Coriander Coconut Chutney

A slightly sweet, sour, spicy, and flavorful blend of cilantro and coconut.  A great side to enhance just about any Indian meal or a snack for dipping naan.

As promised, I'm sharing the chutney recipe I made to accompany my Cauliflower Curry.  I used a recipe I found from Veg Recipes of India's list of 30 Easy Chutney Recipes I shared on Google+.  There were so many delicious and simple options I just chose the one where I had all the ingredients on hand. This chutney turned out great and added, even more, fantastic flavor to the meal.  Any leftovers are great as a snack with naan.

Coriander Coconut #Chutney adds, even more, flavor to #Indianfood  [Tweet this]

Coriander Coconut Chutney

Modified slightly from Veg Recipes of India

Prep/cook time:  10 minutes
Servings:  3-4

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped (3/4 cup packed)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 jalapeno (or green chili) rough chop
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt

For tempering:

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
8-10 curry leaves (dried and crushed---it's what I had)
pinch of asafoetida

Add all of the first 7 ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth (add a little water if needed to help blend).

Remove the puree to a bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to start to sputter.  Then add the curry and asafoetida.  Fry for a few seconds then immediately pour over the puree and stir to combine.

The website says to serve this with idli, dosa, or other snacks but I thought it made a delicious accompaniment to my Cauliflower Curry and with naan.

Enjoy.

Check out my Cauliflower Curry mentioned in this post:

For more Indian recipes that would be great with this chutney check out:

Arhar Dal

Baked Samosas

Bhindi (Okra) Masala

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Cauliflower Curry

Tender cauliflower cooked in warm Indian spices.

This is probably not an authentic Indian curry, but I used the spices and cooking techniques I've seen/used in other Indian dishes.  I love the delicious spicy combination of ginger, garlic, chili, cumin, and turmeric found in Indian cuisine.  All the spices take a dish from bland to exciting and leave me feeling full and satisfied without meat or too many calories.  Not only does the spice combination taste amazing it's said to have many health benefits too.

Warm Indian spices make yummy #vegan Cauliflower #Curry  [Tweet this]

Cauliflower Curry

Cook time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4-5

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced pickled jalapeno (or fresh chili if you have it)
1/2 tsp turmeric
chili powder (to taste)
1 Tbsp coriander powder
Salt (to taste)
3-4 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
2 small carrots, chopped (optional)
1 tomato, pureed
1/4 cup water
1 tsp tamarind concentrate (optional)

1 tsp garam masala

Prepare all of the ingredients and have them at hand before cooking.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until very hot.  Add the cumin seeds until they sputter then add the ginger, garlic, and jalapeno.  Stir and cook until fragrant.

Add the dry spices (turmeric, chili powder, and coriander)  and cook for a few seconds then add the vegetables (you can use all cauliflower if you prefer I added peas and carrots for more color) with a good sprinkle of salt.  

Stir and mix well then add the water mixed with the tamarind concentrate (I use the tamarind to add more flavor and because I have it).  Continue stirring until the water cooks off and cauliflower is tender.

Remove from heat and mix in the garam masala.  

Serve warm over rice garnished with cilantro (with naan and chutney on the side if desired).

I served this curry with a cilantro coconut chutney (I happened to have all the ingredients on hand).  It was delicious.  I'll post the recipe next week so stay tuned.

Makes about 4-5 servings.

Enjoy.

For more Indian recipes check out:

Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry

Patta Gobhi Mattar (Cabbage & Peas)

Sambar           -

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Bhindi (Okra) Masala

A vegetarian Indian dish made with okra and spices.  A delicious, healthy, and filling meal.

(Re-post of original from 1/11/13. Edited for grammar, updated pictures, tweeables, pinnable image, and like posts.  Had 96 views)

Okra.  It's one of those vegetables I only knew one thing to do with and that is batter and fry.  I grew up in North Carolina and we love our fried okra.  Every spring my dad planted a  garden in our yard and okra was one of the usual vegetables.  By summer, we would have so much okra, but I don't remember having it any other way than fried.  I'm not complaining I love fried okra it's one of those foods I look forward to whenever I go home.

There's more to #okra than frying: Bhindi (Okra) Masala #Indianfood [Tweet this]

Not long after moving to Honolulu and finding Chinatown, I found a market there that had okra.  I was excited and curious.  Fried okra isn't a common food here so how is it used?  It took me some Googling to find an Indian recipe site that had many dishes with okra as the main ingredient.  I like Indian food and I like okra so what could go wrong?  Once I tried Bhindi Masala I fell in love and it's much healthier than deep fat frying okra.  This is a recipe I make frequently.  If you like okra I urge you to try this recipe.

Like Okra? Try this #Vegetarian #Indianrecipe: Bhindi Masala  [Tweet this]

Bhindi Masala

Cook time:  20 minutes or fewer
Servings:  3-4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp ghee, or oil of choice
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/8 tsp ghost chili masala, or hot chilli powder of you choice (if you can handle more heat by all means add more)
1 pound okra, chopped (about 3 cups)
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce, or juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt to taste

Heat ghee (clarified butter) in large frying pan (I think ghee adds better flavor, but it has 9g saturated fat per tablespoon and it's not vegan so you can use any oil that withstands high heat instead).

Add cumin seeds and stir cooking until they start to sputter.  Then, add the ginger and garlic.  Stir until just fragrant (it won't take long) and add the onions.

Mix the onions around for a minute or two until they soften.  Add the spices and let cook for a little while until fragrant then add the okra and salt.

Stir and let cook until the okra softens, add Worcestershire sauce (or lime juice) and keep stirring.  I add about 1/2 cup of water to deglaze the pan and make a bit of sauce then turn off the heat (the hot pan will evaporate most of the water, but it make things a little less dry as well as helps cool the pan).

Serve immediately over rice garnished with cilantro and with naan on the side.  Makes 3-4 servings.

Enjoy.

For more vegetarian Indian recipes check out:

Arhar Dal           -

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

Patta Gobhi Mattar (Cabbage and Peas)

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Patta Gobhi Mattar (Cabbage and Peas)

A spicy, vegetarian, Indian dish of cabbage, peas (I added some carrots to the mix), and warm spices.

I love Indian food and Indian flavors.  The complexity of the flavors is something indescribable.  Not only does this dish (and most Indian dishes) taste great, it is also very nutritious.  I like to have vegetarian meals regularly, and vegetables are usually much less expensive than meat.  This meal has no cholesterol (when you use oil instead of ghee) and lots of nutritious vegetables.  All of the spices are healthy too, I'm no expert but, I have read great things about chillies, garlic, ginger, and turmeric.  Even if they happen to not be as great for you as some websites say, they don't hurt and they taste great.

Patta Gobhi Mattar (Cabbage and Peas)

Ingredients:
Modified slightly from IndianFoodForever.com

1-2 Tbsp cooking oil or ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1-2 jalapeno minced
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 large head cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, jullened
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp red chili
Salt to taste

Heat a large skillet with oil over medium high heat.  Add cumin seeds and let them sputter.

Then, add the ginger, garlic, and jalapeno (or chilli of choice you can remove the seeds or leave them in depending on how much heat you can handle.  I usually remove the seeds and control the heat with the chili powder because sometimes raw peppers can have different heat intensity).

Stir and cook until fragrant, about a minute.  Add the cabbage and carrots and spices (I used a lesser amount of ghost pepper masala instead of the red chili powder because I have a lot of it on hand--a friend brought some back from India for me and it is VERY spicy).

Stir and mix until just tender, then add peas.  Cover and reduce heat to low until peas are heated through.

Serve with rice and flat bread (cilantro and raita are nice too).  Makes about 3-4 servings.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  2 Cup, Lou Lou Girls, Teach Me, Tasty Tues, Tickle my Tastebuds, Freedom, foodie friends

Original post 2/20/2013 (50 views, 6 pins) re-posted with updated pictures and minor editing.

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Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

A flavorful vegetarian curry made with cauliflower, chickpeas, and spices.

This is a curry I improvised based on a few other Indian recipes and what I had in my refrigerator/freezer.  I had plenty of leftover cauliflower from another dinner and I didn't feel like going to the store so I used what I had on hand to make a very good, and nutritious, complete meal.

Delicious and #nutitious Cauliflower & Chickpea #Curry  [Tweet this]

I wanted to have some protein in this curry so I added chickpeas.  When I have free time I like to cook an entire bag of beans and then freeze them in 1-2 cup portions.  This is cheaper than buying canned beans and you don't have to worry about too much salt.  Usually, I don't add any salt to the beans.  So I always have beans ready to add to any meal.

Chickpeas add #protein to #vegan Cauliflower&ChickpeaCurry  [Tweet this]

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

Cook time:  15-20 minutes
Servings:  4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 Tbsp coriander
1/8 tsp ghost pepper masala, or red chili powder to taste
12 dried curry leaves, crushed
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
1/2 C water
1 tsp tamarind concentrate (optional)
2 C chickpeas, thawed
1 C coconut milk
cilantro

In a large skillet, heat the oil (any high heat oil is fine), over medium high heat, until shimmery.  Add the cumin seeds and stir until they sputter.  Then, add the ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant (all of this should take less than a minute).

Add the onion, stirring frequently, until softened then add the tomatoes.  Stir and let the tomatoes cook down just a little (just a minute or two).  Season with some salt.

Add the spices and stir and mix them with the onions and tomatoes and cook for a few more seconds until the spices become fragrant.  Add the cauliflower and water and tamarind paste, if you are using (plain water will work fine the tamarind adds more flavor and a slight sourness or you can use vegetable broth).

Cover and allow to steam for up to 10 minutes until the cauliflower is tender (I like mine to be more crisp so I didn't let it steam that long).  Add the chickpeas and coconut milk and stir until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required (add more salt or chili as needed).

Makes about 4 servings.  Serve over rice garnished with cilantro.  I had Aloo Paratha (a potato filled flat bread) on the side but any flatbread would be great.

Enjoy.

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Sambar

An Indian vegetable stew made with lentils and vegetables in a tamarind broth.  Served over rice.

I had a jar of Sambar masala in my spice cabinet so I decided to make sambar for dinner.  I found a recipe at ShowMeTheCurry, a great cooking channel on YouTube where I've learned how to cook many Indian dishes, and tweaked it to what I had.  The results were delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup (dry) Toor Dal or lentils
4 cups water
pinch turmeric
salt

2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds
10-12 dried curry leaves (crumbled)
1 large onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced
2 cups cauliflower florets
1-2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp sambar masala
1 Tbsp coriander
red chili powder to taste
cilantro leaves

Cook the lentils in 4 cups of water with salt and a pinch of turmeric.  Do not drain, then set aside.

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, heat the oil.  Add the cumin and fenugreek seeds until they sputter.  Add the crumbled curry leaves and give it a quick stir then add the onion.

Cook the onion, stirring, until it becomes soft and translucent.  Then add the tomatoes and cook for another minute.  Add the cauliflower and about 1/4 cup of water.

Cover the pan and allow cauliflower to steam for about 5 minutes or until softened.

Using a large spoon mash some of the lentils against the side of the pan then pour lentils and remaining cooking water into the vegetable mixture.

Add the tamarind concentrate, sambar masala, coriander, turmeric, and chili powder to taste (I made it as spicy as I could handle it and then had my husband add more red chili to his serving).  Add salt to taste, stir, and lower the heat.  You can add more water if you would like it soupier. I added about 4 oz of diced pork loin (that was leftover from an earlier dinner) but this is optional. Let simmer for a few minutes then serve.

Serve over rice, garnished with cilantro, and naan bread on the side.  Makes 2-3 servings.  Enjoy.

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