Indian Feast

Toasting Indian spices in my new spice dish to release their flavor:

Cumin, tumeric-based curry powder, garam masala

(for dahl, Indian lentils)

My saag paneer, like an Indian creamed spinach dish

(*tip: substitute feta for paneer cheese if needed)

The full homemade Indian dinner spread:

Clockwise from top: dahl, toasted garlic naan, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, steamed rice with golden raisins and cardamom seeds, and curried green beans.

Stewed Indian Cauliflower

When I think of an Indian cauliflower dish I typically think of aloo gobi, spiced cauliflower with potatoes, but that is a dry dish whereas the following creation is more "wet" - filled with vegetables and robust flavors, this is one you've got to try:

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
1/2-1 yellow onion
Few tbsp. minced ginger
Few tbsp. minced garlic
Spices to taste: garam masala, coriander, tumeric, curry, chili, tandoori spice, salt, pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup (or so) roasted cashews
Bunch of fresh baby spinach leaves
Golden raisins
1/4 lb. fresh Greek feta, diced (this was a last minute addition on a whim)

Method
1) Add oil to large skillet and heat to medium high, adding sliced onion to saute until near translucent. Add minced ginger and garlic.
2) Season with spice mixture to taste (I am of course a bit heavy-handed with spices ...), stirring with wooden spoon to mix evenly.
3) Add the cauliflower and stir to coat with spices - veggies should be a bright golden color. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat, allowing the cauliflower to roast, and add chicken stock.
4) Add diced tomatoes and simmer, adding chickpeas, cashews and golden raisins after a few minutes. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
5) Wilt in spinach, stirring into vegetable mixture. Turn off heat and add in diced feta (this was my last-minute substitute for paneer, Indian cheese, but if you can find it then go authentic!)

Squeeze some lime juice over top for fresh acid if you like, and serve over sweet brown rice. Enjoy!

Indian Recipes

After our Kashmir dining experience I got to thinking about the Indian food that I’ve cooked at home that was honestly better than some I’ve had at restaurants, so I thought I’d include some tasty recipes. Here are two vegetarian Indian dishes I made last month (which I served with rogan josh chicken, basmati rice, and naan):

Indian Dahl With Spinach

1 ½ cups lentils

3 ½ cups water

½ tsp. salt (I’m not a big fan of salty-tasting food so I only use the required amount to bring out the flavors of the dish)

ground turmeric (the recipe calls for ½ tsp. but I used probably three times that; I tend to adjust seasonings as I taste the dish)

chili powder (again suggested ½ tsp. but I like my food much spicier so I doubled that at least)

1 lb. spinach (I used fresh baby spinach to give it a fresher taste than with frozen chopped spinach, which is hard to drain)

1 onion chopped

2 tbsp. butter (better if you use ghee – traditional Indian cooking method of clarified butter)

ground cumin (recipe says 1 tsp. but I doubled that)

1 tsp. mustard seed

garam masala (1 tsp. – obviously I added more. Garam masala is a great aromatic Indian spice with a unique flavor)

½ cup coconut milk (I use light coconut milk, which you can find in the international food aisle near Thai and Indian cuisine)

1) Rinse lentils and soak 20 min.

2) In large saucepan bring water to boil, stir in salt, turmeric, chili powder, COVER, reduce heat to low, simmer for 15 minutes

3) Stir in spinach, cook until lentils are soft (says 5 minutes but really took closer to 10 for me) Add water as needed (the trick is to keep them moist so the lentils don’t dry out and yet boil the water off enough so that it forms a sort of pasty consistency. This can take practice.)

4) In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter (or ghee if you’re using it,) sauté onions with cumin and mustard seeds, stir often – cook until onions are transparent

5) Combine with the lentils, stir in garam masala, coconut milk, cook until heated through (this took much longer than expected – I found that I the longer I let the dish simmer the better this tasted, so I put it on low and let it marinate for at least another half an hour.)

*Fun for option to try for leftovers: lentil balls. Roll the refrigerated leftovers into balls, dip in a little flour or cornstarch, fry in canola or peanut oil and they’re so good it’s almost like a meatball – great appetizer for entertaining (especially for vegetarians)

Charam Masala

1) Heat two tsp. olive oil (always extra virgin in my kitchen!) over medium heat, add 1 chopped onion, 1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger (I love, love, love! ginger), 1 clove minced garlic – cook five minutes

2) Stir in 1/8 tsp. salt, cumin (it calls for 1/8 tsp. but I used at least a whole teaspoon of course), 1/8 tsp. red pepper – cook one minute

3) Add 1 ½ cups chickpeas, ¾ cups vegetable broth, ½ cup chopped tomato (you can do fresh or diced from a can if you’re trying to save money), cook five minutes until liquid evaporates (like with the dahl, took longer than five minutes when I made it)

4) Remove from heat, stir in garam masala (I took the “1/8 tsp.” as suggested and put in around a teaspoon)

*This can be garnished with fresh cilantro (which I don’t love to be frank, so I omitted that)

These recipe was tested on my roommates, neighbors and friends and well-received.

Kashmir: Newbury (not New Dehli)

We went out to celebrate my roommate Matt's birthday last weekend, and what better way than a big Indian meal?

Yet the resounding agreement of our party of nine was that Kashmir on Newbury Street is grossly overpriced. With prices clearly jacked up purely as a result of its trendy location, the quality of the food itself did not suffice the hefty bill – a $17 entrée at Kashmir tastes just as mediocre as $9 carry-out from an arguably more authentic Indian restaurant in Allston. So while the former “Best of Boston” restaurant claims to have “the best Northern Indian food on the United States!” Kashmir failed to meet expectations.

The service was slow, as is often the case in Indian restaurants, it should be noted, but the wait for our server to appear, then furthermore to bring us the menus was prolonged (let alone the eventual bill.) The complimentary dipping sauces wet the appetite well – try the green sauce, it’s delicious! don’t believe me? ask the dishes! – and the assortment of appetizers were the crowd favorites. The vegetarian samosas stuffed with the undercooked potato and pea mixture was markedly tastier than the lamb-filled alternative, and the chicken tikka was dry. The reshmi pakoras, chicken dipped in chickpea batter and fried, was only a little better, and the seekh keba, hearty chunks of dark meat were more tender but too fatty. Nearly every dish served throughout the night was overcooked, it became clear, including the Tandoori shrimp. The best dish was the Halal goat curry, for which the well-spiced sauce could mask the meat’s tough consistency.

The Kashmir Maharani, marketed as a traditional vegetarian Indian meal served in a Thali, offered an assortment of flavors to try; the Mulligatawny lentil soup starter was too watery and underspiced, and the raita, likewise, was too wet as if the cucumbers had not been drained properly and lacking the desired citrus tang. Similarly the spinach in the saag paneer was too wet (and not spicy enough for my taste), throwing off the dish’s consistency. The sahi paneer korma had a hearty creamy tomato sauce that served well to dress the less flavorful dishes, such as the (surprise!) overcooked rice of the biryani dishes, of which there was little to distinguish the beef and chicken options I sampled. The rustic appearance of the nuts and delightfully sweet golden raisins dispersed in the basmati rice was still less than satisfying, and the carrots were unquestionably bland. The mango lassi provided a cool, creamy compliment to the meal; other beverage favorites included the espresso martini, which tasted like kahlua in a glass, and the sangria pitcher, likely the only “bang for your buck” options on the menu. Surprisingly the mango crème brulee was a hit, with a gorgeous presentation of glistening golden top adorned with candied mango – the dessert may have exceeded our meal.

While known for its atmosphere, the swanky restaurant’s décor still failed to make up for the less than stellar food, and the funky-smelling “hot” towels at the end of the meal was the real cherry on top to the evening.

2/5 stars.