Namaste

Every time a friend comes from Malaysia (hello....the "spice islands"), I have them bring me lots of spices. I literally have several pounds in my freezer. These are a few that I used in our meal today. I am especially proud of the shot above.

Our whole family ADORES Indian Food!

Christina made the Raita , a cooling yogurt condiment, to go with our Tandoori Chicken, which was actually grilled on the BBQ. We eat ours Southern Indian Style..spicy with red onion and lime. I found a really good Naan bread at Albertson's , in the bakery section, that saved me some time. And this whole meal was only 11 Weight Watchers points including 1/2 the Naan.

Malaina and I love Aloo Gobi. A very comforting dish made with Cauliflower, Tomato and Potato.

3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 baking potato cubed
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon of sugar

I heated the oil in a deep skillet. Don't use cast iron with tomatoes, it will make the food taste metallic. I added the mustard seeds and let them pop. Then I stirred in the potato and stirred for a couple of minutes.

Then I stirred in all the spices and let them fry for a few seconds to bring out their flavor. I added the tomato and cauliflower and mixed it all up well. Lastly I added the ginger, sugar and about a cup of water. Brought the water to a boil, covered, reduced the heat and simmered for about 15 minutes. Seasoned to taste.


Adapted from "The Food of India", Priya Wickramasinga and Carol Selva Rajah. The most incredible book on the cuisine I have EVER seen. (sorry Madhur Jaffrey).