Friday, July 23, 2010

Indian Style Curry - potato, chick pea, zucchini, cauliflower and peas

I find the best recipes and ideas while out in the blogosphere. Design Wine and Dime is no exception. A few weeks ago she posted a mouth watering recipe for Rava Dosas with potato chickpea masala. After I read the post I could not get this recipe off my mind.

While browsing one of my favorite cookbooks, America's Test Kitchen, Best of 2008, I discovered a curry recipe. Most everything I've made from this book was delicious so I decided to go for it. It shared a lot of similar ingredients and methods with Design Wine & Dine's recipe, which sparked my curry thought pattern initially.

A trip to the farmers market yielded me some nice red baby potatoes. I found a great deal on organic cauliflower at the grocery store as well. The chick peas are a staple in my pantry, along with spices like curry and garam masala. Everything included this meal cost less than $5, it has all organic produce, some if from my very own yard, and was delicious!

Browning the onions and potatoes together help build the flavor base. Toasting the curry powder and garam masala aids in bringing the freshest flavors out of the spices, adding another layer of flavor. The dish takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, but tastes like it took all day. No one, even the meat loving husband, missed the meat in this dish. It is extremely hearty and filling and most of all, extremely delicious!


Indian Style Curry: Potato, chick pea, zucchini, cauliflower and peas

makes about 5 hearty portions
adapted from America's Test Kitchen best of 2008 Cookbook
2 T curry powder
1 1/2 t garam masala
1/4 c canola oil, divided
1 large onion, fine dice
12 oz, about 6 small, red bliss potatoes, cut into large dice
4 cloves garlic minced
1 T fresh grated ginger root
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded if desired, fine dice
1 T tomato paste
1/2 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 medium size zucchini, diced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, pulsed in a food processor or blender
1 1/2 c water
1 can chick peas, drained & rinsed
kosher salt to taste (veggies need lots of salt, season generously, 1 to 1.5 t kosher salt)
2 handfuls frozen peas
1/4 c heavy cream or coconut milk

Toast the curry powder and garam masala in a small skillet over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until spices darken slightly and become fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.. Remove spices from pan and set aside.

Heat 3 T oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Once oil is hot add the onions and potatoes, cook stirring occasionally until potatoes begin to brown on edges and onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Once browning begins reduce heat to medium.

Push the potatoes and onions to the side of the pan making room in the center to work. Add the remaining oil along with the garlic, ginger, jalapenos and tomato paste, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the toasted spices, stirring constantly, cool for about a minute longer.



Add the cauliflower & zucchini next, stirring well to cover in spices. Once the vegetables are thoroughly coated in spices add the tomatoes, water and chickpeas. Season with salt. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.



Bring to a simmer, cover and cook about 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally while cooking to avoid veggies from sticking to bottom of pan.



Once potatoes are done add the peas and cook about 2 minutes longer. Add the cream or coconut milk, stir well, add more salt if needed and serve over basmati rice.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
5 Servings
Amount Per Serving *not including rice*
Calories 292.5
Total Fat 13.2 g
Saturated Fat 1.4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 7.0 g
Cholesterol 2.3 mg
Sodium 677.5 mg
Potassium 1,103.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 39.1 g
Dietary Fiber 8.6 g
Sugars 1.7 g
Protein 8.2 g

16 comments:

StephenC said...

I don't know why I hardly ever make a curry. Your dish inspires me to re-think that.

Siri said...

I will be making this, yes, yes I will!

Yenta Mary said...

OMG, I want it and I want it NOW!!! I'll trade you a serving of this dish for some of those Michigan cherries ...?

Heather said...

Num num nummmmm...love curry!

Unknown said...

Thanks Andrea - You're the best! My first follower and so loyal! This looks amazing and don't you just love garam masala! I feel like I'm putting it on everything now a days! My husband missed the meat too, oh well! Thanks again! XO

Lorraine said...

Sounds sooo good! I just bought some garam masala because I have been wanting to try and make an Indian dish. Looking forward to tasting this:)

Velva said...

This curry dish rocks. The flavors are amazing. Awesome.

Readable Eatables said...

You're recipes look so yummy! Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

Alisa said...

I have to try this soon. It looks delicious!

Unknown said...

Oh Andrea, you make me even want to eat cauliflower!! YUM..this looks incredibly good. I love love love curry!

Unknown said...

AM craving for some Indian veg curry today, they look super yum!

Sook said...

Curry is my favorite!! I love all kinds of curry! Your curry looks scrumptious! I love chickpeas.

Lindsay said...

I see you have been cooking up some Indian too! It looks fantastic. The chicken recipe came from the book I linked to in my blog. http://eatknitgrow.blogspot.com/2010/07/indian-night.html

Jonathan said...

Thanks for this recipe -- I love Indian cuisine. (Also, thanks for the nutrition facts -- I'm on Weight Watchers :{

Unknown said...

I made this tonight and it really is quite good! The only modifications I made were a bit of a veggie bouillon cube crumbled in during the simmering part, and, because I discovered I didn't have coconut milk, skim milk as a substitute. I am very glad you emphasized the salt, as I sometimes blow off adding any. Thank you for the recipe!

Unknown said...

Thank you, very good recipe! Tried today :)

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