You would think that having Crohn's Disease would detour me from enjoying food... However, if you thought that you would be wrong :-) I LOVE everything about food: Selecting fresh, beautiful produce from the grocery store or market, improvising new recipes off the top of my head (or getting ideas from an existing recipe and making them my own), eating my creation, and of course sharing it with people I love... The experience is thoroughly enjoyable for all 5 of my senses and a form of therapy for my mind, body, and soul.
Interestingly, it was actually my Crohn's that led me to my love for food. About 6 years ago when my symptoms worsened, I became a super health freak... I began to follow an organic vegan diet (meaning no meat, dairy, or processed foods), so consequently I had to pay attention to food a lot more. I had to learn how to read labels and how to cook things that I previously only bought from restaurants or in a package. I also had to figure out how to make food flavorful and enjoyable sans meat, dairy, and sugar... This lead me to ethnic cooking styles, which is where my love affair with food really began to flourish.
1st I was really into Italian cooking; I loved all the varieties of pastas I could concoct as well as using fresh herbs and veggies.
I then discovered the wonderful flavors of Thai food, especially its rich and spicy coconut curries, and became completely obsessed.
Then Mediterranean foods caught my attention. I loved how fresh, healthy, and simple their diet is... and delicious of course :-)
I also grew an appreciation for African cooking: First Moroccan, then down to other regions of the continent. Their unique use of spices and ingredients is both intriguing and delectable..
And this leads me to the ethnicity of food that truly captured my heart (and my taste buds) and still holds my love till this very day:
Indian! I started off only eating it at restaurants... I then ventured out and began trying to replicate my favorite meals at home. Then my good friend Prital and her mom (who are Indian) gave me a lesson in traditional Indian cooking, which was when my culinary obsession
really took flight and I fell deeply and completely in love with Indian food & cooking. Its myriads of spice make the flavors so unique and diverse with each bite. I'm practically in an exclusive dating relationship with it. If you could marry food, I would marry Indian food... It's pretty much the only thing I could eat every day and never EVER get sick of, and I usually cook it at least 3 times a week! I LOVE INDIAN FOOD! Ok, you get the point, right? :-)
Well, all this talk about food's got me hungry... so I'm gonna go cook some Aloo Gobi Curry (Potatoes & Cauliflower (and some other veggies) in a spicy sauce.) Yum! I'll be back with the recipe after I create it (Gotta measure how much of everything I use because I normally just do everything by taste as I go)....
Ok I made it and it was delicious! (It's funny, I didn't start this blog post knowing I was going to post a recipe in it...)
Here's the finished product:
It ended up being Aloo Gobi BHINDI Curry, which means Potato, Cauliflower, and OKRA Curry. Literally 5 minutes before the meal was done, I made a last minute decision to add okra because I wanted the dish to have more green & had the okra in my freezer so figured, hey, why not? And it turned out great! You probably won't find this dish at an Indian restaurant... Potatoes and cauliflower are often prepared together (Called Aloo Gobi), but although okra (Bhindi) is a commonly used Indian ingredient, I've never seen it in a dish with the other two. I'm not sure if cuisine from any regions of India combine those three main ingredients together... but they should! :-) I LOVED the combo! Makes for a very nice texture, flavor, and color. That being said, I know some people hate okra, so feel free to leave it out if you're one of those folk. I'm not normally a huge fan of okra, but I LOOOVE it in Indian food... I guess all the spices and other ingredients make it have a great flavor and the way it's cooked makes it have a better texture (aka: not slimy!), especially if you use frozen okra. So don't be afraid to try it even if you're not an okra lover!! It may surprise you!
So before I get into explaining how to make this dish, let me put a disclaimer. This dish may seem overwhelming because there's a lots of spices and fresh ingredients; BUT it's not as hard as it may appear by reading it, and the outcome is so delicious that you will want to make it again and again, which naturally makes it get easier and easier. Plus you'll already have the spices in your cabinet after the first time, so that makes the shopping a lot easier! However, I'm going to post 2 versions: The one I concocted (and loved!) and a simplified version, which basically includes less spices. The most important ingredients are: Cauliflower, Potatoes, Onion, Bell Pepper, Tomato, Garlic, Fresh Cilantro, Garam Masala, Ginger (Unless your Garam Masala mixture has Ginger... mine does not), Cumin Seeds, Salt & Pepper. You could make a delicious enough Aloo Gobi with only those ingredients.
So here goes the recipe!
Indian Aloo Gobi and Bhindi Curry
(Translated it's Potato Cauliflower and Okra Curry)
Prep-time: 10 min; Cook-time: 25 min
Ingredients:
- 1/2 med-lg Head of cabbage (or 1 small) chopped (not too small)
- About 2 large red or white potatoes (better than russet because they cook faster), cubed. Your potatoes and cauliflower should be about equal amounts.
- 1 large carrot, sliced in round slices
- 1 red bell pepper (I used green only because that's all I had in my fridge, but I prefer red for both color and taste) chopped fairly small
- 1 small-medium onion (white or yellow) chopped fairly small
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1/2 of a fresh jalapeño or serrano pepper, chopped small (optional)
- 1 heaping tbsp (at least) of FRESH cilantro leaves (must be fresh because dried doesn't provide the same flavor at ALL)
(How gorgeous is fresh produce!?)
- 5 or 6 whole cloves (or 1/4 tsp of powdered cloves)
- 1 bayleaf (or 1/4 tsp of bayleaf powder, which is what I used)
- 1 1/2 tsps of Garam Masala - fairly spicy, so may need to adjust amount depending on heat preferences! At this amount you're at a mild-medium level, with just enough bite. (This spice can be found in grocery stores like Publix or Wholefoods... not sure if Walmart carries it. Also can find it at an Indian market. It's basically a combo of cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, so if you can't find it premixed at your grocery store, you can always create your own from an online recipe! Just google it!)
- 1 tsp of cumin seeds (can sub for 1/2 tsp of cumin powder, but I strongly recommend the seeds. The flavor is so much better because you can roast them first, which I'll explain)
- 1 tsp of ginger powder (or preferably fresh grated, but I was all out)
- 1/2 tsp of tumeric (or you can use yellow curry powder
- 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp of chili powder
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne/red pepper
(Mmmmm, spices!!)
- Olive or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup of coconut milk (I've been using the new Silk Coconut Milk instead of the cans of coconut milk. It tastes great in recipes and is cheaper because it's bought in a big carton. You can find it where the refrigerated soy milk is in your grocery store. Hope they continue to make it!!)
- Long Grain Rice, preferably Basmati (very fragrant Indian rice that can be found at most grocery stores.) Otherwise Jasmine or brown rice if you prefer. Tip: Rinse it before you cook it and it turns out better!
- Need 1 large skillet, 1 pot (for rice), and 1 small skillet (for roasting cumin seeds and cooking jalapeños)
Step 1. Cover the bottom of a lg skillet with about an inch or so of water, add a pinch of salt and about a tsp of oil and heat on medium heat. When hot, add cubed potatoes, cloves, and bayleaf and cover for about 2-3 min.
Step 2. Meanwhile, heat water (amt according to package directions) to boil in separate pot (this is based on rice that takes 20 min to cook. If cooking brown rice, you'll need to start your rice about 20 min prior to cooking the veggies because it takes 40-50 min to cook).
Step 3. Also while potatoes are heating, put a small skillet on medium heat. This will be used to dry roast your cumin seeds, so no need to put any oil or water in it.
Step 4. Add chopped cauliflower and sliced carrot to lg skillet, stir (add a tad more water if seems too dry) and cover for another 2-3 min on medium heat.
Step 5. While cauliflower, carrots, and potatoes are softening add cumin seeds to the small skillet you heated up in Step 3 and let them dry roast for about 2-3 min (they should brown, but be cautious not to leave them for more than about 3 min or they'll burn. I go by the smell. By dry roasting the seeds you're releasing the oils, so it makes a wonderful fragrance and they consequently taste delicious too. If they start burning you can definitely smell it. A little burnt isn't bad, but you don't want them to be black.)
Step 6. Add about a tbsp of oil to the lg skillet. Stir in chopped bell pepper, onion, garlic cilantro, and roasted cumin seeds to skillet, cover for about 5 min
Step 7. The water for rice should be boiling by now, so go ahead and pour in your rice and cover.
Step 8. Now stir in tomatoes and remaining spices. Add a tad more water if it looks too dry. Cover. Turn heat down to med low and cook for about 10 min.
Before spices:
After spices:
(I love the color!!)
Step 9. Meanwhile, if you're adding the jalapeño or serrano peppers, put a little water in the small skillet you used to roast cumin seeds, heat on med low, and add chopped jalapeños and steam until the rice is done. I cook them separately from the rest of the ingredients and add them at the end because otherwise the jalapeños tend to overpower the flavor of the whole dish.
Step 10. Stir in coconut milk and frozen okra to lg skillet, cover and cook for another 5 min.
Step 11. When your rice is ready (which should be after the 5 min)
- Stir in jalapeños to the lg skillet (if desired)
- Squeeze the juice from half a lime into mixture as well
I add more fresh cilantro at this point too because I LOOOOOVE cilantro in Indian dishes, (and I garnish my plate with some.) Stir everything well. Serve over the rice...
And voila! It's all ready to enjoy!! (And enjoy you shall!)
Oh, and if you can find Indian Naan bread at your grocery store (I find it at Publix near the deli) warm it in the oven and eat that with it! Indians actually use the bread as a utensil instead of a fork, which I do sometimes too. They basically fold the food into the bread. This is obviously not good if you're trying to watch your carb intake lol. But it is REALLY delicious!
Ok, here's the simplified version!
Indian Aloo Gobi (Simplified)
Prep-time: 10 min; Cook-time: 25 min
Mandatory Ingredients:
- 1/2 med-lg head of cabbage (or 1 small) chopped (not too small)
- About 2 large red or white potatoes (better than russet because they cook faster), cubed. Your potatoes and cauliflower should be about equal amounts.
- 1 red bell pepper (I used green only because that's all I had, but I prefer red for both color and taste) chopped fairly small
- 1 small-medium onion (white or yellow) chopped fairly small
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 3- 4 med-lg cloves of garlic, chopped (I keep mine a little bigger than most people because I LOVE garlic and want to really taste it in a bite.)
- 1 heaping tbsp (at least) of FRESH cilantro leaves (must be fresh because dried doesn't provide the same flavor at ALL)
- 1 1/2 tsps of Garam Masala - fairly spicy, so may need to adjust amount depending on heat preferences! At this amount you're at a mild-medium level, with just enough bite. (This spice can be found in grocery stores like Publix or Wholefoods... not sure if Walmart carries it. Also can find it at an Indian market. It's basically a combo of cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, so if you can't find it premixed at your grocery store, you can always create your own from an online recipe! Just google it!)
- 1 tsp of cumin seeds (can sub for 1/2 tsp of cumin powder, but I strongly recommend the seeds. The flavor is so much better because you can roast them first, which I'll explain)
- 1/2 tsp each of salt & pepper
- Olive or vegetable oil
- Long Grain Rice, preferably Basmati (very fragrant Indian rice that can be found at most grocery stores.) Otherwise Jasmine or brown rice if you prefer. Rinse it before you cook it and it turns out better!
- Need 1 large skillet and 1 pot (for rice)
Optional Ingredients:
- 2 handfuls of frozen cut okra
- 1 large carrot, sliced in round slices (optional... but does look really pretty!)
- 1/2 jalapeño or serrano pepper (only use if you want some extra heat! I find it necessary, but then again I love spice as long as it doesn't case too much physical pain!)
- 1/2 tsp of tumeric or yellow curry powder - highly recommend
- 1 tsp of ginger powder or (preferably fresh grated) - highly recommend
- 1/2 cup of coconut milk - really does add a nice, rich flavor. (I've been using the new Silk Coconut Milk instead of the cans of coconut milk. It tastes great in recipes and is cheaper because it's bought in a big carton. You can find it where the refrigerated soy milk is in your grocery store. Hope they continue to make it!!)
Step 1. Heat the skillet (dry) to med heat; Add cumin seeds to the skillet and let them dry roast for about 2-3 min (they should brown, but be cautious not to leave them for more than about 3 min or they'll burn. I go by the smell. By dry roasting the seeds you're releasing the oils, so it makes a wonderful fragrance and they consequently taste delicious too. If they start burning you can definitely smell it. A little burnt isn't bad, but you don't want them to be black.)
Step 2: Once cumin seeds have been dry roasted, keep skillet on med heat and add enough water to cover the bottom of the skillet (about an inch or so); also add a pinch of salt and about a tsp of oil. Once the water's hot, add cubed potatoes, cover and steam for about 2-3 min.
Step 3. Meanwhile, now's the perfect time to start heating water for rice (follow package directions) in separate pot (this is based on rice that takes 20 min to cook. If cooking brown rice, you'll need to start your rice about 20 min prior to cooking the veggies because it takes 40-50 min to cook).
Step 4. Add chopped cauliflower and carrots (if desired) to skillet and cover for another 2-3 min on medium heat.
Step 5. Then add about a tbsp of oil to the skillet. Stir in chopped bell pepper, onion, garlic cilantro, cover for about 5 min (still on med heat.)
Step 6. Meanwhile the water for rice should be boiling by now, so go ahead and pour in your rice and cover.
Step 7. Next (after the 5 min are up and veggies are starting to soften) stir in tomatoes and remaining spices. Add a tad more water if it looks too dry. Cover. Turn heat down to med low and cook for about 10 min.
Step 8: Stir in coconut milk and frozen okra to lg skillet, cover and cook for another 5 min.
Step 9. When your rice is ready (which should be after the 5 min), stir in jalapeños to the skillet (if desired) and I more fresh cilantro at this point too because I LOOOOOVE cilantro in Indian dishes, (and I garnish my plate with some.) Stir everything well, and voila! You're all done! Serve over the rice and enjoy!
Oh, and if you can find Indian Naan bread at your grocery store (I find it at Publix near the deli) warm it in the oven and eat that with it! Indians actually use the bread as a utensil instead of a fork, which I do sometimes too. They basically fold the food into the bread. This is obviously not good if you're trying to watch your carb intake lol. But it is delicious!
Well, that was officially the first recipe I've ever typed up! I make up recipes all the time, but I've never measured what I put in or write it down etc... so this was a fun and unique experience for me! Now someone can actually replicate something I created! Yay!
Ok that's all for now. Goodnight!
(I poured a little bit out at this point because (as you can see) it's pretty watery, and I didn't want it to be too runny once I added the apple juice. Be cautious not to pour out too much though because the liquid will continue to reduce as you simmer it, and you don't want it to get to dry)
