Indian Food Monday, April 21, 2008

After my Panir class i got an itch to make Indian food. I have never cooked real Indian food before and have only eaten it a handful of times. My best memory was from a little dive in Verdun Quebec that my cousins took me to. The thought of that food still makes me salivate.

I tried that great recipe with Paneer, peas, mint and tomatos that Patrick gave me and then i tried a cauliflower korma dish.  As i was toasting spices and dicing chilis and making powders and pastes and sauces, i thought, this is so far outside my realm i honestly have no idea what i am doing…but i continued on and hoped to god i was making enough food.

Long story short, the food was incredible! The korma was my absolute favorite and i cant wait to make that again and again. The combinations of spices and pastes were so complex and fresh, i can still taste them. I also think they are permanently seared into my nose from getting to close to the roasting pans. That smoke has to have some magical healing powers to it.

I think this Korma with the tang of the mint tomato sauce on the Paneer was a perfect combination.

Here is my Korma recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as i do. I also recommend that you make all your own Masalas. The aromas from the spices is too good to pass up

Cauliflower Korma

PREPARATION AND COOKING TIME: 50-60 minutes YIELD: enough for 4-6 persons

1 cup blanched almonds
1 tablespoon anise seeds
one 10cm cinnamon stick
6 cloves
4 cardamom pods
5 small green chilies, seeded
one 1.5cm cube peeled fresh ginger
1 cup yogurt
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons ghee or oil
1 large firm cauliflower, about 1kg, cut into 16 large pieces

Dry-roast the almonds on a tray in a moderate oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and allow them to cool. Grind the almonds to a fine powder in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Set the powder aside.

Set a heavy frying pan over low to moderate heat. When the pan is hot, sprinkle in the aniseed, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, and dry roast the spices for 3-5 minutes or until they darken a few shades and give off a strong aroma. Grind the spices to a fine powder in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Set aside.

Place the green chilies and ginger in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until finely chopped. Add the yogurt, the salt, sugar, the powdered almonds and 1 cup cold water. Process to a smooth, saucy paste. Add the ground, roasted spices. Process a little more and then remove the paste and set it aside.

Heat the ghee in a heavy 5-litre/quart, preferably non-stick, saucepan over moderate heat. Drop in the cauliflower pieces and stir-fry them for 5 minutes or until they soak up the ghee and become golden on their extremities.

Pour in the paste and stir to mix. Increase the heat, bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low. You may need to add more water as the sauce thickens. Cook for 25-30 minutes, partly covered, stirring often or until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency and the cauliflower is tender but not falling apart. Serve hot.