Oooohh! Good timing! I've decided I want to learn to make Indian food, since it's cheap, vegetarian friendly, delicious, and healthy. All wins!
So I posted in a Hanoi Facebook group asking where I can find the spices around here, and a chef offered to meet up, had photocopied recipes for me, and showed me three different local shops where I can buy the spices.
Dinner tonight was a squash and chickpea stew with a side of naan!!! YUM!
oooooooh mind sharing? I am trying to learn Indian food and its not been pretty so far
SURE!
1 small squash or pumpkin (500g), cut in a 1" dice
150g dried chickpeas (or you could use canned but it would change the steps a little)
salt
2 green chiles (I skipped these, ain't no such thing in VN)
2 onions, finely sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 tsp red chili powder (I used cayenne)
1/2 tsp ground coriander, toasted (I used coriander seeds, but probably shouldn't have)
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
4 Tbsp grated coconut (I skipped this, but it would have been good!)
4 Tbsp chopped cilantro (I skipped this because I didn't have it and also I hate cilantro)
coconut to garnish
Soak the chickpeas overnight, if you can (if dry). If you can't, just learn from my mistake and know they will take longer to cook than you think.
Cook chickpeas until they start turning soft but aren't completely cooked (about 20 min). Drain off all but 1c water.
Add the pumpkin, chilis, onions and tomatoes and simmer til the squash turns soft. Add the spices and about 1/2 t salt and cook for a few minutes. Add the coconut and simmer 5 minutes (you might need to add a little water here). Add the cilantro and remove from heat. Serve with naan!
This makes a healthy veggie stew-type dish, not the saucy Indian you're probably used to - but really nice in chilly weather :)
NAAN (more of a flatbread, really, and very easy)
I don't use a recipe for this, so these amounts will be off because they're guesses. Use your dough-making instincts.
1t yeast
Pinch of sugar
2T oil
1c warm water (110F or so)
3c flour
1t salt
Get the yeast started. Put the yeast, sugar, oil, warm water, and a little flour in the bottom of a big bowl. Stir it, let it sit for 10 minutes until it's looking alive. Then, add the rest of the flour and salt, and stir - the dough should come away from the sides of the bowl. You might need to add flour, or water.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it's got that nice tacky dough feeling. Let it rise for about 1.5 hours or until it just about doubles in size. Then, take a handful and stretch it thinner than pizza dough thin. Throw it in a piping hot frying pan (no oil or anything on the pan needed). Flip it after awhile. It should puff a bit and smell awesome! (This would also make nice bread!)
Also: if you skip the yeast and the knead in this recipe, and add a rolling pin, you're got tortillas.
Good luck!