Zucchini Curry and Basmati Rice

Sunday was an Indian food day here in our household. We had promised a friend that we would have him over for dinner, and he could pick the menu theme. He settled on Indian, which we were delighted about.

Indian food is probably one of our favorite foods to make. It was challenging in the beginning because the combinations of spices are so different from what we are used to in Western cooking. Fortunately, the hubby found a classic Indian cookbook for $1 at a garage sale a few years back, and that has been a great guide to the foundations of Indian cooking. Luckily, my husband has an amazing palatte and sense for spices, so he can adjust recipes to mimic those we've had in restaurants. I love it.

The internet is also an amazing source of delicious (and free!) recipes. In addition to our fabulous and delicious samosas, we decided to highlight the zucchini we've been harvesting from the garden farmette everyday, and decided to try to make a zucchini curry. We found an awesome tutorial on YouTube by Currysutra on how to make Ghiya (zucchini curry), and copied it almost exactly. The tutorial is really easy to follow and would be great for beginner Indian home chefs. I've included all the ingredients and directions (with our changes) below, but definitely check out the tutorial as well. Enjoy!

Ghiya - Zucchini Curry

Adapted from Currysutra

Yield: Feeds roughly 4 people

2 medium to large zucchini, cubed

1 Tablespoon canola or sunflower oil

1 small can tomato paste (6 ounces)

1 1/4 cup potato water*

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 cube salted veggie bouillon (we use the Rapunzel brand)

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 Tablespoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon corriander

1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1.) Heat oil in a pressure cooker over medium-low heat, add cumin, garlic, and onion and saute until the onions begin to cook (look translucent). Try to avoid having the veggies brown by keeping the heat low.

2.) Add in 1/4 cup of potato water* and spices: veggie bouillon, tumeric, ground cumin, curry powder, corriander, chili powder, garam masala, crushed red pepper.

3.) Add in tomato paste. Stir.

4.) Add in zucchini & stir. You may taste now to see if spices are alright. Then, add 1 cup of potato water*

5.) Put lid on pressure cooker and being to cook, according to your pressure cooker's directions, to max pressure (about 5-8 minutes).

6.) Then turn off heat and let the pressure cooker slowly let go to room pressure (about 20 minutes).

7.) Carefully, open pressure cooker (read manufacturer's instructions), and the curry is ready to serve over basmati rice (see rice recipe below).

* Potato water refers to the leftover water from boiling potatoes. Because we were also making samosas, we had boiled potatoes on the stove, and therefore saved the water to use in this dish. The potato water adds a bit more flavor and also can help thicken with the starch. If you're not making potatoes, just substitute regular water.

Basmati Rice

Yield: 4-6 cups rice

4 cups water

2 cups basmati rice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon whole cloves

1.) Place water, olive oil, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves in a medium sized pot on the stove over high heat. Bring to a boil.

2.) Place rice in the boiling water, stir a bit. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Allow rice to cook for 15-20 minutes until soft.

3.) Stir rice and serve.

4.) Note that rice will double to triple in amount. So, if place one cup of dried rice in a pot, you'll end up with 2-3 cups of cooked rice. Therefore, adjust the recipe above to your needs by halving (or doubling!) it if necessary.