Recipe Review: Anda Masala

I stumbled across this recipe  on Viet World Kitchen the other day, and had much the same reaction the author did: “Well, duh, why didn’t I ever think of Indian cuisine using eggs as protein?” It sounded delicious, so I decided to put it on our menu this week.

Ready to serve!

I followed the recipe almost exactly, with the exception that I used ground cumin (which I toasted up before hand), and ground coriander (also toasted up beforehand) and I added peas and chickpeas to stretch the dish out so Thadd would have lunch for the next day.

The verdict: It was excellent, overall. I did double the spices, however, as there didn’t seem to be enough depth of flavor with the initial additions. This could be because, while I strive to keep fresh spices, it’s unlikely some of mine are as fresh as hers (if only because they sat on the shelf before I got them, as almost no one around here uses these spices). The author’s recipe is easy to use, too. We’ll definitely be making this again, as well as trying some of the other recipes on this site.

And now I am looking for both more North Indian recipes, and Indian recipes using egg as the protein. I have a great Ethopian recipe that uses egg as both a thickener and protein (Doro Wat), and I’d like to add to the egg-as-a-main-dish that isn’t breakfast repertoire with more International dishes like these

Related articles

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• Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew (bangordailynews.com)
• Chana and Potato Masala (sosopie.wordpress.com)

Great Things Come in Small Packages: Turkish Dolmas!

I love the cuisines of so many different countries, but I have to say that traditional Turkish cuisine holds a special place in my heart. Partly it’s because I love the rich flavors and unexpected flavor combinations, and partly because my amazing teacher-mentor-friend Chef Channon Mondoux’s passion for the  cuisine is really infectious! She wrote an amazing e-book full of traditional recipes, called “Celebration at the Sarayi,” and just watching it makes my mouth water (yep, you too can cook amazing Turkish cuisine–the book is downloadable!). I didn’t use the recipe from the book for this particular batch, but it was definitely my inspiration.

I started by mixing up the filling:

Cooked brown rice, parsley, onions, walnuts (you can use pistachios, but Thadd’s allergic), mint, dates, dried currants,  dried apricots, EVOO, and spices.  Once that was all mixed, I popped open my jar of grape leaves, drained them, ad then washed the leaves. Wring them out well after you’re done washing. Then, lay them out and put a spoonful of stuffing onto the closest corner of the leaf to you:

Starting at the edge closest, roll the leaf, tucking in the right and left “ends” to form a packet:

Layer your packets tightly in a large saucepan. This is what one jar of leaves made for me:

Cover with broth or water about 2/3 full, and cover tightly. I simmered mine for about 45 minutes. Eat chilled or cold–they’re great!