Chana Palak (Chickpea Curry with Spinach)

I am not a winter person - I was born and raised in the 'burbs of Vancouver then moved to Ontario about 15 years ago.  Still not acclimatized.  Maybe I won't ever get used to it.  So winter for me is spending a lot of time indoors and cooking a lot of "comfort food" - casseroles and such.

Last weekend, I hosted another one of my Indian (well mostly Indian) food buffet for some friends.  As part of the meal, I decided to upgrade last year's chana masala recipe to include spinach as I still had some left from my own garden's harvest - so making it chana palak (palak being spinach).

In addition to the chana palak and various salads (raita, cucumber and tomato, etc.), I served:

• Pea and Mint Pulao
• Mesir Wat (Ethiopian Spicy Red Lentils)
• Aloo Jeera (potatoes with cumin seeds)
• Tandoori Quail
• Ginger Prawns
• Cabbage and Carrots with niter kibbeh (spiced butter)

I also made a Carrot Halwa for dessert, but it didn't turn out so well.  Probably because I was using carrots from the store which I generally find quite bland.  I think I'll try it again with my own carrots (assuming I have a good harvest later this year!).  I ended up dishing out what was left of my homemade rhubarb-strawberry ice cream instead.

I didn't take pictures of the other dishes, but I really want to share the recipes for the pulao dish and the potatoes.  I'm sure I'll make those again soon so I will take pics and post the recipes then.  In the meantime, here is the recipe for the Channa Palak.  It's hard to say how many it feeds - I had 10 people over but 7 other dishes!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 onions
8 cloves garlic
2 inch (squared) piece ginger
2 green chiles (all I could find was jalapeno)
Neutral cooking oil
2 tsp cumin seed
1 1/2 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 19-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked spinach
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes
2-3 tsp garam masala

Method:

Puree the onion, garlic, ginger and chiles.  Set aside.

In a large pan, heat 4 Tbsp of a neutral oil such as canola (not olive oil).  Add the cumin seed.  When the cumin seed starts to "spit", add the onion puree.  Cook 6-8 minutes on medium heat to remove most of the moisture.  Add remaining spices and cook 2-3 minutes.

Add  chickpeas and spinach.  Stir to combine all ingredients well.  Then add tomatoes.  Stir again, then reduce to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.

Add garam masala to taste and adjust salt as required.

 

Chana Masala (Curried Chickpeas)

I am not a big fan of raw chickpeas (I remember getting as my veg option on a flight a sandwich with nothing but lettuce and mashed chickpeas ... eww), but I love them cooked in so many ways – with curries easily topping the list.  This Indian chickpea curry differs from this Jamaican / West Indies style used for Roti’s.  The main difference is the addition of tomatoes (which would make a roti filling a bit sloppy).  

I started eating and then cooking Indian food when I lived in Vancouver.   Then I went to India and loved the food so much I gained 10 pounds in only 3 weeks.  It was worth it.  But thankfully I lost that weight when I returned home.  When I cook Indian food, I cook a lot of it.  It generally involves a lot of different spices which can seem like a lot of work some times.  So I make an event out of it and usually cook a few dishes over a couple of days.  And even after inviting friends to share, I still often have plenty left to freeze for leftovers.

Ingredients:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
4 tsp chopped ginger (about 2 inches)
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp serrano chile pepper, minced
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
28 oz chopped tomatoes
2 15-oz cans chickpeas



Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in a large saute pan.  Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and cook just a minute or two until the seeds begin to split (you'll hear it!).

Add the diced onion and cook about 5 minutes then add the ginger, garlic and chile pepper.  Continue to cook another 5 minutes or so until all are tender.  Add the remaining spices and cook 1-2 minutes to bring out the fragrance of the spices.

Add the tomatoes and chickpeas.  Cook 20-30 minutes until flavours have fully integrated, tomatoes are broken down and chickpeas are tender.

Serve with rice or naan, raita, and other side dishes.  Leftovers freeze very well.

Mattar Paneer

This is another Indian dish I make often.  Crazy healthy with the peas.  And the paneer (Indian Cheese) adds a good balance.

I was very certain that I had paneer in the freezer when I planned this dish, only to discover it was Halloumi.  No worries, that worked just fine.  Halloumi is a Greek cheese that does not melt when cooked (same concept as the paneer, just a bit saltier).   It is a great snack when grilled and served with a drizzle of olive oil and chili peppers (I think I got that from Nigella) like this:

But back to the peas ...

 Ingredients:

1/2 lb paneer, cubed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves
3 medium tomatoes
1" stick cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp each turmeric and chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup tomato juice



Fry the paneer cubes in a small amount of oil.  Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the ginger, garlic and tomatoes and blend into a paste.

In the same pan, add the cumin seeds and heat until they start to pop.  Add the ginger, garlic, tomato paste and cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated.  Add remaining spices and cook 2-3 minutes until the spices become fragrant.






Add peas and tomato juice and cook until peas are tender.  Return the paneer to the dish just before serving to warm through.  Serve with naan or rice.

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash

I still have a few butternut squash from my harvest last fall so used a couple for this dish. I don't use coconut milk a lot (and when I do, I go for the light stuff) but it really goes well with the squash.  And this recipe calls for amchur powder ... this is a powder made from unripe mangoes that adds a sour citrus-like flavour to the dish.  It can be found in any indian grocer but there are various options for replacing this if you search the internet.






Ingredients:
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
4 cups squash, medium diced
14 oz can lite coconut milk



Mince the ginger and garlic (I use a food processor).

Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil to a large pan.  Add 2 tsp cumin seeds and cook just a few minutes until they start to pop. Immediately add the onions and saute about 5 minutes when they begin to soften.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Add the jalapeno and other spices, including the amchur.  Cook 2-3 minutes to allow the spices to release their fragrance.  Then add the squash, coconut milk, 2 tsp salt and 3/4 cup water.  Cook until squash is tender and liquid has reduced - about 30 minutes.  Add additional water as needed.

Serve with rice or naan.  I served it recently with the rogan josh (lamb curry) from my previous post along with some chana masala (chickpea curry) and mutter paneer (peas and Indian cheese cubes).

Rogan Josh (Indian Lamb Curry)

This lamb curry is awesome - one of the best curries I've made.  But I also think my lamb chile is the best chile I've ever had so I might just be loving lamb a lot these days.

It's a bit spicy, but not too much, especially when served with rice or naan bread and maybe some raita.

And this spice container really reduces the effort of prepping.  I don't keep spices in this all the time as it is not sealed well.  But if I'm in the mood for Indian cooking, I'll put the main spices in here.  Rather than opening and closing 7 different spice jars each recipe, they are ready when I need them!  In the middle is coriander ... then starting from the top and going clockwise are:  turmeric, whole cardamom pods, red chili flakes, cumin, paprika and garam masala. And, of course, a couple of cinnamon sticks hanging about.

Ingredients:
1-inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 kg boneless lamb shoulder, cubed
15-20 whole cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
10 whole peppercorns
1 6" cinnamon stick, broken into 2-3 pieces
1 LARGE onion (3 cups chopped)
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp crushed red chile peppers
1 tsp salt (plus more for seasoning)
6 heaping Tbsp plain yogurt
1 tsp garam masala



Method:


Put ginger and garlic in food processor and blend to a paste.  Set aside.  Set the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a dutch oven pot (or other large pot that can go in the oven).  Brown the cubed lamb, 10-12 pieces at a time - do NOT crowd the lamb or it will boil rather than brown.  Set the browned lamb aside.




Into the remaining oil (and fat from the cubed lamb), add the first round of spices: cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon sticks.  The cinnamon sticks will be removed just before serving but the others will soften and become edible.  Cook 2-3 minutes.

Add the chopped onions plus a pinch of salt.  Cook about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to pick up the bits of lamb left in the pan.  When the onion has softened, add the mince garlic and ginger and cook 2-3 minutes.

Add the remaining spices.  Stir into the onions and cook 2-3 minutes to allow the spices to toast and become fragrant.



Add the lamb back to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring continually to coat with the onion and spice mixture.


Add 1 Tbsp yogurt and stir to mix in.  Continue adding 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing well in between and scraping the bits of cooked lamb and onion from the bottom of the pan.

Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil.  Ensure all bits are scraped from the bottom of the pan then cover and cook in oven 1 1/2 - 2 hours until lamb is tender.







Depending on how well-trimmed the lamb is, there will likely be some fat on top.  Blot with a paper towel or if you have prepared it ahead of time, cool in the fridge and the fat will harden and can be easily removed before reheating to serve.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice, naan and some veg dishes (shown here with chana masala which I'll post soon).