Curried Cauliflower-Ginger Soup

My 3 year old and 20 month old ate their big bowls full of this soup without stopping and without being asked a single time to "take a bite".  That says a lot!  :)  I wouldn't say this is absolutely delicious, but it is pretty good.  Definently do add a chunk of butter to each bowel - it calms the sharpness of flavor from the spices.  (It isn't "hot" spicey).

Curried Cauliflower-Ginger Soup


Serves 4 – 6 as a starter to a meal
Ingredients:
1 medium onion – chopped
1 small stalk celery – sliced
1 whole medium sized cauliflower – chopped in large chunks
1” piece ginger – peeled and minced
4 cups homemade chicken stock or water, or a combination
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon turmeric
unrefined sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Good quality butter for serving
Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
Preparation:
In a small dish, stir together the cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala. Set aside. Place onion, celery, ginger, and liquid in a medium soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 7-8 minutes. Meanwhile heat a small skillet over a medium flame. Add the spice mix and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to keep it moving over the heat. When it becomes fragrant and barely darker in color remove from the heat and add to the soup, along with the cauliflower. Cover, raise the heat again to boiling, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the stove.
Puree soup until smooth, and ladle into serving bowls, accompanied with a dollop of fresh butter and some chopped cilantro if you like.

I served this with fried battered fish and steamed sweet potato chunks.  The kids cleaned their plates! 

Recipie from here: http://www.candida-cure-recipes.com/homemade-vegetable-soup-recipes.html

Mango Lassi

This is my version of a mango lassi. A mango lassi is a delicious Indian drink and can be found on the menu of most Indian restaurants. Some blend the ice into the drink, some just add ice to the drink but I always prefer mine blended.

1 1/2 cups diced fresh mango (2-3 mangoes)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
Scant 1/4 cup sugar (or less depending on preference)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (optional)
1/2 cup-2 cups ice cubes
In a blender, combine the mango, orange juice, and sugar. Once well-blended, add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

From Martha Stewart Living, Feb. 2009 edition.

Prep time. 5 minutes. Total time. 50 min. Serves 4.

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if you don't want it spicy)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole chidken (4 lbs), quartered, skin on
1 lemon, quartered

Place a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of oven, and preheat oven to 450. Mix spices, 2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper and the oil in a small bowl. Rub spice paste all over chicken.

Carefully arrange chicken in a single layer on hot sheet, and arrange lemon wedges around chicken. Bake until chicken registers 165 on an instand-read thermometer and juices run clear, 30-35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with pan juices and roasted lemon wedges on the side.

I made this the other night and it was delicious. I used chicken breasts because my husband prefers his meat without bones. I would recommend using a whole chicken as the breasts ended up a little on the dry side at such a high temp. I used frozen breasts and had a hard time getting the rub to cover only 3-4 breasts. I would probably water the paste down just a little more next time. This would have been even better with some sort of gravy but I loved the flavors and my house still smells wonderful two days later.

Prawns in Coconut Milk

This is an Indian curry I was served by a Bengali friend in Bangladesh. It's a delicious curry and not very difficult to make.

1 1/2 lbs (750 g) large raw prawns
1 tablespoon ghee (butter) or oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 fresh red or green chilies, clit and seeded (optional)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 curry leaves
2 cups coconut milk
1 tsp salt
Lemon juice to taste

Wash prawns well. Shell and devein if liked, but some local cooks say the prawn should be in their shells, for they retain more flavor this way. (I would recommend shelling and deveining).
Heat ghee (butter/oil) and fry the oions, garlic and ginger until onions are soft but don't let them brown. Add chillies, turmeric and curry leaves and fry 1 minute longer. Add coconut milk and salt and stir while bringing to simmering point. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then add prawns and cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice to taste.

Dhal (Lentil Puree)

I went to Bangladesh for a month during college to help out at a school over there. While I was there, one of the Bengali teachers at the school had me and my host family over for dinner. She served us Prawns in Coconut Milk, rice and Dahl. If you're familiar with Indian food, you may know that Dahl is a staple of many Indian diets. It can be eaten as a main course or a side dish. I usually make it as a side dish with a curry & rice being our main dish. Dahl is delicious, healthy and very simple to make. My 14 month old loves it as a meal or a snack.

Here's the recipe as given to me from my Bengali friend:

Any type of lentils can be used for this, but red lentils or moong are the quickest cooking type and do not need soaking. (I was unable to find red lentils so I used green and they worked just fine).

250 grams lentils (This was about half of my 450 g bag)
1 1/2 tablespoons ghee (butter) or oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger (I've substituted powdered ginger but I'm sure fresh tastes much better)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 cups hot water
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala (see recipe on this site if you would like to make your own garam masala)

Wash lentils thoroughly, removing those that float on the surface. Drain well. Heat ghee (butter) and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is golden brown. Add turmeric and stir well. Add drained lentils and fry for a minute or two then add hot water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are half cooked. Add salt and garam masala, mix well and continue cooking until lentils are soft and the consistency is similar to porridge. If there is too much liquid, leave the lid off the pan to speed evaporation. Serve dhal plain or garnished with sliced onions, fried until deep golden brown. Eat with boiled rice, Indian breads or as a light meal by itself.

Dhal can be frozen and reheated well. It might get a bit mushier if reheated but it still tastes great. If reheating, add some water to the dish to rehydrate and so it won't burn while heating up.

Easy Garam Masala

Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Mix cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl. Place mix in an airtight container, and store in a cool, dry place.

Originally found here on allrecipes.com

Crockpot Chicken Makhani

If you know me personally, you may know of my love of Indian food. I LOVE Indian curries, breads, veggies and especially eating at Indian restaurants. Unfortunately, where I live, there are no Indian restaurants within at least 50 miles. I have a pretty good Bengali cookbook that I cook out of pretty frequently but I just stumbled upon THIS recipe two days ago and made it for dinner last night. It was amazing! My house literally took on the smell of an Indian restaurant as this was simmering in the crock pot. I started with chicken leg quarters frozen solid at almost 2:00 and four hours later, dinner was ready! This recipe came from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. Her notes are a little different than mine so feel free to get a different take on the same dish at her blog.

Crock pot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (mine were frozen solid)
1 onion sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 T butter
15 cardamom pods (sewn together!)
2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 can coconut milk (I used light)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 T lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt (to add at the end, I used fat free)

The Directions
Use a 5 quart or larger crockpot. Carefully sew together the cardamom pods using a needle and thread. You can put them in a little cheese cloth bundle, instead, if you have that in the house. Put chicken in crockpot, and add onion, garlic, and all of the dry spices. Plop in the butter and tomato paste. Add lemon juice and coconut milk. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. The chicken should shred easily with 2 forks when fully cooked.Stir in plain yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Discard cardamom pods. Salt to taste, serve with white or brown basmati or jasmine rice.

My Changes
I used 1/2 an onion instead of a whole one. I don't think it makes a huge differences, I just needed my other half an onion for something else.
I used the full amount of butter but think I might leave it out next time or just use 1 T instead. At the end it's just floating on top anyways and it adds unnecessary fat.
My cardamom is crushed into a powder. I used a scant Tablespoon. I've never found whole cardamom pods and always just have to guess how much to use in a recipe. The scant Tablespoon tasted great.
I used the full amount of Cayenne pepper but will probably only use 1/4 tsp next time to make it a little less spicy for my husband.
As I haven't found garam masala in the store, I made my own using a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I've included it at the bottom of the post as well.
I used about 3/4 of a can of coconut milk. If you don't have it, I don't think it'll ruin the dish. Just add more yogurt in it's place. I didn't have my coconut milk until right before I served it (Phil picked it up from the store on his way home). The recipe tasted great without it and cooked fine without it as well.

The Verdict
This is so flavorful and delicious. My husband thought the cayenne pepper was a little too strong. If you want flavor from the spices but not spicy, maybe only use a 1/4 tsp or none at all. If you like your food spicy, you might want to double the cayenne. I thought it gave it a little kick but it was not overpowering at all. If you make this, let me know what you think.

If there are any vegetarians out there, I would assume this would be great made with tofu, lentils or veggies. The flavors are so good.

Easy Garam Masala
Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Mix cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl. Place mix in an airtight container, and store in a cool, dry place.

Bengali Coconut Chicken Curry

2 lbs chicken
½ cup finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾-1 ½ cup plain yogurt
¼- ¾ cup cooking oil
½ cup thick coconut milk

Cut chicken into either bite sized pieces or larger pieces. Except coconut milk, combine all ingredients in a saucepan, mix well. Cover and cook over a medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Add coconut milk. Cover and keep over a low heat, stir from time to time. When meat is tender, gravy is thick and oil surfaces, remove from heat. (If curry is too thin, mix cornstarch with water and add slowly a little at a time.)

Serve with porotas or nan and salad. Makes 8 servings.

I often change this recipe to my own tastes. Keep similar proportions but you can use more yogurt and less oil for a healthier recipe. Depending on what you want, add more spices, coconut milk, chicken, etc.

I used to make this for my girl-friends in high school. Many of them are now making it themselves because they liked it so much.