This dish, a staple street food of the bazaars of Old Delhi, is wonderfully tart and hot. It requires two similar spice blends, one added to the browned onions and garlic, the other toward the end of the cooking time. Amchoor (powdered green mango) lends a haunting sourness. If you can’t find this ingredient, substitute the juice and pulp of a small lime (the dish is also delicious without either). You may use Hungarian paprika as a substitute for Kashmiri red pepper; either will give color but no heat.
These spicy chickpeas can be made up to two days ahead of time. In fact, their flavor improves if they are left, refrigerated, for at least 24 hours.
- 5 tb Vegetable oil
- 2 md Onions — peeled and minced
- 8 Garlic cloves — peeled and minced
- 1 tb Ground coriander seeds
- 2 ts Ground cumin seeds
- 1/4 ts Ground cayenne pepper – or more
- 1 t Ground turmeric
- 6 tb Red-ripe tomatoes — (finely chopped, skinned) – fresh or canned
- 40 oz Canned chickpeas — OR 4 1/2 c -Home-cooked chickpeas
- 2 ts Ground roasted cumin seeds
- 1 tb Ground amchoor (opt.) — OR 1 sm -Lime (juice and pulp only)
- 2 ts Kashmiri red pepper
- 1 t Garam masala
- 1/2 ts Salt (or to taste)
- 1 tb Lemon juice (or more)
- 1 Fresh hot green chili– minced
- 2 ts Fresh ginger– (very finely grated)
Heat the oil in a wide pot over a medium flame. When hot, put in the minced onions and garlic. Stir and fry until the mixture is a rich medium brown shade. Turn heat to medium low and add the coriander, cumin, (NOT the roasted cumin), cayenne, and turmeric. Stir for a few seconds. Now put in the finely chopped tomatoes. Stir for a few seconds.
Now put in the finely chopped tomatoes. Stir and fry until the tomatoes are well amalgamated with the spice mixture and brown lightly. Add the drained chickpeas and 1 cup water. Stir. Add the ground roasted cumin, amchoor, red pepper, garam masala, salt, and lemon juice. Stir again.
Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove cover and add the minced green chili and grated ginger. Stir and cook, uncovered, for another 30 seconds.
This yummy vegetarian curry recipe is excellent served over couscous or basmati rice. Don’t let the raisins scare you, they add wonderful balance to the heat of the curry. If you are a beer drinker, serve an ice cold lager such as Kingfisher beer from India.
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, chop into 1/2″ cubes
- 4 medium white potatoes (red skin are a good choice), chop into 1/2″ cubes
- 3 carrots, peel and chop into 1/2″ inch slices
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 jumbo yellow onion
- 1 red bell pepper (could substitute green), chop into 1″ pieces
- 1/2 lb. mushrooms, quartered
- 1 medium zucchini squash, slice in half vertically then chop into 1/2″ slices
- 1 medium yellow squash, slice in half vertically and chop into 1/2″ slices
- 2 large tomatoes, medium dice
- 1 large can Progresso crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans Progresso chick peas
- 1/2 c. golden seedless raisins
- 1/2 c. dark seedless raisins
- 4 Tbs. of Patak’s mild curry paste, add more if you like it hot
- 2 tsp. salt
Parboil sweet potato, white potato, and carrots until tender crisp. Drain. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Stir fry onion until pale golden color.
Add red peppers and mushrooms and stir fry until thoroughly heated. Add squash and diced tomatoes, continue to stir fry until heated. Add crushed tomatoes, chick peas, raisins, curry paste.
Bring to a simmer and add in potato carrot mixture. Add salt and continue simmering for 20-30 minutes. Add a little water if necessary. This curry is even better on the second day!
OK – so KFC is not good for you .. but it tastes OK – for a while anyway.
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup MSG (optional)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon onion salt
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups flour
Mix all ingredients together. Place chicken pieces in an egg mixture of 2 beaten eggs in 2 cups of water. Drain, then coat each piece in the flour mixture. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Finish off the chicken in a 300 F oven about 1 hour.
When the weather gets cold it’s time to fire up the stove top. This chain makes a tasty chili that warms the bones on a nippy winters day. Now that they have closed down in Adelaide it’s the only way I can pig out.
This clone recipe is easy-to-make, low-fat and delicious. And if it’s super brisk outside, you might want to add an additional tablespoon of diced jalapeno to aggressively stoke those internal flames.
1 pound ground beef
1 diced onion
1 tablespoon diced fresh jalapeno pepper
1 15-ounce can kidney beans with liquid
1 14.5-ounce can peeled diced tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
Garnish
grated cheddar cheese
diced onion
canned whole jalapeno chili peppers
1. Brown ground beef in a large saucepan over medium heat. Drain fat.
2. Add onion and pepper and saute for about two minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve one cup in a bowl with the optional cheese, diced onion and whole jalapeno garnish on top.
Makes 4 servings
It wouldn’t be my website with a few recipes 
Here’s one of my favourites to get it started
Warning – this is not for the faint-hearted – you’ve gotta love chili !!
- 5-6 dried red chiles
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp asafoetida powder
- 2 tsp black gram dal (washed urad dal), picked over and rinsed
- 1 1/2 tsp uncooked rice
- approx. 30 curry leaves
- a lemon-sized piece of tamarind pulp
- a little water
- 2 cups water
- salt to taste
For Tempering
- 2 Tbs. sesame oil
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 red chili, halved
Paste:
Place the red chiles, black peppercorns, asafoetida powder, black gram dal, and rice in a heavy frying pan or skillet. Heat through gently until the spices become fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Place in an electric blender or food processor. Add curry leaves, tamarind pulp, and very little water. Blend to a fine paste.
Dissolve the paste in 2 cups water. Add salt to taste and set aside.
Tempering:
Heat 2 Tbs sesame oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and halved red chile. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the dissolved paste, and simmer until the sambar thickens. Serve hot with rice and roasted poppadoms.
Note: This thick, spicy sambar should be eaten with more rice than is usual with other sambars.
Mix 1/4 tsp ghee or oil with the rice to help to bring out the flavor.
