I'm going to upma Indian food game with vermicelli upma

We had a dinner party last night and I wanted to balance a lot of dals with one or two lighter starch dishes. Since it was also the first time we had met some of the guests, I wanted to have something mild, in case any of their sensitive Montana palates couldn't handle some of my more adventurous interpretations of Indian food (and then I'd never invite them back again). So I settled on this noodle dish. Vermicelli upma comes from southern India, where it's a common breakfast dish. But it's great any time of day, especially because it is quick and easy to whip up. And it's so good that everybody got upma grill asking for the recipe. So here it is!

Since I made this dish intentionally a little mild, you can dial up the garam masala or adapt the other seasoning and hot pepper content if you want a bigger flavor.

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail

4 TBSP oil or ghee, divided
8 ounces dried vermicelli noodles, broken or cut into quarter-length sections
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
8-12 fresh curry leaves
1-2 serrano chilies, diced
1-2 handfuls of chopped veggies (cabbage, peas, red bell peppers, cauliflower, etc.)
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped

Heat the half of the ghee or oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. When oil shimmers, add dried noodles. Stirring very frequently, saute the noodles until they become toasted and brown, but not burned. Once noodles are fully toasted pour water over them (be careful, as this will splatter), stir in tumeric, and bring to a boil. Cook until the noodles are al dente, then drain and give a quick rinse of cold water while still in the colander.

As the noodles are cooking, heat the remaining oil or ghee in a large saucepan on medium. Once hot, add the mustard seeds. Cook the seeds in the oil until they begin to pop, then add the garam masala. Stir constantly for 10-15 seconds, then add the curry leaves (be careful, this will also splatter!) and cook for 5-10 more seconds then add all the veggies and a TBSP of water. Stir well, reduce to medium-low, and cover, opening this to stir the veggies every minute or two. Add another TBSP of water if the veggies and spices start to stick.

Once veggies are tender but not mushy, stir in the pasts (you might have to use the Dutch oven you cooked the noodles in, if the saucepan is too small for everything). Stir in lemon juice and salt. Cook for a couple minutes until everything is well heated and mixed together. Adjust lemon and salt to desired taste, stir in cashews, and serve immediately.

Idli: making strangers into friends since... last night

So we joined a supper club last winter. However, since we have been traveling abroad for the last 6 months, we had never actually met our supping amigos until last night. Having not cooked for our 6 strange new companions before, I was a little apprehensive about what to make. Would they have weird food allergies? Would they hate spicy food? What if they weren't into my default Ethiopian or Afghani dishes? My solution: make idli! Our new friends wouldn't be able to complain about something as delicious and mainstream as Indian food. And idli, in particular, is an amazingly versatile dish--little mild, pillowy dumplings that can be loaded with flavorful chutney. As it turns out, our supper club companions were a marvelous batch. And they loved the idli--almost too much! So a note to anybody out there: if you're not good at accepting compliments or you don't want to have new friends pestering you to make amazing Indian food every time you see them in the future, then this recipe isn't for you. But if you are into making a bunch of strangers think you're a marvel in the kitchen and clamoring for seconds, then this is your jam!

This recipe calls for urad dal, a split black lentil, which can be found at many Asian grocers or online. You'll also need to purchase an inexpensive idli steaming stand. The one I use makes 24 idlies with depressions that are roughly 3" across by 2/3" deep. This batch leaves me with just a little bit of batter at the end, so you may want to adjust the quantities based on your idli maker and needs.

However, if you end up with a lot of leftover batter, fear not! Leftover idli batter makes excellent uttapam! Uttapam is basically just like a crepe or pancake. To make these, just take your old idli batter and add any veggies you might like (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, and cabbage are all great) plus some extra salt, onions, and garlic. Ladle this mixture into hot, frying pan that has been sprayed with some cooking spray. I've had best results from cooking these covered and flipping each one halfway through.

Anyhow, back to the idli. You want to have a pretty good blender for this. I use a Vitamix, but anything of reasonably high quality will have the horsepower to break everything down.

You'll also want to serve the idli with coconut cilantro chutney or any other chutneys, dals, or other toppings of your choice, as the idlis themselves are fairly mild.

Prep time: 1 cocktail (after a couple days of fermentation)

1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup parboiled rice
Salt to taste
2 pinches baking soda
Optional toppings - including sauteed minced onions, brown mustard seeds, curry leaves, or diced chilies

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dal and both types of rice. Cover with a lot of water, as the contents will triple in volume as they absorb the water. Let soak 24 hours.

After soaking, drain the water off, but do it kind of half-assed. I like a little bit of the soaking water to make it into the final batter, as I think it accelerates the fermentation process a bit. In any event, after you have mostly drained the grains, transfer them to a blender. Add some fresh water and blend until the grains have totally been broken down--this can take several minutes. IMPORTANT: you want this batter to have the consistency halfway between crepe batter and pancake batter. So add as much fresh water as you need to in order to achieve this consistency.

Transfer idli batter to a mixing bowl and stir in salt. The amount will vary, but it should taste pretty damn salty. Stir well, cover with a wet towel and let sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours, until the fermentation has expanded the batter and it has a consistency similar to that of lightly whipped cream (the amount of time varies, depending on how warm the batter is--a really warm environment will achieve this in as little as 4 hours).

Now the batter is ready to use (alternatively, it can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with a wet towel, for up to 2 more days). Before cooking, sprinkle baking soda on surface of batter and VERY GENTLY fold it in a little bit with a rubber spatula. You need to be gentle because you want to preserve the foamy structure of the batter.

Now boil an inch or so of water in a pot with a lid that's tall enough to fit your idli steamer. Once water is boiling, spray the idli trays with cooking spray and ladle batter into each mold--filling each one 75-80 percent, allowing enough space for a little expansion. Sprinkle the tops of idli with any of the toppings you're using.

Transfer idli tray to pot, cover, and steam until idlis have steamed fully and are a bit firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. For me, this is 25 minutes, but will vary depending on batter, size of idlis, and snugness of your steamer lid. Remove and serve right away with chutney.

Rajma - A fantastic Indian dish for those who are lentiled-out

While I do love Indian food, I have to admit that I'm not really a huge fan of lentils, which are a pretty essential staple of the cuisine--especially for us vegetarians.  But if you're like me, fear not! This is a fantastic alternative to get your lentil fix in a new and different way. It's a Punjabi dish that some have likened to an Indian version of chili. While I'm not quite sure it's the best analogy, it does give you an idea of what this dish is like: hearty, rich, comfort food!

Prep time: 2 cocktails

1 pound dried kidney beans
2 bay leaves
4 tomatoes, chopped
6 TBSP ghee, divided
2 1/2 TBSP coriander seeds
1 TBSP cumin seeds
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 TBSP salt
3 TBSP ginger, grated with a microplane or the finest grating of a box grater
Juice of 1 medium lemon
2-3 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Soak beans overnight. Rinse well and combine in large pot with bay leaves, tomatoes, 1 TBSP of the ghee, and four cups or so of water. Boil until beans are soft, adding water as necessary. A pressure cooker will make this go by a lot faster.

Once beans are cooked, remove 3/4 cup or so of beans and mash up in a bowl with a fork or potato masher. Return to the pot of beans.

Next, combine coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and thyme in a spice grinder. Grind into a powder. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and add garam masala, turmeric, salt, ginger, and lemon juice.

Now, in a large Dutch oven, melt the remaining ghee over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the spice paste and simmer for 90 seconds or so. Then add the bean mixture and bring to a boil. then reduce and simmer until excess liquid is cooked off and you've achieved a chili-like consistency. Then stir in fennel seeds and cook 2-3 more minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Holy mole! You'll love this chole!

Chole is a north Indian chickpea dish that is simply amazing! Usually made with Indian staples of dark chickpeas called kala chana dal, mango powder, and a few other tough-to-find ingredients. So I've adapted it to be a little more favorable to ingredients I can get locally. But it's still every bit as good!

Prep time: 2 cocktails

1 pound dried chickpeas
4-5 tea bags of black tea
Salt
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, juice reserved
1 tsp coriander seeds
8 cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp fenugreek
4 TBSP ghee
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 large onion, minced
1 TBSP ginger grated with microplane or finest grating of a box grater
1-2 serrano peppers, minced
3-4 cloves garlic
2 TBSP tamarind paste (Mileage will vary depending on brand--be careful. I use Tamicon brand.)
2 small pinches hing (aka asafetida) -- careful! Don't overdo it! (optional)
1/2 bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped

Soak the chickpeas in water with a couple tablespoons baking soda overnight. Before you're ready to cook the chickpeas the following day, brew the teabags into about 4 cups of strong black tea and discard teabags. Then rinse chickpeas very well, place in a pot with 1 tsp salt, tea, and water until chickpeas are covered and bring to boil. Cook until soft, about 2-4 hours (a pressure cooker can do this in just a few minutes), adding water as necessary.

Once chickpeas are soft, cook off most of the remaining liquid.

In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and tomato sauce a few times until broken down into chunks but not a smooth puree. Set aside.

Now, combine coriander, cloves, cardamom, and fenugreek in a spice grinder and grind into a powder. Set aside.

Heat the ghee in a large dutch oven over medium heat. When melted, add bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Simmer for 10-20 seconds. Add all the spices from the grinder, as well as the whole cumin seeds. Simmer for another 10-20 seconds, until it all becomes aromatic. Add onions and saute 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add ginger and pepper. Saute 1 more minute. Add garlic and simmer an additional minute. Now, add tomatoes, chickpeas and any remaining cooking liquid, 1 tsp salt, and tamarind. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered for at least 20 minutes, until all the excess liquid has cooked off and tomatoes have broken down fairly well. Adjust salt, spices, and tamarind, as needed. Add hing, if using.

Serve with cilantro as a garnish.

Coconut cilantro chutney

This is a chutney traditionally served with idli. For the coconut, use a fresh coconut or frozen flesh that is sometimes available at supermarkets or Asian grocers--don't use dried or the sweetened stuff for baking. There are tons of really easy to follow instructions online on how to get the coconut flesh, if you're unfamiliar. You can also get the hing (asafoetida), curry leaves, urad dal, and chana dal online or at an Indian grocer.

Prep time: 1 cocktail

1/2 cup chana dal
1 1/4 cups shredded coconut meat (about 1 small coconut)
3/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/2-inch ginger piece
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 serrano chili, chopped
1 cup water or coconut water if you use a fresh coconut
3/4 tsp salt
Agave nectar or sugar (optional)
2 TBSP neutral oil, like canola
1/2 tsp urad dal
8 fresh, whole curry leaves
A pinch of hing (aka asafoetida)

Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add chana dal and toast until it's lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, transfer to a spice grinder or electric coffee grinder and process into a powder.

Combine chana dal, shredded coconut, cilantro, ginger, lime, chili, water/coconut water, and salt in food processor. Puree into a smooth paste. Adjust lime and salt to taste, add some agave or sugar, if desired.

Pour into the container you want to serve the chutney in. Then in a small, clean frying pan, heat the oil over medium to medium-low heat. When oil shimmers, add mustard seeds. Simmer the seeds until they just start to pop. Add urad dal and simmer until the dal is browned but not burned, stirring constantly. Add curry leaves and hing cook 3-5 more seconds. Remove from heat and immediately pour on top of chutney and serve--no need to incorporate or stir in oil and spices.  

Major Grey-style fruit chutney

This is a mango chutney, but you can use any fruit that cooks down well.

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail, plus additional simmering time

2 TBSP neutral oil, like canola
1-2 dried red chilies
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 TBSP coriander seeds
1/2 tsp dark mustard seeds
8 cloves, ground with mortar and pestle
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 20-ounce can mango pieces or pineapple pieces, retain juices
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
Agave nectar (optional)

Heat oil over medium-low heat. While it warms up, combine next 6 ingredients in a small bowl. When oil shimmers, add spices and simmer for a minute or so, until they turn a shade darker. Add fruit (juice and all). Bring to boil and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and if the fruit hasn't broken down, mash it up with a potato masher until it's thick and chunky. Increase heat to medium, add raisins, vinegar, and salt. Cook down until you have a thick, jam-like consistency. Adjust salt and vinegar, if necessary and add agave if you want it sweeter. Let cool and serve.

Creamy cashew chutney!

This bad boy is from the south of India and goes great with literally just about any Indian dish as a cooling to medium-heat chutney.

Prep time: 1/4 cocktail

1 cup raw, unsalted cashews, chopped up a bit
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-inch piece ginger, chopped (no more!)
1-2 small hot chilies, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 TBSP cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT cilantro in food processor and process until totally smooth (this will take a few minutes). Taste and adjust salt or lemon juice, if necessary. It should be a nice, spreadable chutney. If it's too thick, puree in a bit more water. Stir in cilantro and serve!

Fireball Chutney!

This toasty, spicy chutney adds some zing to any type of Indian dish where you want to add a little extra flavor and heat.

Prep time: 1/4 cocktail

1/4 cup chana dal (a type of split chickpea that's available at an Indian grocer or online)
8 dried red chilies (you can dial this up or down depending on personal preference)
8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate (I use Tamicon brand, others brands may vary in potency, so be careful!)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2/3 tsp salt
Water or coconut milk to achieve the desired consistency

Over medium-low to medium heat, warm up the dal in a frying pan. Stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, fully toast (but don't burn!) the seeds.

Transfer the seeds to a coffee grinder and process into a smooth powder.

Transfer the chana dal powder and the other ingredients to a food processor and process until it's a smooth paste.

Election Night Special: Rich Curried Indian lentils

So India is the largest democracy in the world. So what better way to celebrate Election Day here than warming up on a cold night and following the action with some awesome Indian vittles?

Like many great ethnic foods out there, this dish is simple and super delicious. And if you're anything like me, you'll enjoy this with a prodigious volume of beer and some cabbage saag paneer as you watch the election results come in tonight. 

Prep time: 1 cocktail

1 ¼ cup French green or brown lentils

3 cups water

2 tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric

4 TBSP ghee or butter

1 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

4 medium-sized tomatoes

1-2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Rinse and drain lentils. Then put in a large saucepan with water, salt and turmeric. Bring water to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Continue to boil water until lentils are soft (about 30 minutes), stirring occasionally.

When lentils are ready, heat ghee in wok or saucepan over medium high heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and let them fry a few seconds. Then add the grated ginger and tomatoes. Stir fry the tomato mixture a few minutes.

Pour the tomatoes over the lentils and mix well.

Serve with a very large pinch of cilantro over the stew. Good alone or served over brown rice.

Cabbage Saag Paneer with Tofu

This is a slightly different version of the Punjab staple found at most Indian restaurants. This dish is usually made with spinach, but I prefer cabbage because it has a less-mushy texture. Also, this dish is traditionally served with cubed paneer, a type of farmers’ cheese. But because this dish is rich enough already, I prefer cubed tofu, which is lighter but provides a similar texture.

Note that if you do want to use spinach, instead of cabbage, it is an easy substitution. Use ~1¼ pounds of spinach that has been stemmed, washed and chopped. Do not blanch it in boiling water. Instead, add it raw at the same time you would add the cabbage to the onion and spices. And continue cooking after you add the spinach longer than if you were using cabbage—about 10 minutes, or until it softens.

Prep time: 2 cocktails 

½ to 1 brick of tofu, cut into 3/4” cubes (or cube up some paneer)

½ large head green cabbage, shredded

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

2-3 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin, ground or whole

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp ghee or butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 inches ginger, very, very finely grated with cheese grater

3 TBSP masa

12 ounces Greek or plain yogurt (full fat)

Juice of 1 lime

A handful of cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Brush a bit of olive oil or spray cooking spray on a cookie sheet or baking pan and place tofu cubes on pan so that individual cubes do not touch. Bake until firm and outsides begin to become nice and firm and yellowish or just beginning to brown (about 30-40 minutes).

Bring a large pot of water with a few TBSP of salt to a boil. Add cabbage and blanch it a few minutes, until the cabbage becomes a nice deeper shade of green and softens up a bit. Remove from heat, strain and rinse well. Set cabbage aside.

Combine all the dry spices into a small dish (not including salt). Heat a dry frying pan on medium heat and add spices. STIR CONSTANTLY as spices cook. Once they turn a shade or two darker than normal, remove from heat and transfer to small bowl. Add salt.

Heat ghee in a wok or large pan on medium-high. When hot, add onion. Sauté until it becomes transparent, about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, ginger and spice/salt mixture. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. If it begins to stick to pan, add another TBSP of ghee or vegetable oil. Add cabbage, and a couple TBSP water, reduce to medium and simmer stirring frequently. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

As cabbage cooks, in a small bowl, combine ¼ cup water and masa. Whisk well. Add mixture to cabbage. Next add yogurt, lime and tofu as well. Stir well and bring to boil.

Cook another more minute or so. Depending on how thick you like your saag, you can cook longer for a thicker dish, or add water for a lighter dish. Stir in cilantro before removing from heat. Serve hot over rice, with chapatti, or with naan.

Aloo Gobi: It'll Turn You Into an Indian Grandmother Too

I was told last night after I served Aloo Gobi that I "could pass for an Indian grandmother." I guess I should take that as a compliment. Though, I suppose I probably do have the liver of an Indian grandmother at this point... so why not the cooking skills too?

Anyhow, aloo gobi is a classic dry curry of potatoes and cauliflower that originates in the Punjab region. It is great served with rice, chapati, or naan. Note that this recipe calls for ghee. Ghee is clarified butter than can be found at any Asian grocer or natural food store. You can also make it easily at home using directions found online. If you're not on the butter program, substituting canola oil is fine (though not quite as tasty).

Prep time: 2 cocktails

2 jalapeño or Serrano chilies, chopped
2 tsp whole cumin seed

1 inch ginger piece, chopped finely or grated
½ tsp black mustard seeds

3 bay leaves

¼ cup ghee or oil

2 medium-large russet potatoes, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes
1/2 head of cauliflower, divided into florets
1/2 cup water

1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1.5 tsp salt
1 TBSP brown sugar

1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
2/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Combine chilies, cumin, ginger, mustard seeds, and bay leaves in a small bowl. Set aside.

Melt the ghee in a wok on medium heat. Add the spice mixture. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the seeds turn a shade darker and become nice and aromatic. Add potato and cauliflower. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until the veggies begin to brown just a bit and you can smell the potatoes really beginning to cook.

Add water, turmeric, coriander, paprika, salt, brown sugar, and bell pepper. Reduce to low/medium-low and saute until all the veggies are tender, but not mushy… about 15-20 minutes. If it starts to stick, add a couple tablespoons of water.

Add cilantro, stir well and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Serve over rice or with naan or chapati.