Date: Wed, 28 Jul 93 18:08:55 PDT
From: Lol Grant (lol@cisco.com)
Given the interest recently in Indian food, I thought I'd start
posting with some Indian recipes. This is from "Slim Cuisine" by Sue
Kreitzman, a lowfat (but not exclusively vegetarian) cookery book.
It is particularly interesting for her technique of dealing with
spices which usually require being fried in oil to prevent them having
a very un-Indian, sandy, gritty texture and raw taste.
Vegetable Curry
---------------
Sue says "Making 8.75 Cups, this curry packs a lot of nutrition into a
very low calorie, low-fat dish. The sauce is a thick & rich puree of
onions, peppers, mushrooms & carrots. Serve the curry with cucumber
raita & basmati rice for a delicious main dish, or serve it as part of
an array of curries. I have also served it tossed into pasta.".
I say, "This is one of the few dishes I have actually made (I prefer
not to cook. It's time consuming & fattening). Like so many of this
type of dish, the flavour improves the longer you keep it".
2 large onions, cut into eighths
About 2.5 C stock
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5t ground cumin
1.5t ground coriander
0.5t allspice
0.5t ground turmeric
0.5t ground ginger
0.25t cayenne pepper (to taste, it varies widely in hotness)
1 small red & 1 small yellow pepper, chopped
3 carrots, peeled & coarsely chopped
0.75lb mushrooms, quartered
1T tomato puree
2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled & cut into 1.5 inch dice
1 large cauliflower, trimmed & broken into florets
Juice of 1 large lemon
Salt to taste
0.5lb green beans, trimmed & cut into 1.5 inch lengths
1). Separate the onion pieces into segments & spread them in a heavy
frying pan. Add no liquid or fat. Heat the pan gently, cooking at
moderate heat without stirring for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions
are sizzling, speckled with dark amber and beginning to stick to the
pan.
2). Stir in 1.5C stock and deglaze the pan (i.e. let it bubble up,
stirring up the browned bits in the pan with a spoon as it
bubbles). Stir in the garlic, spices, peppers, carrots &
mushrooms. Reduce heat & simmer, stirring frequently, until the
mixture is very thick (not at all soupy) and the vegetables are
"frying" in their own juices. Don't rush this step; it is essential
that the spices should not have a raw, harsh taste. Cook very gently
for a few more minutes. Stir in the tomato paste.
3). Cool slightly, then puree half the mixture in a blender & push it
through a sieve. Combine the pureed and unpureed mixture in the pan.
4). Add the potatoes and cauliflower to the pan. Toss everything
together very well. Pour in additional stock to reach about one third
of the way up the sides of the pan. Squeeze the lemon juice over the
contents of the pan. Season with salt, bring to a boil.
5). Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the beans &
continue simmering for 5 minutes more or until all the vegetables are
tender.
Note: this reheats very well. If you plan to cook it ahead, undercook
the curry slightly so that the vegetables do not become mushy when
they are reheated.
kwvegan vegan