems removed
• 1 TBS vegetable oil
• 1 TBS sesame oil
• 1 large sweet white onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. chopped pitted dates

1. Bring a kettle of water to a boil, then pour about 2 cups of the boiling water over the dried chilies in a heatproof bowl. Let stand and soften for 10 minutes.
2. Add the vegetable and sesame oils to a frying pan, and heat over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown all over with darker brown spots, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Drain the chilies from the water, then place chilies in a food processor with the chopped dates and pulse several times to coarsely chop. Add the cooked onions to the food processor and pulse several more times until the mixture is coarsely ground. Season to taste with salt. Store in a sealed glass container in the fridge for up to several weeks.

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I came home from Andover with a lot of produce on Tuesday night – besides a giant bag of apples, I also had an armful of eggplants, a bunch of kale, and fresh herbs, all scavenged from the Andover garden.  Now, free produce is free produce, and I was as excited about it as I always am about free food (or free anything, really), but I was a little perplexed by what to do with 8 eggplants.  My rate of eggplant consumption is generally about 1 per month, not because I don’t like it, but because I only have one or two ways of preparing it – the first being roasting it and tossing it with pasta and feta, the second being baba ghanoush.  These are both delicious, but I don’t like cooking or eating the same thing too frequently (except when it comes to breakfast, where my weekly repertoire of recipes never exceeds two), so I wanted to try something new with my bounty.

Turns out, I actually had several eggplant recipes already bookmarked (it’s hard to keep track of the recipes you have bookmarked when you have over 500 of them, and it can be so exciting to rediscover them), so I set about trying a few.  Eggplant cream sauce, vegetarian eggplant meatballs, baked eggplant chips, Turkish eggplant phyllo pies – where to start?  It was Saturday afternoon, I was extremely hungry after a 6 mile run, I wanted to blog and use up some of my produce, but I only had an hour before I had to leave to catch a train.  So, I decided to try these quick Indian eggplant snacks – called Beguni.  They’re just thin slices of eggplant, dredged in a gently spiced chickpea batter, and fried hot until the batter is golden brown and the eggplant is tender.  Having never been to India, I can’t personally attest to this, but from what I’ve read, they are an extremely popular street food item sold mainly during monsoon season.  (It rained a lot yesterday – does that count?)

They ended up being the perfect solution.  Super easy to both prepare and cook, I had a hot, tasty snack within 15 minutes of deciding to make these, and I even had time to snap a few photos, and make sticky figs (coming soon!).  This may not be the healthiest way to enjoy eggplant, but it’s definitely delicious, and certainly a departure from my standard eggplant recipes.  If you’re looking for a new way to prepare eggplant, a quick afternoon snack, or a tasty appetizer to an Indian themed dinner, these are definitely worth trying.  And be sure to fry up any extra batter as a treat for yourself rather than dumping it – it’s super yummy by itself, although not as good as with hot, creamy eggplant inside!

Beguni – Bengali Eggplant Fritters

Adapted slightly from Ecurry.  Serves 1.

• 1 small Chinese eggplant, 6-8 inches long
• coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. chickpea flour
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c. water
• canola oil
• fresh mint leaves (optional)

1. Slice the eggplant into rounds about 1/2 inch thick.  Lay out on a tray or plate and sprinkle with salt, and let sit ten minutes.  Rinse off salt and pat dry.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together chickpea flour, turmeric, chili powder, and baking powder until thoroughly combined.  Add water and beat until batter is smooth.  Batter should be thick but still fluid, so that it stays in a thin layer on the eggplant when dipped in it.  Add more water or chickpea flour as necessary to get the right consistency (after frying a test fritter, I found that the batter needed a bit more water than the original recipe called for, which is reflected in the recipe above).
3. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  When it is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices in the chickpea batter and place in the pan, leaving space between the fritters.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook another minute and a half.  Fritters should be golden brown on both side, and eggplant should be tender in the center.  Sprinkle with sea salt and serve hot.  I really enjoyed eating them with a fresh mint leaf pressed on top of each fritter, but I doubt that this is traditional.

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I knew it was dangerous for me to name a post Cookbook of the Month, implying that I really, truly would be able to review at least 1 cookbook every single month.  It didn’t seem that hard – what’s one post a month? – but I guess I should have considered my initial hesitation more thoroughly before going ahead and making false implied promises.  In July there was a glorious debut, and then in August, even though I had a book planned and the post written, I left you hanging.  So sorry!  At least I’ve only missed 1 month so far!  (I’m feeling glass is half full tonight, so please, be kind, and don’t point out that missing 1 month is also missing 50% of what was planned).  And I’m here now!  With this delicious, delicious, completely different from anything else I’ve had before dish from September’s cookbook, “Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law,” by Simon Daley.

This book was one of the ones that caught my eye early in my cookbook-devouring days.  Actually, I think it was the first or second cookbook that I picked up in the library and literally read like a novel.  After seeing that the opening pages contain tricks to the fundamentals of Indian cooking – such as how to mix fresh spice blends, quick fry onions, and tell when a masala is ready by watching the oil – I was hooked.  Then, as I flipped through the recipes and saw that they included spices I’d never heard of before, like asafoetida and curry leaves, I was even more intrigued.  I love Indian food and I like to try and make it at home, but I’m usually disappointed by the lack of complexity in my dishes – I want that restaurant quality layer of flavor.  My theory being that perhaps there’s only so much you can expect from using just curry powder and turmeric, I went ahead and picked up the mysterious spices from Wholefoods and began trying the recipes out.  The first one I tried, chickpea flour dumplings with yogurt, is still one of my favorite recipes, especially when I want to impress friends at the last minute, as it’s quick to throw together and I almost always have the ingredients on hand.  I also tried a meatball curry which wasn’t as impressive in its originality (at least, its originality to me!) and flavor, but was still satisfying.

The recipe featured here, for rice with moong dal and spiced buttermilk, beats both the curry and the chickpea dumplings in terms of flavor, although it takes a little bit more time and effort to prepare.  The flavor of this is so unique and wonderful – its warm, savory, comforting, just a little spicy, and satisfying on every level.  Making the spiced buttermilk was like an experiment in chemistry, as you start with just yogurt, water, a minimal amount of spices, and some curry leaves, and you end with a spicy, yellow, thickened milk that you could use in a number of ways.  Paired with the complex yet gently spiced rice and lentils, its a completely satisfying eating experience, at least in my book.  I encourage you to check this book out, especially if you’re looking for recipes that will give your attempts at this complex cuisine that extra punch of authenticity.  Need further convincing?  Just give this rice a try, and then make your decision.

Rice with Moong Dal and Spiced Buttermilk

Adapted slightly from Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law by Simon Daley.  Serves 4 as a side.

For the rice:

• 1 c. basmati rice
• 1/2 c. moong dal (tiny green pulses, split)
• 2 1/2 c. hot water
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 in. cinnamon stick
• seeds from 3 cardamom pods
• 3 cloves
• 12 black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 small green chiles (Indian), sliced
• 10 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp salt

1. Rinse rice and dal, then soak in warm water for 20 minutes.  Melt butter over low heat.  When it foams, add all whole spices and cook for 1-2 mintues, stirring, until spices are fragrant, but not beginning to burn.  Add the onion, garlic, chiles, and curry leaves, and cook until onion has softened.  Add turmeric, cook for 30 seconds, then add 2 1/2 c. hot water, salt, rice, and dal.  Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes, until rice has absorbed all water.  Set aside, removing any whole cloves you can see .

For the spiced buttermilk:

• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 inch ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 green chili, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, divided
• 6 oz. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp chickpea flour
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 branch curry leaves (about 15-20 leaves)
• 1 TBS canola or peanut oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• pinch fenugreek
• 2 cloves
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• cilantro (optional)

1. Crush garlic, ginger, chiles, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, and salt into a paste using a mortar and pestle.  Blend yogurt with 1 1/2 c. water on high speed.  Pour off 1/2 of the yogurt mixture, and add the chickpea flour to the remaining yogurt.  Blend, then add the reserved yogurt back in, along with the turmeric, brown sugar, and chili-garlic paste.  Blend until smooth.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over low heat.  Add mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, fenugreek, and cloves, and cook for 1 minutes.  Add asafoetida and cook for 30 seconds more.  Add yogurt mixture, cilantro and curry leaf branch, then cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.  Serve in a pitcher to be poured over rice and moong dal.

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Over the summer I picked up a cookbook called Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law, written by Simon Daley.  I love Indian food, but I’ve struggled with several things when trying to cook it for myself – finding authentic and flavorful recipes, balancing the spices properly, and achieving that wonderful combination of sour, spicy, and warm that is so characteristic of many Indian dishes I’ve tried.  Glancing through this book, I was intrigued by the simple recipes and the idea of learning home recipes from a woman who has cooked these dishes every day of her life; it’s true that the simplest, most comforting, yet also most wonderful Indian food I’ve eaten has always been prepared by someone’s Indian mother.  So I checked the book out and began to read.

First, the book demystified the ingredients and techniques essential to Indian cooking.  I learned about the process of tempering whole vs. ground spices, how to ready-fry onions, how to make a basic garlic-ginger-chilie paste, what kind of tomatoes are best to use in sauces, and how to identify when a masala pools.  Then I looked through the recipes, and found myself confronted with a lot of excellent sounding dishes with very long ingredient lists.  The one that attracted me most, however, was a simple-ish recipe for Chickpea Dumplings.  It took me about 6 weeks from the time I first saw the recipe to the time I first made it.  To a lot of people, this may seem like a long time.  To  people who, like me, hoard recipes in word files, scans, clippings, and scribbled notes, it should seem fast.  At least it does to me.

This recipe absolutely lived up to my expectations.  I went all out and bought all the spices from the bulk spice section in Wholefoods. (Side note: I literally cannot get enough of the bulk section in Wholefoods.  Every time I come back with little baggies of grains and nuts and spices for super reasonable prices I show Megan and say things like “Look!  Three pounds of couscous only cost $4!  They had asafoetida!  And dried lemon balm!  Look how many pinto beans I have!”  And she looks at me like I have 3 to 4 heads.  Actually, I kind of can’t get enough of Wholefoods in general.  Like, every time I go I’m a little bit tempted just to start living there and subsisting off of cheese samples.  Not kidding.  Side note over.)  I even used those San Marzano tomatoes that food bloggers rave about all the time and are ridiculously expensive, at least for canned tomatoes.  I actually only bought them because I read the price tag wrong and thought they were a good deal.  The weren’t.  But they were good.  One day when I’m employed I will buy quality ingredients regularly.  Until then I love me some store brand staples.  I don’t even know what I’m talking about anymore.  I should move on.  I’m just gonna start this paragraph over.

This recipe absolutely lived up to my expectations.  The best way to describe it would be as an Indian version of pasta with tomato sauce – comforting, warm, tangy, hearty.  The dumplings were perfectly spiced and kind of fun to make.  To do so, you boil water with a ginger-garlic paste and then dump in some chickpea flour and stir until it forms a ball of dough.  Then you roll the dough out as quickly as possible and cut it into little diamonds.  Yes, this is fun for me.  The dumplings themselves are addictive.  I would estimate that both times I’ve made them I consumed one fourth of them before even starting the sauce.  After simmering them in a tomato-yogurt sauce, you have the kind of meal you can’t stop shoveling into your mouth after a long day – unpretentious, filling, flavorful, good.

Chickpea Dumplings in Tomato-Yogurt Sauce

Adapted from Simon Daley’s Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law. Serves 3-4.

For the chickpea dumplings:

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger, peeled
• 1-2 jalapenos, stemmed and seeded
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 2 tsp. canola oil
• 2 c. chickpea flour

1. Peel the garlic.  Slice peeled ginger and seeded jalapeno into large chunks.  In a mortar and pestle, grind garlic, ginger, jalapeno, salt, and cumin seeds into a paste.
2. Oil a large cutting board and rolling pin.  Set aside.
3. In a medium pot, bring 1 1/2 c. water and ginger-garlic-pepper paste to a boil.  Turn vent on as steam may sting eyes.  When water is boiling.  Add 2 tsp. oil and stir.  Add chickpea flour, reduce heat, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until dough comes together in a ball.  Turn the dough out onto oiled board and let stand 1 minute.  Then quickly roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness.  Slice dough into diamonds, and set dumplings aside.

For the masala:

• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 TBS canola oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp asafetida
• 1 onion, sliced
• 14 oz. canned plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzanos
• 4 cloves garlic crushed into a paste with 1 tsp. salt
• 2 TBS cilantro stems
• 1 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1 c. warm water
• 1 recipe chickpea dumplings, above

1. Mix 1 tsp. cumin seeds, coriander, chili powder, and turmeric in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium-low heat.  Add mustard seeds and remaining 1 tsp. cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute.  Add asafetida and onion and sautee 2 minutes, until onion is beginning to soften.  Add garlic paste and sautee an additional 1 minute.  Add spice mixture from step 1, tomatoes, and cilantro stems.  Simmer over low heat until oil pools around edges of pan.
3. Mix yogurt with 1 c. warm water in large bowl.  Add 1 c. of hot tomato mixture to yogurt, stirring yogurt constantly, to temper yogurt and keep it from curdling.  Slowly add yogurt to remaining tomato mixture in pan, stirring constantly.  Bring to a slow boil, add dumplings, and cook 2-3 minutes to heat dumplings through.  Season with additional salt if necessary.  Serve hot.

The post Indian Comfort appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I also did not have the foresight to buy things like canned soup, jello, and gatorade, which mothers seem to produce magically upon the first signs of flu.  And the grocery store is dauntingly far away from my bed.  I did, however, happen to have chicken and chickpeas in my freezer, coconut milk, canned tomatoes, and lots of root vegetables in my fridge.  This prompted me to decide that chicken curry is the perfect dish for someone sick and without a mother in the same state for the following reasons: it takes 20 minutes to put together, which is exactly the amount of energy I have, it involves one pan, which is only one more pan than I want to wash (maybe my roommate will do it…), the heat is good for clearing your head, and you can load it up with potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and other vitamin C rich veggies that might be lying around your vegetable bin.  Also, on the off chance that I make it to class tomorrow, this totally solves the problem of lunch.

I originally found this recipe on AllRecipes but have ended up adding twice as many ingredients as are in the original recipe, and taking out half the things that were in the original recipe.  So I don’t really think it’s the same recipe anymore.  It’s also not authentic in the slightest, nor does it have particularly complex flavors, but it is easy, cheap, and delicious.

Coconut Chicken Curry

(makes 4 dinner sized servings)

• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 T curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 yukon gold potato, diced
• 1 c chickpeas, canned or pre-cooked
• 3 T sugar (optional)
• salt, pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add curry powder and sautee 1 to 2 minutes.  Then add onions, and sautee 3-5 minutes, until beginning to soften.
2. Add chicken strips and garlic to curry-onion mixture and cook for 5-8 minutes, until chicken is just cooked through (it will continue cooking in the tomato and coconut juices; overcooking at this stage will make it very tough).
3. Add coconut milk (don’t forget to shake before opening!), tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, and chickpeas.  Simmer, covered, until potatoes and carrots are cooked through, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent bottom from burning.  Season with salt, pepper, and sugar if desired.  Serve over rice.

*Some notes:

1. I hate chopping garlic because it makes your hand smell for days.  Literally.  So I almost always use crushed or minced garlic and plop 1 teaspoon of it into whatever I’m cooking for each clove of garlic called for.  Feel free to do this.
2. This is just a story about Corelle dishware.  So the second half of my onion was sitting quietly in one of my new Corelle bowls, when it inexplicably jumped off the counter.  Eyes squeezed shut in anticipation of shattered dish everywhere (exactly what you do not want when 19 of your 20 minutes of energy have already been used), I waited for the sound of cracking.  But there was none.  Opening my eyes, I saw onion pieces all over the floor, but the dish was not so much as chipped.  Kudos, Corelle.

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• I have eaten an entire box of mini strawberry cream cheese strudels.  They were in the manager’s markdown bin right by the checkout at Kroger.  I did not get them, they got me.
• The highlight of my day so far was cleaning the fridge.
• I wore sweatpants to school.  And a sweatshirt.  This does not count as fashion.
• I spent 6 hours in a row doing math, pencil to paper.  I know that in the real world this is called a “work day” but I’m not there yet.
• I turned in my stats quiz with no answers.
• The rain has been falling at exactly the same rate for the entire day.  I know because I stood in it a lot and my umbrella, while trendy, is quite petite.

This is why I needed daal.  Hot, spicy, lentily daal, served on crispy toast (because one more pot to wash, i.e., for the rice, might have put me over the edge) with a cucumber-dill raita.  The Refectory, one of the on-campus eateries at Duke, makes a daal that I live for.  I asked for the recipe a year ago and they said that they were compiling a cookbook and I should wait until it came out, but I don’t think it ever came out.  Liars.  And they’re part of the Divinity School.  Jeez.  So anyway I shall resort to trying all the daal recipes I can find until I can recreate that one.  This is attempt #1.

An aside: I love all things that come out of India – best flavors in the world.  And also colors.  And also dance moves.  I went to my first ever Bhangra class on Wednesday night, and very much enjoyed it.  I have little to no coordination when it comes to dancing, but I love to move!  And I’m slowly mastering that little hand flick thing.  I left class with a new appreciation for how much calf strength it takes to jump up and down for an entire hour.  Oh yeah, and a blood blister the size of my big toe.  But that’s healing, so we won’t talk about it.

Back to the food – this daal was created as a sort-of mash-up of several daal recipes I found on the web.  Everyday yellow daal on smitten kitchen was a source of inspiration, as was Route79.  Really though I know so little about Indian cooking and there are so many types of daal out there that I was sort of winging it.  To be honest, my daal didn’t even come out yellow.  And it tastes exactly nothing like the daal at The Refectory – it’s much meatier, for lack of a better descriptor.  But it’s still delicious and warming and comforting and the highlight of my day is no longer cleaning the refrigerator because I am on my second plate of dinner, drinking my first glass of wine in a month, and watching a sappy old person love movie.* So here’s the deets:

Basic Yellow Split Pea Daal

• 1 c. yellow split peas
• 1 T canola oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 T cumin
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 3/4 c. diced tomatoes (approx. 1/4 28 oz. can)
• 2 carrots, grated or finely chopped
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp kosher salt

1. Soak the split peas in cold water for half an hour.  Drain, and rinse 2 or 3 times until water is fairly clear.
2. Cover the split peas with water and bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, sautee onion with cumin in olive oil in medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
4. Add onion, tomatoes, carrots and spices to split peas.  Simmer on medium heat, half-covered, for a full hour and a half, stirring occasionally.  Add water as needed to keep covered.
5. When split peas are soft and begin to break down, add butter, cilantro, and salt.  Simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Serve on basmati rice or hot toast with a cucumber-dill raita glopped on top.**

*Old people love movies are movies where people that I consider old have a surprising amount of sex.  The prime example of this genre is Something’s Gotta Give.

** Cucumber raita: Take a spoon, a tub of yogurt, half a cucumber (diced), lemon juice, black pepper, kosher salt, cilantro and dill.  Mix ingredients, tasting after each addition, until you like it.  Personally, I use vanilla yogurt because I like the extra flavor and greek yogurt kind of freaks me out, but most people recommend plain greek yogurt.  Also, I used dill in a tube – yeah, I was skeptical too, but there wasn’t any dill in the grocery store and this stuff tastes great!  And you don’t have to chop anything!  So I approve of that too.

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