Pudhina Kaaju Subzi (Minty Cashew Vegetables)

I grabbed some more green tomatoes in our last produce basket so I could give this curry a try. It contains lots of different vegetables, but only one spice! Given that, I was a little worried that it would be lacking in flavour, but it was actually quite delicious and complex!

Pudhina Kaaju Subzi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredients

• 1 large potato, cut into large cubes
• 1 medium carrot, halved and cut into 5cm lengths
• 2 c. water, divided
• 2 large green tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 225g cauliflower, cut into florets
• 225g spinach, well-rinsed
• 1/4 c. raw cashews
• 1/4 c. fresh mint
• 1/4 c. fresh cilantro
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Combine potato, carrot, and 1 1/2 c. of the water in a pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, for ~10 minutes.
3. Add tomato and cauliflower, cover, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
4. Add the spinach, a handful or two at a time, and stir it in until wilted.
5. Cover and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/2 c. of water into a blender with the cashews, mint, cilantro, and chilies.
7. Purée until sauce resembles pesto.
8. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
9. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they turn reddish-brown (10-20 seconds).
10. Add the onion and stir-fry until light brown (5-8 minutes).
11. Add the cashew sauce to the pan with the onion.
12. Pour a little water off of the vegetables and use it to swish out the blender and add that to the pan as well.
13. Reduce heat to medium and cook sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the oil starts to separate and sauce starts to brown on the bottom (~15 minutes).
14. Add the vegetables to the sauce and deglaze the pan.
15. Stir in the salt and simmer, uncovered, for ~5 minutes.

Hare Tamatar aur Aloo ki Subzi (Green Tomato and Potato Curry)

We've had the option of getting green tomatoes in our produce basket weekly. And, since that's not something I'm normally able to find in the grocery store, I've been trying to take advantage of their availability. I don't have many recipes for green tomatoes, but I'd like to work my way through the ones that I do have. Whereas the last green tomato curry I tried was based solely on the unripe fruit, this curry combines them with another solanaceae vegetable to give a very different result.

Hare Tamatar aur Aloo ki Subzi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 225g potatoes, cubed
• 225g green tomatoes, cut into large chunks or strips
• 2 tsp. bin bhuna hua garam masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic and stir-fry for until reddish-brown (1-2 minutes).
3. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, garam masala, salt, and turmeric and reduce heat to medium.
4. Cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes have browned a bit (8-10 minutes).
5. Add the water and deglaze the pan.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender (10-15 minutes).
7. If you would like a thicker curry, mash some of the potato and tomato pices with the back of a wooden spoon.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Hare Tamatar Til chi Bhajee (Green Tomato Curry)

We keep getting offered green tomatoes in our produce basket. And I keep swapping them out for other things because I have no idea what to do with green tomatoes. Well... fry them, I suppose. But my understanding is that they're meant to be sliced, breaded, and fried, and that sounds very labour-intensive (not to mention not terribly compatible with my current calorie-restricted diet). So, what does one do with green tomatoes besides frying them? Make curries, apparently!

Once I noticed this curry recipe in the book, I eagerly ordered a few green tomatoes for it. The results were excellent; a bit nutty, mildly spicy, and very satisfying.

Hare Tamatar Til chil Bhajee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil
• 1/4 c. raw peanuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 450g unripe green tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground kashmiri chilies or cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add peanuts, sesame seeds, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly until nuts have browned (1-2 minutes).
3. Add the tomatoes, salt, ground chilies, and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until some of the water has evaporated and sauce thickens slightly (6-8 minutes).
6. Add cilantro and sugar, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato is tender but not mushy (8-10 minutes).