Vegetarian Chilli For Taste & Create

When I signed up for Taste & Create I was just hoping to make newer friends. But till now I have not contacted my partner Carol @ NO REASON NEEDED.  Will rectify the problem soon but right now I need to tell you that I am amazed at the stuff that Carol has done, not just cooking but from skydiving to horse riding!! My I really need to broaden my horizons!!

There were a few recipes like the no bake cookies, banana muffins and of course Chilli that caught my eye. Will use them shortly.

I had to try making chilli for it was a long pending demand. Must say I enjoyed it. Carol has used the slow cooker and beef ,since I do not own a slow cooker I used the regular kadhai/wok and in place of beef used rajma or kidney beans.

The chilli was delicious and the aroma filled the whole house. Since I was on leave I started cooking by about 2 pm and kept it on the low flame till about 3.30 pm.

Initially I followed the recipe with my planned substitutes both to suit my pantry and the availability of ingredients. But then in the end I had to make a major change like adding more chilli paste.

 But do read on.

 Ingredients:

450 grams rajma, boiled (mine were frozen stiff)

4 Kashmiri chillies soaked in water

10 cloves of garlic

1 small  onion

4 tomatoes, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green capsicum, chopped

1 green chilli, slit
½ cup tomato sauce
2 tblsp chilli powder
1 tblsp dried basil
2 tsp ground cumin/jeera
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano

1 tblsp red chilli sauce
3/4 tsp pepper
6 tblsp cottage cheese/paneer

To suit my family’s heat taste

2 tblsp red chilli powder

1 small onion

A few strands of coriander

Method:

1.  Grind the Kashmiri chilli, half onion and 10 cloves of garlic to a fine paste.

2.  In a thick kadhai/wok heat oil add and fry the chilli paste till the raw smell goes away add the rajma.

3.  Add the tomatoes, onion, capsicum, green chilli, tomato sauce, chilli powder, basil, cumin, garlic, oregano, pepper and red chilli sauce.

4.  Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until the vegetables are tender.

5.  Sprinkle paneer to serve.

Till here I was very happy. For like I said the curry smelt delicious.

In walked my younger daughter and she checked the pan. Before I knew it she had tasted the ingredients and wrinkled her pretty nose at the rajma. The questions that followed are pretty much routine of every household.

“What are making?”

“Chilli”

“Where is the Chilli?”

This is when I sat up to take a closer look at the yummy curry.

 Of course the chilli in the Chilli was not enough to our very Indian Palate. If my younger one is asking this question the other will definitely look at me with askance.

Now I hurriedly ground 1 tblsp of red chilli powder and ½ the left-over onion and coriander (because I had not used parsley) with a little water in the chutney bowl of my mixer and added it to the pan.  

Now since I had seen kiddo wrinkling her nose at the rajma I removed as many rajma as I could from the pan and ran the hand held mixer to get a smooth paste. Then I added the rajama back to the pan.

Boiled for about 10 minutes and served with chopped spring onions with chapatti or Indian flat bread.

Notes: 

Please let me warn you it was pungent. In fact so pungent that we had to have loads of curds. Next time I am going easy on the red chili. The second 1 tblsp should have been 1/2 or 1/4 tblsp. 

Use water as needed to prevent the contents from sticking to the bottom of the pan say about 1/4 cup about a couple of times.

  

Sending this to Taste & Create

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