Chana Masala

(Picture from Smitten Kitchen.)

I found this recipe at Smitten Kitchen. It was originally adapted at Food.com from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook.

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tablespoon amchoor powder (see note)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lemon (juiced) (see note; I used a whole lemon to swap for the amchoor powder)

Note on amchoor powder--a sour flavor, so I upped the lemon juice instead.

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Eat up or put a lid on it and reheat it when needed. Curries such as this reheat very well, later or or in the days that follow, should it last that long.

Notes about this recipe:

1.I halved the recipe and it was perfect for me, my hubby, and my toddler.
2. I followed the advice to use lemon juice instead of amchoor powder.
3. I omitted the paprika and the cumin seeds.
4. I used a can of diced tomatoes and just drained the juice into a measuring cup so I could chop the tomatoes up really small.

Saag and Homemade Garam Masala

Over vacation we made Chicken Saag for our families using this recipe from Allrecipes.com. When I made it for my family we experimented by making it without the chicken and added a few other adaptations to the recipe. The end result was quite tasty and my 18 month old daughter had 4 helpings.

This recipe is quite small and will only serve about 2 or 3 modest servings. With the recipe doubled we fed about 5 adults and 1 child.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of spinach (8 oz)
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 cloves of garlic
• 1/8 tsp ginger powder
• 3/4 can of a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (if you are really into the tomatoes just put the whole can in)
  
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
• less than 1/8 tsp ground cardmom
• 1 whole clove
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tb rice milk (or regular milk, or soy milk, you could probably even just add water)
• 1/4 tsp garam masala****
  
• 1 1/2 Tb plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Put the spinach into a large pot with 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, and remove from heat. Set aside for 10 minutes (so spinach can steam). Put steamed spinach in a blender and puree. Set aside.
2. Put onions, garlic, and ginger into a large skillet or soup pot with a little olive oil (no more than 1 Tb), fry over medium heat until onions are browning.
3. Add tomatoes, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cardamom, clove, and salt. Add a tiny bit of water if mixture is looking too dry.
4. Add the pureed spinach and garam masala. Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add yogurt, then serve with rice or naan bread.

****If you can't find garam masala at the store, you can make your own using this recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Tarka Dhal

This recipe is adapted from a cookbook called Best Ever Indian Cookbook. I actually took this picture the first time I made it, a few months ago. Tonight when I made it I changed some things but it still looked the same.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. red split lentils (also called masoor dhal)
1/4 c. yellow split lentils (also called mung dhal)
2 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp canned green chilis
1 1/2 tsp salt

For the Tarka:
1-2 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tomato, diced

Directions:

Bring the lentils, water, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and green chilies to a boil. Simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes until soft.

Mash the lentils with a fork (or you could use the end of a wooden rolling pin, or a glass jar; I actually just used the back side of my wooden mixing spoon) until it is a creamy constancy. Some of the lentils will still look whole. If the mixture seems too dry, then add water and mix.

For the tarka, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, and tomato for 2-5 min. (until onion is translucent).

Pour the tarka over the lentils and garnish with cilantro.

I serve it up with brown rice, and some bread/veggie/fruit (any or all).

Notes about this recipe:

1. You could use all red or all yellow lentils.
2. You could use fresh green peppers (serrano) if you like.
3. You could add more crushed red pepper flakes if you want it to be hotter. I prefer mild, which is what the above recipe is.