The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
I'm exploring this cookbook slowly, mostly because several of the recipes require two days to prepare (one day to prepare the beans and the next day to prepare the meal), and I rarely have my day together enough to start dinner after breakfast. Nevertheless, these tasty recipes are good motivation to do some meal planning and get organized. They are great!Here's what I especially like about the recipes: most of the time, I have all of the ingredients on hand except for one or two items (like a butternut squash) that I can easily pick up. I keep a moderately well-stocked vegetarian pantry, but I'm no foodie so I don't have rare spices or special legumes or peppers on hand. I have substituted jalapenos for thai peppers and cayenes (which my grocery store doesn't carry) several times with good results. My other Indian cuisine cookbook keeps calling for amchoor powder, which I cannot find anywhere that I normally shop. I appreciate a cookbook that is willing to go at least a little way toward using ingredients available to most of the people in its market.Secondly, the Spicy Punjabi Eggplant with Potatoes (p. 92) is every bit as amazing as promised. It's now my favourite home-cooked Indian dish. I am always hoping for one recipe this delicious when I buy a new cookbook, so even if I never tried another recipe from this book I would consider it a good purchase. This is a very vegetarian and vegan-friendly cookbook, ideal for people who work and those who enjoy Indian cuisine but want lower-fat versions of their favorite dishes. The recipes use much less oil than most others I've made from other cookbooks without any sacrifice in flavor. Here are the dishes I've made - all but one were hugely successful and my spice-loving kiddo adored them. Chickpea curry with fresh dill leaves (rasa walls kabuli chana): This dish was a revelation to me. I had never associated dill with Indian cuisine, but it complements the beans (I used half white chickpeas and half chana dal) very well. I loved this dish the first, second, and even third times -- but 14 cups is a big yield, and we eventually tired of the leftovers. Next time, I'll wait for guests or halve the recipe. Chickpea flour curry with vegetables (punjabi khardi): Wow! This besan and yogurt based sauce is amazing, and soy yogurt worked well as a replacement for the dairy. I also liked the flexibility to use whatever veggies were on hand; I used some unidentified squash from our farm share, cauliflower, and onion. Again, this recipe makes a lot. I froze some of the leftovers for a future meal. The only note for this one is that it's more labor-intensive than the other recipes I tried and cooks for a shorter period (5 hrs) so it's a good choice for the weekend. Spicy punjabi eggplant with potatoes (aloo baingan): I really liked this tangy, spicy dish. Unfortunately, my slowcooker didn't turn on properly, so I had to cook it for a shorter time on a higher heat. As a result, it didn't cook evenly. My fault!Black chickpea curry: This dish could not be easier. Simply process some onions, tomatoes, chilis, and the like in a food processor, dump them in the slow cooker with uncooked/unsoaked black channa, spices, and water, and let it cook all day long. Finish with fresh cilantro and lemon juice and serve over rice, and you've got a dish that will make a six-year-old make contented animal noises as she slurps it up. I can't remember ever being begged to have the same dish two nights in a row until this dish -- high praise indeed.
What do You think about The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes (2010)?
I’ve drooled over more pages than I care to admit. SOON I will cook one!
—taytotots
Great recipes... wonderful way to expand the use of your slow cooker.
—Amwilson23
Simple, tasty, slow-cooker Indian recipes. What's not to like?
—maricaderp
