Scurry

In West Texas, spring has sprung: the weather is doing that back and forth thing, but most days are lovely; the trees and bushes, including the red buds, are starting to peek out; and my stomach is yearning for something besides winter foods. But, there is still a chill in the air in the evenings, so I also want something warming. What to do?

Vegetable curry! There are a million curries in the naked city, but this one is simple, delicious and straddles the seasons well by combining root vegetables with those skinny little green beans that are so very yummy. And the gravy? It's tomato-based, simmered with ginger, garlic, pepper and spices and married to a healthy dose of (light) coconut milk for a creamy finish perfect with rice or sopped up with some naan. Leftovers? You'll have a few to see you through a couple of lunches for the week. Plus, this recipe is easily adapted to whatever veggies you like or have on hand. Enjoy.

Recipe: Delicious Vegetable Currrrrry

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, seeded and cut into thin strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1, 16 oz can petite diced tomatoes with juice
1, 16 oz can tomato purée
1, 16 oz can garbanzo bean, drained and well rinsed
One 14-ounce can light coconut milk
3 carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound small green beans, cut into thirds
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro for garnish
Brown rice for serving


In a large, dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook for five minutes, until it begins to soften. Add the ginger, jalapeno and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about another five minutes. Add the spices cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant; about two minutes

Add the tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for five minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add the coconut milk, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

Add the carrots and sweet potatoes, cover loosely and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the green beans and garbanzo beans, cover and simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes longer. Taste and adjust the season. Serve with brown rice and garnish with cilantro.

Six servings.

Curry Favor

Recipe: Coconut Curried Squash 
Vegetable oil 
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger 
2 tsp. curry powder 
1 1/3 cup of coconut milk 
2 small delicate squash, 
1 acorn squash or other medium squash; roasted or cooked and diced into bite-sized pieces 
1 16 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and well rinsed 
1 cup frozen peas 
Salt and pepper to taste 

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and onion and cook until it turns translucent, about five to seven minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring and cooking until it is fragrant, about one minute. Add the curry powder and cook for one minute longer. Stir in the coconut milk, squash and garbanzo beans and simmer over low until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the peas and continue to cook until they are warmed. Season with salt and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm with rice or other accompaniments. 

Serves four as a side dish; two as a main.

Recipe: Indian BBQ Tofu
Vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses
Pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 16 oz blocks of extra firm tofu

In a large saucepan, heat three tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add the ketchup, vinegar, molasses, sugar, mustard, cinnamon, ground coriander and cayenne and simmer over low heat, stirring, until it's reduced and thickened; about five minutes. Stir in the garam masala and season with salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, drain and pat dry the tofu. If you are not using an dry, extra firm variety, it may be necessary to press some of the moisture from each block. Slice each block width-wise into twelve pieces.

Place some of the sauce in a medium sized casserole. Dredge each piece of tofu in the sauce and layer into the casserole, topping each layer with a little more sauce. After all of the tofu is in the dish, add some additional sauce to the top and make sure it is all well covered. Cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a jelly roll pan coated in aluminum foil, layout the tofu. Use a pastry brush or spoon to make sure the pieces have a good coating of the sauce. Bake for twenty minutes, then flip the slices, apply additional sauce and bake for an additional twenty minutes. Serve warm with rice, naan or other Indian dishes and additional sauce reheated and spread over the top. 

Makes four servings.

Recipe: Barb's Chutney Dip

Monday, I had a little lunch for the Swope staff and it was quite a fun and relaxing afternoon. I prepared a meal of Indian flavors (not necessarily food), but a comforting and yummy lunch including my favorite curried cauliflower soup, a salad with lime-tamarind dressing and Barb-a-licious' famous chutney dip. I had to make Barb's dip because it's something she often serves for parties and I always enjoy. It's great on a cracker and perfect on a celery stick! Some olives, breadsticks and pickled okra; appetizers are done.

Recipe: Barb's Chutney Dip

Barb usually uses an apple chutney which is delicious. I used a mango chutney, but not a super spicy one. Whatever you usually enjoy will be perfect.

8 oz. cream cheese

½ cup chutney

1-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp each of curry, cumin & coriander (the three Cs!)

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and combined. Transfer to the serving dish of your choice; cover and chill for a couple of hours or overnight. Mangez!

Thanks Barb!

Recipe: Happy Sandwich Salad for Ganesh

I portioned this out: half with hot, pickled okra and the other without.

John wrote and mentioned he made the happy sandwich salad with the addition of garam masala, a spice mixture from India. I had been thinking of adapting my recipe with the addition of curry, spiciness and eastern flavors, and his addition spurred me to action. Here's the updated recipe for Happy Sandwich Salad with an Indian accent. Read about preparing the tofu here.

Recipe: Happy Sandwich Salad for Ganesh
3 ribs celery, sliced horizontally in three pieces and cut on the diagonal into quarter-inch pieces
3/4 cup mayonnaise or mayonnaise style product*
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. tumeric
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
A large pinch of cayenne
2 tbsp. Mayor Grey chutney, large piece chopped
1 14-oz package of Chinese-style tofu
4-5 large picked okras, chopped into small to medium rounds.

In a big yellow bowl, combine the celery with the next six ingredients, stirring to blend. Using your finger, crumble the dried tofu slices into the mixture and fold until well-mixed. Add the okra and stir to combine. Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper, taste and check for seasoning. This is delicious as soon as its prepared, but even better after it sits in the refrigerator overnight. Serve on toast, in a wrap, on a bed of greens or just on a spoon from the bowl.

*I've updated the recipe with a little more mayo, realizing I use a heaping 1/2 cup (more like 3/4 cup) rather than a perfect 1/2 cup. But, to your taste of course!

Udupi Cafe

I went to Indy on Saturday to see the exhibition Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting and run some errands in the city--including lunch! After driving around and around an old shopping center, I finally got out of my car and found Udupi Cafe down a scary hall, tucked behind several stores. Luckily, the smell emanating from the restaurant was enticing, because the dirty hall was very discouraging.

Udupi Cafe serves south Indian vegetarian cuisine and at lunch has a pretty full buffet. I enjoyed the rasam and a pumpkin dal. The biryani was wonderful, slightly sweet but with a surprising and serious kick. They also do made-to-order dosas as part of the lunch service, served warm and crispy and filled with delicious potato masala studded with little seeds for a crunchy burst of flavor. Everything I sampled was very good and I'll definitely be back on subsequent visits to Indy.