Aloo Gobi

Aloo Gobi is an Indian dish that contains potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi). It's a delicious spiced dish that is very easy to make. It is also one of those sabzi dishes I mentioned in the recipe for dal.

One common misconception I had about Indian food when I started dating my boyfriend was that it is all super spicy. I never liked spicy food, so I thought Indian wasn't for me. That statement "don't knock it 'till you try it" rings true. Indian food is so good! And the spice? hah! While some things can be very spicy, many dishes are under your control so you can make them as spicy or mild as you want. This is one of those dishes. Let's get started, shall we?!

Ingredients:

• 1 potato, cubed into small, bite size pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, pureed
• about 1 c. cauliflower, bite size pieces
• 3-4 small green chili's, chopped
• 4 garlic, grated
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• 1 inch garlic, grated
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1-2 tsp red chili powder (you can add more or less, depending on preferred spice level)
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan with high sides. Once hot add cumin and mustard seeds until they start to pop. Add ginger, garlic, and green chili's, cook these until the raw smell of ginger/garlic goes away. Then add onion and cooked until onions are translucent.

2. Add pureed tomatoes. Give it a good stir and let it cook about one minute. 

3. Next add the spices. Add the cumin, coriander, tumeric, and the red chili powder. Stir these in and cook for about another minute. 

You'll notice the tomatoes might start to get thick, this is perfectly normal.

4. Now you're ready to add the potatoes. Potatoes take a bit longer to cook than cauliflower, so we'll add those a little bit later. 

5. Stir everything together and add a little water. Adding water helps to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Add a lid and let this cook about 7-10 minutes, or until the potatoes start to soften. Check this every couple minutes, adding a little water when needed. If you add too much water don't fret too much, most of it will evaporate!

6. Once the potatoes start getting soft you can add the cauliflower. Stir them in and cook until they are also tender. 

7. This is when you want to taste test. I normally need to add salt at this point, or maybe even more cumin or coriander. Just play around with it until you get it where you like it. 

And there you have it. Aloo Gobi. This goes awesome with dal and roti. You can also garnish it with a little chopped cilantro leaves for taste and color. Hope you enjoy!

Moong Dal

This is one of my more favorite Indian dishes. I absolutely love dal! Dal, in other words, are lentils. Let me tell you, when you go to an Indian supermarket you will find a million kinds of dal. Really!! Yellow, green, black, orange, sooooo many kinds, later I will make a post describing different types. A lot of Indians are vegetarians, so naturally they have to find a substitute for protein. That's where dal comes in.

Today I'm going to show you how to make moong dal. Moong dal is one that's for more of a daily use. I probably make this 2-3 times a week if not more. Once you get the hang of it, it's quiet fast and easy to make.

Ingredients:
Dal

• 3/4 c. moong dal
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, pureed
• 2-3 tbsp oil, seperate
• 1 1/4 c. water
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 6-8 curry leaves

Directions:

1. The first thing you're gonna want to do is measure out your dal and rinse it well in water. Then add about 1 1/4 c. water and let it soak while you go through the next few steps.

2. Add 1-2 tbsp oil to a pressure cooker. Once hot add chopped onions and a little salt. Cook until onions start to turn translucent. 

3. Once the onions are cooked add pureed tomatoes, tumeric powder, and a little more salt.

Once it's all mixed it'll be a nice orangish color

4. Now it's time to add the dal. By this time it should have been soaking for around 5 minutes at least. This type of dal doesn't require a long time to soak. Add the dal and the water it was soaking in to the pressure cooker.

5. Turn the stove on high and let this cook until your pressure cooker gives you one good, long whistle. Then turn the heat to medium-low and let this cook for about 12 minutes more. After 12 minutes, turn the heat off and be careful not to open your pressure cooker until all the built up steam is gone.

6. When it's finished cooking it will probably look dry and messed up like this . . .

Not to worry! This is normal. Just take a wisk and stir it really good to mush up the dal. Some recipes don't mash it this much, but I prefer it this way!  Usually I need to add a little more water at this point. You don't want it to by like a soup, not even close, but it shouldn't be super thick either.

It made be hard to tell in these photos. The one on the left is just right after I wisked it, and the one on the right is after I added water. Not too much of a difference!

Now, we're almost done, but not quite yet. The last thing we have to do is temper the dal. 

7. Heat the last 1 tbps of oil in a small pan. Once it's hot add curry leaves, mustard and cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to pop, immediately add it to the dal and give it a good stir. Now is the time to do a taste test. Personally I like mine a little more on the salty side, but add yours according to your taste!

*note* If you don't have a small pan like I do, that's alright, just use a small skillet if that's all you have. 

Viola! There you have it, yummy moong dal. This goes great with any sabzi (stay tuned, I'll be posted recipe's as to what these are!) and roti, or you can simply eat it with rice!

Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers. While in the fridge it will thicken a lot. To reheat, simply add a little water and microwave for a minute or two. Continue to add water until it's back to your preferred consistency. 

Kadhi Pakora's

Kadhi is something I was afraid to try at first. As an American I've only ever known yogurt to be eaten cold, never as something close to . . . soup! The first time I made this I wasn't too pleased. It was thick, and weird to me. Alas, my boyfriend liked it and asked me to make it again. Each time after that I've made it I've altered it some way or another and I finally have it to my liking, and he loves it too! So this is my recipe for Kadhi and I will also show you my recipe for pakora's. Pakora's are the best part (it's fried, so duh!).

Ingredients: 
Kadhi

• 3 c. plain yogurt (preferably sour)
• 1/2 c. besan, or gram flour
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander
• 6-8 curry leaves
• 5-6 heads of garlic, peeled and grated
• about 1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 chopped green chili's
• water
• salt
• 2 tbsp oil

For the Pakora's

• 1 c. besan
• 4-5 heads of garlic, peeled and grated
• about 1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 chopped green chili's
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small potato, finely cubed
• water
• 1-2 c. oil

Directions: Kadhi

1. First you're going to put the yogurt into a large bowl and mix until smooth. Add the besan, chili powder, and tumeric. Mix well and then add about 1 cup of water. Set aside

2. In a heavy bottomed pot (I like to use my pressure cooker), heat oil. Once oil is hot add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and coriander. Once the seeds start to pop add ginger, garlic, green chili's, and curry leaves. Allow these to cook for about a minute. Then add onion.

3. Once onions are cooked add the yogurt mixture to the pot and give it a good stir. Set your stove to about medium. You want the mixture to bubble a little, but don't let it burn! Allow mixture to cook for 30 minutes. 

If you notice from the first photo, the yogurt mixture will be a pale color. Once it starts cooking it will turn a beautiful deep yellow color. It will also thicken as it cools. You want it to have a smooth consistency. Not too thick, not too thin, but more towards the thin side. Add water accordingly and to your preference. This part took me the longest to figure out. Lastly, add salt to taste.

Directions: Pakora

1. Place besan, garam masala, red chili powder, ginger, garlic, and green chili's in a large bowl. The amount of water you need to add will vary each time. You're basically making a batter. Think somewhat of a pancake batter, only a little thicker. Once everything is mixed together, add the onions and potato, mix well. It should look something similar to this:

2. Next, use a pan with high sides and add about 1-2 inches of oil. Let this heat up nice and good. You can test it by dropping a tiny bit of batter. If it sizzles, you're good to go. Once ready, drop small spoon fulls of the batter into the hot oil. I like to use a cookie dough scoop, but you could even use your hands if that's how you see fit. 

3. Let your pakora's fry until both sides are a nice golden color, and let as much of the grease drain by placing them on a plate with paper towels.

Now you're ready to assemble! Every time I make this we eat it with chawal ( basmati rice).

I hope you enjoy! If you try and make this please let me know how it turned out!