Madras Shrimp Curry

I picked up an Indian cookbook in London a year and a half ago.  It's called 50 Great Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi.  I didn't need to go to London, you can get it on Amazon for 10 bucks.  The curry in this recipe comes from one of her "research" trips to Chennai (aka Madras).  Think coconut, curry leaves, and tamarind in kind of a tomato base.  I've used it on fish, which is great, but here I put in on pan-seared shrimp from the Maine St market.  More than this particular recipe, however, I have enjoyed this book.  It is very heavy on meat dishes, most of which I haven't attempted, but it has proven helpful on the basics and the simple vegetables.  If only I can find a convenient place to buy the fresh curry leaves I need.

Dal Makhani

Those of you who know dal makhani probably won't recognize it here- it's normally dark brown.  That's because it uses the whole urad dal - I only had the peeled kind in my pantry so I get yellow.   And you can see that the cumin seeds are a bit overdone.  But my, my is it tasty.  Manjula's recipe is here.

Sabudana Khichdi (Spicy Tapioca)

Manjula helped me find a recipe for these dried tapioca balls that I found.  Think small versions of the balls found in pearl tea.  These were not as rubbery as the large kind - but toothsome.  They get soaked to soften them, then stir-fried with typical indian spices, peas, and peanuts for crunch.  I like it as a quick tasty snack.

Palak Tofu

Okay, palak means spinach, but this is usually palak paneer - which is that yummy indian cheese. Where is this tofu coming in? Well, I had tofu in the fridge, and I fried it up just the same as the paneer, so it works even if it's not quite as satisfying. Probably a bit healthier too, but don't get me wrong - if Shopper's carried paneer that would've been in here. This is comfort food and I could eat it nonstop for a long time. Use canned diced tomatoes for better flavor. The recipe is here.

Sambar

Sambar is the staple of South India. It's spicy and chunky and great on rice or idlis - little fluffy round cakes made from rice flour. Typically it's paired with a coconut chutney, but I didn't spring for the fresh coconut this time. My version comes from the copious recipe notes I took when I was in Chennai. It has the typical veggies available at the grocery store - onions, carrots, tomatoes, green beans - but it also has a couple key ingredients that are a bit more exotic - tamarind and fresh curry leaves. Once I figure out how to jigger up an idli steamer, I'll do the whole thing with the chutney and idlis.

Moong Dal with Spinach

This is step two in building a freezer full of re-heatable Indian dishes that I make from scratch. Some sort of tasty dal usually goes with every meal - this one happens to be a green split moong dal with spinach. I make a large quantity, then freeze multiple servings in Gladware tubs for later. I've got this and a great coconut curry sauce for fish saved up. When I've got enough, we'll have a proper meal with 5 or 6 dishes. Find the recipe at Manjula's Kitchen.