Indian Flat Bread

It's been a busy week.  Cooking and baking is a way for me to relax and get centered when my schedule gets too hectic.  It slows me down and grounds me to what's truly important: my family.  I know that if I cook Indian food, it will put a smile on their faces.   Over the years, we have savored many dishes inspired by this flavorful cuisine. 

Usha of Veg Inspirations has a recipe for an Indian flat-bread called Besan Roti on her wonderful blog.    The breads are especially delicious and pair up perfectly with the many vegetable stews that Indian cooks make. Flatbread, especially, can be adapted successfully for the gluten free kitchen.





I had no problem altering Usha's recipe to make it gluten free.  I suspect that her final product was more malleable than mine because it contained gluten.  My Indian Chickpea Flatbread was more like a soft cracker bread.  I also changed the spices a little because I love cumin seeds so much.  The result was a wonderfully flavored flat bread, easy to make and hard to resist.  It goes really well with a goat cream cheese, or tomato salad and of course your favorite dhal (Indian lentil stew).  This was a definite winner with all my kids.

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Indian Chickpea Flatbread (serves 6) 1/2 cup tapioca Starch 1/2 cup millet flour 1 cup chickpea flour 1/4 tsp xantham gum 1/4 tsp ajwain seeds (optional) 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp vegetable oil 1/2 cup cold water 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the water and oil.  Mix with a fork. Add the chopped cilantro Incorporate the flour and water/oil together. The dough should be smooth but moist.  Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.  Form dough into golf size balls. Put a pan on medium heat, then coat with a thin layer of oil. Flatten each ball into a thin disk and fry on each side until slightly golden (about three minutes)  Printable Recipe

Pumpkin Dal with Rice

My family loves legumes. We enjoy them in a variety of dishes from salads to comforting stews. They're an easy way to create a satisfying vegetarian course full of flavor and protein. The advantages of making them a staple in your meal-planning go beyond good taste--they are economical as well.



Legumes are fruits that have been dried. In France, the word "legume" means vegetable, while in the english language it identifies specifically the dried fruits inside pods. Its wide-spread use is not surprising. One can imagine how easy it would have been for different varieties to cross borders, as people migrated. Through-out history, it has been used as an excellent source of protein or an extender when meat was scarce. From the tiny lentil to the fatty peanut, they vary widely in size, taste, fat content and texture.

This recipe is a perfect example of how you can turn legumes into a fantastic meal. It features split peas and chana dal, as well as creamy pumpkin, an array of spices and fragrant basmati rice.



Legume Puree with Pumpkin and Rice (serves 6-8)
If you cannot find chana dal (available at natural/health food stores and Indian markets), replace it with some yellow split peas instead and proceed as per the recipe.

1 cup chana dal
1 cup green spilt peas
4 cups diced pumpkin, or butternut squash
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried funegreek leaves

4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups cooked basmati rice

Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt (I favor goat yogurt)
1 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chaat masala seasoning (available in international or indian markets)


Soak the chana dal and split peas overnight. Rinse well. Transfer to large pot with diced pumpkin, turmeric, ground cumin, water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the peas, beans and pumpkin are very tender.

In a small pan, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Saute until they start to sizzle and crackle. Pour fragrant mixture into the dal pot along with the cooked rice. Mix well. Let simmer, uncovered, until the mixture thickens slightly. Make sure you mix often.

Make the yogurt sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl (keep refrigerated until ready to serve with the dal).

Serve the dal/rice mixture in a bowl, topped with a generous spoon of the yogurt sauce.




Artsy-Foodie's Announcement:
During this busy time of the year, in order to keep up the quality of my posts, I feel the need to go to biweekly postings. From now on, I will be posting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and additionally for special events such as Daring Bakers. I have some wonderful recipes in the works-- I look forward to sharing them with you.






More legume recipes:
Edamame Avocado Spread
Black Lentil Soup with Kale and turnip chips

Adventures in Indian Cooking

I decided to make some lentils fritters after seeing Bee's enticing post last week. I commented on her blog and she was kind enough to email me and to tell me about an alternate way to eat Urad Dal Croquettes.



I purchased a special pan for the sole purpose of making the delectable fritters I have seen in various posts on Jugalbundi. I am a minimalist in the kitchen, moving will do that to you, but I am hoping to put that pan to good use.

I took her concept and messed with it a bit. I just can't help myself. The lentil batter screamed out for mango chutney and more spices.

Another confession-- I bought the pan two months ago and today was the first day I actually used it. I had visions of the most perfect little croquettes emerging from the egg shaped cavities of my new iron pan. Reality hits you hard when you are delusional. Bee must know something I don't because my little morsels of joy were not as pretty as hers but they were delicious.



The double batch I made came in handy when halfway through, I experienced a case of fryer's guilt and wondered what would happen if I baked the rest instead. I set the oven on 500F to simulate the high heat you get from frying and opted for my muffin pan to shape the lentil batter into patties. It only took ten minutes to bake them and I have to say that the results were excellent.



The fried croquettes were crisp on the outside and fluffy inside. The baked ones were more pancake like but still moist and flavorful. Either cooking method yields superb results, in my opinion, and goes so well with the yogurt sauce.



Urad Dal Croquettes with Yogurt Sauce (serves 4)
Urad dal is white but it's really black lentils without their outer skins (available in any Indian food store).

1 cup of urad dal, soaked for 4 hours
2 tablespoons mango chutney
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Oil for frying
Yogurt Sauce (see below)

Drain the dal but reserve about 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid. Put all the ingredients and the soaking liquid, except for the cumin seeds and cilantro, in a blender. Process until smooth then add the cumin seeds and cilantro and mix.

Fry in a pan by putting a well-rounded tablespoon of the batter for each croquette in the hot oil. Flip to brown on all sides.

Or to bake them instead:



Preheat the oven to 500F.
Oil a muffin pan. Fill each muffin cup about 1/3 full. Bake for about 10 minutes or until set and slightly puffy. The edges will look golden brown. Do several batches if necessary.



Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve with croquettes.

Artsy-Foodie's Tip:
The fried croquettes are wonderful fresh but don't make good leftovers. As time goes by, the oiliness comes out. If you want to make this recipe ahead of time consider baking the batter into patties instead of frying them. They'll keep longer that way.







Here are other Indian recipes for your enjoyment:
Pea Vine, Zucchini Patties with Yogurt Sauce
Halibut Curry

Peas, Patties, Please... Pea Vines That Is

I came up with these patties after coming home with a bag full of pea vines. I had been wanting to try them for a while and couldn't resist purchasing some on my last trip to my Asian grocery store. There's something so pretty about the way this plant twirls playfully, it seems a shame that we only eat the fruit but neglect the vines and leaves.



I chewed on a bit of the raw leaf and after a quick analysis concluded that they tasted a lot like what peas would taste like if they were only slightly bitter, but not unpleasantly so. Having a serious penchant for indian food, I envisioned them as beautiful little green chickpea vegetable patties, with a yogurt sauce.



My family loved them and requested an encore. Even little Mr. Picky didn't gag in his usual dramatic manner--which we all find way too entertaining... He only does it when I try to feed him something leafy and green. It's quite comical because you can see the wheels turning in his eyes before he starts shaking his head, pursing his lips and looking disgusted. He makes sure all our eyes are on him then he proceeds to the next level and gives the full effect. He grabs his throat, squeezes and makes gagging sounds. It amazes me, even more so that no one is actually forcing him to eat the food in question-- but I am not about to tell him that. No matter how dramatic he gets, he still thanks me afterwards, unsolicited, for a yummy dinner. I just feel lucky that he only does that for us and not when we are guests at someone else's table.



Pea Vine, Zucchini Patties with Yogurt Sauce (serves 4)
This is great with pea vines but if you can't find any then substitute spinach or swiss chard for it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp of olive oil + for the pan
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon of curry powder
4 cups of chopped pea vines
2 cups of shredded zucchini
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup of cooked chickpeas (canned okay), coarsely mashed
1 large egg
2 tablespoon of chickpea flour

1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 cup of cilantro
juice of small lime (1 tablespoon)
1 garlic clove, put through a press
1 roma tomato, diced
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preheat oven 375F.
Oil a cookie sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.
In a pan, heat the oil on a medium flame. Add the minced garlic and then the spices (cumin through curry powder). Add the pea vines or other greens (if using an alternate). Saute until leaves begin to wilt and then add the zucchini. Cook until zucchini becomes just translucent. Add the salt and the chickpeas. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the egg, followed by the chickpea flour. Mix well and using your hands form into patties (about 1/4 cup per patty). Place on the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes to see if patties are firm.

While the patties cook prepare the yogurt sauce by mixing the yogurt and the next five ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

If you liked this post, you will also enjoy:
Halibut Curry

A Meal Worth Blogging About...

I don't always post on Wednesday. It's kind of the day, I have assigned myself to lay low and catch up on other things. However, amazing meals happen and being a food fanatic I want to share. So here I am breaking my "No Blogging Wednesday" rule to write about the most delightful meal I had...

A little while ago I discovered a great food blog called Jugalbandi. I find myself visiting it regularly for the eye-catching pictures, the exotic tasty recipes and the witty writing.

Last night everything came together to make it easy for me to try one of their recipes. I came back from my CSA with an armful of turnips, chard, hot peppers, cilantro, all ingredients required for their Sag Gonglu, a turnip and green saute that is sure to become a regular meal in our house.



This melange of vegetable is so perfectly spiced, with just enough heat to tease your taste buds. The turnip is shredded and the greens chopped fine so that each morsel on your fork includes their distinct flavors. A squirt of lime, acts as a fireman and extinguishes the heat in exchange a hint of fruity citrus. Everyone in our family loved it, except for Mr. Picky who thought it was too green for him. But, what does he know? He is only six... My other kids, including my husband, thought it was the best... and it was. Thank you Bee and Jai!

This is how I served it (on home-made chickpea flour roti):



I gladly submit this dish to Zlamushka for Tried and Tasted. This is a fun event, where a blog is selected once a month from which all the participants try a recipe and post about it. The deadline for this event is August 31, 2008. Check it out and try out some of Bee and Jai's awesome recipes.

A Nice Fish Swimming in a Sea of Curry

I have been exploring indian cuisine for many years and still have only managed to scratch the surface. I have a friend who is from India and she was shocked when she found out I made my own Naan. We were at her daughter's birthday party when the subject came up, immediately she called over her other Indian friends to share with them this little fact. They laughed and said: "Indian women don't make Naan, they buy it".

I have to admit that I have not tried to make this wonderful bread with gluten-free flour, but one of these days I will and I'll be sure to share the results with you. For today, I offer you a fish curry.

This wonderful little dish, is easy to put together and is worthy of your best company. Its richness comes from creamy cashew butter and yogurt. The melange of spices playfully compliments the mild, and delicate halibut. Serve it with some steamed rice, roasted cauliflower and green beans for a meal to remember.



Halibut Curry (Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of Halibut fillets, skinless and cut into large bite size pieces
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 garlic clove, passed through a garlic press
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
pinch of salt
1 cup of plain yogurt
3 tablespoons of cashew butter
1 pinch of saffron, sipping in 2 tablespoons of boiling water for 5 minutes
1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup of chopped sweet onions
1/4 teaspoon of garam massala
1/4 cup of cilantro
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon of salt, or less to taste
1 1/2 cup canned fire roasted tomatoes, diced

In a bowl mix the flour, crushed garlic, turmeric, paprika, cardamon, pinch of salt. Coat the fish with the mixture. Transfer to pre-oiled baking dish, cover and put in the fridge while you continue making the curry.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In the food processor combine yogurt, cashew butter, saffron and saffron water, ginger, onion, garam massala, cilantro, garlic clove and salt. Pulse until combined into a smooth sauce. Transfer into a sauce pan and cook under medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and simmering (about 5-8 minutes). Then add roasted tomatoes. Mix well together and pour over the fish. Mix gently and transfer to oven. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.