There comes a time every week, when I start craving Indian food. I’m not talking your stereotypical Chicken Tikka Masala, although that rocks my world, too; I’m talking food like my mom makes. Food that conjures up the warmest, happiest memories in my mind (read: stomach). So, I find myself calling my mom begging her to share an easy Indian recipe with me to satiate my craving.
People often think Indian is too hard a food category to tackle. To be honest, some curries take a lot of time and effort, but many South Indian dishes are a simple combination of fresh veggies and bright spices. Although this dish is made with green peppers and potatoes, you can switch it up with any veggies and get a great meal. The flavor is huge, but the effort is minimal.
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 15-20 min
Total Time: 20-25 min
Ingredients:
1 green pepper
2 small red potatoes
1 small piece of ginger
¼ cup chopped yellow onion
⅛ chopped jalapeño pepper
Dash of mustard seeds
Dash of cumin seeds
1 dried chile
Red chile powder and salt to taste
Tip: Although some of these spices may seem random, you can find them all at FroGro, or at Rice & Spice on 42nd and Chestnut.
Directions:
1. Gather your ingredients together.
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
2. Chop up potatoes, green peppers, onions, ginger and jalapeño into small pieces.
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
3. Heat up pan with oil. Add spices (mustard, cumin, dried chile)
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
4. When you start smelling the delicious spices melding with the oil, add the onion, ginger and jalapeño. Cook till onions turn translucent.
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
5. Add potatoes and green peppers, and cover so the potatoes cook faster.
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
6. After the potatoes are soft, take off lid and cook more.
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
7. Add salt and chile powder to taste.
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
8. Serve with rice or roti. I used Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice.
Photo by Vinita Saggurti
Bon appétite! I hope you try this easy Indian dish. It’ll leave your apartment smelling delicious, I promise.