Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Roti and Cilantro Chutney

Here are the other two dishes from my awesome Indian dinner. Like I said in my last post, I had never heard of roti before. I have always had nice fluffy naan bread at Indian restaurants. But Michael said his family eats roti, which is more like a soft tortilla, so I thought I would try making them. I looked up some recipes and watched a few videos, and thought I would give it a try. I knew they were not going to come out perfect because I do not have a rolling pin and I used all purpose flour, not wheat flour like the recipes  call for. Also, since I had never had them before and do not know that much about Indian cooking, I had no frame of reference. But, being a good girlfriend, I went ahead anyways.  Michael said mine tasted right, but were too crunchy. I will try making them again, following the same recipe but actually following the method more correctly.

However, my cilantro chutney was amazing and Michael had no complaints. The aloo mattar was good on it's own, but was fantastic with this chutney.



Roti
1/2 Cup Whole wheat flour
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon of Oil

Pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon vegan butter 











In a small bowl, mix together the flour, water, and salt into a soft dough. 


Add the oil and knead together until it is no longer sticky. 


Transfer the dough to flat surface and divide into 4 round balls. 


Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with some oil. 


Roll the balls into 1/8 thick rounds. 


Ok, so I had a hard time with the following steps....


Place the rounds into the skillet and cook for a few seconds until the edges begin to curl up and bubbles begin to appear on the top. 


Flip it over until the bubble appear on this side as well. 


Flip over again and begin to press down and rotate the roti. Repeat all the way around until it puffs up and becomes golden in a few spots. 


Remove from the skillet and brush with some vegan butter. 


Repeat with the remaining rounds. 



Cilantro Chutney
1 large bunch of cilantro
1 garlic clove
2 serrano peppers, chopped
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1 tbs of salt
1 tsp garam masala 
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp of asafetida
Water, if needed


Put everything into the blender and blend until smooth.  


I was very satisfied in with this whole dinner, and can't wait to try making more Indian food...and hopefully not "white people Indian food" as Michael called it. Hope you like it too!







Sunday, March 11, 2012

Aloo Mattar

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, I've just been lazy. But I am going to make up for it with a totally awesome meal. The other day I couldn't decide what I want to make for dinner, so I asked my boyfriend. He usually says "I don't know", but this time he actually had a request! He wanted this gravy peas and potato dish his mom used to make. After some research on the internet, I found what he was talking about. This recipe is based on the one from Manjula's Kitchen called Aloo Mattar (Potatoes and Green Peas). And, he's family eats roti, which I'd never heard of before. I am used to naan bread, but I thought I would try making it. And, since I had cilantro in the fridge, I decided to make a chutney too. I will post the other two recipes later, but here is the aloo mattar for now. 


A few of the spices might take a bit of work to find, but if I can find them on the Big Island, I am sure you can too. 


Aloo Mattar

3 medium boiled potatoes
2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup frozen green peas
1 minced green chili, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon asafetida
2 tablespoons coriander 
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika 
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro 



Peal and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.  

Add them to a pot of cold water and bring to boil on the stove. Cook until soft. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

Add the onions and cook until translucent. 

Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. 

Add the frozen peas and cook until warmed. 

Add the potatoes. 

Add the minced green chili, cumin, asafetida, coriander, turmeric, paprika, turmeric, and gram masala.  Mix together well and cook until for about 10 minutes, covered, and stirring occasionally. 

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they are soft. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with some cilantro. 



It is good on it's own, but it is amazing with the cilantro chutney, which I will post tomorrow. Michael's only complaint was it is more like "white people Indian food"....my answer was "well, a white girl made it!" hahahaha.  I really suggest this dish, it's easy and so freaking good.