X came up with this "vegetarian once a week" idea not too long ago, claiming that it could help to reduce carbon emission. Third week running, already we have had a few hiccups with what and when to cook.
I referred to some of the recipes featured on Food Safari, and decided we would go vegetarian the Indian way. Toor dal tadka, palak paneer, and gujarati potatoes sounded like a true vegetarian feast to me.
I have most of the spices required, which was convenient. I couldn't get asoefatida, dessicated coconut, fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), and paneer, but decided to forge on anyway.
The recipes did not state the number of serves; therefore, I did a bit of guess-work to serve dinner for five.
The toor dal tadka turned out nicely, although I did adjust the recipe to make it saltier and hotter. I wonder how it would have turned out had I have asoefatida powder on hand (according to the SBS glossary, asoefatida / asoefatid is dried resin from a foot plant of the fennel family, with a flavour similar to garlic and onion, and used as a digestive aid to reduce flatulence brought on by a diet high in fibre and legumes).
The palak paneer, as expected, fell short, due to the lack of the key ingredient, the paneer (I ended up substituting it with cream cheese). However, the pseudo-palak paneer fulfilled the vegetarian theme, so everyone was happy. KT also commented that he didn't like the onions in the palak paneer, I probably could have diced it a bit finer, or used less of it.
The gujarati potatoes were so easy to make - I couldn't get pontiac potatoes, I made do with brushed potatoes, which turned out well. I also sprinkled more sesame seeds to the potatoes after coating them with the seasoned oil; I love sesame seeds, and also to make up for the dessicated coconut.
The above were served with rice; everyone went back for seconds (in KT's case, even thirds). That night, though, both X and I had bad stomach cramps, diarrhoea, and flatulence. Probably because I didn't have the asoefatida in the dal, eh? :|
I referred to some of the recipes featured on Food Safari, and decided we would go vegetarian the Indian way. Toor dal tadka, palak paneer, and gujarati potatoes sounded like a true vegetarian feast to me.
I have most of the spices required, which was convenient. I couldn't get asoefatida, dessicated coconut, fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), and paneer, but decided to forge on anyway.
The recipes did not state the number of serves; therefore, I did a bit of guess-work to serve dinner for five.
The toor dal tadka turned out nicely, although I did adjust the recipe to make it saltier and hotter. I wonder how it would have turned out had I have asoefatida powder on hand (according to the SBS glossary, asoefatida / asoefatid is dried resin from a foot plant of the fennel family, with a flavour similar to garlic and onion, and used as a digestive aid to reduce flatulence brought on by a diet high in fibre and legumes).
The palak paneer, as expected, fell short, due to the lack of the key ingredient, the paneer (I ended up substituting it with cream cheese). However, the pseudo-palak paneer fulfilled the vegetarian theme, so everyone was happy. KT also commented that he didn't like the onions in the palak paneer, I probably could have diced it a bit finer, or used less of it.
The gujarati potatoes were so easy to make - I couldn't get pontiac potatoes, I made do with brushed potatoes, which turned out well. I also sprinkled more sesame seeds to the potatoes after coating them with the seasoned oil; I love sesame seeds, and also to make up for the dessicated coconut.
The above were served with rice; everyone went back for seconds (in KT's case, even thirds). That night, though, both X and I had bad stomach cramps, diarrhoea, and flatulence. Probably because I didn't have the asoefatida in the dal, eh? :|
