2/16/09- Indian Vegetarian

I really hate having the same type of thing within one or two days, but I had planned on making this vegetarian stew over a week ago. My vegetables were starting to cry out from the refrigerator, "Use me already!" So it is Indian again folks, really sorry about that.

First let me start with saying this is not a Rachael Ray recipe, so it is going to take a little longer to make. It took me around an hour to make this recipe from a cookbook called THE GREENS COOKBOOK...here it is:

Indian Vegetable Stew with Yellow Dal

The Dal:

3/4 c. yellow split peas (I used green)

1 T. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopper

1/2 t. turmeric

2 serrano chilies or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

Sort through the peas, rinse them well, then cover them with water and leav them to soak at least 2 hours ahead. Pour off soaking water, add 3 c. fresh water and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the peas are completely soft and have fallen apart, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly, then blend to make a smooth puree. Measure the amount of puree and add water to bring it up to 3-1/2 c.



THE VEGETABLES AND SPICES:
3 medium tomatoes

2 Japanese eggplants or 1/2 globe eggplant

2 medium zuchinni

2 medium carrots

4 T. clarified butter

1 t. mustard seeds

1 t. cumin seeds

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/2 small cauliflower, broken into florets

1 t. salt

fresh cilantro leaves for garnish, chopped

While the peas are cooking, prepare the veggies. Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for 10 seconds, then place them in a bowl of cold water. Remove the peels; then halve them and gently squeeze out the seeds. Cut them into large pieces. Cut the eggplant into 1-in cubes, and cut the zucchini and the carrots into sticks about 1-1/2 inches long. Whatever you make, keep them large enough to have a clear apperance on the plate.

When you are ready to cook the stew, have a lid handy in case the mustard seeds splatter and pop. Heat the clarified butter in a large wide skillet, and when it is hot, andd the mustard seeds. Cook a brief 5 secs until mustard seeds turn grayish and start to exlode. Then add the cumin seeds, and after another 5 secs the onion. Saute for one minute over high heat, then add the tomatoes and the eggplant. Cook 2-3 minutes before adding the cauliflower and the carrots. Stir everything together, then add the pureed yellow peas. Add the salt, stir and cook over med-high heat until tender, about 25 minutes. Add the zuchinni during the last 10 minutes, so that it will stay bright and somewhat firm.
Taste again for salt, and add more if necessary. Serve the vegetables and dal garnished with the cilantro.
Serves 4-6

There are plenty of people talented at chopping vegetables. I am not one of those people. My trick with stews, etc. is to take at least 1/2 of it when finished and slightly blend in the food processor. That way my husband doesn't complain about my choppy vegetable cutting. I also did not water down the puree, which made the stew thicker.
This was a very cheap recipe to make. The only thing that really cost anything was the clarified butter, which I opted to buy instead of make from scratch. It cost $8. I also had enough cauliflower left over to make something else this next week and leftovers.
Recipe got two thumbs up out of two adults.