Indian on a Thursday night

A few years ago a friend bought me "Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking" with recipes by Raghavan Iyer. I would pull it out every once in awhile and consider making something but never did, until yesterday. I'm glad I finally did! I spent over 3 hours in the kitchen (possibly because I had a toddler at my feet the whole time) but it was well worth it. The menu consisted of Almond-Lamb Curry, Cumin-Scented Corn and Green Beans and Naan. Everything was delicious, and I felt proud that it all turned out my first time making a new cuisine. I learned how to open a coconut, and although it's not an every-day type of thing it is far superior to the shredded dry kind. I will be trying many more Indian recipes in the days to come, and am absolutly adding Naan to my regular breads.

I made a few slight modifications, the recipes listed below include my changes.

Almond-Lamb Curry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons peeled and chopped gingerroot
5 chopped cloves garlic
1/2 cup silvered almonds
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
a couple pinches freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 pound lamb for stew
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilanto
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 300.
2. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add cumin, sizzle 30 seconds.
3. Add onion, gingerroot and garlic; stir-fry 5 minutes or until onion and garlic are light golden brown.
4. Add almonds, coriander, salt, cloves and pepper; stir-fry 2 minutes or until almonds begin to brown.
5. Stir in tomato sauce and 1/4 cup of the water; reduce heat. Partially cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in lamb and half the cilantro. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lamb is browned. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup water.
7. Cover and back 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 45 minutes longer or until lamb is tender and sauce begins to thicken.
8. Remove from oven. Stir in heavy cream, sprinkle remaining cilantro on top.


Cumin-Scented Corn and Green Beans

10 ounce box frozen corn (about 3 ears if using fresh)
3/4 pounds fresh green beans
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup water
handful chopped cilantro
1 cup shredded fresh coconut* (1/2 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon Garam Masaala

1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin, sizzle 30 seconds.
2. Add remaining ingredients besides Garam Masaala to the skillet; stir-fry 30 seconds. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in Garam Masaala

* To open a coconut first scrub the outside to remove any dirt and the fibers hanging off. Use a long, sharp object to poke one of the eyes and drain the juice (the juice is drinkable). Using a hammer or heavy knife pound the coconut all around until it cracks. Wedge a short, sharp knife between the meat and the shell and pop the meat out. Put the meat in a food processer to shred.


Naan

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk, slightly warmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
About 1/2 cup warm water
Melted butter

1. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together warmed milk and oil; stir into flour mixture. Stir in warm water, a few tablespoons at a time, until dough forms a farily stiff ball and is not sticky or dry.
2. Knead dough in bowl about 3 minutes or until dough becomes smooth and pliable. Brush dough with melted butter and cover with plastic wrap; let rest 30 minutes.
3. Place pizza stone on grill rack, set to medium-high heat.
4. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, shape each into a ball; brush with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
5. Roll each piece into an 8-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Do not tear dough.
6. Place dough on the hot pizza stone and cook 1 or 2 minutes, until surface bubbles. Flip and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove and brush with melted butter, wrap in foil to keep warm while cooking remaining dough. Cut each piece in half to serve.