I hate to start a conversation like this: Why is there no good Indian food delivery in Capitol Hill? And I hate it even more when a conversation takes this turn because it sounds so whiny: When I lived in San Francisco there was…Indian food. Just 1 phone call plus 10 minutes away! I can’t help but long for San Francisco though, when I think of times I was deliriously tired with a 2 year old and a new born and wasn’t up to hauling out my mortar and pestle and standing in the kitchen cooking for hours. Star India was there. Ten minutes after I called I would have 3 or 4 paper bags with pakoras and samosas, raita, naan, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, aloo gobi and these wickedly spicy chickpeas with ginger that my newborn (who is now 7) probably still hasn’t totally forgiven me for eating.
Fortunately, I love making Indian food myself – when I’m not wiped out from parenting. I have this pal in San Francisco, and we used to get together and make our own garam masala and all kinds of other things that would have friends who are actually Indian in stitches and wonder. Why would you make that yourself?! Well…it’s really really fun.
I have even less time now, three kids, a wiggly puppy, a mountain of laundry, all those other meals I’m in charge of, there isn’t time to make elaborate Indian meals on a whim. And, there isn’t any delivery. Not in my neighborhood anyway. Sometimes I need an Indian food fix mid-week. Now, I’ve found a recipe which may not be authentic, but is very satisfying. What it lacks in nuance, it more than makes up for with how easy it is to throw together. Combined with a few sides that are quick (one is from my old Madhur Jaffrey book, Indian Cooking
Mid-Week Indian Menu in 45 Minutes
Chicken Curry
Gujerati Style Green Beans with Black Mustard Seeds Or Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin and Coriander
Basmati Rice
Work Plan: Cauliflower Variation
The plan may seem complicated at first. Don’t give up on this menu! The second time around it will be a LOT easier.
- clean and cut up cauliflower, toss with olive oil and spices
- make the curry spice paste, slice the onion and begin to cook
- Start the rice
- Pop cauliflower in the oven
- Add the yogurt to the curry and continue simmering
- Remove foil from cauliflower
- Add chicken to curry
- Flip cauliflower
Chicken Curry – 20 minutes prep. 25 minutes on the stove
The recipe comes from The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper
Curry Paste
- 1 large onion cut in half
- 6 fat garlic cloves
- 3″ fresh ginger, peeled
- 1/2 tbsp excellent yellow curry powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1-2 jalapenos, stemmed and seeds removed if you like it less hot
- 1/2 cup water
Chicken
- Vegetable oil
- 2 cups whole milk yogurt
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, in 1″ pieces
- 1/3 cup water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp minced cilantro leaves
- In the food processor, puree one of the onion halves, garlic, ginger, curry powder, salt, cinnamon, tomatoes, jalapeno, and the 1/2 cup of water.
- Slice the remaining half onion thinly. Film the bottom of a 12″ heavy bottomed sauté pan with vegetable oil and heat it over medium high heat until it shimmers. Add onion and sauté until lightly colored. Add the purée and reduce the heat to medium. Sauté for 10 minutes. Don’t skimp.
- Blend 2/3 cup yogurt into the sauce and simmer again, scraping the bottom of the pan until thick – 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken, adding remaining yogurt and 1/3 cup water. Slowly simmer, uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Because you are using breast meat there is less margin for overcooking. Do check carefully to see it is done and then remove to a serving bowl.
- Raise the heat on the sauce and boil it down until quite thick. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro. (I had time in the morning to make this and none at night. When the chicken was done, I cooled it as the sauce reduced. I reheated the sauce at dinnertime adding the chicken for 3 minutes just before serving. The time in the fridge allowed the flavors to blossom.)
Roast Cauliflower
- a two pound head of cauliflower
- 3 tbsp mild olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp powdered dry coriander
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 475 F
- Trim off leaves of cauliflower. Cut head into 1″ – 1 1/2″ florets.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and pour olive oil onto sheet. Toss florets with oil directly on sheet. sprinkle with spices and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover cauliflower with another sheet of foil and place in oven on rack set in lowest position
- Cook 10 minutes and remove foil.
- Cook a further 8-10 minutes and then, using tongs, flip over each floret.
- Cook another 8-10 minutes.
Basmati Rice
This is hardly a recipe, just a method for those pressed for time. In her book Classic Indian Cooking
Gujerati Style Green Beans
I have served these beans with so many meals. They’re great with grilled chicken, tandoori chicken, steak and potatoes. I have also substituted broccoli (ok – maybe that was not so great).
- 1 lb. frozen haricot vert, defrosted under hot running water and dried
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Freshly ground pepper
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. When shimmering, put in the mustard seeds.
- As soon as the seeds begin to pop (you’ll hear it!) put in the garlic. Stir the garlic until it just begins to brown.
- Add the chile flakes – stir a few seconds.
- Add the beans , salt and sugar. Stir and turn down the heat. Cook for 3 – 5 more minutes.
- Add black pepper and serve.