Masaaledar Phool Gobhi (Spicy Cauliflower)

I really liked this curry. I accidentally made it with twice as much onion, garlic, and ginger as it was supposed to have, but I would absolutely do it that way again. I loved the sweetness of the onion with the acidity of the tomato and the spiciness of the cayenne.

Masaaledar Phool Gobhi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 12 cloves garlic, sliced
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 small (400mL) tin diced tomatoes
• 450g cauliflower florets
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chickpea flour (besan)
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until well-browned (12-15 minutes).
3. Add the cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and turmeric, stir to combine, and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
4. Add the tomatoes, water, and cauliflower, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until cauliflower is tender (~12 minutes).
5. Stir in the chickpea flour and cook until sauce is slightly thickened (1-2 minutes).
6. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Sirka Paneer (Vinegar Paneer)

This is a really interesting curry. It has a lot of elements to it, both in the bulk and the flavour elements. It's full of potato and cauliflower in a tomato-y sauce (like aloo gobhi). But the sauce is also full of vinegar and chilies (like a vindaloo). But then it also has the bouncy paneer and creamy coconut milk added at the end. It's almost like you're getting three curries in one!

I do find the vinegar with the coconut milk slightly confusing to my palate. I'm used to a curry either having the sharpness of the vinegar or the creaminess of the coconut milk, not both. It is a tasty curry, but I think it's a bit too confusing to ever be a favourite for me. That said, I do appreciate how hearty it is with the paneer, cauliflower, and potatoes.

Sirka Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c. water, divided
• 1/4 c. malt or cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 1-2 dried red Thai or cayenne/arbol chilies
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp. ginger paste
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 c. cauliflower florets
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 250g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes and fried¹
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine 1/4 c. of the water with the vinegar, tomato paste, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fresh and dried chilies, garlic, and ginger in a blender and purée.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and cook until just starting to brown (3-5 minutes).
4. Add the paste and cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Add the remaining 1 c. of water to the blender and swish it out. Add this to the pan.
6. Add the cauliflower, potatoes, and salt to the pan and bring to a boil.
7. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
8. Add the paneer and coconut milk and simmer for another 10 minutes.
9. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

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¹ Tossing the paneer cubes with a little oil and air-frying at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes works very well and saves a lot of time and effort. Alternatively, you can sometimes find bags of pre-fried paneer cubes in the frozen section of Indian grocery stores... ^Back

Tamatar Paneer (Tomato Paneer)

I was going to make a lamb curry next, but I found some paneer on sale at the Indian grocery store and decided to cook that as our protein tonight instead.

I love this curry. The paneer makes it satisfying and high-protein. And while it takes a bit of time to cook the onions down, it's not particularly difficult and doesn't require many spices or other ingredients. And while the cream is moderately expensive most of the other ingredients are quite affordable. Especially if you can get a good deal on the paneer! The cream also makes it deliciously rich and luxurious. Oh, and it also doesn't require marinating or pre-frying the paneer. So, pretty great all round!

Tamatar Paneer

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 250g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt ghee over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cardamom, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is nicely browned (~20 minutes).
4. Add the tomato paste, coriander, cayenne, and turmeric and cook until darkened (3-5 minutes).
5. Add water, paneer, and salt and cook, covered, until sauce thickens (~15 minutes).
6. Add the milk and cream and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
7. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Jhinga Vindaloo (Shrimp Vindaloo)

I had a busy day of moving boxes and furniture today, so I wanted something easy for dinner. I decided to throw together this simple curry and serve it with rice and dal. It worked out quite well! Even if I didn't make it quite to spec. (My shrimp were much smaller than what Iyer calls for and frozen rather than fresh.)

Jhinga Vindaloo

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 10 raw cashews, ground
• 450g large shrimp (32-40 per kilo), peeled and deveined
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine vinegar, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, turmeric, and ground cashews and stir to form a paste.
2. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat.
4. Add the shrimp (reserving any residual marinade), and sear for 1 minute on each side.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, add any remaining marinade, and cook until shrimp is pink, opaque, and curled.
6. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Aardak Lasoon Masoor ki Dal (Ginger-Garlic Red Lentils)

I wanted a dal to go with my shrimp vindaloo and I felt like red lentils and/or pigeon peas would work particularly well. This red lentil dal caught my eye first, so that's what I went with. It was very nice. Especially with the optional spinach. It could probably use even more if you wanted to work some more veggies into the meal.

Aardak Lasoon Masoor ki Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split brown lentils (masoor dal/Egyptian lentils/red lentils)
• 3 c. water
• 1-2 onions¹, coarsely chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. ghee (or coconut oil for a vegan option)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1-2 dried red cayenne/arbol or Thai chilies
• 1 small (~400mL) tin diced tomatoes
• 1/4-1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach or kale (optional)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse the lentils.
2. Add water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat.
3. Skim off any foam, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender (~20 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, add the onions, garlic, and green chilies to a food processor and pulse to chop.
5. Melt the ghee over medium heat.
6. Add the cumin and dried chilies and sizzle until fragrant and chilies blacken (20-30 seconds).
7. Add the onion mixture along with the ginger paste and stir-fry until onion softens (~5 minutes).
8. Add the tomatoes and spinach (if using) and cook until spinach is thawed and sauce has thickened slightly (5-10 minutes).
9. Pour the sauce into the pot with the lentils and stir to combine.
10. Simmer to let flavours meld (3-5 minutes).
11. Stir in cilantro and serve.

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¹ The original recipe only calls for 1 (red) onion, but my onions were on the small side, so I used two. ^Back

Masala Bhindi Tamatar (Okra and Tomato Curry)

I needed a vegetable curry that I could throw together on short notice with ingredients on hand. This worked. It did not achieve Iyer's result with his students of converting the dubious to okra lovers. But I was a perfectly acceptable vegetable side that got the job done.

Photo goes here.

Masala Bhindi Tamatar

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 dried Thai or cayenne/arbol chilies
• 450g okra, sliced 1-2cm thick
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne (or Kashmiri chilies)
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the cumin and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
3. Add the chilies and toast for 5-10 seconds.
4. Add the okra and cook until skin begins to blister (~10 minutes).
5. Add the coriander, salt, cayenne, and turmeric and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and water and stir to combine.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Dhingri Mutter (Mushroom and Pea Curry)

In theory this was meant to be "gucchi mutter" (morel and pea curry). However, morels are not native to New Zealand and getting them here is an extremely expensive prospect. I mean, they're expensive anyway. I've just been spoiled by being able to get them for free from my parents in the past. But, given that getting the required quantity of morels would've cost ~$100 here, I decided that maybe it was acceptable to swap them out for a different mushroom in this case. Especially since white mushrooms were on sale for $8/kg this week.

Dhingri Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2-4 Tbsp. ghee, divided
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds
• 3-4 tsp. garlic paste
• 2 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2-3/4 c. water
• 250g mushrooms¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. Kashmiri garam masala
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt 1-2 Tbsp. of the ghee over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, almonds, garlic, and ginger and cook until nuts are browned (~5 minutes).
3. Pour 1/2 c. of water into a blender, add the tomato paste and onion mixture, and purée.
4. If the sauce looks too thick, blend in a few more Tbsp. of water.
5. Melt the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of ghee over medium heat.
6. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook until they release their liquid or morels look slightly shriveled (~5 minutes).
7. Add the sauce, salt, ground chilies, garam masala, and turmeric and stir to combine.
8. Add the peas, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until heated through and flavours blend (10-15 minutes).
9. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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¹ If you're going for the authentic gucchi mutter, then you'll want morels, thoroughly washed and cut in half. Otherwise, Iyer suggests sliced porobellos as a tasty (if very different) alternative. I just used white button mushroom, halved, for my curry and, honestly, they were great! ^Back

Apparently the "Syrian Christians" in India are referred to as such because when they were converted to Christianity nearly 2000 years ago, Syrian and Aramaic were the languages of choice for their sermons. They are apparently markedly distinct -- in both religious and dietary customs -- from the Latin-based Christians who were converted some 1500 years later.

I will admit, I don't really know anything about either sect beyond what Iyer has written about them in his book. But I do like this vinegary curry. The acidity puts me in mind of a vindaloo, but it has far less heat and more black pepper and other spices. The inclusion of the potatoes with the meat also puts me a bit in mind of a Goan gosht curry. And that one also includes vinegar and not too much heat, but the vinegar doesn't come through nearly as strongly in that one due to the inclusion of tomatoes and coconut milk, so the flavour profile feels quite different, even if it has several elements in common. Either way, it's delicious. Not a favourite, I think, but very good nonetheless.

Syrian Christian Lamb Curry

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 (~7cm/3") cinnamon stick, broken into smaller pieces
• 500g boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1/2 c. vinegar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 1/4 c. oil and/or ghee, divided²
• 500g potatoes, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 20 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves

Directions

1. Combine the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, and cinnamon in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
2. Add the ground spices to a bowl along with the lamb, vinegar, salt, ground chilies, and turmeric. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour (and up to overnight).
3. Meanwhile, place the onion and garlic in a food processor and process until finely chopped. (Or mince both by hand.) Add the ginger paste.
4. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the potatoes and stir-fry until nicely browned and almost cooked through (~15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
6. In a new pan, heat another Tbsp. of oil over medium heat.
7. Add the onion mixture and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
8. Add the lamb, along with its marinade, and cook until oil begins to separate (~15 minutes).
9. Add the water and bring to a boil.
10. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until lamb is tender (~30 minutes).
11. Add the cilantro and potatoes and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, heat the remaining Tbsp. of oil (or ghee) over medium to medium-high heat.
13. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
14. Add the curry leaves and immediately remove from heat.
15. Stir-fry in the residual heat for a few seconds to allow the curry leaves to crisp up a bit.
16. Once the potatoes are cooked through, pour the tadka into the curry and stir to combine.
17. Serve over rice and/or with your favourite flatbread.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 1 tsp. of ground cayenne, but I decided that I wanted a slightly milder curry, so I swapped out the cayenne for half the amount of Kashmiri chilies. I was quite happy with the result, the curry had a bit of warmth to it without being spicy/hot. ^Back
2 The original recipe simply calls for 5 Tbsp. of oil: 2 Tbsp. to stir-fry the potatoes, 2 Tbsp. to cook the lamb, and a final Tbsp. for the tadka at the end. I opted to use the full 2 Tbsp. of oil for the potatoes, but only 1 Tbsp. for the lamb, and then switched it up and used a Tbsp. of ghee to make the tadka. Either approach will work just fine. Use whatever's convenient. ^Back

Menalina Saru (Peppery Pigeon Pea Stew)

I've been exhausted lately and Reiver is fighting a cold, so I threw together this simple dal for dinner last night. It takes very little effort and can be made entirely from pantry ingredients. And Iyer notes that the woman who gave him the recipe said that her mother used to make it for her whenever she got a cold, so it seemed particularly appropriate for the occasion.

Photo goes here.

Menalina Saru

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toor/toovar dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 4 cloves garlic (or 4-5 tsp. garlic paste)
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2-5 dried red cayenne or Thai chilies
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the pigeon peas well.
2. Add the peas to a pot with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim any foam from the surface, add the tomatoes, and allow to return to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, add the cumin seeds, peppercorns, salt, and garlic to a food processor or molcajete and process into a damp, gritty blend. (Or, alternatively, grind the cumin, pepper, and salt in a spice grinder and then stir them into some garlic paste.)
6. Heat the ghee over medium to medium-high heat.
7. Add the chilies and toast until slightly blackened.
8. Add the garlic mixture and stir-fry until garlic is browned and mixture smells fragrant.
9. Once the peas are tender, stir in the garlic mixture.
10. Simmer, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes to marry the flavours.
11. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. (Preferably over rice with your favourite flatbread.)

Pyaaz Tamatar Gosht (Onion-Tomato Lamb Curry)

Reiver found discount lamb at the butcher's last week, so I turned it into a tasty curry! I haven't had a chance to do many lamb curries, so this was a treat. It was also very easy. Definitely going on the "favourites" list!

Pyzza Tamatar Gosht

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 450g stewing lamb
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 4 cardamom pods (pref. black, but green is also okay)
• 2 bay leaves
• 250-400mL canned tomato (pasta) sauce¹
• 1/4 c. fried onions²
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the coriander, cumin, salt, paprika, cayenne/Kashmiri chilies, turmeric, ginger paste, and garlic paste and toss with the lamb to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil over medium to medium-high heat.
3. Add the cardamom pods and bay leaves and sizzle for 20-30 seconds.
4. Add the lamb and sear for 5-8 minutes.
5. Add the tomato sauce, fried onions, and water and bring to a boil.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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¹ The original recipe only calls for 1 c. of tomato sauce. I used ~350mL and it was great and Reiver said that he wouldn't've minded it with even more sauce, so I think I'll just use the whole tin next time. Follow your heart! ^Back
2 Iyer calls for 1/4 c. of fried onion paste here. I didn't really want to make fried onion paste, so I just tossed in 1/4 c. of fried onions along with 1/4 c. of water. This seemed to work very well and I wouldn't hesitate to use this approach again. ^Back

Lasoon Urad chi Dal (Garlicky Black Lentil Dal)

This is a very simple, fairly quick-cooking dal of skinned split black lentils (mapte beans). Iyer advises that, in a pinch, moong dal (skinned split mung beans) will also work.

Since I wanted this to be a one-pot dinner, I added a bit of spinach to my dal, just to give us something green on the plate and round things out a bit. I think it worked quite well, but the spinach is, of course, both optional and not part of the original recipe.

Photo goes here.

Lasoon Urad chi Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/urad dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste)
• 3-4 fresh green serrano or finger chilies, cut into 5mm slices
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• ~1 c. chopped frozen spinach (optional)
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the lentils thoroughly.
2. Place in a pot with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim off any foam that forms and stir in the turmeric.
4. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
6. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 5-10 seconds.
7. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium and cook for ~5 minutes.
8. Add the garlic and chilies and cook for another minute or two. Set aside.
9. Once lentils are just tender, scrape the onion mixture into the pot and stir to combine. Swish out the pan with a little water¹ and stir that into the pot as well.
10. Stir in the salt and spinach (if using) and simmer, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
12. Serve over rice. Preferably with a side of papads/papadums.

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¹ The original recipe called for using a full cup of additional water to rinse out the pan, but I wanted my dal to be fairly thick, so I just used a small amount of water for the pan since I felt like the cooked lentils were already at a good consistency. ^Back

Aloo Gobhi (Potato and Cauliflower Curry)

I had originally planned to make a lamb curry to go with the leftover dal for dinner tonight. But the cauliflower that I'd gotten for the next night didn't really fit in the fridge and it was late enough that I didn't really want to try to start working on the lamb at that point anyway. So instead, I made aloo gobhi tonight and will try to take another crack at the lamb tomorrow.

This is a fairly uncomplicated version of the dish. Iyer also provides a "restaurant-style" version that incorporates a few more ingredients and is a little more complicated to put together. But I just wanted simple tonight, so I stuck with the basic potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and spices rendition.

Photo goes here.

Aloo Gobhi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 5 tsp. garlic paste
• 450g potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 tsp. bin bhuna hua garam masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 450g cauliflower, cut into 3cm florets
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add the potatoes, garam masala, salt, and turmeric and stir-fry for 2-4 minutes.
4. Add the cauliflower and tomatoes (with their juices)¹ and stir to combine.
5. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Sprikle with cilantro and serve.

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¹ I like to swish the can out with a few Tbsp. of water just to make sure I get all the tomato out of the can. Not strictly necessary, but I figure the little bit of extra water doesn't change the consistentcy that much and I might as well not waste the extra little bits of tomato out of the can. ^Back

Dum Gobhi (Cauliflower Curry)

Here's another one from the NZ backlog. It's a fairly straight-forward vegetable curry. And while it won't stand as a meal on its own, it does make a great side dish.

Dum Gobhi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. shredded fresh coconut (or 1/2 c. dried coconut, rehydrated)
• 1/4 c. raw cashew nuts
• 1 Tbsp. white poppyseeds
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2-3 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken
• 1-2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. ginger paste
• 1 1/2 c. water, divided
• 450g cauliflower florets

Directions

1. Combine coconut, cashews, poppyseeds, coriander, cumin, salt, turmeric, chilies, and cinnamon in a blender and purée.
2. Heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and ginger and stir-fry until light brown (5-7 minutes).
4. Add the coconut paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add 1/2 c. of the water and deglaze the pan.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it turns yellowish-brown and oil starts to separate from the sauce (~15 minutes).
7. Add remaining 1 c. of water and the cauliflower.
8. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is fork tender (25-30 minutes).

Rajmah Mutter (Kidney Bean and Green Pea Curry)

Here's another curry that I made while in NZ. I have to admit, it's been long enough that I don't really remember how it came out. But I assume it was good. (Since Iyer's recipes usually are.) But not remarkable. (Since I don't remember it.)

Rajmah Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 25 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 c. cooked kidney beans
• 2 c. frozen green peas
• 1 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• 2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 2 Tbsp. cold water

Directions

1. Combine the coriander, cumin, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, ginger paste, and chilies and grind to a paste with a mortar and pestle.
2. Melt ghee over medium heat.
3. Add the paste and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
4. Stir in the kidney beans followed by the green peas.
5. Add the water and the salt.
6. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
7. Combine the yogurt and half-and-half and add to the pan.
8. Continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes.
9. Mix the cornstarch into the cold water.
10. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the curry, cook until thickened, and serve.

Kaddu Dhansaak (Pumpkin Dhansaak)

Dhansaaks are often made with meat, but this one uses pumpkin (and a variety of root vegetables) for a satisfying legume-and-vegetable stew.

Red pumpkin is the recommended squash for this. But Iyer suggests that other pumpkins -- or even sweet potatoes -- can be used as well. I initially considered using the pie pumpkin I'd picked up here. But then I remembered that we had some sweet potatoes that had been languishing on the counter for weeks. And this seemed like as good a use of them as any. I also decided to toss in a parsnip, just for fun.

I can't say that this was my favourite curry. But it was pretty good. And I definitely liked it better than the chicken dhansaak that I tried a few years ago!

Kaddu Dhansaak

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1/4 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 1/4 c. skinned split mung beans (yellow lentils/moong dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies (or 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne + 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika)
• 2 onions, one coarsely chopped, one halved and sliced
• 2 c. cubed pumpkin or sweet potato (2cm dice)
• 1 large potato, cut into 1cm dice
• 1-2 carrots, cut into 1cm thick coins
• 1 parsnip, cut into 1cm pieces (optional)
• 1/4 c. ghee, divided
• 4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Madras curry powder
• 1 tsp. sambhar masala
• 1 tsp. Maharashtrian garam masala
• 200g spinach or kale, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the pigeon peas, split peas, and mung beans and rinse and drain thoroughly.
2. In a pressure cooker, add the water, turmeric, ground chilies, chopped onion, pumpkin/sweet potato, potato, carrots, and parsnip (if using).
3. Pressure cook on "high" for 15 minutes with a 15-minute natural release.
4. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. of the ghee over medium heat.
5. Add the sliced onion and garlic and cook until browned (10-15 minutes).
6. Add the tomatoes, salt, curry powder, sambhar masala, and garam masala and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
7. Once the legumes and vegetables are done, release the remaining pressure and add the tomato mixture to the pot. Stir to combine.
8. Stir in the spinach.
9. Cook until the spinach wilts and flavours meld (10-15 minutes).
10. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. of ghee.
11. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Khichdas/khichdras are thick legume-and-grain porridges. This one contains wheat, rice, pigeon peas, and yellow split peas. They also generally contain beef, goat, or both. This one just contains a relatively small amount of beef, but I think that goat would also be excellent in it (either instead or as well).

This was one of those almost "too simple" recipes that made me a little nervous. Because while it contains a lot of legumes and grains, it doesn't have that much in the way of seasonings. It's mostly just cumin. Cumin, ginger, and garlic. And a little cilantro and coriander. But that's not a whole lot to hang your curry on! No asafetida. Not even any turmeric! But, honestly, it was still great! Even with the limited spices. And the beef came out ultra-tender!

While I won't go so far as to say this is a new "favourite", it was very good. It may not be as tasty as some of the other curries in the book, but it has an impressive tastiness-to-effort ratio! And it's also very cheap to make. The most expensive ingredient is the beef. And you only need half a kilo of that. And cheap stewing beef works just fine. So you don't need to spend a lot of money on the meat for it. And, other than that, it's dried legumes, rice, and wheat! All very affordable ingredients. And it makes a huge amount. So it's a great dish for feeding a hungry crowd.

Khichda

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. cracked wheat
• 6 c. water
• 1/2 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1/2 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 1/2 c. long-grain rice¹
• 500g stewing beef
• 1/2 c. chile-ginger paste²
• 2 Tbsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1-2 tsp. black cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds³ (optional)
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/4 c. ghee
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse and drain the wheat thoroughly.
2. Add it to the water and allow to stand at room temperature for 6-8 hours.
3. Add the wheat and its soaking water to a slow cooker or InstantPot.
4. Add the pigeon peas, yellow peas, rice, beef, chile-ginger paste, masala, black cumin (and additional regular cumin, if using), and 1 tsp. of the salt.
5. Either slow cook on "low" for 6-8 hours or pressure cook on "high" for 1 hour. If pressure cooking, allow for a 15-minute natural release. When the khichda is done, the grains should be very soft and the beef extremely tender. The consistency should be similar to congee/jook.
6. Once the porridge is ready, heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
7. Add the cumin and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
8. Reduce heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook for a minute or two.
9. Add the garlic-y ghee and the remaining 1 tsp. of salt to the khichda and stir to mix.
10. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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¹ Iyer calls for long-grain white rice specifically. I reasoned that, given how long it cooks for, there's no reason why I couldn't use brown rice instead. So I tossed 1/2 c. of brown basmati into my khichda. It worked great! Would definitely do it that way again in future. ^Back
2 I use chile-ginger paste rarely enough that I don't bother keeping it on hand. For this recipe I just tossed 1/2 c. of store-bought ginger paste into the blender with 6 fresh green finger chilies and gave that a whiz. It did the job and saved me trying to find room for another jar in the fridge. ^Back
3 I find black cumin quite strong and don't like excessive amounts of it. Neither does TF. So when recipes call for blak cumin, I tend to scale it back a bit. For this one, I cut the black cumin back to 1 tsp. and then added an extra tsp. of regular cumin to compensate. ^Back

Gosht Kebab aur Pudhinay ki Chutney (Beef Kebabs with Mint Chutney)

We've made most of the beef curries in the book at this point. But this one in the appetizer section caught my eye. It's really meant to be made on skewers and grilled (on the barbecue), but I chose to leave mine loose and cook it under the broiler indoors. Definitely not as flavourful, but it was very easy!

Gosht Kebab aur Pudhinay ki Chutney

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Kebabs

• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 6-8 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 6-7 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 450g stewing beef
• 1 tsp. ground Deggi chilies (or 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne + 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika)
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Sauce

• 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 c. firmly packed fresh mint
• 1/4 c. firmly packed fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies

Directions

1. Combine the yogurt, green chilies, garlic, and ginger paste and a blender and purée.
2. Pour the yogurt mixture over the beef.
3. Add the ground chilies, salt, turmeric, and ground cloves and stir to combine.
4. Cover and chill for at least one hour (or as long as overnight).
5. Add the water, mint, cilantro, sugar, salt, tamarind, and chilies to the blender and purée.
6. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for an hour or two before cooking.
7. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill or oven broiler to high heat.
8. Pour into a small pot and keep warm while beef cooks.
9. Lightly oil the grates of the grill or broiling pan.
10. If using skewers, thread the beef (with all of its marinade) onto the skewers and arrange them on the grill over direct heat (or on the broiler pan ~5cm under the element).
11. Grill until medium-rare (~6-10 minutes), turning once or twice.
12. Serve the skewered meat topped with the mint sauce.

Masaledar Masoor Dal (Spiced Red Lentil Dal)

I forgot to add the onion to my dal! I mean, it was still delicious! But I'm so mad at myself for forgetting the onion. It was even all sliced and ready to go. I just forgot to sprinkle it on when serving. Oh well... hopefully we can have it with the leftovers.

This is another legume curry that I liked surprisingly much. It contains a lot of cilantro and mint. I was worried that the mint would be overpowering. But it was actually delicious! (And used up some of our huge oversupply of mint. So... bonus!)

I normally wouldn't count herbs as a vegetable. They're seasonings. They're delicious. But you're generally not eating enough of them to be nutritionally significant. But when you're adding 1 1/2 c. of herbs to 1 c. of lentils... at that point, I think it actually does count as a vegetable! And a tasty one at that!

Masaledar Masoor Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split brown lentils (masoor dal/red lentils/Egyptian lentils)
• 3 c. water
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. fresh mint
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 2-4 fresh green serrano, Thai, or finger chilies
• 2 Tbsp. ghee (or canola oil for a vegan option)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1 onion, halved and sliced

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse and drain the lentils.
2. Add to a pot with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim off any foam that forms.
4. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender (10-15 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, add the cilantro, mint, garlic, and chilies to a food processor¹ and pulse until finely chopped.
6. Heat the ghee over medium heat.
7. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
8. Add the minced herb blend and cook until garlic beings to brown (~5 minutes; longer if you added water to it when chopping).
9. Once the lentils are cooked, add the herb blend to the pot.
10. Stir in the salt and garam masala and simmer until flavours are absorbed (~5 minutes).
11. Serve topped with raw onion slices.

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¹ I don't have a food processor, so I chopped my herbs in the blender with the "food chop" setting. This, unfortunately, doesn't work as well as a food processor, so I had to add a little bit of liquid to get everything to chop. I just drained off some of the lentil cooking water for this. This worked, but did make the herb blend much wetter than it would have otherwise been, which then necessitated cooking it much longer once it was added to the pan. Alternatively, you could also just chop everything by hand. This will take a little more active effort on your part, but will obviate the need to extend the cooking time in the pan. Or, you know, just get a food processor and use that! ^Back

Batata Dukkar Vindaloo (Potato Pork Vindaloo)

I had gotten some "stewing pork" on sale at some point and then tossed it in the freezer and forgot about it. Having been reminded of its existence, I decided it was high time I did something with it! We also have a surplus of potatoes to use up right now. So this curry seemed pretty much perfect to use up ingredients on hand. Plus, who doesn't love a vindaloo?!

I made the mildest version of this curry: 3 dried chilies and 1 fresh. I feel like this produced quite a pleasant heat level. The Kidlet found it a bit on the spicy side, but she still ate all of her portion. If you would like a milder dish, you can either reduce the chilies a bit further or, alternatively, simply serve it topped with a little plain yogurt. The yogurt will have a moderating effect on the heat as well as adding a bit of extra nutrition.

I didn't find that the potatoes browned up as much as Iyer described, but they were still delicious! I think I'd be tempted to slice them slightly thicker next time. Iyer simply said "thinly sliced", so I went for very thin; probably only ~2mm. Maybe a 4mm thickness would have been better. That would've allowed for fewer slices so that each one could've had more time in contact with the pan. Something to experiment with...

Batata Dukkar Vindaloo

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. oil, divided
• ~700g potatoes, halved and sliced 3-4mm thick
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• 3-5 dried red cayenne, arbol, or Thai chilies
• 1 (7cm) cinnamon stick, broken into smaller pieces
• 1/2 c. cider or malt vinegar
• 8-9 cloves garlic
• 2 onions, 1 chopped, 1 halved and sliced
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies, sliced
• ~600g stewing pork
• 1 c. water, divided
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the potatoes and fry until browned on both sides (15-20 minutes), flipping once or twice during cooking. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the coriander, cumin, mustard, pepper, cloves, dried chilies, and cinnamon to the now-empty pan and cook until fragrant (~1 minute). Transfer spices to a blender jar.
4. Add the vinegar, garlic, and chopped onion to the blender jar with the spices and purée.
5. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil to the pan and heat over medium heat.
6. Add the sliced onion and fresh chilies and cook until softened (3-5 minutes).
7. Add the pork and sear on all sides (~5 minutes).
8. Add the sauce from the blender jar.
9. Add 1/2 c. water to the blender jar, swish it out, and add it to the pan.
10. Stir in the salt and turmeric and bring to a boil.
11. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
12. Uncover, add the fried potatoes and the remaining 1/2 c. of water.
13. Simmer until potatoes are fully cooked and sauce is thickened (5-10 minutes).
14. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice, plain yogurt or raita, your favourite flatbreads, and vegetable curries.

Dhingri Lobhia (Mushroom and Black-Eyed Pea Curry)

I didn't have overly high expectations for this curry. I figured it would be... fine, but mostly just an extra dish to round out the meal. (And a way to use up some of my surplus mushrooms!) But it actually came out much better than I was expecting! I mean, I'm not going to claim it as a new favourite or anything. It wasn't mind-blowing. But it was surprisingly good considering its simplicity. I would definitely make this one again. It's cheap, easy, and tasty. Great combo!

Dhingri Lobhia

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried black-eyed peas
• 3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 250g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies (or 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne + 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika)
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse and drain the beans.
2. Place the beans and the water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook on "high" for 20 minutes. Allow for a 15-minute natural release.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until they begin to brown (5-10 minutes).
5. Add the salt, ginger, chilies, and cilantro and cook until fragrant (~1 minute).
6. Combine the mushrooms with the beans (either by adding the mushrooms to the pressure cooker or adding the beans to the pan. If you add the mushrooms to the pressure cooker, use some of the bean water to swish out the pan and add it as well.
7. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until flavours are absorbed and sauce thickens (~15 minutes).
8. Serve with rice and your favourite flatbreads and vegetable curries.