Ingredients:

3 desert spoons of vegetable oil

2 small onions

3 cloves of garlic

2 chillies (one red, one green)

1 large piece of peeled fresh ginger

200g rinsed and drained puy lentils

400g of chopped fresh tomatoes (about 4 medium salad tomatoes)

1tsp of crushed chillies, ground cumin, ground coriander and aromatic salt

cold water

Recipe:

finely chop the onions, garlic, chillies and ginger and fry gently in a saucepan for 5 – 10 minutes with the vegetable oil, stirring occasionally until they smell lovely and aromatic.  

I really love using bright colours in my cooking

Once everything’s sizzling nicely, add the spices to the pan and coat the vegetables evenly with them, allowing them to fry for a further 2 – 3 minutes before adding the washed puy lentils to the saucepan.

The lentils will expand and soak up all of the lovely juices once you've added the water

Once you’ve added the lentils, cover with just enough cold water to cover them (perhaps even a little less)  - don’t worry if you add too much, I often find it quite difficult to judge. Simply spoon some out at the time or later on if the mixture is too juicy!  Add the chopped tomatoes immediately after and bring to a gentle simmer, leaving to bubble for around half an hour (checking at ten minute intervals thereafter) until the lentils absorb the liquid and become soft.  If the curry becomes dry at any point, simply add more water (in small amounts) until you’ve achieved the desired consistency.  Serve with chicken drumsticks and chutneys :)

It really does give you a kick :)

This is such an easy, delicious recipe. And healthy too! It is from the Everyday Food magazine. In the recipe it uses only one pot – a dutch oven or other heavy metal pot that you can use on the stove and then stick in the oven. I don’t have one, so I used a pot on the stove to do the browning and then transferred everything to a 9×13 casserole pan for the oven. The recipe in the magazine also called for heavy cream, and I substituted half and half.

Curried Cauliflower Rice

adapted from Everyday Food Magazine / October 2011

4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into 1 1/2 pieces
salt and pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
2 cups of basmati rice
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 3/4 cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup half and half
chopped cilantro

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium high. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring frequently, until browned in spots. This might need to be done in batches. Transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 teaspoons of oil and onions to pot; cook, stirring occasionally , until onion is translucent, 5 minutes. Add rice, curry powder, and chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until rice is coated, about 2 minutes. Add broth and cream and bring to a boil. Scatter cauliflower over the top (do not stir to combine) Cover and bake until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes (this took me twice as long…I have issues with rice, though). Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Mmmm...curry. It just makes life worth living.

Now that I’m back in California, I miss what London does so well: Indian curry. I had the best place near me in Battersea that I used to order from all the time. All the time. How often? Let’s just say I received a Christmas card from them…

There’s an Indian restaurant a half a block from my house. I never go there because it is not authentic. The weird thing is that the owners also own Nina’s Anglo-Indian Grocery in El Toro, where the food is quite good. Weird. I think this one is trying to appeal to the American palate too much. But never mind.

The Husband loves it when I start toasting up the spices and making curry. He loves anything with a ton of garlic in it, like me, so curry always works for us. It can be a little labor intensive with all the prep and chopping, but once you’ve done that, it goes pretty quick.

You can use plain rice with this, but I’ll also include a recipe for a simple rice and a pilau rice. If you need any of the spices listed here, head to Nina’s or another ethnic grocery, where they’ll be much cheaper than buying the little jars at the store.

I’m starting you all off with a mild curry—for those of you who like it hot, throw more chili in there. And for those who don’t like spice, don’t omit the chilis I have here. Really, there will be no burning of the mouth. I promise.

For the vegetarians/vegans out there, just omit the chicken and add more mushrooms and maybe throw in some chickpeas. Some eggplant would be nice too.

Chicken Curry
(This makes plenty for four people, or two meals for two)

For the paste:

2-inch piece of fresh ginger*
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 a large tomato, or 6 cherry tomatoes

Purée in a blender or in a small container with a stick blender. Add a little water if necessary, but not too much. It should be a thick paste.

Spices:

2 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp cumin**
1 Tbsp ground coriander seed**
2 tsp dried methi/fenugreek leaves‡
3 Tbls fresh cilantro
A pinch of cumin seeds
A pinch of coriander seeds
Ground black pepper to taste
Sea salt

Curry ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks (organic, hormone free and free-range, please!)
1 large red, yellow or orange bell pepper
1 brown onion, chopped into chunks
10-12 cremini mushrooms, cleaned, and halved if large
1 red jalapeño chili
1 serrano chili
Coconut oil, or grapeseed oil. Or use ghee if you can find it (and aren’t vegan).

I would highly recommend doing all the prep—chopping, measuring, puréeing—before you start. I know it makes you look like you’re pretending to be on a cooking show, but you’ll realize there’s a reason why all chefs do it—it works and makes your life easier. There’s nothing worse than scrambling for something at a critical point in cooking.

Getting the ingredients prepped in the tiny kitchen.

So here we go. Get a large pan (I use my large Le Creuset, shown above) hot and add some of your chosen oil. Once that’s hot, throw in your purée. And stand back–this will splatter. Stir it around for a few minutes until it starts going a little golden, then throw in your onion chunks and your chilis. Stir for about two minutes, then add the bell pepper.

Stir for about another two minutes, then add the whole cumin and coriander seeds and cook for another minute. (See how fast this is going? That’s why we prepped.) Add the chicken, stir and cook for about a minute.

Add the turmeric and the fenugreek, if you have it. Cook for another two minutes, then add the ground cumin and coriander. Stir until mixed well, adding a little water or oil if it’s really thick.

Add the mushrooms and the fresh cilantro, and cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through. (If I have a little leftover coconut cream or milk in the fridge, I add it now.) Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve over plain rice or one of the two described below.

Easy Rice that Looks Fancy

When you boil the water to put the rice in, add a stock cube or a teaspoon of “Better than Bouillon”. I love mushroom stock for this. Cook the rice as normal. Right as it’s finished cooking and you’re just leaving it there to soak up the last of the stock, add about a half-cup of chopped cilantro per cup of dry rice. Stir. That’s it. Your guests will love it and think you slaved over it. Nice!

Pilau Rice

1 cup basmati rice, washed and drained
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
2-inches cinnamon stick (use a pinch of ground cinnamon if you don’t have a stick)
3 green cardamom pods
1 bayleaf
Ghee, butter, coconut oil or grapeseed oil

Melt the fat/oil in a Le Creuset pot with lid, or similar. I prefer cooking rice in a cast-iron pot, but it’s not necessary. Add the spices, stir, and when they start crackling, add the onion. Sauté the onion until it starts to get golden.

Add the rice and sauté for two minutes, carefully. If there’s still water on the rice, there will be quite a bit of spitting and noise from the hot oil. Carefully add two cups of water to the pan, and stir. Cover with a tight lid and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to as low as possible. Check after 15 minutes; if the water is absorbed, you’re done. Let cook longer if the water’s not absorbed.

I use a cast-iron pan because you can turn it off right before all the water is absorbed and it will continue cooking without you having to worry about it, and you can finish off your curry.

* I keep my leftover ginger in the freezer. It keeps forever and it’s so easy to peel and grate when frozen.

**I really, really recommend getting whole seeds, toasting them in a dry pan until fragrant and a little brown, then grinding them in a mortar and pestle or an old coffee grinder. Do make sure there’s not coffee grinds in it still. If you can’t be bothered, it’ll be your loss because your curry won’t be as good using pre-ground. But if you must, you must.

‡If you can’t find this, don’t stress about it. It doesn’t affect the flavor that much.

If you’re looking for a mild curry, and you’re vegetarian, look no further than Thai Cafe.  This little pearl of a place doesn’t get the credit it deserves.  Just at the tip of Main Street in Miami Lakes, on the way out to the Palmetto, lies a discovery of tastes waiting to happen.  Thai Cafe serves up a scrumptious meal including: Thai fried rice and Tofu Curry with Vegetables.  The sauce is the perfect thickness, the curry is so mild you can enjoy spoonful after spoonful without having to pick up a glass of water. Their service is friendly but not overwhelming, the prices are about average for the area; between $8.50 and $15 for lunch and you don’t have to wait in line for a seat.  Make sure you try their Thai Iced tea, it’s a perfect addition to your meal.

Four carrots!

For more information on this restaurant, go to http://www.thaicafemiamilakes.com/

Despite my profound linguistic limitations, there are many things I have become pretty comfortable with doing in Bangkok.  I’ll jump into a cab and muddle through with directions.  I’ll even go most cafes feeling certain that, at the least, I’ll be able to order fried rice and a glass of water.

Most of the time, if I’m feeling brave, I’ll walk up to a vendor on the street and use what vocabulary I can, pull out some vigorous hand gestures and a big smile, and manage to get what I need.  There has been one exception that I have, for some reason, avoided until today.

A few months ago I took a cooking class where we went to a beautiful market to buy fresh produce.  We bought one ingredient from a vendor in that market that I have thought about since – fresh coconut milk.

Now, it’s not impossible to find fresh coconut milk in other places…this is Thailand, after all.  But this coconut milk was the best I’ve ever tasted.  The women who made it put whole coconuts into a shiny metal machine that grounded them into a pulp.  The pulp came out one side and was then pressed, on the spot, into the most rich, sweet, fresh coconut milk I’ve had.

Today I went back to the market to get some of that delicious milk for dinner.

It was a disaster….

I think I have it made when I see bags of the milk already in a row on the counter.  I point to a bag, ask for one of “those”, and figure I’m all set.  Not so.  Out comes a series of lengthy questions from the vendor.  (I’m in trouble.)  I give her a puzzled look, smile, point to the bags, and again say  ”I’ll have one of those”.  She holds up two sizes of bags, and asks another question.  (I am panicking at this point, thus forgetting what little Thai I know).  I point to the smaller one.  She puts them both on a scale, and asks me another question.  I point to the small bag again.  Big smile.  She asks if I speak Thai.  (I debate turning and running home.)  ”I’m studying the Thai language,” I manage to say.  She appears confused, but holds up the small bag.  I nod effusively and hold out 100 Baht.  This seems to seal the transaction.  She gives me change and hands me the bag.  (I breath a sigh of relief and contemplate using canned coconut milk from this point forward.)

Gathering this key ingredient for tonight’s dinner could probably only have felt more daunting if I had shimmied up a tree and knocked down the coconuts myself.

potato curry with mango and basil
adapted, slightly, from Self, May 2008 

-Ingredients-

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp curry powder
1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups light coconut milk
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 cups chickpeas
1 mango, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 Ttbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. sriracha
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

steamed rice, for serving

Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potato and onion and cook until onions become soft, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add coconut milk and reduce heat to a low simmer.  Simmer until potatoes become tender, about 5 minutes.  (Add a bit of water if the coconut milk reduces down and is no longer covering the potatoes.)

Add bell pepper, chickpeas, mango, fish sauce, siracha, and sugar, stirring to combine.  Simmer for 2 minutes longer.  Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil.  Serve immediately.

My housemates and my intake of salt is getting a bit ridiculous. I got told off at a restaurant the other day for asking for salt before I had even tried the dish (woops). Whilst reconsidering my need to consume this delicious flavour enhancer, I realised that I never use salt when cooking Indian or Moroccan dishes. Spices are the essence of these dishes and provide so much flavour and fullness to a meal, that apart from herb garnishes, no condiments are needed.

My favourite spice of the moment is Turmeric. Turmeric is as common in India as salt or pepper is for us. Not only does this vibrant, orange spice make your food taste wonderfully alive, it also has amazing medicinal effects. Traditionally in Hindu medicine, turmeric was used to treat sprains and swelling and modern medicine uses it today due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In fact, scientists now believe it may contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease with the elderly Indian population having one of the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s in the world.

If spices such as Turmeric can provide such amazing flavour as well as produce positive health benefits, I think we would all be better off incorporating it more into our cooking. I adapted the below recipe from an Indian cook book that one of my lovely colleagues in Mumbai sent me. It’s serious spice time!

Turmeric infused pumpkin and spinach curry
(Preparing time: 10 min, cooking time: 30 min)

Ingredients

Vegetable oil or ghee
1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (not ground)
1 ½ teaspoons of chilli powder
1 teaspoon of turmeric
2 teaspoons of ground coriander
2 teaspoons of amchoor*
2-3 green chillies, de-seeded and sliced
Half a pumpkin, chopped into cubes
1 teaspoon of sugar
3-4 big spinach leaves, sliced finely 

Garnish with sliced green chillies and coriander

Serve with rice (I mixed in a small spoon of turmeric which produced this amazing yellow colour)

*Amchoor is a mango powder made from raw green mangos. I am sure you could find this from specialty shops however I just substituted with the juice of 2 limes which provided a lovely subtle tart flavour to the curry.

Method

Pour a large lug of vegetable oil or ghee into a thick bottomed pan and add the fenugreek and cumin seeds. Fry for approximately 4-5 minutes until the seeds start popping. Add the remaining spices and cook for a further 5-6 minutes – you should be able to see and smell a curry like paste forming in your pot.

After this time, add the chillies and pumpkin and stir so that the paste coats all of the pumpkin. Place the lid on the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes. During this time, keep on stirring the dish and add small amounts of hot water if the paste is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the pumpkin is almost cooked, add the spinach and place the lid back on for 2 minutes.

Once cooked, garnish with sliced green chillies and coriander on top a bed of yellow rice. Enjoy!

1 large red onion, peeled and thickly sliced

1 large orange-fleshed kumara (sweet potato), peeled and diced

1/2 a cauliflower or 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

1 cup water or vegetable stock

1 green or red capsicum, diced

400 g tin of kidney or butter beans (I prefer the butter beans)

400 g jar of curry sauce – or you could make your own (I do – here it is)

1 cup plain unsweetened Greek yoghurt

***

1. Cook the onion in a dash (that sounds so professional don’t you think?) of oil in a large lidded frypan for 5 minutes over a low heat until it begins to soften.

2. Add the kumera (sweet potato), cauliflower/broccoli, and water/stock.

3. Bring to the boil and cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Stir the capsicum, beans (drain well first), and curry sauce into the mixture.

5. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

6. Stir in the yoghurt, heat, being careful NOT to boil it.

7. Perfect as a dish on its own or you can pour it over rice.

This recipe will serve 4 people.

It freezes great – so for those of us cooking for one, divide into four servings.

Then you can reach for it on a lazy day – sounds great to me !!!

My kids have asked me to compile a cookbook which they can take with them when they leave home (sob!) and this recipe uses all those left over bits of veg from the bottom of the fridge so it doesn’t cost much and is packed with protein and teen friendly yumminess with the beans and curry powder. Plus, it is dead easy to make!

Serves 4 (or 2 teenage boys!)

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 – 2 cloves garlic crushed

1 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and chopped finely

500g waxy potatoes unpeeled and chopped into large chunks (the kind of potatoes which don’t go to mush, I usually use charlottes)

300g carrots sliced

1 tin baked beans

1/2 – 1 pint of vegetable stock (If you make it with Marmite they will get their vitamin B12)

Curry powder of your choice, to taste

Plus any combination of the following, or all of them, or none of them!

- 4 or 5 left over cabbage leaves, chopped

- large handful of frozen peas

- 2 squares of frozen spinach (Sainsburys sell spinach frozen in little cubes and I throw them into SO many dishes!)

- 1/4-1/2 a small cauliflower broken into florets

- those last 5 green beans (French, dwarf or runner) that are hanging about thinking about going a bit limp, sliced

- a parsnip/swede/turnip/sweet potato peeled and chopped

- anything else you can find lurking in the veg drawer!

Method

Fry the onion in vegetable oil until just beginning to brown. Add the garlic, ginger, potatoes, carrots, curry powder and any other root veg you are using and stir until the veg are covered with the curry powder. Don’t let the garlic burn add a bit more oil and turn the heat down low or off completely if necessary.

Pour in enough stock to cover the veg and cover. Simmer for 10 mins, then add any other veg you  have chosen fresh or frozen.

Cook for a further 10 mins with the lid off until the veg are tender and most of the stock has evaporated.

Add the baked beans and heat through.

Serve with boiled rice or naan bread and some sweet chutney. Mine like a generous handful of grated cheddar on top too.

For more Meat Free Monday ideas do check out

and

Now, this plate looks nice, with 2 vegetable dishes and chapathis (an Indian bread). The chapathi recipe is my mother’s secret, and thus I cannot divulge it, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find many good recipes online if you Google it. No, I’m serious. To eat with the chapathi, I made Green Pepper curry, the recipe for which will come another day, and Green Plantain Curry.

Star Market is full of green plantains, which means, everyone upon reading this recipe, should go buy some plantains and make this dish.

Green Plantain Curry (Approx. 5 servings)

• 2 large Green Plantains, diced into cubes
• Dry Coconut
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1 inch Ginger root
• 1 tsp. Chilli powder
• Salt, lemon/lime
• Brown Sugar
• Curry leaves & coriander

Frying Ingredients*

• Olive Oil (Coconut Oil if you want to be more authentic)
• 1 tsp. Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. Urad Daal (available at Shaws sometimes, definitely available at Allston Market or Shalimar in Central Sq.)
• Pinch of Asafoetida Powder

1. Make masala (powder) from dry coconut, brown sugar, garlic, ginger & chilli powder in a blender.
2. Cut plantains into cubes after pressure cooking with skin on in, cut in halves, in a bowl of water.
3. Put a generous amount of oil in a pan on low flame, and wait for the oil to heat up.
4. Add frying ingredients and curry leaves, and wait for the mustard seeds to start sputtering/popping.
5. Then, add plantains, coating all of it with oil
6. Once the plantains have been cooked, turn off the stove if it is electric. (If it is gas, leave it on).
7. Add the masala and mix thoroughly so all the plantains are coated.
8. Remove from flame, add salt, lemon, & coriander.

Serve with chapathis or jasmine rice. Enjoy!

*I specified frying ingredients so in the future, when I reference it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Here’s my recipe… (4 people)

1 yellow onion, halved and thickly sliced

2 carrots, thickly sliced

2 glug sunflower oil

1 red chilli roughly sliced (I include the seeds)

1 large piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large tsp Madras curry powder

1.5 tsp turmeric

1 tsp black onion seeds/Nigella seeds

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

4 heaped tbsp ground almonds

A good handful of sultanas and whole almonds

1 small cauliflower, broken into florets

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk (Waitrose Essential is really creamy)

20 frozen peas

Juice of ½ a lemon

A small bunch of coriander roughly chopped

Salt & black pepper

2 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut, lightly toasted

In a heavy weight pan or small casserole dish, sweat the onion and carrot over low heat in the oil for 15 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally (they should not brown).

Blitz the chilli, ginger and garlic to a paste in a food processor (I use a handheld one). Add the paste into the onions along with all the spices. After another five minutes, season with salt & black pepper, add the sweet potato chunks and the ground almonds and mix well so that everything is well coated.

Turn the heat up a bit and stir in 500ml of water and the sultanas & whole almonds. Bring to a simmer and leave it to bubble gently for 10-15 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally.

Add the cauliflower florets and the coconut milk and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, covered. Check that the sweet potato and cauliflower are both cooked, turn the heat off and stir in the peas.

It might need more salt as it’s quite sweet otherwise, plus the lemon juice, chopped coriander and toasted desiccated coconut to finish it off right.

Pumpkin, Swede and Red Lentil Curry

What you will need…

• 1/2 cup of cooked swede
• 1/2 cup of cooked pumpkin
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 inch of ginger grated
• 1/2 cup of lentils
• 1 can of tinned canellini beans
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of hot madras powder
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 tsp of mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes
• 2 tbsps of tomato puree
• 200 ml of vegetable stock

First fry off the onion in some canola oil until softened.  Stir in the garlic and ginger and add the spices.  Cook for a few minutes on a low heat and keep stirring in the spices so that they do not burn.  Add the swede and the pumpkin and stir in the tomato puree.  Next add the stock, red lentils and the cannelini beans.  Allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and the sauce has reduced. If the curry sauce has reduced but the lentils are not cooked, just add a little more stock.

Bon Appetite!

I adore the way they are stacked in the Indian grocers, mounds and mounds of ladies fingers. I’ve always found that name so off-putting. Long green bullets being bent and scraped by scanning, analytical grocery shoppers. I’m always amused by the conversations around okra stands…people run their fingers like pensive ploughs over and through them, tutting and clicking their tongues; a distinct sign that they are unimpressed. Not woody, not browned. Green and slender, that’s how they should be…that’s what they’re discussing, scattered amongst talk of daughter-in-laws and mother-in-laws.
 
I’ve experienced okra diversely, cooked in soups, Gujarati yogurt soups (kadhi), African stews, American-style breaded and fried, stir fried with sugar and then there’s the shredded and fried variety as found in Mumbai. I’ve tasted them in a ratatouille and also stir fried in soy sauce and chili. Nevertheless, one of the okra recipes that sits closest to my heart is this one.
 
Although the traditional recipe calls for the stuffing being bound with oil, I simply can’t bring myself to do it. My father and I have regular enthused discussions about this. He buys into the idea and will go along with it, but pushes my version of this stuffing, which is slightly stickier, in my direction… “You do it”. So here is how I do it;

Ingredients

250g of okra
6 tbsp of gram flour
2 tbsp of corriander powder and 1 tsp of cumin powder
salt to taste
3 tsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
2tbsp of water for the stuffing and 1/2 cup hot water for the curry base.
Chili powder to taste, I use about 2 tsp
1/2 can of plum peeled tomatoes
1-2 chilies
2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
 
Method
 
1. Wash the okra and dry them individually with kitchen paper and then leave the to stand and dry completely.  This will help to avoid that gunky texture.
2. Toast the gram flour gently for about 1-2 minutes, but dont let the gram flour burn
3. Combine the gram flour, cumin powder, corriander powder, salt and turmeric and mix thoroughly
4. Add the oil, lemon juice and water to the spices mix and form a dough.
5. When the okra are dry, create a slit vertically from top to tail in the centre of the okra but avoid touching the bottom and top tips. 
6. Stuff them each generously and close them firmly.
7. In a deep set pan, heat a splash of oil and add the mustard seeds and allow them to pop.  Stir in the chopped garlic and chili and saute until golden, before mixing in the tomato and salt. Bring this to a simmer and then place the okra in gently.
8. Coat the okra with the mixture gently and simmer on a low flame for about 5 minutes before adding 1/2 cup of hot water.  Bring to a simmer again and cook on a medium flame until the okra are soft enough to pierce all the way through.  This should take about 15 minutes.
 
I suggest devouring these okra with lots of natural yogurt of raitha and hot buttery chappati’s or naan bread. 

1. Wash two medium caulifowers. Cut out core. Cut into flowerets.

Boil a little water in a pot and steam the cauliflower flowerets in that water for about 10mins.

Test to see if the cauliflower is tender with a knife (the flowerets shouldn’t be too soft otherwise it will turn into a mush). Drain in a colander.

2.  The Chaunce (masala/braise)

Heat 2 tablespoons (tbsp) ghee/oil in a frying-pan at medium-high heat. Add 1 heaped teaspoon (tsp) of mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add 4 curry leaves, 3 medium cinnamon sticks and 1 tbsp grated ginger. Stir together. Then add 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 a tsp hing and 1/2 a tsp kalonji (nigella) seeds. Add two cups/500ml amasi or yoghurt. Add 1 heaped tsp turmeric/haldi powder and 1 tbsp of salt. Stir, again.

3.  Add steamed cauliflowers to the chaunce and cook on medium heat for 5mins (to draw the flavours out).

4.  Make an offering to Krishna.