Aloo Gobi

Continuing the Indian food tour, I give you Aloo Gobi. It's cliched and common, but damn do I love it. I order it whenever I have the chance. I once tried to order it in an Indian restaurant in Jerusalem (your head is spinning with cross cultural bastardization now) but was told the kitchen could not "get any Kosher cauliflower today." I was perplexed, as I'm sure you are, as to what constitutes "Kosher" cauliflower. So apparently, every seventh year Kosher laws dictate that no Jew can buy food that was grown by a Jew on Jewish land. For this entire year, most Israeli farmers lease their land to teh gentiles. I guess it mirrors the Sabbath seven increment cycle? I'm not versed in the intricacies of this tradition, but needless to say, I wish I had some aloo gobi that day. Lucky for you, you can now make it at home...

Aloo Gobi
from ecurry.com

1 Head Cauliflower, Kosher or otherwise
3 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Small Onion, Halved and sliced thin into half moons
3″ Fresh Ginger, grated/minced/made into a paste
3-4 Green Hot Peppers, sliced
1 Large Tomato, grated/pureed
1 Teaspoon Turmeric, divided
1″ stick of Cinnamon
2 Cloves
2 Green Cardamon
1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
Salt
1 Tablespoon Red Chili Powder (Optional)
Fresh Cilantro, chopped for garnish
1/4 Cup Oil, divided + 1/4 Cup Oil

Wash and drain the cauliflower florets. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and salt on the florets and give them a good shake so the turmeric and salt roughly coats them.

Wash and drain the potatoes. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and salt on them and give them a good shake so the turmeric and salt roughly coats them.

Take 1/4 cup of oil and pour about half of it in a thick bottomed pan. Heat the oil and saute the cauliflower florets in the oil at medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, while tossing frequently, till there are light brown spots on some of the florets. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Heat the rest of the oil (the other half of the 1/4 cup) in the same pan. Saute the potatoes the same way you did the cauliflower. Remove and set aside.

Heat the rest of the oil (the 1/4 Cup). Add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom; when a sizzle and get fragrant add the cumin seeds. When the seeds sizzle add the onion slices and fry at medium heat till they are clear and soft. Add the ginger, peppers and the tomatoes and fry for about 2-3 minutes everything gets mushy and soft. Add the salt and the coriander powder and fry some more for about a minute or two; you will see the oil separate on the sides and entire mix will slightly bubble.

Add the pre sauteed  potatoes to the pan and toss well along with all the cooked ingredient mix to combine well.  Cover and cook  at low to medium till the potatoes are about half cooked. Now add ll the florets  of the cauliflower to the pan and toss well; all the pieces should be well coated with the mix.

Add 1/2 cup warm water to the pan and cover; cook at low to medium heat till the cauliflower florets and the potatoes are fork tender. Check to see that they do not get mushy.

Once they are fork tender, uncover, increase the heat and cook at high heat till there are almost no liquid left in pan. This is kind of dry dish and whatever spice mix remain will just coat the potatoes and florets; there should no liquid sauce left in the pan.


My Grade: B, I was so afraid of it getting mushy that I undercooked it. At least the leftovers will be better?
Recipe grade B kind of scattered and the original recipe said to add 2 half portions (okay) of tumeric, but then later says to add more tumeric?
Diagnosis - needs a better recipe because I know I'll be making this more often

Lamb Shahi Korma and Naan

Lamb, as I've noted before, is my favorite meat. I know pork brings bacon and chops, and chicken offers versatility and economy... but lamb still wins. If you weren't sold on the braised lamb shanks presented in exhibit A, turn your attention to Exhibit B: Lamb Shahi Korma.

Just to put it out there: This is a rich, fattening dish. Don't make this if you're on a diet. Or if you're vegetarian. Or if you're allergic to nuts. Or if you're lactose intolerat. Or if you don't like spicy food. Basically, if you have some hang ups about eating - this dish might not be for you. If you're everyone else, set aside 3 hours (+1 day because it's better after it sits) of your weekend to make this dish.

Okay, so this isn't the most approachable meal, but it's really wonderful and worth the effort. And if you don't want to go through the trouble, please eat mine. I probably don't need to down thousands of calories of curry at every meal. Probably.

Lamb Shahi Korma
Adapted from Tigers and Strawberries

Step 1
2T light oil
1 pound boned leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1″ cubes
1 pound boned lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1″ cubes
2 bay leaves
1 2” stick cinnamon
1 cardamom pod
4 whole cloves
water as needed

Step 2
4 T light oil
4 c thinly sliced peeled yellow onions
1 t salt
2″ cube fresh peeled ginger
6 cloves peeled garlic
1″ stick cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1 t black peppercorns
2 dried Indian chilies
6 whole green cardamom pods
1 t fennel seeds
2 t pepper flakes
1/2 t cumin seeds
2 t coriander seeds
1 cup toasted almond butter, creamy
1 cup toasted cashew butter, creamy
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup full fat or greek yogurt
salt to taste
toasted sliced almonds, cashew halves and pistachios for garnish
roughly chopped cilantro and mint for garnish

Step 1:
Add 2T to a heavy bottom pot on medium high. Sear the lamb in batches. After all pieces are appropriately brown and crusty, add the spices from step 1 and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30-45 minutes, or until the meat it is tender, but not totally falling apart tender. This will continue to cook in the sauce later so you don’t want it to disintegrate.

Step 2:
In another deep Dutch Oven, put the second measure of oil, and heat it on medium high heat. Add the onions, and spread them out into as thin a layer as possible, and sprinkle the salt evenly over them. Cook, stirring until the onions turn a deep reddish brown. Meanwhile, grind the spices in a spice grinder/coffee grinder until fine. If you try to grind everything together you will end up with big chunks of spices which is not delicious. When the onions are brown, scrape them out of the pot into a food processor and grind. Add to them the ginger, garlic, and spices, and grind into a thick paste.

Skim most of the fat from the lamb broth and strain it to remove the whole spices. Discard the spices.

Put the pot you cooked the onions in back on the stove on medium heat and deglaze with one cup of the lamb broth. Add the spice paste, and cook, stirring, until it is fragrant. Add the nut butters, and continue cooking, stirring, for another couple of minutes. Stir about two cups of lamb broth, and simmer to reduce by half. Add the cream, and the lamb, and cook, stirring, until the lamb is heated and the sauce is thick. Add the yogurt, in two tablespoon increments, stirring thoroughly between each addition. Allow each addition of the yogurt to incorporate fully into the sauce before adding the next addition.

You might want to give it a taste, if you haven't already licked every spoon that's gone into the pot, to test the consistency. It should be creamy. Like, a heavenly, thick puddle of flavored cream. If there are errant chunks of spices and nuts, you can remove the meat and puree the sauce in a food processor. I ended up doing this and my curry was better for it. You can hold the korma at serving temperature (141 degrees F) for several hours before serving to let the flavors meld, or you could cool it, and store it in the refrigerator for a day or two before reheating it to serve.In either case, it will taste lovely, though it will be best after a day in the fridge.

My Grade: A+. I am so smug.
Recipe grade: This recipe is heavily modified because I went through many additional steps to fix the original. The recipe itself isn't that different, but the differences are key. I'd give this one a B+, mostly because I haven't made it exactly according to what's written yet.
Diagnosis: Best served with basmati rice or...

Naan
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3T  sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour (maybe an extra 1/2 c but probably won't need it)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (or more)
1/4 cup butter, melted

1.  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2.  Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4.  At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a (very!) thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned.

Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.


















My grade: B, it really should've been thinner.
Recipe grade: as modified, probably a B+. The original was shit though.
Diagnosis: this is something that you have to work at perfecting. It's just probably not something you're going to get right the first time. But who wouldn't keep trying to eat fresh naan all the time. Even mediocre naan is still naan.