Indian Cabbage and Peas

Two of my favorite veggies on one plate! This dish had a lot of spice but wasn't spicy. The trick to Indian cooking is to cook at a lower heat for a longer period of time so that the delicious spices (cumin, turmeric, coriander and etc.) are able to release their flavors. Sometimes I have the tendency to add too many ingredients to a recipe, but I'm glad I didn't do it this time. This was simple and delicious.

Aloo Gobi Aur Mater (Cauliflower With Potatoes And Peas)

I really couldn't decide if I wanted to make Indian or Chinese today, so I made both. Man, I am so prolific! I had a huge head of cauliflower which had been sitting in my fridge for a while, so I definitely needed to use it up. I also had a block of tofu which was in danger of going sour, so it made sense to make both dishes. This particular dish was made entirely of veggies and could easily be a side dish as well as a main dish if served with rice. This recipe makes a lot of food, but tastes even better as leftovers when the flavors have been given a chance to meld overnight.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 whole dried red chilies
1 large onion, finely diced
1/2 of large head of cauliflower, cut into small flowerettes
4 small russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large tomato, finely diced
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat in a large pot and add the cumin seeds and dried red chilies. Let toast for about 2 minutes and then add the onion. Saute for 4 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the peas and mix well. Let mixture cook for 5 minutes on medium high heat. Add the peas and reduce heat to low. Cover pot and let simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender. Yield: 6-8 servings

Coconut Dal Makhani

Yay for trying new things! I'm 2/2 this week. I've never cooked with lentils before, but after some encouragement from a friend I came up with this recipe. This recipe wasn't difficult, but it was a little tedious because I started with dried lentils, which requires some pre-soaking and then a long simmer time, so keep that in mind if you try this out. Dal Makhani is an Indian dish and it traditionally uses heavy cream and butter. In trying to keep up with my veganism, I omitted both and used Earth Balance spread and coconut milk. This has a soup-like consistency and some great spicy and dynamic flavors. I made some whole wheat rotis to go along with it.

1 1/2 cups dried black lentils, soaked in water overnight (or soaked in boiled water for 2-3 hours) and rinsed off thoroughly
5 cups water
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon Earth Balance spread
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 large tomato, finely diced
1 cup light coconut milk (or 1/2 cup regular coconut milk + 1/2 cup water)

In a large pot add the soaked lentils, water, chili powder, salt, and ginger and mix well. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 1 hour. In a medium sauce pan melt the spread and oil together on medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let seeds toast until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add garlic, turmeric, garam masala, onion and tomato and let cook for about 6-8 minutes. Add this onion/tomato mixture into the pot containing the lentils and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for an additional 20 minutes. In a blender or food processor, blend together the coconut milk and 2 cups of the lentil mixture. This mixture should still be slightly lumpy. Add this back into the pot containing the remaining lentils and stir. Serve with fresh naan or roti. Yield: 4 large bowls

Matter "Paneer"

So I'm on an Indian cuisine kick and this totally turned out better than I thought it would. According to my sister, it's the "most delicious" dish I've made for my blog so far. Again, this is completely vegan since I used tofu instead of paneer cheese. I ran out of regular onions, so I used what I had on hand (green onions).

1 15-ounce packaged of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil spread
3 green onions, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 whole dried red chilis
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water

Lightly fry the tofu cubes in the vegetable oil until edges are slightly brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Melt the vegetable oil spread in the pan and add the green onions, garlic, cumin seeds, and red chilis. Let ingredients fry for a minute and add the turmeric, chili powder and coriander. Continue to cook the spices for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the water, salt, peas and tofu back into the pan and bring everything to a boil. Boil until water is reduced by half, then lower heat and cover pan. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with basmati rice and/or naan bread. Yield: 4 servings

Saag "Paneer"

This is my vegan version of an Indian favorite. Instead of using the traditional paneer cheese, I substituted tofu. Both have a mild and creamy flavor, so the difference isn't that noticeable. This doesn't taste exactly like what you'd get at a restaurant because I'm omitting heavy cream and butter, but it still tastes pretty darn good. The spices can be a little bit hard to come by if you don't have an Indian grocer nearby, but you can substitute curry powder for the garam masala and omit the amchur powder, if necessary.

1 15-ounce package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 whole dried red chilies
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil spread
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed (do not drain)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon amchur (mango) powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat in a large non-stick pan. Add the tofu cubes and fry each side until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side) then drain excess oil by placing on paper towels. Remove oil from pan leaving only 1-2 tablespoons and add vegetable oil spread, dried chilies and cumin seeds. Toast seeds on medium heat until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes) then add garlic, garam masala, coriander powder, amchur powder, and onions. Saute the onions for 5 minutes or until translucent then add spinach and tofu back into the pan. Stir in water and salt, then cover pan with lid and let cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add in soy milk and cover again to let cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove red chilis after done cooking. Yield: 4 servings