Yellow Curried Split Pea and Potato Soup

Another of my grocery-store check-out line finds, this recipe is a wonderful cold weather treat. Surprisingly filling, you don't have to go out of your way to serve it with much else. It would be good with some Indian spice tea and hot Indian bread (such as buttery, whole-wheat Paratha/ crispy-fried poppadums with tamarind dipping sauce/ or just plain, warm, puffy naan). You can substitute green vegetables instead of red if you just don't have the red, but the color of the soup will be more of a green-pea color and not as appealing aesthetically. The flavor, however, will not be much different. This is a nice meal for two (especially since the kids tend to balk at curried dishes, at least mine do!). I made this last on our "date night" and my husband had two bowls!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon hot chili oil or vegetable oil (you can add hot spices instead)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped (1.5 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 large carrot, diced (1 cup)
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger root
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 red jalapenos, finely chopped and seeded
1 1/4 cups dried yellow split peas, sorted and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can (14 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce (see other recipe below)

Sauce Ingredients
1/2-1 cup plain yogurt
2.5-3.5 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2-1 teaspoon grated lime peel

Instructions
Heat oil in 3 quart sauce pan over medium high heat. Cook bell pepper, onion, carrot, ginger, garlic and chilies in oil, stirring occasionally until onion is tender.

Mix Sauce ingredients and set aside in refrigerator to blend flavors (chill at least 30 minutes).

Stir in remaining ingredients except Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce. Heat to boiling and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 35-45 minutes or until peas and potatoes are tender. Top each serving with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce in dollops here and there. Garnish with fresh cilantro (optional).


Technorati Tags: Food, Curry, Soup, Winter, Vegetarian, Meals, Indian Cuisine, Indian, Cooking, Recipes, Spicy, Yummy

HMREs: Hindi Meals Ready-To-Eat!

We discovered a neat way to add festive side dishes to our Indian Food at home for a slim price that fits our budget. How? MTR Imports, Inc. has a great brand of ready to eat products.

We have tried quite a few flavors and I'll have to say that some of them taste like they came right off of the buffet at a restaurant! On the other hand, the rice dishes are soggy, so I would avoid those if you buy this brand. Rice is just better fresh.

These boxes are for two-person servings only (or one if you are really hungry), and many are pretty spicy. My kids don't like them (spice wimps), but we always let them sample our international foods even if we don't make them eat a whole helping. Maybe one day they will come around? The MTR Ready to Eat flavors can be purchased for around two dollars per box at your local Indian or Asian grocer. Not bad for a quick microwavable lunch or side-dish!

Technorati Tags: Food, Grocery, Quick Meal, Side-Dish, Spice, Fast Food, Indian Cuisine, Indian, Cooking, Recipes, Spicy, Yummy

Indian Rice Pudding

I am sitting here eating a bowl full of this right now, and it is very good. I tend to over-eat this when we eat out Indian Food OUT... so this might have been a dangerous move to cook it at home. With a whole pot waiting to devour in the ice-box, my weight loss goals might be pretty far fetched, eh? I have been wandering about with this bowl in my hands muttering in my finest Hindi accent... "I am going to eat rice pudding until I puke. Thank you my friend. Yes." I have made some marginal changes to the recipe after cooking it tonight. Feel free to surf for a few to compare this one to.

Indian Rice Pudding Recipe (Kheer)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 3/4 cup water

• 1 quart half-and-half (I would use 1/2 the amount and maybe a cup of milk)
• 1/2 cup sugar (I would add a bit more sugar, but not quite 3/4 cup)

• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom (remove seeds from enough pods to measure 1/2 teaspoon - about six small green pods)

• 1/4 cup chopped FINELY GROUND pistachio nuts (I would use 2 tablespoons, reserving 1 of them for sprinkling on top of the dish instead of mixing all of them in to the pudding)

• 1 teaspoon rosewater (1/2 teaspoon is plenty)

• You can also add in a tablespoon of golden raisins or dried currents (we like both)

READ THIS CLOSELY BEFORE YOU START:
This recipe requests for two ingredients that are NOT in most American supermarkets without some searching. You can get rosewater and whole cardamom pods (fresh ones) at a Jerusalem Market or an Indian Market. Buy the green cardamom pods for this recipe. They are easy to crack open with your fingers and you just empty the contents into the rice and milk mixture when the recipe calls for it. If you can not find the rosewater, you can leave it out. I don't think it will alter the flavor much. Also important: YOU NEED TO START THIS DISH BEFORE DINNER IS COOKED because it requires an hour of simmering time, ten to twenty minutes of cooling time, and an additional hour or two of chilling time (about 3 or 4 hours from start to serve). I would start it after lunch if you were going to serve it for dinner. Or, be a real organized chef and cook it the night before!

INSTRUCTIONS:
Wash rice well and soak in water to cover generously for 15 minutes. Drain rice. Place rice in saucepan, adding 3/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook gently until rice is tender and water is absorbed (10-15 minutes). Drain any remaining water off of rice. Stir in the cream, sugar and cardamom seeds. Stir continually while you bring mixture to a boil. If milk burns on the bottom of the pan, you will have nasty black stuff floating in your pretty white pudding (so be attentive). Reduce heat and simmer for ONE HOUR uncovered (stirring to prevent sticking about every 5-10 minutes). Don't try and hurry (or skip) this part - it is essential to the flavor of the dish. Cool the pudding on a cold burner. Stir in pistachios and rosewater. Chill for around an hour. Pudding should be served cold (stir when ready to serve in case pudding films over in the refrigerator).

Recipe Adapted from Cooks Recipes.

Technorati Tags: Food, Desert, Rice, Sweets, Spice, Indian, Indian Cuisine, Lebanese, Cooking, Recipes, Spices, Yummy