cardamom

Bengali Ghugni with Garlic Naan

/ Ren

Curried split yellow peas with ghee-fried green onions, tomatoes and chilies, served with oven-baked garlic naan..

Bengali Ghugni with Garlic Naan

For the Peas

1 cup split yellow peas, rinsed and picked over
3 cups homemade vegetable stock
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon curry leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1-2 hot green chilies, chopped
6 green onions, including green tops, sliced
2 small Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon ghee
fresh cilantro, chopped
salt

1/2 teaspoon hulled cardamon seeds
1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon sweet cinnamon shards
1/2 teaspoon ginger root

Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a heavy saucepan.  Add peas, turmeric, pepper and curry leaves.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer until the peas are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Toast whole seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining spices and crush together in a mortar or spice grinder.

Heat ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onions and chilies (they should be sizzling) and sauté briefly.  Add tomatoes and cook until all the moisture has been absorbed.

Combined fried vegetables with cooked peas and season to taste with salt and the toasted spice mixture.  Add chopped cilantro and stir in 1 tablespoon ghee to finish, then serve hot with toasted naan.

For the Naan (adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey)

8 ounces organic all-purpose flour (can use sprouted or soaked flour)
6 cloves garlic, peeled, roasted and mashed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon unrefined sugar
1/3 cup fresh whole milk, hand-hot
1 tablespoon ghee, melted, plus a little extra
1/3 cup plain yoghurt, lightly beaten
1 small pastured egg, lightly beaten

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, yeast and sugar in a bowl and pour in the hand-hot milk, ghee, garlic, yoghurt and the beaten egg and mix it all together to form a ball of dough.  Place the dough on to a clean surface and knead it for 10 minutes or more, until smooth.

Pour about 1/4 tsp ghee into a large bowl and roll the ball of dough in it.  Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven and a heavy baking sheet to 500 degrees.

Punch down the dough and knead it again and divide into 9 equal balls.  While working on 1 ball, keep the remaining balls covered. Flatten the ball using your hands (or rolling pin) into a tear-shaped naan, about 6 inches in length and about 4 inches at its widest. Brush the top with melted ghee.

Remove the hot baking tray from the oven, grease it well with ghee and place the naan on to it.

Put the pan into the oven on the top rack for 2-3 minutes. It should puff up and brown slightly. It will go from browned to burnt quickly, so keep an eye on it.

Once puffed up and browned on one side, flip the naan and place back into the oven until browned, about 1 minute.

Wrap the naans in a clean tea towel and serve hot.

This post is in support of Meatless Monday, whose goal it is to goal is to help reduce
meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

Lamb Vindaloo with Cardamom Pea Puree

/ Ren

Lamb is slow-simmered in coconut milk, onions, garlic and coarse mustard, then topped with curry-fried onions and served with puréed peas with cardamom.  A classic Goan dish..

Lamb Vindaloo

Lamb Vindaloo with Cardamom Pea Puree

For the Vindaloo

1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb (I’m using leftover roast leg of lamb)
1 yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons coarse mustard
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1-2 fresh hot chiles, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups thick coconut milk

Combine the vinegar, mustard and spices in a bowl.  Stir into a thick paste.

Fry the onions in ghee until golden brown, then add the garlic and ginger and sauté 30 seconds.  Add the spice paste and fry for 1 minute, stirring continuously.  Add the lamb and fry for 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to low, stir in coconut milk, cover and simmer until tender, about 75 minutes.  Stir occasionally and add a little water if needed.

For The Peas

12 oz fresh English peas
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground green cardamom
1 cup filtered water or stock, approximately
1 tablespoon curly parsely
salt and pepper

Boil the peas in 1/4 inch of water with butter and cardamom until just tender, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a food processor , add parsley and pulse until nearly smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Curry-Fried Onions

1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
sprigs of fresh parsley

Heat ghee over medium heat until shimmering, then add onions and curry powder and fry until crisp.  Add parsley and fry a few seconds more.  Season with a little salt and let drain on a napkin for a few moments.

To Serve

Spoon pea purée onto a serving plate and ladle vindaloo over the top.  Garnish with curry-fried onions and parsley and serve immediately.

Cauliflower Gobi, Scallion and Black Lemon Pancakes

/ Ren

Cauliflower florets in a tomato curry with onions, ginger and whole spices, served with savory garbanzo flour pancakes with scallions and black lemon..

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Cauliflower Gobi, Scallion and Black Lemon Pancakes

For the Pancakes

8 oz garbanzo flour
1 cup filtered water
3 tablespoons ghee or melted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon black lemon
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced

Mix all ingredients together in a glass bowl and allow to stand 15 minutes.  Heat ghee or butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Ladle in batter to form 3″ pancakes.  Cook until golden brown on both sides, then drain on paper towels.

For the Gobi

1/2 white onion, diced
6 plum tomatoes, peeled and crushed through your fingers
6 large cauliflower florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger
1-2 small green chiles, minced
1 teaspoon hulled cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon curry leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon true cinnamon nibs
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons poivron rouge
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon amchur (mango) powder
ghee or clarified butter

Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, chiles and whole spices in ghee until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add turmeric, paprika, pepper and amchur and stir until thickened.

Add tomatoes, cauliflower and curry leaves and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Spoon gobi over pancakes and serve immediately.

This post is part of Meatless Monday, an initiative of The Monday Campaigns,
in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Vegetarian Pindi Chana

/ Ren

A traditional, healing curry of tomatoes, onions, chiles, cashews and spices fried in ghee with chickpeas, plump raisins, fresh pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

Pindi Chana

Pindi Chana

2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 plum tomatoes
1 small white onion
2-4 small green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly-grated ginger
2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter (substitute olive oil for vegan option)
1/2 cup large black raisins
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 teaspoon crushed star anise
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet cinnamon shards
1 1/2 teaspoons hulled cardamom
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon minced curry leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup filtered water

Heat ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and all of the whole spices (including bay) and sauté until onions are browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in turmeric and paprika to form a thick paste.

Add chiles and tomatoes and continue to cook until tomatoes have released their water, about 5 minutes.

Add chickpeas, water, raisins and remaining spices and simmer 15 minutes.

Add cashews, pomegranate seeds and cilantro and stir to combine.

Serve accompanied with aged basmati rice or flat-bread.

Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate

/ Ren

A traditional, healing dish of sprouted lentils in a spicy, savory tomato sauce with toasted whole spices, onions, peppers, pea shoots and wild pomegranate seeds.

Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate

Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate Seeds

Sauté whole hulled cardamom, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, bay leaf and true cinnamon in ghee or clarified until fragrant and the seeds begin to “pop” in the in pan.

Add diced white onion, peppers and plum tomatoes and cook, stirring continuously until the oil separates, about 5 minutes.

Add turmeric, paprika, black pepper, freshly-grated ginger and wild pomegranate seeds and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Add raw, sprouted lentils, pea shoots and chopped cilantro and stir to combine.

Note: if feeding a crowd, you could easily extend this dish with simmered chickpeas

Serve over aged basmati rice or with naan if desired.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet


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Wild pomegranate seeds are sometimes used as a spice known as anardana (which literally means pomegranate (anar) seeds (dana) in Persian), most notably in Indian and Pakistani cuisine but also as a replacement for pomegranate syrup in Middle Eastern cuisine. As a result of this, the dried whole seeds can often be obtained in ethnic Indian Sub-continent markets. The seeds are separated from the flesh, dried for 10–15 days and used as an acidic agent for chutney and curry production. Seeds may also be ground in order to avoid becoming stuck in teeth when eating dishes containing them. Seeds of the wild pomegranate daru from the Himalayas are regarded as quality sources for this spice.