Action expresses priorities.

We started watching Ghandi last night. So what kind of food does one eat while watching Ghandi?

Pizza, duh. From the uber-trendy Phoenix joint, La Grande Orange.

On the second night, however, (because, jeez, the thing is more than three hours long and a girl's got to get her beauty sleep!), one eats Indian food. Or at least, a white-suburban-Jewish-girl's rendition of Indian food. Enjoy. And be good.

Menu:
Cilantro-Mint Chutney
Tamarind Chutney
Cumin Potatoes
Steamed Fish with Cilantro
Mr. Panseer's North-Indian Style Spinach
Pitas

Tamarind Chutney
from The Global Gourmet

1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated or very finely minced gingerroot
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried hot pepper


I found this cute little jar at Whole Foods.


And look! It's local!


Cilantro-Mint Chutney
from Big Oven

OK, I have to interrupt, here. I've made a version of this before--there are recipes all over the internet--but this was the first one I've seen that called for cashews. I thought about omitting them at first for the sake of low-fat, reduced, calorie, blabbity-blah-blah-etc, but Oh My Goodness, USE THEM. They don't add that much fat and wowza, does it taste gooood. I think even Ghandi would have approved.



1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 c fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 c fresh lime juice (I used lemon)
1/4 c water
1 T sugar
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Steamed Fish with Cilantro



2 T soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 T cilantro, minced
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T ginger, grated
2 T water
2 tilapia fillets

1. Combine soy sauce through water in a small bowl.
2. Place fillets in a large skillet and pour the sauce over them.
3. Turn the heat on high, bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer, cover the skillet, and steam for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately.

Cumin Potatoes



3 cloves garlic
1/4 onion
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp toasted cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
1 medium carrot, sliced
4 medium potatoes (approx 3" diameter), peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup green peas, frozen

1. In a large skillet, saute the onions, garlic, olive oil and spices until onion are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, and chicken broth.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir frequently and add water as needed to prevent potatoes from sticking to pan.
4. Just before serving, stir in the peas and warm through.



Mr. Panseer's North-Indian Style Spinach

(from Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian, originally blogged about here)

2 tsp clarified butter or vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 serrano chile, diced, seeds and membranes removed
1 T peeled grated ginger
1 T finely minced garlic
2 pounds fresh spinach, well washed, coarsely chopped
2 T water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add half of the chile and ginger and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
2. Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time, allowing it to cook down until you are able to add all of it to the skillet.
3. Add the water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over very low heat for 1 hour.
4. Just before serving, spray a small skillet with cooking spray and heat the remaining chile and ginger until very hot. Stir into the spinach and serve.