Bollywood, Taj Mahal, and all things curry

Today we started learning about India.  I had to clarify with my kids when I said "Indians" I was not meaning the kind that slept in teepees and wore moccasins.  We had an Indian meal tonight.  Man, do they like their food spiced!  I had half my spice cabinet on my countertop to make these 4 dishes!  I was skeptical about some of them, but I think everybody liked them, for the most part.  I'll post the recipes, if anyone is interested in trying them. 

In the pitcher we have Mango Lassi.  This was by far everyone's favorite.  You might want to double this.

3 c plain yogurt

1 c chopped mango or peaches

1/2 c water

6 Tb sugar

Blend well in a blender.  Serve over ice.

This is called Garbanzo Stew.  Sounds gross, I know, but I actually really liked it, for ethnic food.  Even my older kids ate it, and Waverly ate some of the beans. 

1 Tb olive oil

1 c finely chopped onion

4 c chopped tomato (about 1.5 lbs)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp curry

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp ground red pepper (I left this out)

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained (I only used one)

1/2 tsp garam masala (an Indian spice--Macey's carries it, but it's expensive so I made my own)

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and saute 5 minutes or til tender.  Stir in tomato and next 5 ingredients.  Cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in beans and garam masala (if you google this spice, you can find an ingredient list for it.  It's just a mix of more familiar spices, plus some odd ones that I omitted.  So maybe it's not completely authentic without the green cardamom pods, but close enough for us!)  Cook for 5 minutes or til heated through.  Serve with cilantro.  Serve over peanut rice (recipe below).

Peanut Rice

1 c basmati rice (I used regular white long grain, as true basmati rice is EXPENSIVE!)

2 1/4 c water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 c petite peas, thawed

1/2 c roasted peanuts

Mix rice, water, salt and turmeric in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil.  Cover and turn heat to low.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  When done, add thawed peas and peanuts.

Tandoori Chicken

1/2 tsp curry

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 Tb water

4 chicken breasts

In a bowl, mix spices.  Add water to form a smooth paste.  Rub paste into chicken breasts, and place on a plate.  Cover, and let marinate for 20 minutes.  Brush grate with oil.  Grill 6-8 minutes per side til done.

Apparently Indians eat every meal with some kind of flatbread.  This one is called Chapati, and it's very similar to tortillas.  Here is the link for the recipe and instructions.  It's not hard, and my kids really liked it.

http://indianfood.about.com/od/breadrecipes/ig/How-to-Make-Chapatis/

After dinner, my girls disappeared for a short time.  They're usually good about clearing their plates after they're done, so I wondered where they went to.  About 10 minutes later they came back in.  They had been in the bathroom, painting red dots on each other's foreheads with washable paint.  They wanted to be authentic.  We all had to get one too.  Tomorrow they want to wear the headdresses and eat on the floor, in true Indian style.  Tomorrow we are having Tikka Masala, Roasted potatoes, and Naan bread.  I might also serve them rice pudding, though Savannah has already declared it to be yuck.  I searched for Indian dessert recipes, and even found a cupcake one, but my excitement soon petered out when I saw it had curry in it.  Most of the desserts had something similar.  Hmmm...I'm thinking chocolate chip cookies?