Green Lentil Curry

This mung bean dal is a rustic spicy soup or curry. Warm and colorful soup, good served with flatbread or rice.

Mung beans are type of green lentil common in Indian and Chinese cooking. They can be purchased whole and split with a couple of pulses of a food processor.

Ingredients
MAIN
1 cup split mung beans, (green lentils)
SPICE
1 in fresh ginger, chopped
1 whole green chili pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cups water
FINISH
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp salt
handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation
In pot add split mung beans, ginger, whole chili, turmeric and water, and bring to boil, 10 min. With strainer remove foam.
(Use split mung beans, or use whole mung beans and give 5-10 pulses in food processor, until more beans are split open than not. Don't process too much, or you quickly get just lentil flour and dust.)
Then reduce heat and simmer, 15-25 min., until lentils are tender.
Meanwhile, in spice grinder, grind cumin seeds. After lentils have simmered, add tomatoes, cumin powder, garam masala and salt, and simmer additional 10 min. (Total cooking time for lentils is 45-55 min.) Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.
Quick use of stick blender turns into finished soup, or serve chunky and rustic. (Remember to remove the chili if you don't want hot!)

NOTES
Curry can be made more or less hot by adding or leaving out chili pepper.

Spicy Eggplant and Potato Curry

I found this dish at my favorite Indian restaurant in San Francisco among the vegetarian curries. Eggplant was a novel vegetable for me, but a standard and versatile vegetable in places as diverse as India and Italy. Small and large eggplants work equally well. Serve with brown rice or whole grain flat bread.

Ingredients
BASE
1 medium onion peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seed ground
1/4 tsp red chili flakes ground
1/8 tsp black peppercorns ground
1/2 inch ginger peeled and chopped or grated
2 cloves garlic peeled, crushed and chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric
MAIN
1/2 large eggplant with skin, diced (4-6 cups)
2 medium potatoes peeled and diced
FINISH
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, torn

Preparation
To grind whole spices: Grind cumin seed, red chili flakes and black peppercorns into coarse powder in spice grinder. Set aside.
To start base: Brown onion, lowering heat once it colors, 10-12 min. Add splash of water, garlic, ginger, and ground spices, and simmer 2-3 min. Then add chopped eggplant and potatoes, and continue to simmer without a lid; as eggplants cook they will release enough water to cook the potatoes, and when water escapes, the sauce with thicken, 30-45 min.
To finish: Mix in garam masala, continue simmer 5 min, adding or boiling water as necessary for moist gravy thickness. Garnish with fresh corriander leaves and serve hot with brown rice or whole wheat flatbread.

Spicy Cauliflower and Potato, Aloo Ghobi

This curry starts with a vegetable flavor base of browned onion and tomato, with aromatics and freshly ground whole spices. I like to think of cauliflower as the main ingredient, with potato added. The common Indian name Aloo Gobi has this reversed, potatoes and cauliflower. This dish served dry also makes a good filling for a whole wheat pita.

Ingredients
BASE
1 med onion sliced
2 med plum tomatoes diced
1 inch ginger peeled, chopped or grated
2 cloves garlic peeled, crushed and chopped
1 tsp cumin seed ground
1 tsp coriander seed ground
1/4 tsp red chili pepper ground
1/8 tsp black peppercorn ground
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp salt
MAIN
1 small head cauliflower chopped (or 1/2 large head)
2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
FINISH
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 handful fresh cilantro chopped

Preparation
To grind whole spices: Grind cumin seed, corriander seeds, red chili pepper flakes and black peppercorns into coarse powder in spice grinder. Set aside. This step can be done while browning onions, along with prepping the main ingredients.
To start base: Brown onion, lowering heat once it colors, 10-12 min. Add splash of water, ginger, garlic, and ground spices, and simmer 2-3 min.
Main: Then add chopped cauliflower and potatoes, stir, cover and continue to simmer, 30-45 min.
To finish: Uncover and mix in garam masala, continue simmer 5 min, adding or boiling water as necessary for moist gravy thickness. Garnish with fresh corriander leaves and serve hot with brown rice or whole wheat flatbread.

Chickpea Curry

Chickpeas make hearty and tasty vegetable. Highlighted with lots of roasted cumin. The roasted cumin is divided in half, with first half added early to base to lend flavor, and second half added to finish to lend aroma.

Ingredients
BASE
1/2 onion chopped
1 medium plum tomato chopped
1/2 cup water
SPICE
2 cloves garlic crushed and sliced thin
1/2 inch ginger grated

2 tsp cumin seed ground

1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander seed ground
1/2 tsp red chili pepper ground
1/8 tsp salt
MAIN
1 can chickpeas drained
FINISH
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp black peppercorn ground
handful fresh coriander

Preparation
To roast spice, in saucepan preheated with medium heat, roast the cumin seeds until aroma, 30-60 sec. Remove from heat immediately and pour from pan into small bowl to cool. After cool, grind to coarse powder in spice grinder, 10 sec. Also separately grind coriander seeds and red chili pepper.
To make the base, in small saucepan brown onion, 10-20 min. Can save time by browning onions in batches and using saved brown onions. Add tomato and cook, 3 min. Allow the tomato to saute, not boil. Add water, garlic, ginger, 1/2 roasted cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chili pepper, and boil 2-3 min. Water keeps garlic from burning. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. With stick blender, puree the tomatoes into gravy.
Now for the main ingredient, the chickpeas. Add chickpeas and bring to boil, cover and simmer 5 min. Mash 2 tbsp chickpeas and stir.
To finish, add garam masala, 1/2 ground roasted cumin, black pepper and fresh coriander and stir.