Indian night!

I love Indian food. I discovered it roughly 8 years ago thanks to my husband and a great little restaurant in Monkland called Ganges. I was blown away by the richness of the flavours. Nothing is bland and it's definitely a change from your run of the mill salt and pepper seasoning. Since then, I've done my share of Indian recipes and would like to share some with you.

Indian food is easy to make because most dishes are one-pot. So it's just a matter of putting everything together and letting it simmer. Plus, they're great make-ahead dishes because most Indian recipes taste better the next day.The tricky part is getting all the spices you need. It may seem overwhelming at first, but once they're part of your pantry it's easy to go from one Indian recipe to another.

Aloo Gobi (basically potatoes and cauliflower):
We got this recipe from the DVD extras for the movie "Bend it like Beckham". This vegetable dish makes roughly 6 servings.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
Large bunch of fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
1 to 2 small green chilies, chopped into small pieces
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tablespoon of cumin seeds
2 Teaspoons turmeric
1 Teaspoon salt
2 Teaspoons Garam Masala (Indian blend of spices)

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
Add the chopped onion and one tablespoon of cumin seeds to the oil.
Stir together and cook until onions become creamy, golden, and translucent.
Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.
Add chopped chillis (according to taste)
Stir tomatoes into onion mixture.
Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.
Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few tablespoons of water (ensuring that the mixture doesn't stick to the saucepan).
Ensure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.
Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
Add two teaspoons of Garam Masala and stir.
Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry.
Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

Butter chicken.  
This recipe is from Weekend Cooking by Company's Coming (Jean Paré). It's not exactly authentic, but it's the second most requested dish from my husband. Serves 4 to 6.

2/3 cup of plain yogurt
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 1/2 Teaspoon of ground coriander
1 1/2 Teaspoon of Garam Masala
1 Teaspoon of ground ginger
1 Teaspoon of paprika
2 Teaspoons of sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of chili powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut in half
 1/2 cup of butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup of tomato sauce (or ground tomatoes)
1 cup of chicken broth
6 whole green cardamom, lightly cracked
1 4inch cinnamon stick
salt, if needed
1 cup of coconut milk

Combine 9 first ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinate overnight.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for around 5 minutes. Add chicken with marinade and next 5 ingredients. Stir. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and discard cardamom and cinnamon stick. 

Add coconut milk, and sitr. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Tarka Dahl
This lentil purée recipe if from ''La cuisine et le goût des épices'' from spice gurus Ethné et Philippe de Vienne. This is my husband's most requested dish. I have to make this recipe at least once a month. 

1 1/4 cup of red lentils, rinsed
1/2 Teaspoon of turmeric
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons of ghee or butter (ghee is clarified butter)
1 Teaspoon of fenugreek
1 onion, chopped
1/4 Teaspoon of asafoetida (gum from an asian plant, stinky but tastes like roasted garlic)
1/2 inch of chopped ginger
1 hot pepper, chopped
1 bag of spinach
3 tablespoons of lemon juice


Finishing spices

2 Tablespoons of ghee of butter
1 Teaspoon of mustard seeds
2 reshampatti peppers (or regular red hot peppers)
1/2 Teaspoon of whole cumin seed
5 curry leaves
6 garlic cloves finely chopped
6 Tablespoon of fresh coriander, chopped


Bring 4 cups of water and the lentils to a boil in a saucepan. Skim and add the turmeric and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes
Melt the ghee in a separate saucepan on medium heat. Add the fenugreek and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the asafoetida, ginger, and the hot pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add to the lentils.
Add salt and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the spinach and simmer for 3 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and transfer to serving plate.
Prepare the finishing spices by melting the ghee in a small saucepan. Cook the mustard seed and the peppers and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for a few seconds and pour over the lentils.