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

Beef and Potato One-Pot Rice

It's been a while since I've watched any Aaron & Claire videos or tried any of their recipes. This one-pot rice is from one of their more recent posts, and looked quite appealing. Plus, we already had all of the ingredients on hand!

I did mess it up slightly by trying to scale the recipe up. We had 450g of beef rather than the 300g the recipe called for, so I just bumped it up to a 1.5x batch. It still came out tasty. But it took much longer to cook than stated in the recipe. Next time I think I'd just stick with the standard recipe and go slightly heavy on the beef if I had a larger amount available.

Photo goes here.

Beef & Potato One-Pot Rice

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

Rice

• 2 c. uncooked white rice (pref. short-grain)
• 2 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce¹
• 1 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 tsp. dasida (or other bouillon powder)
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 300-450g ground beef
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 green onions², chopped (whites and greens kept separate)
• 225g white or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• pat of butter³

Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 green onion, green parts only
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Rinse the rice, then add enough water to cover by at least a cm or two and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the water, soy sauce, mirin, and dasida and set aside.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the beef and cook for ~2 minutes, break up, and cook for another minute or so.
5. Add the garlic, white parts of the green onions, mushrooms, and potatoes and stir to combine.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Cook for 5-6 minutes.
8. Drain the rice and add it to the pot.
9. Stir to combine and cook for a minute or so.
10. Pour in the seasoned water, scrape the bottom of the pot, stir well, and bring to a boil.
11. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, mix up the sauce by combining the soy sauce, mirin, gochugaru, sesame oil, green onion, and sesame seeds and mixing well. Set aside.
13. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Do not uncover!
14. Remove lid and fluff rice.
15. Sprinkle with green parts of green onions, top with a generous pat of butter, and stir them in.
16. Spoon into bowls and top with sauce as desired.

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¹ I used a mix of 2 parts light soy to 1 part dark soy. ^Back
2 We were short on green onions, so I just used 1 yellow onion in place of the white parts of the green onion and then added the green parts of some green onions at serving. ^Back
3 I only just realized that I completely forgot to add the butter. Whoops! ^Back

Thenga Paal Kozhi (Chicken with Red Chiles and Coconut Milk)

We were tragically out of cilantro when making this and had to do our best with parsley, which isn't really similar at all, but it was still delicious. It requires some lead time because of the marinade and long simmering time, but is pretty low-effort to actually make.

Thenga Paal Kozhi

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer (p. 139)

Ingredients

• ¼ C white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 medium-sized cloves garlic
• 3 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles
• 1 whole chicken, skin removed, cut into eighths; or ~1.5kg bone-in chicken breasts and/or thighs
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• ¾ C coconut milk
• 1 ~400mL tin diced tomato
• ¼ C finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Puree vinegar, salt, turmeric, onion, garlic, and chiles in a blender.
2. Coat the chicken pieces in the marinade and refrigerate, covered, for 30-120 minutes. Do not marinate overnight.
3. Once marinated, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the chicken and marinade, meat side down. Cook until some of the marinade boils off and the meat is browned, 5-7 minutes.
5. Flip the chicken and brown the other side.
6. Pour in the coconut milk and tomatoes. Lift the chicken slightly to let it coat the underside and stir together.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, basting the chicken every 3-4 minutes, until cooked through.
8. Remove and buffer the chicken. Stir cilantro into the sauce and boil uncovered until it thickens to the desired consistency.
9. Serve the chicken bone-in or disassembled, as you prefer, covered or tossed with the sauce.

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

I ended up having to modify this one a bit. It was meant to be made with escarole. But I couldn't find any when I went to the grocery store. So I ended up just getting a bunch of green kale instead and used that as the vegetable component of this recipe. I think it would've been a lot better (and more interesting) with escarole, but I didn't have time to run all over town looking for it, so I just went with what I had.

Halibut with Braised Escarole & White Beans

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 halibut fillets (~1kg total)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 450g escarole, cored and cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 can (~400g) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c. (or more) water
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Season the halibut with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pan with a lid, heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
3. Add halibut fillets and sear on one side until golden-brown (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of oil to the pan and heat over medium heat.
5. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and fry for about a minute.
6. Add as much escarole as will fit in the pan. Continue to add more as the greens in the pan wilt. If the pan seems dry, add a splash of water.
7. Cook until the escarole is slightly wilted.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Add the beans and 1/2 c. of water.
10. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until escarole is very tender (~8 minutes).
11. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
12. Nestle the halibut fillets into the escarole, browned-side-up, cover, and cook until fish is done (~4 more minutes).
13. Serve with lemon wedges.

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.

This is a nice refreshing stir-fry with a generous amount of vegetables in it. The original recipe was somewhat more fiddly about how the vegetables are cut; I've simplified it (here and as cooked) with no ill effects.

Beef & Basil Stir-Fry with Summer Vegetables

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 165)

Ingredients

• ¼ C soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1+1 Tbsp canola oil
• 500g thinly sliced steak, cut into ~3cm pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp ginger paste
• 2 zucchini or 1 yellow squash, cut into 1cm matchsticks or half-moons
• 2 carrots, cut into 5mm discs
• 125g sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved
• ¼ C fresh Thai basil leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, shaoxing wine, honey, and cornstarch. Buffer.
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the first tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat.
4. Add the steak and stir-fry until seared on all sides but still rare inside, ~3 minutes. Remove and buffer.
5. Add the remaining oil, the ginger, and the garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, 30-60s.
6. Add the zucchini, carrots, and peas and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
7. Add the steak and the sauce and continue stir-frying until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil leaves.

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.

I made this back in April, while I was in New Zealand, but never quite got around to writing it up. I remember it being pretty good. If I recall correctly, I think I made it with a slightly soft, low-sodium feta that Reiver turned out to actually like (despite not normally being a fan of the stuff).

Photo goes here.

Spinach with Feta and Pine Nuts

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1kg fresh spinach, tough stems removed
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. golden raisins, soaked and drained
• 1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 c. crumbled feta
• 1 lemon wedge

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for a minute or so.
3. Add the spinach a handful or two at a time and cook until wilted.
4. If the pan gets too dry, add a splash of water.
5. Add the salt and raisins.
6. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with pine nuts and feta.
7. Squeeze the lemon juice over the spinach and serve immediately.

I needed an easy vegetable side to go with dinner. The Kidlet didn't really care for it, especially the lemon. But I quited liked it. My main problem with it was that it didn't make very much. If I were to make it again, I think I'd make a double batch.

Roasted Broccolini with Lemon and Garlic

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches broccolini, coarsely chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into 5mm dice (peel in tact)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in an ove.
3. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (~1 minute).
4. Add the broccolini, lemon, and salt, and cook until colour deepens slightly (1 minute longer).
5. Transfer to the oven and roast at 180°C (350°F) for 10-15 minutes.

This makes a large batch. I tried to do a half batch and still had to remove some of the broth partway through cooking to make room in my largest pot for all of the other ingredients!

The original recipe did not specify a quantity of liquid. It just said to "fill a large pot" with water. But it did call for 6 Tbsp. of Old Bay seasoning. And I thought that sounded like about enough for 6L of water. So I decided to start with 3L or water and 3 Tbsp. of Old Bay. Unfortunately, it turns out that, by the time I'd put all the other ingredients in, there was only enough room in the pot for 2L of stock, not three.

I also found the finished dish a little light on corn. Next time I think I'd double the corn so that everyone can get a hefty portion.

The broth that this made was excellent. But I did feel like it needed a little more... something. So I decided to add just a bit of creole seasoning to the pot as well. Not a huge amount, but just enough to give it a bit of a boost.

I love the concept of this dinner. The "chuck a bunch of things in a pot with some water and seasonings" approach is quite fun. I do, however, find it a bit messy and tedious to eat. I think I would rather have it as a soup than trying to mop up my fingers after eating broth-covered cobs of corn and trying to shell saucy shrimp at the table. It's one of those things that's a neat idea, but that I find I don't actually enjoy the execution of.

Cajun Shrimp Boil

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2L water
• 2 Tbsp. Old Bay
• 1/2 Tbsp. creole seasoning (optional)
• 500g new potatoes
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2-4 ears of corn, husked and quartered crosswise
• 350g smoked sausage, cut into discs
• 700g shrimp, unpeeled

Directions

1. Combine the water, Old Bay, creole seasoning (if using), potatoes, onion, garlic, and lemon and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add the corn and smoked sausage and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. If using fresh shrimp, add them, remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit for 4-5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. If using frozen shrimp, add them and simmer until shrimp are cooked through (5-8 minutes).

This was not a spectacular dish, but it was honestly pretty good. And while it took a while to make, the time required was mostly passive. There was very little active prep or cooking required. So, while definitely not a showstopper, this does make for a very appealing side dish.

Tomato and Eggplant Tian

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1-2 American or Italian eggplants
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• 1-1.2kg fresh tomatoes, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme, divided
• 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil, divided
• 1/4 c. dried breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F), line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, and grease a gratin dish or deep dish pie plate.
2. Peel the eggplant(s) and cut them crosswise into 1cm thick slices.
3. Brush both sides with olive oil and place them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of pepper.
5. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes with the garlic, thyme, and the remaining salt and pepper. Set aside.
7. Flip the eggplant slices and return to oven for another 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and increase temperature to 230°C (450°F).
9. Arrange eggplant slices, overlapping, in pie plate.
10. Sprinkle with half the basil.
11. Layer the tomatoes on top, being sure to pour in all of their juices as well.
12. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over top and dot with butter.
13. Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 25 minutes.

Sarson aur Palak ka Saag (Mustard Green and Spinach Curry)

This was a nice, easy vegetable curry to toss together to round out our dinner for the night. We served it with leftover dal, vindaloo, and some rice and naan.

This wasn't a spectacular curry. But it was perfectly serviceable. And gave us a nice bit of green on our plates.

Sarson aur Palak ka Saag

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 8-9 cloves garlic
• 4 fresh green Thai, serrano, finger chilies
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
• 2 Tbsp. ghee (or oil for a vegan option)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 450g mustard greens, chopped
• 450g spinach, chopped
• 1 small (400mL) can diced tomato
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Punjabi garam masala

Directions

1. Place the garlic, chilies, and ginger in a food processor and pulse to mince (or mince by hand).
2. Heat the ghee over medium heat.
3. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
4. Add the garlic mixture and stir-fry for a minute or two.
5. Add the greens a handfull at a time, cooking until wilted between each addition.
6. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook until heated through (~5 minutes).
7. Stir in the garam masala and cook for another minute or two.
8. If desired use an immersion blender to purée or process in batches in a jar blender.

Aaron & Claire describe this as "easy" and "so simple", and as a "15-minute" recipe. I submit that this is only the case if you don't count any of the time needed to prep the sauces and the ingredients; once the mise-en-place is done, yes, it comes together very quickly and easily, but the mise-en-place is a lot! I can't argue with the results, though; it's delicious.

Compared to the original recipe, this uses more carrot, and consistently chooses shaoxing wine over mirin where the choice is given, but is otherwise unaltered.

Beef & Onion Stir-Fry

Aaron and Claire

Ingredients

• Marinade
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp white pepper, ground
• Sauce
• 5 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp chicken stock powder
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce
• Stir-Fry
• 500g chuck flap tail, steak, or similar beef, cut into thin strips
• 1+1 tbsp neutral oil, divided
• 2 large yellow onions, sliced
• 4 green onions, sliced, whites and greens divided
• 3 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Directions

1. Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Add the beef and toss thoroughly to coat. Marinate in the fridge for at least ten minutes.
3. Whisk together all sauce ingredients and set aside.
4. Do all mise-en-place before proceeding.
5. Heat the wok and add 1 tbsp of oil.
6. Add the beef in its marinade and stir-fry until comfortably seared all over. Remove and buffer.
7. Add the other tbsp of oil.
8. Add the onions and let them sit for 1-2 minutes until they start to char and soften.
9. Add garlic, ginger, and green onion whites. Stir-fry until fragrant, <1 minute.
10. Add beef, carrots, and sauce. Stir-fry until slightly thickened and heated through, 1-2 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and toss with sesame oil and green onion greens.
12. Serve over rice.

I've been a little preoccupied lately and haven't felt up to doing much meal planning or cooking. This meant that I needed to find something quick and easy to do for dinner last night. Normally my go-to for that is curry. But I've been feeling kind of curried out lately, so I decided to hit up Aaron & Claire for some ideas instead.

I ended up settling on this spicy chicken stir-fry. We were all out of doubanjiang (豆瓣酱/Sichuan spicy bean paste), but we did have Laoganma (老干妈), so I just used that instead. It's not the same. Laoganma is much more oily and salty than doubanjiang. But it makes a tasty dish nonetheless. And some people¹ find they prefer the results of dishes made with Laoganma over doubanjiang anyway. Personally, I think I still prefer the doubanjiang flavour, but this certainly got the job done.

Spicy Ground Chicken Stir-Fry

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. doubanjiang (豆瓣酱/Sichuan spicy bean paste)
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 tsp. chicken bouillon powder (or dasida)
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Stir-Fry

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 500g ground chicken
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. minced ginger or ginger paste
• 200g garlic scapes, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
• 450g asparagus or green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small red bell pepper or mild chile, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• cooked rice, to serve
• fried eggs, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the doubanjiang, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, mirin, bouillon powder, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat a wok over high heat.
3. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
4. Add the chicken and cook until underside is browned.
5. Flip and continue to cook, breaking up as it sears, until chicken is cooked through and liquid has boiled off.
6. Add garlic, ginger, and garlic scapes (if using) and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the asparagus and bell pepper and cook for another minute or two.
8. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and sprinkle with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
10. Serve on a bed of rice, topped with a fried egg.

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¹ Looking at you, Reiver!

This was meant to be a mapo tofu variant, but the author had already taken a few liberties with the recipe and then I took a few more, so it's not quite mapo tofu anymore. It is, however, completely delicious! Strong recommend.

Braised Tofu with Ground Beef

Adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. soy sauce (pref. mix of light and dark)
• 1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
• 250g ground beef
• 300g tofu
• 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. Laoganma (老干妈)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 3 Tbsp. minced green onion, divided
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Combine the soy sauce, wine, and 2 tsp. of the sesame oil and mix well.
2. Add the beef and stir to combine. Set aside.
3. If using soft tofu, boil it in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, then drain, pat dry, and press between paper towels for at least 30 minutes.
4. Cut the tofu into 1cm (~1/2") cubes. Set aside.
5. Combine the chicken stock, Laoganma, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, and the remaining 1 tsp. of sesame oil and mix well.
6. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
7. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
8. Add the beef with its marinade and stir-fry until just cooked through.
9. Add 2 Tbsp. of the green onion, the garlic, and the ginger and stir-fry for another minute or two.
10. Add the sauce to the wok and cook for a minute or two until slightly thickened.
11. Add the tofu and gently stir to coat.
12. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for ~10 minutes.
13. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. green onion and serve with rice and veggies of your choice.

This was okay. It definitely delivered on the spinach! Personally, I felt like it could've used a little more Parmesan. And it was way under-done when cooked according to the recipe. I've adjusted both the bake time and temperature below. I've also specified a bit of extra Parmesan sprinkled on top of the frittata just before it goes into the oven to help the cheese come through a little more.

Garlicky Spinach-Parmesan Frittata

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. garlic oil, divided
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 450g frozen chopped spinach
• 6 large eggs
• 1-2 Tbsp. milk (optional)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• ~1/2 c. grated Parmesan, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. hot paprika

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
4. Add the spinach, cover, and cook until wilted.
5. Cook, uncovered, for another minute or two to help cook off some of the moisture.
6. If it is still wet, drain it. Set aside.
7. Beat the eggs with a splash of milk (if desired).
8. Mix in the garlic, 1/4 c. of Parmesan, salt, pepper, and paprika.
9. Add the spinach to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
10. Return the pan to medium heat and add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil.
11. Pour in the egg mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes.
12. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c. of Parmesan and transfer to oven and bake for ~12 minutes.
13. Set broiler to "high" and broil until top is set and lightly browned (2-3 minutes).
14. Turn out onto plate, cut into wedges, and serve.

I had been planning a goat cheese and strawberry dessert a couple weeks back. I got the goat cheese for it, but then ended up doing something else with the strawberries. So then I had a bunch of goat cheese that needed used. I put a little bit into the roasted beet salad that I made the other day (and have yet to do a write-up for), but that still left me with most of the package. This pizza took care of most of it.

As pizzas go, this one is somewhat unusual. It doesn't have any sauce, just a bit of olive oil. And the cheese is a mix of fresh goat cheese and Parmesan. No mozzarella here! And the only other topping is roasted butternut squash and some salad greens that get added after it comes out of the oven. (That said, I went ahead and added a bunch of garlic as well.) It was very minimalist, but surprisingly tasty!

Butternut Squash Pizza

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash¹
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 1 recipe sourdough pizza dough
• 150-200g fresh goat cheese
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-6 Tbsp. grated Parmesan (or a mix of Parmesan and romano)
• 1/2 c. baby arugula or spring mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds and guts.
3. Cut into 3cm thick slices.
4. Toss squash with 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme and spread out on a baking sheet.
5. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until tender (30-45 minutes).
6. Remove from oven, allow to cool, trim off and discard skin, and cut flesh into bite-sized pieces.
7. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and increase temperature to 250°C (475°F).
8. Divide dough into two portions and strech or roll each out into a large circle.
9. Generously dust a pizza peel with cornmeal and place one of the crusts on it.
10. Drizzle with 1/2 Tbsp. of the remaining oil and brush to coat the surface evenly.
11. Scatter ~1/2 the squash, half the goat cheese, half the garlic, and half the Parmesan over it (leaving a 2cm border without any toppings).
12. Quickly slide the pizza onto the stone and bake at 250°C (475°F) for 8-10 minutes.
13. Use the peel to remove the pizza from the oven.
14. Transfer to a cutting board and set aside.
15. Repeat shaping, topping, and baking process with remaining dough and toppings.
16. Top each pizza with ~1/2 of the arugula.
17. Drizzle with additional olive oil² if desired.
18. Cut into slices and serve.

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¹ The recipe calls for a 680g squash. Mine was nearly twice that at ~1200g (closer to 1100g once the seeds and guts had been removed). And, while I didn't end up using all of the squash, I did use most of it. At a guess, I'd say somewhere in the 800g range. And, to be honest, I probably could've squeezed even more on if I'd really wanted to. So, use your judgement and feel free to adjust the amount of squash based on how much you have or how squash-y you're feeling. ^Back
2 A citrus-infused oil would be excellent here. Particularly lemon. Although orange probably also be nice. ^Back

I wanted a dish with some nutritional value to go with tonight's not-very-virtuous gnocchi. This recipe allowed me to use up some of the pumpkin we had on hand as well as a bunch of the thyme that we got from my mom. And, since it's mostly composed of vegetables and legumes, it's not even ruinously unhealthy!
That said, I'm not sure I'd be willing to make this recipe again. Not because it wasn't good. Unforunately it's just way too aggravating to make.

Normally, when I cook pumpkin, I cut it in half, roast it, and then scoop the cooked flesh out of the skin. This makes it very easy to handle and use. This recipe, however, takes a different approach. I requires peeling and chopping the pumpkin before cooking. Which is just downright annoying and tedious. But, at least it got us some veg and protein.

Pumpkin with Cannellini Beans, Caramelized Onions, and Roasted Garlic

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 heads (bulbs) garlic, halved crosswise
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 2 cans (~470g each) cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 Sugar Pie pumpkin (~500g), peeled and cubed
• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (preferably fresh)
• 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Wrap garlic in foil and roast at 190°C (375°F) until soft (50-60 minutes).
3. Squeeze garlic from skin and set aside (discarding skins).
4. Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the onion and cook until softened.
6. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking until dark and very soft (20-30 minutes).
7. Add beans, pumpkin, broth, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
8. Cover and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 1 hour.
9. Meanwhile, toss breadcrumbs with Parmesan and remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of oil.
10. Once pumpkin is tender, remove lid and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture.
11. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, until lightly browned on top (10-15 minutes).

Dahi Malai Methi Gosht (Creamy Yogurt and Fenugreek Lamb Curry)

I picked up some stewing lamb on sale a while back. I don't often get lamb; too expensive. But we all really like it, so when it goes on sale, I try to make sure to get some. Then it's just a matter of trying to decide which of the many, many lamb recipes to cook.

I had also bookmarked a tasty-looking lamb biryani recipe for this. But it required a lengthy marinade and I didn't have time for that by the time I was getting started, so I opted for this fenugreek curry instead. Maybe next time I can try the biryani...

Dahi Malai Methi Gosht

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 onion, half sliced, half chopped
• 8-10 cloves garlic
• 5-6 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 3 (4x3x0.3cm) slices fresh ginger
• 450g stewing lamb
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 c. chopped fresh or frozen fenugreek (or 1/2 c. dried fenugreek, reconstituted)
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream¹

Directions

1. Combine the yogurt, salt, chopped onion, garlic, chilies, and ginger in a blender and purée until smooth.
2. Pour the marinade over the lamb and toss to combine.
3. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight.
4. When ready to cook, heat ghee over medium-high heat.
5. Add the sliced onion and stir-fry until edges brown (3-5 minutes).
6. Add the lamb along wiht all of the marinade and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated (~15 minutes).
7. Add the fenugreek leaves and water and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened (~30 minutes).
9. Mix in the cream and allow to heat through (~2 minutes).
10. Serve with naan and/or rice.

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¹ Heavy cream, of course, gives you the richest, most unctuous results, but you can get away with half-and-half (10% MF) in a pinch. (Either because you're trying to cut calories or if, like me, you find your cream has gone off and half-and-half is all you can get to replace it on short notice.) ^Back