Indian Night!

     My partner's father is from northern India, so my partner's palate is, of course, seasoned by a life of delicious Indian food. Before I met him, I enjoyed Indian food but was completely paralyzed by the thought of even attempting to make it. Now, however, Indian dinners are a weekly staple for us, and the most exciting night of the week. So, after becoming acquainted with commonly used spices in north Indian food, and watching him and his mother cook up Indian deliciousness I now can safely make most curries (though I'm still working on koftas and haven't touched the paneer making). Below you will find recipes for Channa Masala (chickpea curry), Bhindi Masala (okra curry), and Aloo Gobi (potato and cauliflower curry).

Channa Masala

Ingredients:
2 cups of dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight, or 2 cans of chickpeas
1/4 cup of oil
1 teaspoon each of: cumin seeds, cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, tandoori powder, salt
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 medium to large sized tomato, diced
1 green chili, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice


Directions:
Heat the oil in a pan, add onions, cumin seeds, and ginger, let cook for about 5-6 minutes on med heat
Add chickpeas, all of the spices, and chili pepper, let cook for about 5-6 minutes
Add tomatoes, you can add red pepper flakes or more garam masala if you want it to be spicy, bring this to a boil over med-high heat, let cook for about 20 minutes
Add lemon juice, let cook for about 5 more minutes.
You can add more or less of the spices, depending on your taste.


Bhindi Masala:
Note: even people who claim to hate okra always love this curry 

 2-3 green chili peppers, diced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/3 cup of shredded coconut
2-3 cups of sliced okra
1/2 cup each of cashews (minced) and raisins
1/4 cup of oil
1 teaspoon each of: cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, salt, cardamom powder
1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Directions:
Heat oil in pan on med heat, add chili peppers, coconut, and ginger, cook for about 5-6 minutes
Add okra, cashews, raisins, and spices, cook for about 7-10 minutes on low-medium heat
You can add more spices if you need to (I tend to add more cardamom and cinnamon)


Aloo Gobi

Ingredients:
2-3 potatoes, washed and cut into cubes
1-2 cups of cauliflower (chopped)
1/4 cup of oil
1 teaspoon each of: cumin seed, cumin powder, turmeric, salt, garam masala
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup of onions
about 1/2 cup of water


Directions:
 Heat oil in pan on med-high, add onions and cumin seed, let cook for about 5 minutes
Add tomatoes and spices, cook for about 3-4 more minutes, stirring frequently
Add potatoes and cauliflower, carefully add water until it almost or just barely covers the vegetables
Cover and let cook on med heat for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes and cauliflower are soft, stirring about every 5 minutes
You can add more spices if you need too.

Enjoy!