It all started with another beautiful dish from Anja's Thought for Food. Well, maybe it started before that with my introduction to real Indian food 9 years ago at a friends Sikh and Hindu wedding, but we won't get into that right now. Even though it's a really great story...
As I was saying, I found another wonderful recipe for 'Mustard Cauliflower' at Anja's site and knew I had to have it immediatly. As luck would have it, I had most all ingredients on hand already, save for fenugreek seeds, which I never did get. :( Next time!
I decided to make this into a complete meal so the recipe below is mine. If you'd like Anja's recipe, I encourage you to head over to her wonderful site!
However, I Can Not for the life of me decide what to call this dish!
I NEED ANY AND ALL SUGGESTIONS, ESPECIALLY FROM ANYONE WHO KNOWS ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT INDIAN CUISINE!
Update:
Thank You Swathi from Zesty South Indian Kitchen for coming up with a title for this dish!
If you like Indian food but don't think that making it yourself is an easy task, THINK AGAIN!
Really, most Indian food is created by using common spices that can be used in other cuisines as well.
Cumin, Corriander, Turmeric, Mustard seed, Cardamom, Chili powder and Curry just to name a few.
photo from Lovely India
Soooo, what to call my wonderful Indian dish? I scoured the Internet and can't come up with anything official. Most dishes are prepared as curries or with coconut milk. I did however find some very interesting Indian cooking terminology.
Baghar (Tempering):
Bhunao (Saute/stir-fry): mustard seeds ~ raai
cauliflower ~ phool gobi
salt ~ namak
green beans ~ flas beans
oil ~ tel
cumin ~ jeera
garlic ~ lahsun
Without further ado, I present you with my very delicious, not overly spice, super easy,
No Name Indian Dish
No Name Indian Dish
You Will Need:
3 cups cauliflower florets (1 medium cauliflower)
1 cup fresh green beans
1 cup dry chick peas/garbanzo beans
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds ( did I mention all I had was mustard powder, it worked)1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds ( use em if you got em )
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground chili
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons peanut oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (divided)
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste ( I used lime )
Serves 2-4 *** I set aside some cauliflower, green beans and chick peas without spices for the littlest kids. I didn't want the drama of " It's to spiceeeeeee!"
Mamma wanted Indian food and mamma gets what she wants!
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Putting it all together:
Cook garbanzo beans according to directions. I used my pressure cooker and it took 12 minutes. If you boil them I think it takes about 40 minutes. Fresh garbanzo beans taste so much better and honestly more authentic tasting than canned, not to mention wayyy cheaper!
Combine mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in a small bowl. Set aside.
In another small bowl, combine cumin, turmeric, chili and salt. Keep all spices near the stove.
Heat oil in a deep pan until very hot. Add all seeds. When mustard seeds turn grey, reduce heat to medium and stir in ground spices. Cook for a few seconds, then stir in minced garlic and chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add cauliflower florets and stir so it becomes coated with the spices mix. Cook for 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water, green beans, cooked chick peas and 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro leaves. Cover pan with a lid and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes. Add more water, if needed.
Add lemon or lime juice and season with salt to taste. Garnish with remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.
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