Recipes, Vegetable Forward

Vegetables and Chickpeas Tagine

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Vegetables and Chickpeas Tagine

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Serves: 6

The spices used in Moroccan Tagine recipes are very similar to spices used in Indian curries. I like to cook curries/stews with warm spices during winter months. It is very satisfying and comforting during cold season. I add chickpeas or lentils for protein to dishes like this.
Ingredients
Spice Blend:
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ginger powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
For Tagine:
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, finely minced
  • ⅛ teaspoon saffron threads
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets
  • 2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup small red or yellow potatoes, cut in half
  • 1 cup vegetable stock or water
  • 1 zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup different color peppers, cut into strips
  • 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
  • 1 cup large green olives
  • 2 preserved lemons, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup roughly chopped dry apricots or golden raisins
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped for garnish
Directions
  1. In a mixing bowl make spice blend by combining all spices. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (optional, See step 3).
  2. In a large Dutch oven or oven proof sauté pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat for 1 minute. Add onions and sauté until translucent, 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, saffron and spice blend, and sauté until fragrant for 2 minutes. Next add tomato paste and sauté for 2 minutes.
  3. Add cauliflower florets, carrots and potatoes to pot. Stir to coat vegetables with spices. Add stock or water and bring it to boil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and stir. Cover the pot and you can either cook vegetables on stove top or transfer to oven. Let vegetables cook for 10 to 12 minutes or just tender.
  4. Add remaining vegetables, preserved lemons, apricots or raisins and olives. Add diced tomatoes from can with juices and chickpeas. Season with remaining teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine everything and cover the pot. Transfer to oven or continue to cook on stove top for another 10 minutes or so until all vegetables are cooked through.
  5. Before serving garnish with cilantro. Serve with couscous and/or nan.

 

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Recipes, Sweets

Tea Masala Cookies with Candied Ginger

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Tea Masala Cookies with Candied Ginger

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Serves: 24

During Diwali festival, variety of snacks including cookies are made to share with family, neighbors and guests. I developed this recipe during that time.
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ cups AP flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons tea masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted soften butter
  • 1 large egg or ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup candied ginger, roughly chopped in bite size pieces
Directions
  1. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, tea masala and cardamom in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a bowl of stand mixture, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add an egg or heavy cream and beat for 30 seconds or until combined. Scrap sides of bowl to combine everything.
  4. Add flour and beat to combine on low speed for 30 seconds or until flour is just combined. Remove the bowl.
  5. Add candied ginger and stir to combine with dough.
  6. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop cookies on parchment paper lined cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches of space in between.
  7. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until edges are turning light golden brown.

 

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Recipes, Vegetable Forward

Makai no Chevado

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Makai no Chevado

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Serves: 6 servings

This is my cousin Sukeshi's recipe of spicy corn (makai) pudding. The way she makes it, it tastes exactly like her mother's (my aunt Ramamasi) famous Makai No Chevado. In summer, we used to have Chevada party with friends and family and my aunt used to make Makai No Chevado.
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. Fresh corn, shucked and grated (about 3 cups corn pulp)
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons or more olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons brown mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • ½ teaspoon asafetida
  • 2 dry red chilies (optional)
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 2 jalapeno or serrano chilies, minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground clove
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh coconut
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro, for garnish
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a wok or a frying pan on medium high heat until shimmering. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Add dry red chilies, asafetida and sesame seeds. Immediately add curry leaves, green chilies and ginger and sauté it for 30 seconds.
  2. Add corn pulp in to this vaghar (tadka). Add dry spices to corn pulp. Stir the mixture to combine everything. Reduce heat to low and sauté the corn pulp until translucent and most of the water is evaporated, about 30 minutes. It will release some oil also. While sautéing if corn sticks on bottom, add more oil.
  3. Increase the heat to medium and add the milk, stirring constantly. Let milk come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan and let it simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir the Chevado in between so that it does not stick to the bottom and milk does not boil over.
  4. Once the mixture has reached soft pudding like consistency, add salt, half of coconut and lime juice. Stir properly and let it simmer on the low heat until it starts releasing oil, about 10 minutes. If the Chevado is too dry you can add some water.
  5. Remove from the heat and garnished with remaining coconut and cilantro. Serve warm as a side dish or with Puri. Serve lime quarters on the side.

 

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