Sarahs Kitchen Travels

Tag: vegan

  • Nepalese, potato and cauliflower curry (Aloo cauli)

    Serves four as a side dish, 2 as a generous main
    Potato and Cauliflower curry

    Over my life time I must have eaten this curry more often than any other. In Nepal, when times are tough potatoes and cauliflowers are always still available. We lived on this curry for 2 months after the monsoon floods in 1993 when the whole of Kathmandu was dependant on US and UK food aid. Then again in the last days of the Nepalese Monarchy during the 24 hour curfews, we’d sneak out and follow drainage ditches to buy supplies from farmers, ‘aloo cauli’ was our staple diet.

    Ingredients

    • 275 grams | 9 oz cauliflower equal sized florets plus a few of the leaves
    • 275 g | 9oz waxy salad potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
    • 80 g | 2½ oz shallots, finely sliced
    • 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
    • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger (approximately10 g), cut inti very fine matchsticks
    • 1 green finger chilli, finely sliced (optional)
    • 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
    • 120 ml | ½ cup rapeseed or vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon Panch Puran
    • 1 ½ teaspoons Yak Yeti Yak or garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 400 ml | 1½ cups water

    Method

    Heat a wok or a heavy bottomed pan and add the oil, as soon as the oil is medium hot add the Panch Puran and chilli. Once the seeds begin to pop, turn the temperature down a little and add the potatoes. Cook the potatoes stirring them for 4-5 minutes until they are well covered in the oil.  Add the shallots, garlic, ginger and salt and gently fry until the shallots start to turn translucent then add the masala.  The masala will quickly stick to the base of the pan so once this happens add half the water and turn the heat back up, put a lid on the pan. Boil the potatoes until they are cooked but a little al dente, add the cauliflower florets, leaves and chopped tomato. Add more water as needed and continue to cook until the cauliflower is slightly al dente, check for salt and serve.

  • Nepalese 5 bean curry

    Serves 4 to 6
    Nepalese 5 bean curry

    No-one tells you that summer monsoon rains are really cold. After a good Kathmandu night out I felt we could do with making some hearty bean soup and totally misjudged the quantity of beans to soak. Next morning I woke to beans spilling out all over the kitchen and a mildly annoyed mother-in-law. Embarrassed and with a slight air of panic, I cooked all the beans and made a curry leaving everyone to believe that’s what I intended all along.

    Ingredients

    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried kidney beans
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried yellow peas
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried black eye peas
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried chickpeas
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried green peas
    • Water as needed
    • 60 ml | ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced
    • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
    • 1 inch piece fresh ginger (approx.10 grams), finely sliced then cut into very fine matchsticks
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 2 dried red chillies preferably Kashmiri
    • 1 teaspoon Yak Yeti Yak or garam masala
    • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped

    To finish

    • 60 ml l ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
    • 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

    Method

    Place all the beans and peas in a large bowl and cover them with 2 inches of water. Soak the beans overnight or for up to 24 hours when you’re ready to cook the beans, throw away the soaking water and rinse them well. To cook the beans, place them in a heavy pan with a well fitted lid, add enough water to cover the beans by 1 inch and set the pan on a high heat until they come to the boil. Boil the beans vigorously for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the heat to a slow boil until the beans are soft, set them aside in a bowl, keep the cooking liquor.  Wash and dry the pan ready for the next step.

    Make sure the pan is completely dry then, heat the oil to medium hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, and salt cook until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add the chopped tomato and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato has softened and the oil starts to pool and separate from the tomato. Add the masala and turmeric stir and cook for about 1 minute before adding the beans, add in enough cooking water to cover the beans and the salt stir well and place a lid on the pan, simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Squash a few beans against the side of the pan to thicken the gravy and continue to let the curry simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes.

    While the beans are simmering heat the oil in a small frying pan until it’s very hot add the cumin seeds, as soon as they start to pop add the sliced garlic and allow the mixture to fry until the garlic turns golden brown. Quickly pour the sizzling garlic mixture to the beans, it will fizz ferociously, stir well and check for seasoning. Set a curry aside for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

    If you prefer to use tinned beans. Use one tin each of five different beans, empty all the beans from the tins discard juice and rinse them thoroughly before using them.