Mushroom Vindaloo

Mushroom Vindaloo

(originally taken from here)

Ingredients:

1-2 pack of button mushrooms (about 3 cups, sliced if big and whole if small)
1 small onion, chopped
1" ginger chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp cumin powder

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 dried red chilies, with seeds (crumbled)

2 chopped serrano chilies (seeds or not, depending on how brave you are)
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbsps chopped cilantro leaves
2 tbsps olive oil
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Grind onions, garlic, serrano chilies, and ginger into a fine paste (I use a mini food-processor, but a mortar and pestle should work too).
3. Heat oil in a pan; add the onion, garlic, ginger and chili paste and saute on medium heat until the raw smell of the onion is gone and the mixture has turned slightly golden (about 5 min.).
4. Now add the crushed tomatoes, turmeric, red chilies, garam masala powder, cumin powder,ground coriander and saute well for about 3-4 minutes until well blended and the spices are fragrant.

5. Add the yogurt, salt and mushrooms and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked to the desired consistency.
6. Add white vinegar and simmer for few more minutes.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots

Edit: I made it again, and now there are photos!

I made this a couple weeks ago, but wanted to get a photo before I published the post...however, it "got et" before any such photo could be taken...so you'll just have to make it and see for yourself.

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 skinless chicken thighs

1 large onion, chopped

1″ piece of fresh ginger, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1.5 tsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

.5 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 Tbsp harissa paste

1 preserved lemon (pith and seeds removed, chopped)

3/4 c dried apricots

1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 15-oz can chopped tomatoes.

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1-2 c chicken stock, or water

1/2 c bulgur (or couscous)

salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken and cook until brown on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside.

Reduce the heat of the pot to medium and add the onions. Cook until onions become soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, apricots, harissa, lemon, and tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add chickpeas to the pot, along with a cup of chicken stock or water. When the mixture reaches a gentle boil, bring the chicken back to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to break apart. Stir in bulgur or couscous. If necessary, add more stock or water (no more than a cup) to the pan. Add salt and pepper.

Cover and simmer until the bulgur is done and the chicken is nearly falling off the bone, about 10-15 minutes. Cooking time will be less if you substitute with couscous. In the last minute of cooking, stir in freshly chopped parsley. Season to taste and serve.

Serves 3-4

Chaat: In three easy steps

Chaat is the prototypical Indian snack/street food. It has everything you could ask for in a snack: flavour, substance, and arguably the most important, crunch.

Step 1: Find the crunchies. What are crunchies, you ask? They usually consist of a mixture of sev (small crunchy fried noodles), lentils, and puffed grains. They come in bags like the ones in the picture above. We found them by sheer luck at the local fruit shop. If you have a nearby Indian or Asian market though that would probably be a good place to start looking. In a pinch, you could substitute any sort of crunchy noodle or unsweetened cereal, seasoned with some turmeric and chile powder.

Step 2: The content. This step is open to interpretation. Basically, you need something to put the crunchies on. I prefer to roast a starchy veg of some sort (potato, squash, chick peas) tossed in olive oil and curry paste (I use Patak's Jalfrezi paste), but you could also boil potatoes and season them after the fact, or in a pinch, you could even get away with tossing a (rinsed and drained) can of chick peas with oil and spices (cumin, corriander, curry powder, chile).

Step 3: Assemble. Let the veg come to room temperature (if it's not there already) and mix with fresh cilantro, lime juice, and yogurt. Top with a bit more yogurt, tamarind sauce and crunchies.

Here's an example to give you an idea of numbers (this serves 2 as a meal and 3-4 as a side/snack):

The Veg:

1 small - med butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1" cubes

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drains

3-4 tbsp curry paste

3-4 tbsp olive oil

In a roasting tin, mix all four ingredients together. Roast at 375 for an hour, or until the squash is soft and has a bit of color.

The Chaat:

1 recipe veg at room temp

1/2 - 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp plain yogurt (or more if you prefer)

large handful cilantro

juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2 cup crunchies

tamarind sauce

Put the veg in a bowl and mix with 1/2 cup yogurt, cilantro and lime juice. Top with crunchies, remaining yogurt, and tamarind sauce.

This is an excellent way to use up leftover potatoes and the like.