Fresh Mint Chutney

As I said before in the post below, for dinner tonight we expirimented with making our favorites from the Indian bistro in town at home. One of those favorites, mint chutney, was the first on our list. We found a recipe with pretty common ingredients at http://www.food.com/, altered it a little, and whipped it up to have along with our Indian feast. Here’s one of our Indian favorites, made simple!

Ingredients…

• 2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup  fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger (jarred or fresh)
• 1 cloves garlic, chopped
• a pinch of ground red pepper, to taste (this is very strong, so don’t over-do it!)
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt, to taste

Directions… 

1. Put all of the ingredients in your blender, and chop in pulses, scraping down the sides with a rubber scraper on each interval.  DO NOT LIQUIFY IT! Be careful not to cut your rubber scraper on the blade!
2. scrape out of the blender after you have achieved a finely chopped texture.

To Serve!

Serve mint chutney along with pita bread or naan for a appetizer or side, or along with meat, as a spread for sandwiches, and a topping for chicken or fish.

ENJOY!

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Bhindi Bhaji – An Okra Side Dish from India

My plate from the Indian feast.... the bhindi bhaji is the okra side.

Tonight, what started as curry leftovers for dinner transformed into an Indian feast. My dad and I sat at the island, wondering if there would be enough leftovers for dinner, and also if we should pick up some naan. From there, we decided if the meal should be over yellow rice or white. Slowly we kept throwing around ideas for side dishes, chutneys, and drinks. I browsed my laptop as we sat there, looking for recipes similar to our favorites from our local Indian bistro. (This one comes from Indianfoodforever.com, with some adjustments and changes) And we ended up with this… the leftover curry, over yellow rice, with bhindi bhaji as a side, toaseted naan, mango chutney, and home-made mint chutney. Yes, a feast.

This is the first time I have ever heard of, cooked, or eaten Bhindi Bhaji, but it turned out great for my first try. I have always loved okra, and have considered it one of my favorite vegetables for awhile. For those who can’t stand the viscous texture of it, this is NOT the recipe for you. The way this dish is cooked highlights that aspect of the okra, respecting it for how it is. Anyway, this is a relatively simple dish with relatively simple ingredients. If you have fresh tomatoes and okra in your garden, like my stepmother (and she does more than garden… fiber2love.etsy.com), and appreciate Indian food and trying something new, give this recipe a whirl!

Ingredients!

• 1 pound of okra (this can be frozen or fresh, but if you are using fresh, it might cook a litter faster.)
• 1 1/2 onions
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. ginger, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 or 2 fresh or dried red chili peppers, chopped finely. (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. ground fennel seeds

Directions!

1. Wash and thoroughly dry the okra, and cut the tops off. Then slice the okra lengthwise.
2. Chop the onions and saute in a large pan over medium heat, until almost translucent. (about 3 minutes, depending on how finely the onions are chopped)
3. Add in the spices, ginger, chilies, and garlic, and saute for another minute or two.

  

1. Add the okra to the pan, stir fry for a few minutes. Then, reduce heat to low-medium and cook covered for 15 minutes or so. Fresh okra cooks faster, so keep an eye on it! Do not add any water while covered!
2. After the okra is done, scoop the ingredients from the pan into a bowl and stir in the diced tomato and the cilantro, and salt to taste.

To Serve!

Serve the Bhindi Bhaji hot as a side with rice, naan, or toasted pita bread.

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Authentic Yellow Rice

Yum, yum, yum! This yellow rice recipe is the best under a hearty helping of curry with naan on the side. (I have a really great curry recipe on this blog titled “Tasty and Traditional Vegan Curry”) The bit of cinnamon in this yellow rice recipe really sets it apart from the others and gives a unique taste anyone will love. Hope you try it!

Ingredients:

3/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 pinch cinnamon

3 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice ( or basmati, I used Jasmine)

Directions:

In a medium sized saucepan, heat the spices and herbs over low heat until fragrant, stirring, for about 30 seconds.

Add the rice and slightly toast it (for about 1-2 minutes, stirring)

Carefully pour in all of the water and add the salt if you haven’t already.

Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the water is absorbed (about 20 mins)

When rice is done cooking, let sit for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve under something or alone.

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Tasty and Traditional Vegan Curry

This curry is absolutely AMAZING. It is an easy recipe to make, and you can throw in most of the vegetables that are just sitting in your fridge or freezer. The ingredients are all very cheap, and I would think most people would have them already in their houses, but there are various spices. The curry freezes well, I usually make more than I would eat normally so I can freeze it. This is a superb recipe, especially with naan or pita bread on the side. This curry is the best served over yellow or white rice.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced

3 toes garlic, minced

2 cans garbanzo beans

3-4 handfuls spinach

1 can hominy

3 cans diced tomatos

5 small potatoes, peeled and diced (if you use red jacket potatoes, they do not need to be peeled)

4 cups vegetable broth or water

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin (I used 1/2 tsp whole cumin and 1/2 tsp ground cumin)

2 tbsp curry powder (A good quality curry powder makes a very big difference!)

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp tumeric

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Heat 2-3 tbsp in a VERY LARGE skillet or pot (I used a pot, just make sure you have a lid that fits on whatever you use), and throw in the onion. Cook 2-3 minutes and add the garlic garbanzo. Cook a few more minutes.

Add in the garbanzo beans, hominy, spinach, potatoes, tomatoes, water/broth, spices and herbs, and reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.

 Cook until the potatoes are soft and most of the liquid has cooked off. Remove from heat, then mash some of the solids to thicken the sauce.

Serve over yellow or white rice. (I have a recipe for yellow rice on this blog named “Authentic Yellow Rice”) With naan or pita bread on the side.

Enjoy!

Note: You can add in almost any kind of vegetables to recipe, I have used corns, okra, and many others. Just experiment!

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Really Easy Curried Quinoa

This recipe is so easy and quick to make! I have always LOVED Indian food, so when i tasted this I was in heaven. The raisins give the spicey dish a pop of sweetness, and the almonds give it a unique texture and crunch. I found a recipe similar to this on vegweb.com, but I changed it a little bit. Enjoy!

(If you don’t have all of these spices, just use ground red pepper, nutmeg, chili powder, and cumin. It will be just as yummy I swear!)

Ingredients:

    1 c. Quinoa

    2 c. Water

    1/4 c. slivered almonds

    1/4 c. raisins

    1 can diced tomatos

    1/2 green pepper

    3 tsp. curry powder

    2 tsp. chili powder

    1 tsp. nutmeg

    2 tsp. cilantro

    dash of salt

Directions:

    Saute the quinoa in the pot you will be boiling them with just a little bit of oil on medium heat. Once you start to smell the nuttiness of it, pour in the water, cover, and let it simmer until all the water is absorbed into the quinoa (about 15 min.)

    Cut up your green bell pepper while you wait. once the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, fluff it with a fork. Add all of the spices (exept the cilantro), the bell pepper, diced tomatos, almonds and raisins. Stir about a minute or so on heat.

   Serve with cilantro garnish on top. Seves about two people.

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