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A big thank you to my friend Paula, who recently threw a beautiful Bollywood-themed birthday party, for kindly sharing some of her delicious recipes. This event also inspired me to create a wonderful curry dish. Now I’m able to pass these delights on to you!

At Paula’s party, all of the guests appeared in colourful, gorgeous saris and brought with us tasty dishes to share. The night was filled with Paula and her talented musical friends’ tunes; in fact, Paula possesses an extraordinarily beautiful voice and melted all of our hearts with her singing. Sunshine, good company, irresistibly tasty food, enthusiastic music–what more can you ask for? Thank you again for the wonderful time, Paula!

Indian_cuisine

Chana Masala

Serves 6

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon canola oil

Spices

1 teaspoon fennel or anise seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Garam masala

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground clove

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 large bay leaf, torn in a few pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 small knob ginger, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, finely chopped and juice saved (makes about 2 cups)

About 3 cups cooked chickpeas (I use cooked ones from 1 cup dried chickpeas)

1 ½ cups chicken stock or water

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups cooked Basmati rice

In a large heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter, add the oil and fry all the spices over medium heat. When the spices give off a nice scent, add the onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until soft and onion becomes translucent.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, and cook until softened. Add the chickpeas, salt, generous amount of black pepper and chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with Basmati rice.

Spicy Blackstrap Chicken

This chicken is quite sweet, but adds a nice caramelized smokiness to a plate of Indian cuisine. Combined together with the curry and the below salad, it is just perfect.

Serves 6-8

6 to 10 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in about 2 inch pieces

1/3 cup unsulfured molasses

¼ cup cane sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ tablespoon turmeric

½ tablespoon ground saffron

½ tablespoon ground cumin

½ tablespoon whole coriander seeds, freshly ground

Preheat the oven to 375F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Combine the molasses, sugar, salt and all the spices. Place the chicken in a large cast iron pan and pour over the molasses mixture. Roast until chicken produces a caramelized look, for about 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve hot along with below dishes.

Curried Apple and Celery Salad

Serves 6-8

¾ cup slivered almonds

4 sticks celery

2 medium apples (I like this salad with Granny Smith)

½ cup raisins or dried cranberries, or mixture of both

3 tablespoons parsley, chopped finely

Dressing

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon curry powder or a mixture of small amount of following spices;

Turmeric

Ground ginger

Ground coriander

Ground cumin

Garam masala

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from ½ orange)

Chop the celery stalks into ¼ inch pieces or, using a food processor, make small slivers. Peel, core, and chop the apples into ¼ inch pieces. Make dressing by thoroughly combining all the ingredients in a bowl.

Combine the almonds, celery, apples, raisins, parsley and the dressing in a large bowl. Keep refrigerated until serving time. Serve with the curry and the chicken.

Fried Cumin Tortilla and Cucumber Raita

Make a large platter

2 packages of whole wheat tortillas

Olive oil

Ground cumin

Coriander, freshly ground is preferred

Brush a cast iron frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and add ¼ teaspoon of each cumin and coriander. When the pan is hot, add tortilla and fry until golden brown. Flip over and fry the other side. Repeat for the rest. Cut into wedges and serve around a small bowl of raita (recipe follows) on a large platter, pointy part facing toward the raita for a pretty presentation.

Cucumber raita

½ cup grated cucumber

¾ cup plain yogurt

¼ tablespoon ground cumin

½ tablespoon cane sugar

Salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Adjust the sugar and salt to your liking. Chill and keep refrigerated until serving time.

I thought I would share a garden update with you: what’s in my garden at the end of November? The lettuce that I sowed in mid-September is now disappearing and turning into what seems like camping sites for slugs. On the plus side I have plenty of garlic chives that I love tossing into my miso soup with tofu. Also the cilantro is still holding strong, brightening our meals every day, as well as rows of skinny leeks, shabby looking Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, and the rest is kale, kale and more kale.

I have different kinds of kale plants in the garden but so far my reliable ones are heirloom Lacinato kale, which I love for its bug/disease resistance, and Red Russian, which has great cold resistance. We can never have enough kale in our household thanks to its vitamin and calcium content, as well as its renowned anti-cancer properties. The leaves at the bottom part of the kale plant get tough this time of year, so it is a welcome ingredient for soup.

In a cold storage, aka simple lidded containers filled with peat moss in the garage, we have carrots and beets, separately stored. I hadn’t had success in leaving carrots in the soil during winter due to the volume of rain (that equals too many slugs) here in the West Coast, so I pick before the rainy season starts every year. If you want more details on how to store them, check this post. Our 5-tier storage shelves are also lined with bright orange pumpkins, glossy kabochas and warty Marina Di Chioggias. So you might see a lot of pumpkin desserts for the next few posts, but I know you won’t be disappointed! But for now, here is warm kale soup for you. And if you are hooked on kale, there are more recipes, check here.

Kale & Great Northern Beans Soup

Serves 6

1 cup Great Northern Beans, soaked overnight

1 tablespoon butter

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 small knob ginger, finely chopped

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 dry sausages of your choice, sliced

2.5 L chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 bay leaves

A big bunch of kale, stalk removed and cut into 1 inch length

Salt and pepper

Truffle oil or olive oil for finishing

Cook the beans for 25 minutes, then add a bay leaf and dash of salt. Continue to cook until soft, for about 20 minutes.

Sauté the garlic, ginger and cumin with butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and sausage. Continue to sauté till they are nicely coloured.

Add the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Skim occasionally. Add the turmeric, a bay leaf and beans, and then turn the heat down. Simmer for another 25 minutes.

Add kale and cook until it is tender, for about 10 minutes. Adjust with salt and pepper. Serve with a dash of oil. I like adding a few drops of truffle oil for its rich aroma.

Tag: cumin

Chana Masala and Delightful Accompaniments

Kale & Great Northern Bean Soup