A Taste of India

My wife and I love Indian cuisine. In most cases, upon checking, it is a very vegan and gluten free friendly cuisine. No matter where you may be there is likely a Indian restaurant near-by. We have found that the best are sometimes tucked away and not often visible. A hole-in-the-wall kind of place. If you are visiting, ask the locals. They will definitely know of these places.

Ghee is often, but not always used, so you will want to check. Ghee is clarified butter that is used in Indian cooking. It can sometimes be substituted when requested. A millet flour is used, also called kurakkan and it is gluten free.

There are many predominant spices in Indian food. A common spice blend is garam masala and can be any combination of these spices: cumin, black and white pepper, coriander, bay, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and star anise.

Be sure to pick up some poppadoms with your next order, a crispy lentil cracker. Ummmm. My wife's favorite. Another tasty treat are the vegetable pokora's. Which is a tempura-like battered and fried veggies. Delish.

Here's is a simple, yet tasty Dal recipe that will only take 20-30 minutes to prepare.

Red Lentil Dal

1 T olive oil

1 small yellow onion, small dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T cumin

1 T turmeric

1 t coriander

1 T chili powder

1 t ginger

1 15oz can diced tomato

1 Cup red lentils, rinsed

4 Cup water or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a sauce pot, heat oil at medium heat then and onions and cook until tender.
2. Stir in garlic and spices and cook until fragrant, stirring continuously.
3. Add tomatoes and lentils and cook for 2 minutes, then add water.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

Get yourself some Indian cuisine tonight. If you are cooking at home, pick up a package of poppadoms at the store. They are easy to make....... just fry, salt and serve.

Enjoy.

Vegan Chef Period.