Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard

Another recipe from the "Indian" category on Smitten Kitchen.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/11/curried-lentils-and-sweet-potatoes/

I forgot to add the lime and wished I hadn't. I left out the cilantro because Eric doesn't like it, but it probably would have been nice (especially with the lime).

I used 4 cups of broth, but at the end (of what seemed like a lot longer cooking time) the lentils weren't as soft as I would have liked. So if I make this again (which I might, because it's pretty cheap and easy and fast except for how long it takes to cube the sweet potatoes), I think I'll add 5 cups broth.

I didn't use any almonds.

I did remove all of the seeds from the pepper. In the end the dish had a slight spicy kick but it wasn't too spicy for me.

Also, we had spinach so I used that instead of chard. I chopped it up, so I didn't really notice it.

I really like sweet potatoes, so I think it would be a little better with more sweet potato and less lentil (fewer lentils?).

It would probably be good with naan. Or rice.

Naan (again)

I've also used this recipe to make Naan. My cooking friend gave it to me, but it's from the book How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. But apparently there's a difference between How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything: The Basics, which is the book I got from the library, because I can't find the recipe in there. (We also have How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, a gift from Eric's sister.)

This is the one I used for dinner last night. I used 2 cups whole wheat flour (about 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat and 3/4 cup red whole wheat) and about 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour. I added a little extra yogurt and milk, and ended up using 1 cup water. While it was rising I read somewhere that it's almost always okay to just switch out 50% of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat without having to adjust anything else. I should have done that; the dough ended up being really wet and hard to work with when it was time to roll it out. Also, I didn't love the flavor with the whole wheat (but it wasn't bad, and maybe it would have been better if we would have brushed it with butter at the end instead of forgetting that step).

Ingredients

2 tsp instant yeast

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp plain yogurt (or sour cream)

1 tbsp sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

2 tsp kosher salt

4 tbsp butter, melted and still warm

Instructions

1. Stir together the yeast, mik, yogurt, and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. 

2. Combine the flour, egg, and salt in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add the yeast mixture through the feed tube. 

3. Process for about 30 seconds, adding 1 1/2 cup water, a little at a time, until the dough starts to form a ball. (You may not need all the water.)

4. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for a few seconds to get a tight, round ball. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours. You can also let it rise in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours. 

5. Put a baking sheet (or preferably, a stone) in the oven and heat to 500 degrees. Punch the dough down and divide into 12 balls. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rest at least 10 minutes, and up to 30. 

6. Roll out the balls, two at a time, into an oval roughly 6 inches by 8 inches. Place a small bowl of water next to your prep area. Open the oven door, wet your hands and pick up the dough to dampen each side, then place them gently on the hot stone. Bake for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown, turning over with tongs. If the dough sticks to the stone, let it bake for 1 more minute. Brush warm naan with melted butter, and finish the process for the remaining dough. 

My notes

I always proof my yeast because I've had a couple of times where something didn't rise and proofing it makes me feel better. 

I'm pretty sure when he says "food processor" he means food processor like what you would chop vegetables in, but ours is too small for this recipe so I just did it in my Kitchenaid mixer. I also used the kneading paddle for the first knead. 

I guess this is where I got the idea to bake the naan on the pizza stone. Also, just like with the other recipe, I add a bunch of garlic (last night I added about 3 tbsp because I really like garlic) right before the second rise/rest. 

Chana Masala

I can never remember what the Indian dishes are called. When I go to Indian buffets I know that I usually like the dish with spinach, the one with with lentils, and the one with chickpeas (and the bread and those fritter things and samosas). I saw this recipe and decided to make it in case it's the same as the one with chickpeas.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/02/chana-masala/

I used the extra lemon juice instead of amchoor. I wasn't sure what she meant by "hot green pepper," so I bought an anaheim pepper.

I had to buy garam masala for this recipe. The rest of the spices I had (though I only had whole coriander, so I toasted and ground that with the cumin seeds).

Overall, it wasn't a bad dish, but I wouldn't make it again. It was a little too spicy for me (though that would probably be fixed with less chili powder), and it wasn't a thick enough consistency. Maybe it would have been thicker if I had pureed the onion/pepper, or if I had let it cook longer. Or maybe some coconut milk would have worked?

We ate it with our naan, but some rice would have been nice.

Mango Lassi

I love mango lassis. I'm sad when I don't order one at an Indian restaurant. Mangos were on sale today, so I bought a couple and tried a recipe.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mango_lassi/

It wasn't gross, but it wasn't at all like a restaurant mango lassi. It wasn't as smooth (we use a Ninja blender), but it also didn't have the same taste. So I'll keep trying (with other recipes).

Sweet Tamarind Chutney

After making the sweet potato crepes (with naan, not crepes) I wanted to find another use for my tamarind sauce so I made this sauce. It's a good sauce to dip naan in. And the samosas that my cooking friend makes but that I haven't yet tried (I'm waiting for my pastry mat to come in the mail).

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-tamarind-chutney/

Sweet Potato Crepes with Cilantro-Tamarind Sauce

For about 5-6 years I had a vegan cookbook with a sweet potato crepes recipe that I wanted to try, but every time I looked at it I decided I didn't want to go buy the spices. I eventually tried the recipe a few months ago and now it's one of my favorite things to make for dinner (with naan instead of crepes, but I'll include the crepe recipe here). The recipe is from Vegan With a Vengeance, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Instructions are verbatim from the book.

Ingredients

Spices

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 cardamom pods

6 whole cloves

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Filling

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 1/2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons grated ginger

2 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks

Half a 15-oz can coconut milk

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Sauce

1/2 cup raw cashews

2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro

2 tsp tamarind concentrate

Half a 15-oz can coconut milk

1 tsp pure maple syrup

1 tbsp peanut oil

Pinch salt

Crepes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups water

Instructions

Spice blend

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Pour in all of the seeds, pods, and cloves except for the cinnamon and cayenne, and toast for about 3 minutes, shaking the skillet back and forth for even heating. The spices should smell warm and toasty. Remove the mixture from the pan immediately and transfer to a bowl to cool. When fully cooled, place in a spice grinder (a coffee grinder works) or mortar and pestle. Grind to a fine powder and add the cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Set aside. 

Filling

Preheat a large skillet over moderate heat. Pour in the oil and heat, then add the onions and bell pepper, and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger; saute about 2 minutes more. Add the spice blend and make sure the onions are coated with is. Add the sweet potatoes and cook for a minute or two. Cover the pan and cook for 15 more minutes, stirring frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender. (You should prepare the sauce while they are cooking.) Add the coconut milk, maple syrup, and lime juice, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. The coconut milk should be fully incorporated into the sweet potatoes. 

Sauce

Grind the cashews in a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. That's it!

Crepes

Combine the flours and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the water and olive oil. Use an electric hand mixer to blend until completely smooth (if you don't have a mixer, mix with a fork for a good solid 3 minutes). Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for 1/2 hour or so. 

Preheat your crepe pan or a nonstick skillet that is 8 inches or so across. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray or a very thin layer of olive oil. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan; tilt and rotate the pan so that the crepe batter has covered the bottom and crept up the sides of the pan just a tiny bit. When it looks like the top of the crepe has pretty much set and the corners of the crepes are just beginning to brown, flip over with a spatula and cook the other side for just under a minute. 

You can remove the crepe in one of two ways (and probably more than two but this is how I do it: (1) fold the crepe in half and then in half again, so that it's folded into a triangular shape; or (2) use a spatula to transfer the crepe to a large plate, putting a sheet of waxed paper between each crepe to keep them from sticking. You may be able to get away with not using the waxed paper if you'd like to chance it. Either way you do it, cover the plate with foil as you make the remainder of the crepes.

Assembly

There should be two crepes per plate. Place one crepe on a plate, fill with about 1/2 cup of filling and fold each side over, like a jacket. Repeat with a second crepe and drizzle with tamarind sauce. 

My notes

This is a great recipe that's hard to mess up. The most time-consuming part is cubing the sweet potatoes (use a food processor for the onion and pepper). On the spices - I use ground mustard and ground cardamom because that's what I have. I usually substitute about 1/2 tsp (a little less) ground cardamom for the 2 pods, though the Internet says that freshly ground cardamom would be better. I bought a spice grinder a bit ago to do this and it's kind of fun. And it smells really good.

The crepes are pretty with the filling and the sauce, but I really do prefer this with naan. Also, when I made the crepes the chickpea flour didn't seem to matter for the taste. Even when I used more chickpea flour and less regular flour.

And I haven't ever found 15-oz coconut milk cans. I think the ones I always find are 13 oz or something, and that's always seemed to work.