Incredible Indian Potato Pie

On these cold winter nights, comfort food is essential for survival and feeling good.  Thank you very much to Mom who sampled this recipe and sent it to me.  My bestie, Lori, and I whipped this up on a chilly Saturday night in Austin and we couldn't stop eating it.  The original recipe can be found at:  http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1039649/indian-potato-pie.  You can easily modify it and add more tasty ingredients.

Preheat oven to 375F.
Cook 1 large russet potato and 2 large sweet potatoes until soft:  boil or microwave.

Saute in a pan with some olive oil:
1 onion
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 garlic cloves
1 red chili pepper
1 thumb sized piece of chopped ginger
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
cooked potatoes, chopped into large chunks

Add in some water (1 cup) and 1 cup frozen peas.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer while you prepare the pastry.

Line a pie pan with sheets of filo dough brushed with butter (approximately 14 sheets).  Scoop potato mixture into the pan.  Cover with sheets of filo dough brushed with butter (14 sheets).  Tuck the edges of the top and bottom sheets together.  Poke several slits into the top of the pastry, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is browned and flaky.

Served here with some sauteed cabbage.  Awesome pie, made by some awesome girls, who had an awesome weekend : )

Darling Dal

Ever heard of dal?  Dal is the Indian name for any member of the legume family- chickpeas, split peas, beans and lentils.  When you order dal at an Indian restaurant, what you're asking for is spiced or seasoned legumes.  I've made dal about a dozen different ways- depending on the legume available and the ingredients in the house.  Here's Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant's recipe made with mung beans (nice little green legumes).

Soak 1 cup dried legumes overnight.

Saute in a large pot until soft:

1 cup chopped onions

2 dried chiles
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Add:

Legumes
2 cups water (4 cups if you did not overnight soak)

Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium.  Simmer until legumes are soft and split and excess water has steamed of.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.  Serve and Savor!

You can mix it up by adding more vegetables, additional legumes, tomatoes, etc.  I served the dal with rice and eggplant, pepper and greens curry.  Pic in the entry below.

Extraordinary Eggplant, Red Pepper and Greens Curry

 Another hit from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.  Here it is:

Saute in a large pot until soft:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 medium eggplant
2 red bell peppers
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Add 16 ounces of greens (spinach, kale, mustard or collards).  Cover and steam until greens are limp.  Stir in 3/4 cup of coconut milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Serve over rice.

Dashing Dhosas!

Today was an exciting day at our house!  I made Dhosas for the first time.  Dhosas are Indian crepes from the southern part of Indian.  They are made from beans, rice, or chickpeas.  They are delicious when made fresh at restaurants, but I cheated and used the mix from the Indian store.  I mixed the powder with water, added salt and fresh garlic and blended to a watery consistency.

Here's the stuffing recipe:

Saute in a large pan until vegetables are soft:

2 large carrots
1/2 large onion
2 mashed garlic cloves
1 large or 2 small hot peppers
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon tumeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Add and cook until soft:

2 russet potatoes (pre-baked in the microwave)
1 cup peas
1 large tomato
1/4 cup water
handful fresh cilantro

Serve warm mixture wrapped in dhosa.  Enjoy!