Indian cuisine is some of the most versatile and diverse in the world, as each region of India has its own specialties and characteristic dishes, using a wide variety of cooking techniques, ingredients, and flavors. So you can basically never run out of new recipes to try!
I have always loved to go eat at Indian restaurants, but I would always choose conservative and "safe" menu items and rarely ventured off my "safe list," despite my love of spicy food.
A few months back, I was browsing in Barnes and Noble, and came across an "The Greatest Ever Indian Cookbook" in the super discounted section. As I flipped through the book, I had four primary thoughts:
"I absolutely love Shalamar (a restaurant in SLO), but it is so expensive to eat out all the time, and I always have a giant food baby when I leave, which is not conducive to my workouts."
"This doesn't look that difficult.....and there are all kinds of neat ideas in here!"
"I bet I can substitute ingredients to make these healthier!"
"YOU CAN MAKE A LOT OF THIS STUFF IN A CROCK POT!!"
Book purchased. And Indian food is all I have eaten for the last two months. OK, that may be an exaggeration, but my house totally smells like curry most of the time.
Two of the most common Indian dishes enjoyed in the USA are tikka (a mix of Indian spices generally served with a tomato-based marinade on meat or veggies) and masala (a mix of standard Indian spices generally served with yoghurt based dishes) dishes. Tikka and masala are great "beginner" Indian dishes, as you can make them mild, medium, or spicy, and they can be made with chicken, beef, or tofu/veggies and served with rice and naan (an Indian flat bread).
Combine the two, and you have a delicious recipe that you can easily make in a crock pot!
This recipe is my own, but has been adapted from my cookbook and various online resources. Don't panic when you look at the long list of spices. I bet you have most of them in your pantry, except garam masala (unless you make Indian food frequently!). You can get this at any grocery store that has an "ethnic foods" section.
You can also make this recipe with chicken, using 2-3 large chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, fat trimmed off), or tofu or your favorite veggies. If using tofu or veggies, skip the long marinating step and the crock pot, and just combine each step in a sauce pan on the stove top and cook long enough for things to come together!
Beef Tikka Masala (slow cooker, lean version)
Ingredients:
Beef Tikka:
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1/4 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1-2 lbs cubed lean beef
Masala:
1 28 oz can diced, no salt added, tomatoes
1 can 5.5 oz tomato paste
1 tbsp ginger (or about two inches of fresh grated ginger)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp tikka paste (or mild curry paste, which is sometimes easier to find, and also add a tbsp of lemon juice)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried coriander
(set aside):
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
pinch of salt
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Create the beef tikka by combining all ingredients except the beef chunks into the bottom of a large container. Add the beef and coat it completely with the marinade, cover, and place in the fridge for at least an hour (but I prefer to let set overnight). (sorry there are no pictures of this step; I marinated beef a while ago and ended up not using it, so I froze it. That is the giant central mass that you see in the crock pot in the pictures below!).
Remove the beef from the container and put in the crock pot.
Add the masala ingredients to the crock pot,
and stir to combine. Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
Right before you eat, I like to add the last bit of ingredients. The little bit of extra spice really gives the whole thing a nice crisp flavor, and the evaporated milk takes the place of cream, giving a soft, smooth texture to the whole dish (look at the yumminess! And the steam coming off makes you almost able to smell it....ahhhhh....)
Serve on top of jasmine rice with a side of naan for a fantastic Indian experience right in your own kitchen!
Happy eating!
Alaina
Food for thought:
Surfing dolphins can brighten anyone's day!
Go Wolfpack!!
look at you, taking food pictures & posting them online....so proud :)
ReplyDeleteThey aren't nearly as good as yours, but its a start!
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