indian cuisine by jac and gil

let me start by letting you all know of a new weekly posting by jac and gil (jill). each week my friend jac from devourthis and i are getting together to make a gluten-free meal together then post about our results. perhaps it was beginner's luck, but this week was a success! read on....

so jac and i put ourselves up to a challenge. the first part was easy: go to the gym or skip and make dinner? we conquered that hurdle--we went home with gym bags in hand, and started on planning our meal. due to some recent mouth pain, (my dear friend jac has decided to get braces; any former braces wearers must remember that pain?!) the challenge was trying to find a palatable dish that was soft and appealing. of course i offered up the idea of various forms of mashed potatoes, a chart-topper on my list of comfort foods. but after a week of pasta combos, and even skipped meals for jac, i think it was time for some substance, and taste. additionally i had a craving for vegetable pakoras, which i convinced jac (who originally dismissed my suggestion) that we could make soft instead of crunchy. i know this is not exactly truthful, but i am a ruthless campaigner and now had the salty taste of pakoras in my mind. by the time we walked back to jac's house, we had pretty much settled on indian food. there was one catch-- where would we find chickpea flour? without hesitation i called our local organic, health food store, basic, and sure enough found besan (chickpea flour). with that confirmation jac was off and running on the main dish, as she is the much more senior (and talented) chef of the two. coincidentally, she had found an indian recipe months back that she had been meaning to try, so we rose to the challenge. we read her recipe for easy chickpea and spinach curry and of course, altered to our liking and ingredient options. we did the same for the pakoras. i find it easier to find recipes that are intriguing as a foundation, and then alter them to my dietary needs or ingredient options. flexibility is key. epicurious is a great place to start.

our pakoras called for deep-frying, but we chose to pan fry instead, and were pretty happy with the results. the recipe was very quick and easy. essentially all i needed to do was combine chickpea flour, some oil, salt, cumin and water and throw it in the food processor until it got smooth and fluffy (about 4 to 5 minutes in the food processor). then i set it aside at a warm temperature, which was for us the kitchen temperature— a comfortable 90 degrees this ridiculously hot and humid day. i can’t believe we ventured to cook during an east coast heat wave in a non-air conditioned kitchen, while there were plenty of indian options just minutes away. but, as i said… it was a challenge. part me was holding out for the suggestion of eating out, but jac is always up for cooking, so i kept the idle chatter in my mind quiet and got back to the pakoras. next we chose vegetables that we thought would taste good and remain somewhat mushy. we went with onions, spinach, and peas. i went a little crazy with the chopping, and i think the onions were diced too thin and small. i prefer longer strands of onions in pakoras for texture and appearance. i would change that next round. i also followed the suggested amount of salt from the original recipe, which i found too salty. so, i have adjusted the amount of salt in the recipe below. after the veggies were chopped, i mixed them into the chickpea batter, and they were ready to be fried.

while i was working on the pakoras, jac was busy making the main dish. she used a combination of fresh and frozen spinach, again because that is what was in the house, diced tomatoes, and chickpeas. the original recipe called for a slow cooker and dried chickpeas, but we made this on the stovetop and used canned chickpeas, and it turned out great. jac added indian spices to the dish and let the meal stew on the stove until it became a soft texture, the perfect consistency. surprisingly, this meal was easy to make and actually very healthy. the end product was better than we imagined. the pakoras were so tasty, and yes, a bit crispy on the outside, but soft enough inside and so flavorful that even jac enjoyed the appetizers. the main course was also extremely flavorful and just a perfect blend of spices. we put it over a combination of rices, jasmine, wild, and brown. we were not equipped with those wonderful indian sauces that come along with most indian fares at restaurants, but we did use tangy mango chutney to compliment the dish. nice work jac, this was exactly what i was craving.

check out devourthis. for more exciting dishes by jac.
(recipes below taken from devourthis.typepad.com)
easy chickpea and spinach curry
adapted from epicurious
serves 6

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala (you can buy this spice mix premade.)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
peas, (just a handful for garnish)

just throw everything in a large pot, stir, and cook over medium heat anywhere from 15 min. (to heat everything through) to 40 min. (to let flavors meld more thoroughly). stir occasionally. enjoy over basmati rice.

breezy vegetable pakoras
adapted from indiaforvistors.com
makes 12-15 pakoras

1 cup chickpea flour
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt ( stick with 1 teaspoon; i used a little more and it was on the salty side)
1/2 cup water
1/2 onion, diced
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
3/4 cup canola oil

accompaniment: mango chutney (for spice, stir in crushed red pepper flakes!)

in a medium bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients then beat in a blender or food processor 2 to 3 minutes to incorporate air. let the batter rest for 30 minutes in a warm place (like jac’s kitchen). add the vegetables and mix in evenly. in a large sauté pan, heat the cup of canola oil until a drop of batter sizzles upon impact. with two spoons, form small, thin patty shapes with the very wet batter and gently drop into the oil. be careful not to crowd the pan. cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. drain on paper towel.