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It’s no secret that I adore Indian food. When I sojourned in India to practice with Gurji in Mysore, a friend of mine claimed that the true motive behind my trip was to eat Indian food for three straight months. Unfortunately, eating at Indian restaurants, whether they be on the beloved sub-continent or stateside, tends to leave me feeling disgustingly full, which invariably leads to self-loathing and swearing off Indian food. Although many Indian dishes are vegetarian, they are often prepared with lots of ghee (clarified butter), heavy cream, and starchy thickening powders. The all-you-can eat buffet lunches typical of American Indian restaurants only exacerbate the problem. As I found out in Mysore, repeated exposure to Indian food has the undesirable effect of complicating certain poses … Marichyasana D, for example.
A veganizable version of vegetable korma in a recent Vegetarian Times issue caught my eye. But I found VT’s recipe to be rather bland, so I modified it substantially, adding tofu and amping up the spice factor (among other alterations). The most rewarding part of this experience was discovering that I can enjoy healthy Indian-inspired fare, minus the post-dinner sensation of a lead bowling ball residing in my stomach. This makes for much happier yoga practices.
This recipe will yield about 3 servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) — see notes below
- about 4 oz. extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into bite-sized chunks
- about 3 cups mixed chopped vegetables (I used cauliflower, red and green bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots, but use whatever you like or have on hand — green beans, zucchini, mushrooms and eggplant would also work beautifully)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
- 2 very large tomatoes, or 3-4 smaller ones
- 1 small white or yellow onion.
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a thumb sized chunk of ginger root, peeled
- 3 T raisins
- 1 T coconut oil (or some other cooking oil)
- 2 T sucanat, evaporated palm nectar, or brown sugar
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- Indian spices: 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp tumeric, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp clove powder, 1/2 tsp mustard powder (see notes below)
- 1/4 -1/2 tsp salt (optional)
- rice for serving (I used brown jasmine, but basmati is more traditionally Indian)
- optional garnish: fresh cilantro and cashews
To make:
- Prepare rice according to directions.
- Puree in a blender the tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger.
- In a medium-large stir-fry or sauce pan, heat the coconut oil on medium-high heat. Add the Indian spices and stir for about a minute, until they release their fragrances.
- Add the tomato puree, chopped jalapeno pepper, and sucanat; let the mixture reach a simmer, stirring. Add salt, if desired.
- Stir in the vegetables, chickpeas, and tofu, and raisins and stir thoroughly. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer about ten minutes, or until vegetables reach desired tenderness. Stir occasionally.
- Serve over rice, garnished with cashews and fresh chopped cilantro (or coriander leaves, as they say in India).
Notes:
- About the chickpeas . . . I’ve been trying to avoid canned foods whenever possible. I draw the line of possibility right before breaking open coconuts to extract coconut milk, so I did use canned coconut milk for in this recipe. My landlord in India showed me how to break coconuts open in the driveway, but I’m still a little intimidated by his technique. Maybe someday. However, while it’s undeniably convenient to reach for a can of chickpeas, it’s also not so hard to cook them yourself, and you’ll avoid the extra sodium and preservatives in the can. Here’s how: Cover dried (preferably organic) chickpeas over night, in water that rises about 3 inches above the beans. When ready to cook, rinse the beans and remove any of the soft shells that may have floated to the top of the water. Then put the soaked beans in a stockpot and cover with water again. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least an hour or until beans are tender and soft. I used the leftover beans to make a batch of hummus – always a good staple to have on hand. If you do use canned chickpeas, just makes sure to give them a solid rinse before adding them to the korma.
- About the spices . . . If your spice rack is a little sparse, don’t be intimidated by this long list of spices. You can substitute more of one spice for something you don’t have, or you can just use curry powder and cinnamon.
Last weekend’s cooking adventures took on a very middle eastern flavor: falafel, hummus, tabouleh salad and my very first attempt at making baklava (stay tuned for the baklava post).
I’m going to go ahead and make a sweeping generalization here: pretty much everyone loves falafel, which are little patties made out of fried chickpea batter and a common form of street food in many countries of the world (though they are Arabic in origin). I had my first falafel from a street stand in Amsterdam circa 2001 (thank you, Debbie, for the formal introduction) and have been hooked ever since. If you’ve got a food processor, falafel is pretty easy to make at home, and the homemade version is way tastier than the boxed dry falafel mixes available most health food stores.
My first two attempts at making falafel resulted in a big mushy, crumbly mess. The key, I discovered, is always testing out a patty before you commit to rolling and frying the whole batter. If the patty falls apart in the oil, simply add more flour to the batter until the patties maintain their shape. Once you become a falafel pro, you’ll develop a sense for how wet the batter should be.
Falafel isn’t exactly elegant food (can “elegant” and “fried” go together?). In many parts of the world, it’s actually considered “fast food,” but I’ll take it over McDonald’s any day. It’s often served with a tahini sauce or yogurt cucumber sauce; I’ve developed a tofu-based version of the latter that I always make to accompany my falafel.
This batter should feed 4 to 5 people. I recommend serving on pita bread with tabouleh, hummus and cucumber-dill sauce (recipe below). Tip: only fry what you’re going to eat right away, because the falafel simply must be eaten hot and fresh. If you only use part of the batter, the remaining batter can be kept in the fridge for a day or so until you’re ready to eat it.
Falafel Ingredients:
- 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 T ground cumin
- scant 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, preferably freshly ground, more or less to taste
- 1/4 cup flour (I sometimes use chickpea flour in keeping with the theme of fried chickpea batter, but all-purpose or white whole wheat will do just as well); plus reserve some additional flour aside, be added in before frying
- oil for frying — something neutral, like canola or grapeseed, but olive oil would be okay too.
To Make the Falafel:
1. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, and bread crumbs until well chopped. Then add in the remaining ingredients (except for the frying oil) and combine until everything is well incorporated. Put the batter in a bowl, cover, and refridgerate for about 30 minutes (or more).
2. Fill a skillet with a layer of the frying oil — it doesn’t have to be much, less than 1/4 inch will do. Heat the oil to a medium high heat.
3. Now, onto the frying: always, always, ALWAYS do a tester patty. It’s very likely that you will need at add in more flour, maybe even up to 1/4 cup more, depending on what kind of flour you are using and how wet your batter is. The patties are made by rolling the batter into little balls, about one and half inches, and then slightly flattening them into patties (this will help you get more frying coverage). Throw your tester patty into the hot oil. If it falls apart and crumbles, you definitely need more flour. Fry on one side a few minutes, until the sides start to turn golden brown. Then flip and fry the other side, until the whole patty is golden brown.
4. Remove falafel from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and briefly place on paper towel to blot excess oil. Serve hot!
Cucumber-Dill Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 cup silken tofu
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1.5 T lemon juice
- 1/2 cup packed fresh dill weed or 2-3 T dried dill weed
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
- black pepper to taste
To Make the Sauce:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. You may have to scrape down the sides with a rubber scraper to ensure that all the ingredients are well incorporated
Increasingly popular these days, hummus is a dip or spread common through the Middle East. You can find it pre-made in almost any grocery store, often in various flavors such as “roasted red pepper.” However, I feel that the original (i.e., non-flavored) hummus is the best, and once you experience the delight of homemade hummus, you will never buy it from the store again. With a food processor, hummus is incredibly simple to make, and the ingredients are easy to keep on hand. Use it on sandwiches or serve it with pita bread, crackers, veggies, or blue corn tortilla chips.
Ingredients:
- 1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans (“chickpeas”)
- 1/4 C water
- 1/4 C tahini (sesame paste)
- 1/4 C lemon juice
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (can use more if a stronger flavor is desired)
- 2 T ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- optional garnish: paprika, parsely, pine nuts, or additional olive oil (drizzled)
To make, throw all ingredients together in a food processor and puree until the hummus is smooth. You can adjust the consistency by adding more oil and/or tahini (to make it thicker and creamier) or more water and/or lemon juice (to thin it out).
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