Yellow Split Pea Soup with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt

Still going with my idea of cooking from the pantry as much as possible, I remembered that I had some coconut milk left over from the coconut-curry jasmine rice and recalled this curried split pea soup. Bam, easy, easy, easy. It's an excellent quick meal, done within an hour, counting all the prep time. One small bowl is enough to satisfy, starting with the thick pureed texture to the curry flavors to the tangy notes of lime and cooling effect of the yogurt in the creamy garnish.

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup diced peeled potato
• 1/2 t gingerroot, minced
• 2 T chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup yellow split peas
• 1 t red curry powder
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/4 dried jalapeno flakes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 7 oz. unsweetened coconut milk
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 T chopped cilantro
• 2 t lime juice
• grating of lime peel
• hot sauce
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then add the carrot and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. 
2. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the potato and stir to coat.
3. Add the split peas, curry powder and turmeric and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the jalapeno flakes, 1-1/2 cups of broth and coconut milk, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook until the peas are soft, about45 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more chicken broth if it seems too dry. 
5. After 45 minutes, taste to check seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. 
6. Puree the soup with a stick blender to achieve the consistency you like, adding more broth to suit your preference.
7. Make the cilantro-lime yogurt by mixing the yogurt, lime juice, lime peel and chopped cilantro in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a drop or 2 of hot sauce.
8. Garnish the soup with a dollop of the yogurt.

Tweet

Coconut-Curry Tofu and Jasmine Rice

Day 2 of living out of my pantry was a success. I had a can of coconut milk I wanted to use up, and my favorite use for that is usually some sort of curry. I usually make a coconut-curry jasmine rice in which you cook the rice in the coconut milk which is to-die-for delicious (recipe to come), but I wanted to make a creamy curry sauce with the coconut milk instead.

Since I was feeling sort of vegetarian-ish, I rummaged around in the freezer for a block of tofu for my protein and pretty quickly got this meal together - once the tofu had thawed and all the excess moisture had been pressed out. The tofu cubes really sucked up the sauce; in the end, they were like little coconut-curry sponges, very tasty. Using the toasted coconut shreds in the coconut milk really amped up the coconuttiness, but I think that it works well with the other flavors, especially the peanut and lime.

If fat content is an issue for you, you can use light coconut milk, but don't be fooled, that still has some fat in it. You wouldn't be wrong to put chopped cilantro in the coconut milk puree which you add to the rice. I love cilantro usually, but I was out of it and was feeling too lazy to go out to the store JUST for that one item, so I said, "No cilantro today." It was just fine and tasty without it.

Coconut-Curry Tofu and Jasmine Rice

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

•  1 3/4 cups water
• 1 t salt
• 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice

• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1 T fresh lime juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 t dried jalapeno flakes

• 2 T canola oil
• 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, pressed, drained, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 t curry powder
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/8 t dried jalapeno flakes
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped

• hot sauce to taste
• 2 T chopped peanuts
• lime zest

Directions

1. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the shredded coconut until light golden, about 5 minutes. Stir constantly and be careful not to let it burn. As soon as it starts to smell toasted and reach a nice golden color, remove it from heat and transfer to a bowl.
2. Bring 1-3/4 cups water and salt to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Add the rice and let boil again.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 18 - 20 minutes.
4. Puree 1/2 cup of the coconut milk, 1 teaspoon ginger, lime juice, and 1 clove of garlic in a blender.  Add the toasted coconut and blend for a few seconds. 
5. Mix the coconut milk mixture into the rice and set aside.
6. Heat some canola oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes and saute until golden.
7. Add the onions, curry, cumin, jalapeno flakes and the rest of the ginger and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes and stir everything well.
9. Serve over the coconut jasmine rice, add hot sauce to taste and top with chopped peanuts and lime zest.

Tweet

Aloo Gobi

This past weekend, I had an intense craving for Indian food. While there are a few good Indian places near me, I love to fill up the house with the amazing smells as cumin seeds toast in hot oil and then mingle with the other distinctive seasonings in the various curry sauces.

Plus, you have to admit, it's way cheaper to make it yourself.

I had a large menu planned, but I found that I was missing a few key ingredients. I would have had to drag along a sick child to the grocery store for the three missing ingredients, and I finally decided that the risk (child puking all over the produce section) was not worth the reward (green pea and potato samosas). Fear not, I will make those samosas soon.

In the end, I settled for Aloo Gobi, Onion Kulcha and Mango Chutney.

Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower-Potato Curry)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• Large bunch of fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
• Small green chilies, diced
  
• 1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths
• 3 large potatoes, cut into even pieces
• 1 28-oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
• Fresh ginger, peeled and diced
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 green cardamom pods
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• mirch achaar (optional)
  

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
   


2. Add the chopped onion and one tablespoon of cumin seeds to the oil.
   


3. Stir together and cook until onions become soft and translucent.
   


4. Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.
   


5. Add chopped chili peppers - more or less according to taste.
   


6. Stir tomatoes into onion mixture, reserving the juice.
   


7. Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.
   


8. Add potatoes to the sauce plus the reserved tomato juice and a few tablespoons of water. Stir well.
   


9. Toss in the green cardamom pods.
   


10. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes, then add the cauliflower.
    


11. Stir thoroughly so that the cauliflower is coated with the curry sauce.
    


12. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked). You will want to stir from time to time to make sure that it's not sticking. Add more water as necessary.
    


13. Add two teaspoons of garam masala and stir.
    


14. Taste to check the seasoning. Now is when I add the chopped mirch achaar (pickled hot chili peppers) for added kick.
    


15. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry.
    


16. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

Notes:

1. If you like spice, you can use 2 14-oz cans of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chillies instead of the plain tomatoes.

Tweet