Vegetable and Garbanzo Curry

Vegetable and Garbanzo Curry (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 4-6, Total Time: 5.5 hours)

Ingredients

·         3 cups cauliflower florets

·         1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

·         ½ of 16 oz. bag frozen cut green beans

·         1 cup sliced carrot

·         ½ cup chopped onion

·         2 cups vegetable broth

·         2 tsp. curry powder

·         2 cups light coconut milk

·         ¼ cup shredded fresh basil leaves

Directions

1.       In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine cauliflower, garbanzo beans, green beans, carrot, and onion. Stir in broth and curry powder.

2.       Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

3.       Stir in coconut milk and basil.

The picture on the Better Homes & Garden website is very misleading.  My vegetables were in no way bright and vibrant.  After about 2 hours in the slow cooker, they were quite dull.  It definitely took away some of the excitement that I had for this meal.  The flavor was also kind of missing as well.  I added a bit of garam masala, red cayenne pepper, and ginger to try to get more flavor out of the dish. My husband enjoyed it, but I just couldn’t get behind it.  I finally just added some Sriracha to amp up the flavor.  With all that said, I would not make this dish again.  There are a lot of other curry dishes that I have made, successfully, and I’d much rather have those.  It’s a shame because this was super easy to make. 

As a note, I served the curry over brown basmati rice, which soaked up the broth/coconut milk mixture.  That was a nice plus – I like it when I have a runny curry and can use rice as a sponge!  This dish would not work with naan.

Butternut Squash Curry

Butternut Squash Curry (from Real Simple, Total Time: 40-45 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

·         4 cups butternut squash soup

·         1 (1 lb.) bag frozen mixed vegetables (I used California vegetable blend – cauliflower, broccoli, carrots)

·         1 Tbsp. curry

·         2 cups basmati rice

Directions

1.)    Cook basmati according to package directions

2.)    When there is about 15 minutes left on the basmati, cook vegetables as directed on package

3.)    Simmer soup, cooked vegetables, and curry powder about 5 minutes or until heated through

4.)    Serve over rice

My basmati took about 40-45 minutes to cook completely, so I have set that as the total time to cook this meal.  I used Trader Joe’s Brown Basmati – it was fluffy and sticky, just as basmati should be (in my mind).  Also, a tad bit healthier than white rice.  I used Trader Joe’s low sodium butternut squash soup and  the California blend of vegetables because I didn’t want corn in my curry dish, just my preference.  You can use any frozen veggies that you like to make this easy dish.

This dish is super easy to make, but it wasn’t that tasty.  I found that with one Tbsp. of curry it was kind of bland – a little too much butternut squash flavor for me.  I added some Sriracha and that did the trick!  When I make this again, I’ll probably add another ½ Tbsp. of curry and maybe some cayenne pepper or chili flakes, just to amp up the heat a bit.  I may also add some turmeric – there are possibilities to make it better, and I intend to try again!

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potato

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potato (slightly adapted from Good Housekeeping, Serves: 6, Total Time: 6 hours, 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 tsp. olive or canola oil

·         1 medium shallot, sliced

·         2 clove(s) garlic, diced

·         1 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 tsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         ¼ tsp. salt

·         1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

·         2 cups dried lentils, rinsed

·         4 cups vegetable broth

·         2 Tbsp. tomato paste

·         5 oz. fresh baby spinach

Directions

1.       In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, and salt. Cook 1 to 3 minutes or until slightly softened, stirring frequently. Transfer to 6- to 7-quart slow cooker bowl.

2.       To slow cooker bowl, add sweet potatoes, then lentils, vegetable broth, and tomato paste.

3.       Cover and cook 6 hours on high or 9 to 10 hours on low, or until lentils are tender. Stir intermittently.

4.       Into slow cooker bowl, stir in baby spinach until spinach is wilted.

My dish definitely did not look like the picture on Good Housekeeping’s website.  My dish was very mushy, and was completely brown with just a bit of green from the spinach – no orange sweet potatoes because they cooked down and mashed in with the lentils.  That’s okay, though, because it was good in the flavor department (just not the presentation one!).  I liked the slight hint of sweetness from the potatoes and ginger.  I had mine with rice the first night, but found it much more convenient to use as a spread on pita bread (or in a tortilla).  It was very creamy in texture and I could taste the curry more than any other seasoning, but that’s OK – I like curry!  I also found that mine only needed maybe 4 hours on high to cook through – I put it down to low and then warm as it continued to cook.  The only change I would make is adding in more vegetable broth.

Slow Cooker Indian Chikn Stew

Slow Cooker Indian Chikn Stew (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 8, Total Time: 8-10 hours)

Ingredients

·         Nonstick cooking spray

·         2 packages Trader Joe’s Chickenless Chikn Strips, cut into 1-inch pieces

·         ½ cup onion, chopped (1 medium)

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         5 tsp. curry powder

·         2 tsp. ground ginger

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         ¼ tsp. ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper

·         2 15 oz, cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

·         2 14 ½ oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

·         1 cup water or vegetable broth

·         1 bay leaf

·         2 Tbsp. lime juice

·         1 9 oz. package fresh spinach

·         Hot rice (for serving)

Directions

1.       Lightly coat a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add Chikn, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker. Add curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, water, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

2.       Stir lime juice into mixture. Stir in spinach and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach starts to wilt. If desired, serve in bowls with hot cooked rice.

This was a simple dish that was low on preparation but high on flavor.  Not sure if it’s exactly one of the flavor profiles that I fall in love with, but it was still good and I would probably make it again.  The only changes that I made to the above recipe was using water in lieu of vegetable broth (we didn’t have any), cayenne pepper, and three small bay leaves instead of one bay leaf.  I also removed the leaves before serving (because that’s what I’ve read in other recipes).

The soup has just the faintest hint of heat (from the cayenne pepper.  I actually added some Sriracha to mine the first night because I wanted to amp up the heat.  It has a little sweetness to it as well, you can definitely make out the bay leaves and ginger in each bite.  The garbanzo beans cooked nicely, but I recommend using petite diced tomatoes – it might make the soup look a little neater (as opposed to having big chunks of tomato everywhere!).  I also recommend tearing the spinach leaves into small pieces because each bite I took, there was a string of wilted spinach hanging off the fork – not very appetizing, in my opinion.  If I make it again, I’ll probably add a bit more curry powder to increase the Indian flavor, and the cayenne pepper to make it something I like a little more.

All in all, not bad for a quick dish that I can let sit and stew all day!

Spicy Vegan Potato Curry

Spicy Vegan Potato Curry (slightly adapted from All Recipes, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

·         4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

·         2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

·         1 yellow onion, diced

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 tsp. ground cumin

·         1 ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

·         4 tsp. curry powder

·         4 tsp. garam masala

·         1 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 tsp. salt

·         1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

·         1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

·         1 (15 oz.) can peas, drained

·         1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk

Directions

1.       Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.

2.       Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garam masala, ginger, and salt; cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, peas, and potatoes. Pour in the coconut milk, and bring to a simmer.

3.       Simmer 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

I think that this is one of the best Indian dishes that I have ever had – and it came from my kitchen!  It was “Oh My Gosh” delicious!  Flavor explosion in my mouth.  All of the spices smelled so good and my mouth watered as I cooked the meal (and upon reheating the leftovers).  The consistency was smooth with just a bit of crunchier texture from the chickpeas.  It was not spicy (even for my husband) and the curry flavor was front and center.  I definitely recommend trying this – I cannot wait to make it again and would not change a thing!

Kenzo Japanese & Asian Fusion Restaurant - Chambersburg, PA

One of my friends in Chambersburg, PA told me that she had been to Kenzo once and did not enjoy their food.  I completely disagree with her assessment.  My husband and I ate there and I loved the food that I had!  The service was a little lacking – there were about five tables seated at one time and the two waitresses on staff proceeded to serve all of the food to the tables that had already been sitting.  They did not even ask us for a drink order!  We waited about 15 minutes until somebody finally came to get our order.  I was on the verge of walking out, but I am glad that I didn’t.  The food was worth the wait!

Kenzo is a small restaurant in shopping complex that also houses Montezuma (one of two locations in Chambersburg) and a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins combo.  It is a small restaurant, with only about 10-12 tables (which makes the slow service even more confusing).  There is a small sushi bar with four or five seats at the back of the restaurant before the kitchen.  The atmosphere is quiet and a tad romantic (maybe because of dimmer lighting and dark-colored walls).  I felt comfortable, like it was a place I belonged.  I will give the servers and cooks some credit, though, they did get our food out rather quickly and were attentive after our initial wait.

I ordered the Vegetable Gyoza and a House Salad to start, followed by the Thai Original Curry (I picked green curry with tofu).  My husband ordered Roti Canai (Indian Pancakes) as an appetizer and some sushi as his main.  The Salad came out first – it was mixed greens with ginger dressing, simple, but the ginger dressing had a good flavor to it.  It was quite thick and they went heavy-handed with it.  I recommend asking for it on the side.   The Gyoza and Roti Canai came out next.  I ordered the Gyoza because during my adventures in Tokyo, my boss kept telling me I should try Gyoza, but we could only find meat-filled ones.  The Vegetable Gyoza at Kenzo are pan-fried and full of cabbage and spring onions.  I really enjoyed their taste, but the dipping sauce that they provided added a nice spicy kick to it.  It was a little too spicy for my husband, but I loved it!  The Roti Canai, according to the menu is a flavored Malaysian version of pancakes with curry dipping sauce.  I find the bread similar to naan, but slightly thinner with a bit of a fried crust.  The curry dipping sauce was yellow curry and had a hint of spice.  It was  very good.  My husband could not stop eating it!  He mostly ate that entire dish himself – I think I got two small pieces of pancake.

Now, on to my main dish – Thai Original Curry!  I am not sure which curry is the spiciest, but they had the options of yellow, green, and red.  I have had green curry before and found it to be just at the edge before I start to sweat.  The green curry at Kenzo was not quite to that level, but it had a delicious, beautiful curry taste with a kick of spicy heat.  The tofu was lightly fried and definitely not in short supply.  There was an abundance of green peppers and onions mixed with the curry and tofu and a little touch of potato.  They served the dish with a small side of rice;.  My mouth is watering just thinking about the food – the tofu was slightly chewy, the potatoes soft, and the onions and peppers slightly crunchy.  The curry soaked into the tofu and potatoes and clung to the peppers and onions.  I cannot wait to go back to Chambersburg to eat at Kenzo again!

Vegetarian Bean Curry

Vegetarian Bean Curry (from All Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 1.5 hours)

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 large white onion, chopped

·         ½ cup dry lentils

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         3 Tbsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         1 pinch cayenne pepper

·         1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

·         1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

·         1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

·         ½ cup raisins

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.)    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender.

2.)    Mix in the lentils and garlic, and season with curry powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes.

3.)    Stir in the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and raisins. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and simmer at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

My neighborhood is having a Progressive Dinner and I made this dish for a tasting that we decided to have (pre-Dinner).  This was one of three bean curries that I made for the tasting, but it was not picked as a winner for the round two tasting.  The main reason, I believe, it that the consistency of this dish is more like that of a chili than a curry.  It is very thick and with all the beans, well, you can imagine.  I did add a double dose of kidney beans (the original recipe calls for 8 oz., but I could not find a can that size), but I still don’t think that it would have made a difference.

I know that I’ve said before that I do not like raisins, but I couldn’t even taste them in this dish!  Health benefits without the taste?  Awesome!  The only other change I made was that I used red lentils and I washed them beforehand to make sure that any dirt was in the sink and not in the dish.  The taste was good - kind of sweet (even with 3 Tbsp. of curry), so maybe not what some people expect when they hear curry.  I like it and I think that I will make it again for myself.  Good mix of protein and carbs and tasty – winner in my book!

Red Lentil Curry

Red Lentil Curry (from All Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 40 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 cups red lentils

·         1 large onion, diced

·         1 Tbsp. canola oil

·         2 Tbsp. curry paste (I used red)

·         1 Tbsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. ground turmeric

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         1 tsp. chili powder

·         1 tsp. salt

·         1 tsp. white sugar

·         1 tsp. minced garlic

·         1 tsp. ginger root, minced

·         1 (14.25 oz.) can tomato puree (I used tomato sauce)

Directions

1.)    Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear (this is very important or the lentils will get "scummy"), put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary).

2.)    While the lentils are cooking: In a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in oil.

3.)    While the onions are cooking, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well.

4.)    When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.

5.)    Stir in the tomato puree and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready.

6.)    When the lentils are tender drain them briefly (they should have absorbed most of the water but you don't want the curry to be too sloppy). Mix the curry base into the lentils and serve immediately.

This was another dish that I made for the tasting.  I will start by stating that the original recipe doesn’t tell you how long to cook the lentils.  I believe that mine took about 15 minutes over a medium heat, no extra water was needed.  At first I thought that I overcooked them, but they still tasted good and the other people who tried the dish liked it.  Just keep an eye on them while doing the other steps in the recipe.  This was also my first time working with ginger (FYI – you need to peel it before mincing!).  I think that I did OK on both accounts.

Overall, the recipe is easy to follow and the end result is pretty tasty.  It’s a little light on the taste, but I didn’t want to add any Sriracha because we have to be sensitive to the people who may not like spicy food.  However, on my leftovers, I went Sriracha-happy and it tasted awesome!  The consistency was almost like refried beans, but that worked well on some sandwich thins and pitas.  The curry is not “runny” or “oily” like some other curries that I have eaten or made, so it works really well with bread.  I definitely recommend trying this recipe!  Pretty healthy (calories are fairly low, protein is good) and tasty.

Nirvana Fine Indian Restaurant - Wilmington, DE

After a few stops on the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, my husband and I decided to order Takeout from Nirvana Fine Indian Restaurant (located in Independence Mall, Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE) and instead of going out to a restaurant.  We used Takeout Taxi – which is a great service when you are feeling too lazy to go out and get the food yourself.  Yes, it can be a little pricey, but we ended up with five meals out of our one order, so I don’t think that’s too bad.

I ordered the Bombay Potato side dish to serve as an appetizer and then ordered two curries, Mixed Vegetable and Bagare Baingan.  I specified Hot for both of them (there were four options, Mild, Medium, Hot or Very Hot).  Both of the curries tasted good, but they were not quite as hot as I expected – next time I will know to order Very Hot.  The Bombay Potato dish had potatoes cooked in a light gravy with peas and tomatoes.  There was also some herb on them, possibly cilantro.  The taste was a little sweet and the potatoes were nicely cooked.  I did not care for them, but my husband loved them.  Both curries had a lot of excess oil, so I would recommend being careful on the amount that you eat.  The naan was soft and pliable, but held its own next to the curry.  The Bagare Baingan curry was baby eggplants cooked in traditional gravy consisting of sesame seed, ground nut, cumin, tamarind and coconut.  This was definitely the more oily of the two curries that I ate, but it was still tasty.  The eggplant was a bit mushy.  The Mixed Vegetable Curry consisted of carrots, green beans, and a few other veggies cooked with herbs and spices in a thick sauce.  This was the spicier of the two curries – and I liked it!  It was slightly greasy, but not overly so.  The vegetables had a nice crunch to them.  For a self-made buffet, this wasn’t bad.  Just don’t put curry on a paper plate!

India Grille (Wilmington, DE)

http://www.indiagrille.net/

My husband and I went to the India Grill on Naamans Road in Wilmington, DE, to sample their lunch buffet.  I have had a huge craving for Asian food since my return from Japan and thought that his would be a great time to check out a new restaurant.  The location is in a strip mall, beside a liquor store and a Wawa.  It is quite unimposing from the front and the interior décor is quite minimalist.  There are a number of booths and tables in a brightly lit atmosphere.  They have paper tablecloths that move with you when you leave the booth, which is quite annoying.  Other than that, I have no complaints about the inside.

The buffet had about seven-eight dishes, plus two soups, a few types of bread, and a large salad with accompaniments.  They also serve you a basket of naan at your table.  I grabbed a spoonful of the different vegetarian items to give everything a taste.  I’ll start with the salad – it was fresh, but it was overloaded with red onions.  The accompaniments around the salad were OK, but I didn’t find anything that I loved.  I bypassed the Tomato Soup for the Mulligatawny Soup - an East Indian soup with a lentil base, vegetables, and curry seasoning.  It was delicious and I sopped up the remaining broth with naan!   The curry seasoning gave it some heat and it was a good mix of beans and veggies.  I got seconds on the soup. 

For my main plate, I sampled Baigan Bharta, Aloo Gobi, Dal Makni, some basmati rice, and topped it off with a Mixed Vegetable Pakora.  Descriptions are below for each of these, including my assessment.

·         Baigan Bharta - roasted eggplant sauteed with onions, tomatoes, green peas, cilantro, and spices

o   Yummy!  It has a bit of heat that made me grab for my water glass more than once and is delicious on its own or with rice or naan.  They used baby eggplant, which I’ve never had before.  Each bite was full of flavor (though I didn’t get much cilantro).  As with a number of curry dishes, it was a bit mushy, but that didn’t matter to me.  I went back for seconds!

·         Aloo Gobi - potatoes and cauliflower cooked with onions and tomatoes in gravy

o   Bland…I thought that I would really like this, but I wasn’t impressed.  I ate two bites and then pushed it to the side.  Just not my taste.

·         Dal Makni - black lentils cooked and mixed with onions and tomatoes in a creamy base

o   Again, a bit bland. I ate a little more of this dish than the Aloo Gobi, but it still wasn’t that good.

·         Mixed Vegetable Pakora - mixed vegetable fritters battered with chickpea flour

o   I grabbed this fried fritter to try something new.  I was disappointed, again, bland.  Plus, I’m not a huge fan of fried food to begin with.  If it’s fried and doesn’t wow with me flavor, I won’t continue to eat it.

Overall, I found the lunch buffet OK (especially for $9.99), but I want to try other lunch/dinner buffets for a better comparison.  On to the next as Jay from Ghost Hunters says!

Nirvana (Wilmington, DE)

My husband and I ate here for a weeknight buffet.  There were about 5-6 vegetarian options on the buffet (plus rice and bread).  Unfortunately, there was no salad, which I was kind of hoping for.  The basamati rice wasn’t that good, kind of dry, but all of the actual Indian dishes that I had were good. One was a lentil soup mixture that was slightly spicy.  The Indian potatoes were very good with a good kick of red pepper.  There was an okra dish that was a little sweet and no heat.  And then there were the spicy peas – a wonderful dish that I probably could have kept eating if I had not been sampling the other options.  They also had fried vegetables, which I steered clear of due to my issues with most fried foods.  I do plan on going to Nirvana again, but will probably choose something off of their expansive menu.