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Thursday, October 6, 2011

INDIAN STYLE

This blog post has been brought to you by J.A. Taylor Fine Art located in the Lahaina Cannery Mall, check them out for fine art works depicting Maui's landscape, once inside the gallery see Julie as she works at her painting and her husband Mike.
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Okay today is a short lesson on Indian cooking, I'll go over some ingredients you'll need in your kitchen, and you're good to carry on foodies.


Indian cooking is actually very wide in scope, the continent is huge, and travelers over centuries have turned on the people that resided in different regions of India to certain herbs and spices. Most of India from a western perspective is that all Indian people eat curries. Well yes and no, and that all Indian people use yogurt in their cooking, again not so.


Okay, enough of that I hate writing, so let's get to the meal, I'm going to give you a recipe for a simple Indian vegetarian stew. And these are the ingredients you should have on hand.


SOUTH INDIAN VEGETARIAN (Kerala) Mixed Vegetable Stew
4 cups of chopped veggies, I'll go for some potatoes, green beans, carrots, celery, bell peppers
1 large red onion sliced thin
3-4 tbsp. of canola or safflower oil
3 whole green cardamoms
3-4 whole cloves
about an inch of a cinnamon stick
1 large or 2 medium green or red chillies sliced down the middle
1 inch ginger (fresh) sliced into thin strips
1 1/4 tsp. of coarsely crushed peppercorns
2 1/8 cups of canned coconut milk, organic if you can
2 cups of filtered water
Curry leaves about 4-5
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
1. First get a frying pan with the oil in it, over medium hi heat, saute the green cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon for a few minutes. Then add in the green or red chillies, ginger strips, and sliced onions,cook until the onions become translucent or clearer.


2. Then add in the 4 cups of mixed chopped veggies, curry leaves, salt and water. Cover pan or pot and simmer for 15 -20 minutes or until the veggies develop into a softer texture, you'll see it.


3. Then uncover, then add in the peppercorns and coconut milk, making sure that the heat is still low so the milk does not curdle, cook for about a couple minutes.


Serve all meals ASAP, I said ASAP you lousy saps! No just joking, but serve it hot with Basmati rice.


Directions for cooking Basmati Rice.


1 cup Basmati rice, using a strainer rinse the rice well. 
1 3/4 cups of filtered water
1 tsp. of sea salt if you choose


This is an easy task, get a heavy bottom pot not those thin cheapos. Over hi heat, cook the rice, with the water in the pot of course, add in the salt. Bring to a boil, and then immediately turn heat down to a low simmer, cover the pot with a proper fitting lid or foil, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes. Then remove the pot with lid or cover on and let it sit for about 10 minutes or so, remove lid or cover, and using a fork or chopsticks, fluff the rice.


Basmati rice is a long grain rice, and has a very unique flavor, it is kind of on the glossy side compared to other medium or long grain white rice. For a healthier take, cook the brown Basmati.






Arrowhead Mills Organic Brown Basmati Rice is a brand I like to use if I can't get this in the bulk section of a health food store. Try using it for stir fried rice also, it is very tasty. Even for salads try it I think you'll like it.

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