Indian Style Curried Vegetables

If you have ever eaten Indian food you know that the food is very flavorful. Indian food usually includes many spices, roots, and herbs. For most people who are not used to strong spices, it can be hard to handle or may seem strange on the taste buds. However, they do it right in India! Spices, roots, and herbs have many great effects on your body. Not only do they add brilliant flavors and colors to your food, they can also help to speed up your metabolism, help with digestion, and reduce inflammation. Spices are filled with antioxidants that are great for your body and do not contain high amounts of sodium like the salts we often add to our food. In India, there are plentiful amounts of fresh and great seasonings and spices such as cumin, coriander, saffron, turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon that are added to their dishes. The basis of Indian meals would be rather bland if these spices were not added. Masala is a term meaning the mixture of different spices into powders or pastes. There are a great range of masalas added in the India cuisine, all giving your taste buds different surprises. In this recipes we will use curry powder, however, traditional Indian curry is the mixture of spices prepared with vegetables, legumes, or meats in a cooked dish.

Ingredients:

-1 small, yellow onion, chopped

-3 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 tablespoon ginger, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced1 tablespoon ginger, minced

-1 medium green chili, chopped

-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

-3/4 cup cauliflower florets

-2 cups okra, chopped (substitute- green beans)

-1 large carrot, sliced

-1 cup of canned coconut milk

-1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

-1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

-1 teaspoon curry powder

-1 teaspoon cumin

Directions: Yield 3-4 servings

-Chop onion and green chili into small pieces

-Slice carrot and chop okra/green beans and cauliflower into desired sized pieces

-Mince garlic and ginger

-Put onion, garlic, ginger, and green chili in food processor, until no large pieces are left, and ingredients are well combined

-Place a large skillet on the stove on medium heat, add vegetable oil. Let the vegetable oil heat up

-Put the processed mixture on them skillet and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently

-Add in turmeric, coriander, cumin, and curry powder to mixture and stir for 1 minute

-Add in cauliflower, carrot, okra/ green beans, and coconut milk. Stir well until vegetables are fully covered in spices

-Cover skillet and allow vegetables to cook over medium/low heat for about 20 minutes (until vegetables are tender)

*liquid/ processed mixture will be absorbed

-Stir gently

-Take off skillet and serve with rice, bread, or meat

-Enjoy!

Note: If you do not own a food processor, a blender or bullet machine can be used instead.