Chicoli

This recipe requires quite a lot of assembly. The curry itself has an ingredient list that takes up an entire page in the recipe book; while it comes together very quickly once you have everything ready, there is a lot of prep work involved just in getting all the ingredients out. Mise-en-place is highly recommended here.

On top of that, the whole-wheat ribbons are an entire separate recipe on their own and prep for them needs to start a few days in advance. You can skip them and just use whole wheat pasta -- Iyer recommends this if you don't have the time or ingredients to make them at home -- but you miss out on the pleasant spices built into the noodles. If you do want to use whole wheat pasta, coarsely break up some whole wheat fettucini, cook a cup of it al dente and add it to the curry at the end.

Chicoli (Ground Beef with Sweet Potato and Whole Wheat Ribbons)

Attribution

Ingredients

• For the whole-wheat ribbons
• ½ C roti flour
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
• ½ tsp cumin seeds, ground
• ½ tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• ~¼ C plain yogurt, at room temperature, whisked
• For the curry
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 3 tsp cumin seeds; 2 left whole, 1 ground
• 1 small red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 3 to 5 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, finely chopped (do not remove the seeds)
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 russet or Yukon Gold potato, peeled, cut into 1" cubes, and submerged
• 1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1": cubes, and submerged
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 small (~6") Japanese eggplant, stem removed, halved lengthwise and cut into 1" lengths
• 1 C 1" lengths of fresh green beans
• ½ C 1" cubes of fresh red pumpkin or acorn squash
• For finishing the curry
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Whole-Wheat Ribbons
   The first five steps should be done 2-3 days in advance. The rest needs to happen concurrently with finishing the curry; make sure you read both recipes in full before starting to get the timing right.
1. Combine roti flour, salt, coriander, cumin, and turmeric in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Drizzle the oil over the flour mixture, and rub the flour through your hands to evenly coat it with the oil.
3. Add the yoghurt, a spoonful at a time, stirring until the flour comes together into a soft ball.
4. Pick up the ball, collect any dry flour left in the bowl, and gently knead it into a smooth, slightly stiff ball. If too wet, dust it with a little flour and knead it in.
5. Store the dough, covered, in the fridge, for 2-3 days. Take it back out and let it warm up to room temperature while you work on the rest of the curry.
6. Roll the dough out into a 12" log. Cut crosswise into ½" pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Set the balls aside, covered.
7. Fill a medium-sized pot with water and bring to a rolling boil.
8. Take the balls. Flatten each one out into a 3" disc (using the bottom of a drinking glass works well for this), slice into ¼" strips, and toss into the boiling water. Once the strips float to the top (3-5 minutes), skim them out and drop them in the curry. Repeat until all strips have been cooked.
2. Curry
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the whole cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle, turn reddish-brown, and are fragrant, ~10 seconds.
3. Add the onion, ginger, chiles, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves. Stir-fry until the onion starts to brown, ~5 minutes.
4. Add the ground beef, breaking it up as needed, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, ~10 minutes.
5. Drain the potatoes, reserving the potato water.
6. Add the ground coriander, the ground cumin, the salt, and the turmeric, and stir to coat the meat with the spices.
7. Add the potatoes, carrot, eggplant, beans, and squash. Add two cups of potato water; make up the difference with tapwater if needed.
8. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fork-tender, ~10-15 minutes.
9. Add the whole-wheat ribbons.
3. Finishing
1. Heat the ghee in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin seeds and cook until reddish-brown and fragrant, ~10 seconds.
3. Remove from heat, stir in the cayenne, and immediately pour into the curry and stir briefly to combine.
4. Top with cilantro.