Curried Cauliflower with Chick Peas and Tomatoes

• 1/4 cup ghee
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
• canned diced tomatoes
• 1 head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into florets
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Salt
• Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Heat the ghee in a deep skillet or pot over medium flame. Add the onion, curry powder, and ginger; cook and stir for a few minutes to soften the onion. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in the cauliflower, chickpeas, tomato paste, and 1 cup of water; stir everything together. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, and continue cooking until the excess moisture has evaporated and the cauliflower and chickpeas are coated with a thick gravy. Season with salt, to taste, and garnish with cilantro before serving.

adapted from Tyler Florence via The Food Network

Sweet Butternut Squash and Coconut Jam

Makes about 4 cups

• 1 large butternut squash, approximately 2 pounds
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 8-10 whole cloves
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut

Peel the butternut squash and cut into small pieces - about 1 inch or less to a side. You can also grate it. The smaller you cut the pieces the faster it will cook. Put in a large (4 quarts or more) heavy pan over medium heat. Add the milk, sugars, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla.

Cook over medium heat until the squash is soft and tender. Keep a close watch on it as the milk simmers; it has a tendency to foam up. After the milk comes to a simmer it will be 10-15 minutes before the squash is soft. As the squash becomes soft and tender, mash it into a pulp with a potato masher or a pair of forks. Stir well.

Keep the heat on medium and continue simmering, stirring frequently. When the mixture is reduced and thick like jam, remove from the heat. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn as the milk reduces. This will take between 20 and 30 minutes.

Stir in the coconut and let cool before serving. Store in the refrigerator. We think this should keep for some time, but why should it? Ours is mostly gone already.

from Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cups canned or packaged vegetable stock
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 cans (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 palm full
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 palm full
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, eyeball it in the palm of your hand
• Coarse salt
• 20 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped, for garnish
• optional: roasted chicken, corn

Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onion. Saute onions 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans and pumpkin puree. Stir to combine ingredients and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in cream, curry, cumin, cayenne and salt, to taste. Simmer 5 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve garnished with chopped chives.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

from Rachael Ray via the Food Network

Curried Chicken-Coconut Soup

• 3 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass (from about 4 stalks)
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 large chicken thighs with bones (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 6-ounce package baby spinach leaves
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges

Combine first 6 ingredients in 6- to 8-quart pressure cooker. Remove skin from chicken; add chicken to cooker. Lock lid in place. Bring to high pressure over high heat. Cook 8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain high pressure. Remove from heat. Let pressure come down naturally 8 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure.

Slowly release lid, standing back and allowing steam to escape. Transfer chicken to work surface; cool briefly. Remove bones. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Return chicken to soup; add spinach. Simmer until spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Add lime juice. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve, passing lime wedges separately.

COMMENTS: Great dish! Like the cook from Mukiteo, WA, we added extra veges...carrots, galangal, peas (first)...baby corn and mushrooms (after 10 min. or so)...used two cans of delicious coconut milk...a bit of fish sauce adds a great flavor. We just threw the chicken, raw, directly into the pot (cut by our friendly neighborhood butcher into 2 inch cubes) with the vege broth, coconut milk, and lemongrass and it cooked perfectly...no pressure cooker, just a pot with lid...Tak added a few green chiles, too, but be cautious if you're not a spicy-wallah! Also, not too much lime juice...perhaps just wedges to serve at the table. Huge success and better the next day!

This soup is wonderful but I did make some changes.Used 4 cups of the broth(each small can contains 2 cups) Then upped the coconut milk by half a can.Added Fish Sauce, Green Curry Paste,Brown Sugar, Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Crimini Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas and Minced Garlic.I prepared it on the stove top as I do not own a pressure cooker.Put in the first 6 ingredients plus the curry paste and garlic and simmered for 45 min. then added the rest of the ingredients to taste.BIG TIP: Sliced the lemongrass down the center, cut it into thirds, and then added it.It is a pain to pick it out before serving but not nearly as awful as trying to chew it up while your enjoying this fabulous soup.Next time I will wrap it in a piece of cheese cloth.I also used Basil instead of Cilantro as that is what I had on hand.The Green Curry Paste is very hot so start with a half tablespoon then add to desired heat.We really love this soup on a cold winter night.Opps! the lime juice seemed to be heavy handed.Added 2 T. and passed lime wedges at the table. ENJOY !!!

I don't own a pressure cooker, so I made it in the crock pot and let it simmer for several hours. It was absolutely delicious. We had leftovers that I boiled down a bit and served over rice. My husband preferred it that way, although I preferred it as a soup.

This recipe was good. I used one entire breast (about 1 1/2 lbs) cut into eighths and the powdered lemongrass and yellow curry powder that I make from an Indian cookbook recipe. My husband suggested adding fresh onion shreds as garnish along with the cilantro and that was good. Next time I will try it with the red Thai curry paste.

Yield: 4 main-course servings

Green-Curry Chicken with Peas and Basil

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
• 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups snow peas, stringed
• 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• Cooked rice
• optional additions: sweet potato chunks, green beans for the snow peas, a tablespoon or so of brown sugar to balance out the spice, a lot more ginger, water chestnuts, and roasted eggplant; sliced bamboo shoots; 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 1 tsp. ground turmeric, 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, and 1/2 tsp sugar; broccoli, mushrooms, red bell peppers

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1 teaspoon ginger; saute until fragrant, 1 minute. Add chicken; saute until golden, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mixture to bowl.

Add coconut milk, broth and curry paste to skillet. Stir until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons basil, cilantro and 1 teaspoon ginger. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until sauce thickens, about 7 minutes. Return chicken mixture to skillet. Add snow peas and green onions; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon rice onto plates. Spoon curry atop rice. Sprinkle with remaining basil.

from Epicurious

Yield: 4 servings

Curried Basmati Rice and Apple Pilaf

The mix of flavors in this side dish is great with broiled lamb chops or roast chicken. Or add shredded chicken to make the pilaf a main dish.

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Stir in rice, apple, apricots, cinnamon stick, ginger, curry powder and salt. Add 2 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Season to taste with pepper and additional salt, if desired. Transfer pilaf to bowl. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.

Per serving: calories, 259; total fat, 5 g; saturated fat, 1 g; cholesterol, 0

from Epicurious

Yield: 4 servings

Roast Turkey Curry

Transform cooked turkey into something spicy and special in next to no time, with this recipe for turkey curry from Manju Mahli.

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 450g roast turkey, chopped into 2 cm pieces
• 1 tsp grated root ginger
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• small bunch cilantro, chopped
• steamed cauliflower
• peas, shelled
• golden raisins, plumped

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Fry for 6-7 minutes till the onion is lightly browned.

2. In a small bowl, mix the tomato puree with the remaining oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala and salt to form a thick paste. Tip the paste into the onion mixture and fry for half a minute.

3. Stir in the turkey pieces and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add 400ml of hot water from the kettle and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Mix in the ginger, cauliflower, peas, raisins, and the lemon juice.

5. Garnish with cilantro and serve with plain basmati rice.

• Servings: 3-4
• Preparation Time: 25 minutes
• Cooking Time: 15 minutes

from UKTV by Manju Malhi from Great Food Bites

Turkey Curry

Jones often serves this dish at parties with basmati rice and a selection of chutneys, raisins, diced bell peppers, cucumber, tomato, pineapple, papaya, and roasted almonds. Leftovers are even better the next day.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups finely chopped peeled Golden Delicious apple (about 2)
• 2 cups finely chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 6 cups chopped cooked turkey breast (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add apple, onion, and garlic to pan. Cover and cook 12 minutes or until onion is tender. Add curry powder, salt, and red pepper to pan. Combine milk and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk; add to pan. Stir in broth. Reduce heat, and cook 4 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add turkey and juice to pan; cook 5 minutes or until turkey is thoroughly heated.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 143 (21% from fat); FAT 3.4g (sat 2g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 18.3g; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 37mg; SODIUM 316mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.7g

from Cooking Light

Iced Chai

• 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) water
• 1 cup chopped fresh ginger root
• 1/4 cup cardamom pods
• 10 black tea bags (regular or decaf)
• 2/3 cups pure maple syrup or packed brown sugar (optional)
• 3 cups milk, or milk alternative

In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add ginger root and cardamom pods. Lower heat to a simmer, and cover pot. Cook for 10 minutes. Add tea bags, and turn off flame. Cover pot. After 15 minutes, pour in milk and maple syrup (or brown sugar) and stir. Bring to a simmer again, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour through a sieve (or remove bags, ginger and pods some other way) into pitcher, or other cold beverage storage. Serve over ice. Keeps well, stored in refrigerator, for about a week.

Makes 3 quarts

from Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen

Sugar Snap Peas with Cumin and Thyme

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds or yellow mustard seeds
• 3/4 lb fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• cayenne pepper (to taste)
• fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Add the oil to a large skillet or wok and place over medium heat.

2. When the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds and mustard seeds.

3. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop (should be a matter of seconds), turn off the heat.

4. When the oil is cooled to medium temperature, place the pan back on medium heat and add in the peas.

5. Stir-fry briskly for a few seconds.

6. Add in the salt, thyme, and 3 tablespoons of water.

7. Bring to a simmer; cover quickly and turn the heat down to low; cook for about 3 minutes or until the peas are almost done.

8. Uncover and add in the cayenne, black pepper, and lemon juice.

9. Turn the heat to high and quickly boil away all the liquid in the pan while stirring gently to mix the seasonings.

10. Serve right away.

Yeild: 4 servings

from Madhur Jaffrey, World Vegetarian, page 260. Rebecca Blood recommends.

Nutrition information calculated for 1 serving (98g): Calories 93; Total Fat 7.2g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 437mg; Potassium 138mg; Total Carbohydrate 7.4g; Dietary Fiber 2.9g; Sugars 1.4g; Protein 1.8g

Keralan Fish Curry

This tamarind-tangy curry makes for a perfect dinner on a hot night; light enough not to knock you out, but spiced enough to prompt a heat-drowsy appetite. And it is such gloriously easy food to make. In summer, particularly, that counts. You can easily use any fish, chopped into meaty chunks for the curry itself; or just replace the fish with juicy, peeled uncooked prawns.

• 2 and three quarter pounds firm white fish
• salt
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, halved and cut into fine half-moons
• 2 long red chillies
• 1 3/4-inch piece fresh ginger
• pinch ground cumin
• 1 x 14 oz tin coconut milk (about one and three quarter cups)
• 1-2 tablespoons concentrated tamarind paste
• 1 tablespoon liquid fish broth concentrate (or half a fish stock cube)

Cut the fish into bite-sized chunks, put them into a large bowl, and rub with a little salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric. Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan and peel and tip in your fine half-moons of onion; sprinkle them with a little salt to stop them browning and then cook, stirring, until they've softened; this should take scarcely 5 minutes.

Cut the whole, unseeded chillies into thin slices across (although if you really don't want this at all hot, you can deseed and then just chop them) and then toss them into the pan of softened onions. Peel the ginger and slice it, then cut the slices into straw-like strips and add them, too, along with the remaining teaspoon of turmeric and the cumin. Fry them with the onions for a few minutes.

Pour the coconut milk into a measuring jug and add a tablespoon of tamarind paste and the fish stock, using boiling water from the kettle to bring the liquid up to the 6-cup mark. Pour it into the pan, stirring it in to make the delicate curry sauce. Taste and add more tamarind paste if you want to. And actually you can do all this hours in advance if it helps.

When you are absolutely ready to eat, add the fish to the hot sauce and heat for a couple of minutes until it's cooked through, but still tender.

Serves 4-6.

from Nigella Lawson (Forever Summer)

Saag Panir (Curried Spinach Soup with Cheese and Bell Pepper)

• 6 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup oil (peanut, vegetable, or coconut -- not olive oil) or ghee
• flour, for dredging
• 2 tablespoons oil (peanut, vegetable, or coconut -- not olive oil) or ghee
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• Kosher salt
• 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 to 3 jalapeno, serrano, or Thai peppers, seeded and minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1/2 cup rice, toasted and ground
• 4 cups whey, saved from cheese-making process
• 2 1/2 pounds fresh spinach
• 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. To make the cheese, pour the milk into a stockpot. Turn the heat to high and leave uncovered. While waiting for the milk to reach a boil (about 30 minutes), place 3 layers of cheesecloth in a wire-mesh strainer and tape the cheesecloth around the edges so the hot cheese cannot pull it away from the mesh. Place the strainer over a storage container in order to save the whey for the stock.

2. When the milk begins to boil, add 1/4 cup lemon juice and stir. In a few seconds the milk should begin to separate. The color will change from opaque white to a cloudy greenish-yellowish color. You should begin to find clumps of thick white stuff floating around in the pot. This is good! Take the pot off the burner and slowly pour the liquid through the cheesecloth-lined strainer. Once the soup pot is empty, wash it. Allow the whey to drip through the mech until most of it has dripped. Pull up the cheesecloth around the cheese. Keep the strainer over the storage container. Carefully squeeze the cheesecloth-wrapped curds to get the rest of the water out. This will be very hot! Keep a bowl of ice water nearby to cool your fingers. Continue squeezing the curds until you have removed most of the exess water.

3. Place a large, heavy, flat object on top of the cheesecloth-wrapped cheese and let it sit for at least 6 hours, overnight if possible. If you have room in your refrigerator, place the cheese with its weight there to cool down. (I like to turn a pie tin upside down, place the cheesecloth-wrapped cheese on top of it, place another pie tin right-side-up on top of it, and then place the weight in the top pie tin.)

4. When the cheese is very firm remove it from the pie tins. Pull off the cheesecloth and discard.

5. Cut the cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Dredge the cubes in flour so they will not stick together. Heat the oil in a small pot until hot enough for frying. In batches, carefully place the cubes in the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to soak up any excess grease. Set aside.

6. To make the soup, heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and saute until golden. Add the onion and stir well. Add 1 tablespoon salt and stir again. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the ginger and the peppers and mix well. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Add the garam masala and ground rie and mix well. Add 1 cup of the reserved whey or water. Mix well, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.

8. Add the spinach in four batches. After each batch stir to mix well, cover, and let the spinach reduce.

9. Once all the spinach has decreased in size, add 3 more cups of whey and stir well. Cover and let reach a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 20 minutes.

10. Puree the soup in batches. Press through a strainer into a storage container. Discard any lumps left in the strainer.

11. Wash out the soup pot. Place the soup back in the pot. Add the coconut milk, red bell peppers, and the fried cheese. Place back on the stove, cover, and let simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

12. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Serve with naan or chapati. You may substitute tofu for fresh cheese -- just fry half a pound of it as you would the cheese.

from S.O.U.P.S.: Seattle's Own Undeniably Perfect Soups 10 servings 3 hours prep time + overnight

Rice Pudding with Pistachios, Raisins, and Saffron (Payasam)

• 2 quarts whole milk
• 3/4 cup jasmine rice
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1/2 cup shelled natural pistachios
• 1/2 cup golden raisins

Simmer milk with rice, sugar, cardamom, and saffron in 7- to 8-quart heavy pot, stirring often, until reduced by half, 45 to 50 minutes. Discard cardamom.

Heat ghee in a heavy skillet over moderate heat until melted, then cook pistachios and raisins, stirring, until nuts are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir half of pistachio mixture into payasam and sprinkle remainder on top.

Serve warm or chilled.

You can make payasam, without pistachio mixture, 1 day ahead and chill, covered. Cook nut mixture just before serving.

6 servings

Kerala Boatman's Crab Curry

• 1 1/2 pounds jumbo lump crab meat
• 1 medium onion
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger root
• 2 dried hot red chiles such as cayennes or chiles de arbol
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro sprigs
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, or to taste
• cooked white or brown basmati rice
• Garnish: sliced scallion greens

Pick over crab meat to remove any bits of shell and cartilage. Chop onion and mince garlic. Peel ginger root and mince. Wearing protective gloves, break chiles into 1-inch pieces and reserve, along with any seeds.

In a 4- to 5-quart kettle heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook mustard seeds until they begin to pop. Stir in onion, garlic, ginger root, reserved chiles with seeds, and peppercorns and cook, stirring, until chiles are just browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in other spices until combined well. Add crab and cook mixture, gently stirring occasionally (avoid breaking up crab), about 4 minutes.

While crab mixture is cooking, chop cilantro. Stir cilantro into crab mixture with coconut milk and salt and simmer until slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Spoon curry over rice and garnish with scallion greens.

6 servings