1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter) or combination
2 14oz cans tomatoes (I prefer one can diced, the other petite cut/diced)
1/2 medium onion, diced
5 medium cloves garlic, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 cup Planter’s cocktail peanuts
2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masaala (Indian spice blend)
2-3 tsp lemon juice
Some fresh ground black pepper, half dozen to a dozen twists of the pepper mill or so – I don’t really keep count
1-2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional, recommended)
1 carrot, diced (optional, for extra nutrition, doesn’t alter flavor)
1/4 cup moong dal (optional, adds texture and nutrition)
1-2 tsp or more cayenne powder (optional, if you need more heat ;o) )

Substitutions: You can substitute curry powder (another spice blend, not the same thing as Indian curry) for some or all of the garam masaala, maybe for the coriander powder as well (haven’t tried) but you probably shouldn’t use as much curry powder as the recipe calls for of coriander powder. Jasmine rice may substitute for basmati rice; I haven’t tried it. I tried half vegetable oil and half extra virgin olive oil (good for your health) today and it didn’t change the flavor of the final product noticeably.

Notes: 1) If you live in or near a decent sized city, you can probably find a local Indian store that carries all the Indian-specific ingredients. 2) I prefer canned tomatoes because they’re more consistently high quality than the fresh whole tomatoes you can get at a supermarket, tastier and they don’t disintegrate while cooking. 3) I usually seed the whole jalapeno, or half of it. You never know whether you’ve got a strong one or a weak one. If it’s a strong one, keeping the seeds (where most of the heat is) could make the dish too hot for you or your guests, and hard to eat. It’s better to play it safe. You can always add cayenne pepper to taste later if it’s not hot enough for you.

Penzey’s Spices is a nice store with an online website from which you can order a wide variety of common and specialty, high quality spices, baking ingredients, etc.

Recipe

1) Start boiling rice. A rice cooker or pressure cooker is easier and faster than a regular pot.

2) Dry roast the cumin seeds on medium-high heat until light brown and giving off wonderful aroma, then remove from heat and set aside. You can include them whole later (see below), but I don’t like to bite into a whole cumin seed so I use a coffee grinder to grind them to powder. Warning! Don’t use the same coffee grinder for grinding spices that you do for grinding coffee beans, or vice versa.

Optional: Moong dal. Rinse a few times. Soak in hot water for 10-15 minutes until softened enough that you can pinch them in half with your fingernail.

3) While the cumin is roasting and the moong dal soaking, dice the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and carrot (opt). Keep an eye on the cumin though. You don’t want to burn it.

4) Heat a 9-12 inch saucepan/skillet on medium-high. Put in the oil/ghee. Then add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and carrot (opt). Cook until softened and onion is golden brown. Then add in the peanuts and moong dal (opt). Cook for a few minutes more. Stir occasionally throughout. Chop the cilantro sometime while all this is cooking; don’t add yet.

5) Add the tomatoes. Lower heat to medium. Then add remaining ingredients (except rice). Cook until tomatoes are heated through, 5-10 min or so.

6) Add rice and mix well. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4-6.

Spicy Chole

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium or large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 medium tomato, chopped or 1 can (14-oz.) of chopped/diced tomatoes
6 cups cooked chickpeas or 3 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or 1/2 tablespoon if aamchur powder is used
1 tablespoon cardamom powder or raw mango (aamchur or amchoor) powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon spicy garam masala (includes cinnamon and red pepper among other things)
1/2-1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Cooking Instructions:
1) Heat oil in a large skillet.
2) Add onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. After a few minutes add the ground cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Stir frequently.
3) Take off the heat and let cool for a few minutes, then put half into a blender along with the lemon juice and half a can (or 1 cup) of chickpeas. Liquify, adding water if needed, then pour the mixture back into the skillet.
4) Put skillet back on medium-high heat. Add remaining chickpeas, tomatoes, garam masala, turmeric, cardamom (or aamchur powder), paprika, and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes or until chickpeas and tomatoes are heated and softened. Add the cilantro after about 7 minutes. Don’t dry out the sauce; add water if needed.
5) Serve with rice or Indian flat breads (such as naan). Alternatively, you can eat the chole by itself.

Note: Cardamom and aamchur powder are distinctly different in flavor. Aamchur powder is tangy and sour. Cardamom is probably easier to find in the US, though you should be able to find both in your local Indian store. Don’t use both at once in this recipe though. You can essentially get two different versions of this dish, depending on which one you use.

Tamarind Rice with Peanuts

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked sona masoori, basmati, or regular long-grain rice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup split and hulled black lentils (urad daal) (optional)
• 3-5 dried red chilies
• 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate paste
• 1 cup water, approximately
• 1 teaspoon salt (or salt to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne/red chili powder

Recipe

1. Start cooking the rice. I usually use a rice cooker.
2. Heat the oil in a large high-walled skillet or sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds. Break the dried chilies in half and add them too, seeds and all (unless you’re a wuss). Once the mustard seeds begin to pop, cover the sauce pan and wait until the popping stops.
3. As soon as the mustard seeds are ready, add the urad daal. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the peanuts. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the salt, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Stir for 30 seconds or so. Inhale that wonderful aroma.
6. While you’re doing the previous steps, or before you start cooking, dissolve the tamarind paste in approximately 1 cup of water (add more if needed). After step (5), pour the mixture into the sauce pan. Cook on medium-high for about five minutes or until the sauce is reduced (much of the water is cooked off). You should be able to run the back of your spoon through the liquid and see the bottom of the pan for a little while. Be sure to leave enough liquid to coat the rice. The purpose of this step is to cook the tamarind.
7. Take off the heat, dump the rice into the sauce pan and mix well. Enjoy!

Note: If you have a low tolerance for spicy food, or a high one!, you may want to adjust the quantity of pepper in the recipe.

Lime Rice w. Peanuts

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked basmati or regular long-grain rice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seed
• 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup dried yellow split peas (chana dal) or split and hulled black lentils (urad dal) (optional)
• 1 fresh jalapeno or 2-3 fresh Thai, serrano or cayenne chilis, chopped finely
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• Juice of 2 medium limes (1/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or salt to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne/red chili powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Substitutes: Lemons can be substituted for the limes, but keep in mind that lemon juice is somewhat sweeter than that of limes. You can also substitute cashews for the peanuts. Personally, I prefer peanuts in the recipe and eat cashews separately as a snack. The cashews seem to go better with lime.

Recipe

1. Cook the rice. I usually use a pressure cooker.
2. I prefer to grind the mustard seeds because I don’t like biting into a whole one and don’t yet have the skill or patience to cook them in oil just long enough to “pop” them. If you use whole mustard seeds, heat the oil and mustard seed in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the seeds begin to pop, cover the skillet and wait until the popping stops. If you use ground mustard seeds, see below.
3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. If you are using whole mustard seeds, follow step 2 first then do the following. Add the chopped pepper, onion, peanuts, and chana dal. If you are using ground mustard seed, add it after a few minutes. Stir-fry until onions soften and turn a golden brown.
4. Turn down the heat, add the lime/lemon juice, and then stir in the remaining ingredients.
5. Take off the heat, add the mixture to the cooked rice, and mix well. Enjoy!

Note: If you have a low tolerance for spicy food, or a high one!, you may want to adjust the quantity of pepper in the recipe.