Quick Jalfrezi Curry with Potatoes and Lentils

I absolutely love Indian food, but to make it at home could be a big pain. I came up with this recipe out of necessity to cook a simple, quick meal that would be filling and produce delicious leftovers for my husband and I to take to work for lunch. And to do it on a budget!

A jar of an Indian simmer sauce was the answer! I've tired multiple brands like Maya Kaimal and Patak's, but I just recently discovered a Jalfrezi sauce sold at Smith's through the Private Selection brand. It sells for only about $2.60 for a 16-oz jar compared to $5 that you will pay for the Maya Kaimal sauces. It is flavorful, coconut creamy, and delicious. The dish turned out awesome and my husband always asks me to make it again and again. If you can't find a Jalfrezi sauce at a store near you, virtually any Indian simmer sauce will work well in this recipe.

Serves 8
Heat: Mild

• 2 large yellow potatoes, boiled in skin, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup green lentils, cooked 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 16-oz jar of Indian simmer sauce (I use Jalfrezi sauce by Private Selection)
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes 
• 5 small roma tomatoes, pureed in a processor or finely shopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped 
• salt to taste
• couscous or rice to serve 

1. Make sure you have your potatoes and lentils boiled before you start making the dish.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onions and bell peppers. Sautee for about 7 minutes on high while constantly stirring. Reduce heat to medium. Add cooked potatoes and lentils. Pour in the Indian simmer sauce, a can of diced tomatoes, and processed roma tomatoes. Stir everything well, cover with a lid, heat through, and simmer on low for 5-7 minutes. Season with salt if needed.

3. Serve over couscous or rice sprinkled with cilantro.

Chickpea Tikka Masala

Tikka Masala is a classic Indian dish so popular in America and around the world. In United Kingdom, for example, it's the second most favorite foreign dish, after Chinese Stir Fry. It's usually made with chicken, but making it with chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) doesn't make it any worse. Plus chickpeas are so cute you can hardly resist them. You get tremendous health benefits when you add them to your regular diet. They are a great way to substitute meat on your meatless days. Chickpeas are a great source of fiber, folate, copper, and iron. They keep you full and satisfied longer which will help you to lose weight.

This version of Chickpea Tikka Masala is not spicy. I'm a big wuss when it gets down to spice. If you want to spice it up, I suggest using red chili powder and serrano peppers. If you, like me, can't handle the spice, consider leaving out the jalapeno. Jalapenos have a great taste and, depending on the time of the year, different level of hotness. This time I got an especially hot jalapeno and it made my Tikka Masala a little more spicy than I usually like it. But once again, I'm a wuss.

Serves 4

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 japaleno pepper, diced (optional)
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp garam masala 
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or vegetable broth for a fully plant-based version of the dish)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add jalapeno (if using), tomato paste, garam masala, cumin, paprika, and ginger paste. Heat through.

2. Add chickpeas and diced tomatoes. Stir everything well and continue cooking for 7 more minutes. Add Greek yogurt (or vegetable broth). Heat through and remove from the heat.

3. Serve over Basmati rice garnished with fresh cilantro. 

Indian Stuffed Peppers

Bored with your traditional stuffed pepper recipe? Try these Indian-style peppers. They have a distinct Indian cuisine taste thanks to a number of spices used in the recipe. Garam masala, cashews, and golden raisins give them a slightly sweet flavor. If you're new to Indian spices, garam masala is a spice mix often used in Indian curries. It could be purchased at gourmet grocery stores or made from scratch. There are many varieties of garam masala, but usually it consists of cumin, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg and cloves.

Serves 8

• 6 bell peppers, halved and cored
• 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 4 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• red chili powder to taste (optional)
• 2 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (or ginger paste if you're cheating ;) )
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1/4 cup red lentils
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 4 cups warm water
• salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with tin foil. Place bell peppers cut side down on the baking sheets. Cover with another layer of tin foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until peppers become tender.

2. In a large skillet heat olive oil. Over medium, saute onions and carrots for 5 minutes or until onions become translucent. Add curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, red chili powder, and ginger. Mix everything well. Add rice, lentils, peas, raisins, cashews, and 4 cups of water. Season to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Remove from the heat.

3. Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Indian Coconut Balls (Nariyal Laddo)

If you don't have much time before your friends come over to visit and you frantically think what you can treat them with, consider these Indian Coconut Balls. They are as simple as they are delicious. Only three ingredients, but so much flavor thanks to my favorite spice of all times- cardamom. I'm sure your kids would love making these too. Just don't let them eat more than one. These little guys are pretty sweet!

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 cup shredded coconut (I buy it at the bulk section of my grocery store. It's much cheaper than the packed varieties)
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Toast shredded coconut on medium heat in a small saucepan for 3 minutes. Constantly stir taking care not to burn the coconut. Reduce the heat to low and stir in sweetened condensed milk and cardamom. Simmer 3-4 minutes constantly stirring or until the mixture heats through.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool until the mixture is warm. Don't let it cool completely. With wet hands form small balls and place them on a plate.  You can make them as big or as small as you want. The batter will be sticky and a bit hard to handle. Keeping your hands wet will allow you to form the balls with no problem. Sprinkle the balls with a dash of cardamom. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Indian Eggplant Curry (Baingan Bharta)

I love Indian food! I could eat Indian every week. There are a few amazing Indian restaurants in Salt Lake City, so my cravings can always be satisfied. I've wanted to re-created one of my most favorite dish, Baingan Bharta, so that I could make it when we have friends over. It's an Indian Curry made with a roasted eggplant and tomatoes and spiced with aromatic Indian herbs. It's incredibly easy to make. Serve it with Indian Naan or over basmati rice.

This recipe serves 4-6.

• 3 medium eggplant
• cooking spray
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 6 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or vegetable stock for a vegan version of this dish)
• 1 tsp salt
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Spray eggplant with cooking spray. Place on baking sheet sliced side down and bake for 25 minutes or until the inner flesh looks really soft and the skin is a bit charred. Remove from the oven and cool. Scrape the tender flesh out with a spoon. Chop into smaller pieces. Discard skin.

2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Saute cumin seeds, onion, and garlic until onion becomes translucent. Mix in ginger paste, curry powder, coriander, ground cumin, tomatoes, yogurt (or vegetable stock) and eggplant. Season with salt to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium ocasionally stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Serve over basmati rice garnished with fresh cilantro.