Category: Recipes

This turnip recipe is simple and fast and goes quite well with the Chicken dish from the previous post.  I would say, however, that we really needed rice to sop up the delicious cream sauce from that dish, so maybe the turnips should have gone on the side, instead of the rice.  Live and learn. 🙂

Serves 4

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• pinch of asafoetida
• 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 cloves thumb-nail sized piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 1/2 smallish turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger past
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp pure red chile powder
• 3/4 tsp garam masala
• salt to taste
• 3/4 tsp sugar
• large handful of cilantro leaves chopped

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan.  Add the asafoetida, cumin, cloves and cinnamon.  Once the cumin starts to color, add the turnips and cook until starting to brown on the edges or sides, around 4-5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the remaining spices, salt ad sugar, give the pan a stir and add enough water to come nearly halfway up the turnips.  Bring to the boil, then cover and cook over a low heat until the turnips are tender, around 6-8 minutes or until the point of a knife goes through them.  Do not overcook as they will start to break down.  Uncover and dry off any excess water, if there is any.

Taste and adjust the salt and sugar, stir in the fresh cilantro and serve.

Adapted from “Anjum’s New Indian,” by Anjum Anand (Wiley, 2010).

The original recipe calls for serving with warm naan or chewy flatbread, but I decided to finish off Allen’s rice from the other night by serving it on the side.  I was also able to use up some sour cream that would have been doomed to becoming a science project in the fridge if we didn’t figure something out for it.  And yes, those are turnips in the picture above.  That recipe will follow.  It comes from the same source, Anjum’s New Indian – a gift from Sam.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2-inch piece ginger root
• 6 large cloves garlic
• Splash plus 1 1/4 cups just-boiled water, or more as needed
• 1 medium onion
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• Salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/4 cup regular or low-fat sour cream (do not use nonfat)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice blend)

Directions:

Peel the ginger and cut it crosswise into coins, then drop them into a blender along with the garlic and a splash of the hot water. Puree into a paste, adding water as needed.

Finely chop the onion. Stem and seed the bell pepper, then cut the flesh into 1-inch pieces. Finely chop the tomatoes, reserving their juices. Cut the chicken into 2-inch chunks, trimming any fat.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan or saute pan over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often, until it has picked up color. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste from the blender; once its water has evaporated (about 30 seconds), stir in the ground coriander, salt, chili powder and tomatoes; cover and cook for about 6 minutes to reduce the juices a bit. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, then add the remaining 1 1/4 cups of hot water. Once the liquid has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the pieces of bell pepper, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. The chicken should be almost cooked through.

Increase the heat to high; cook for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add the sour cream and garam masala; mix well. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. The mixture should be creamy but not too thick; if you want it thinner, stir in a little of the hot water.

Divide among individual plates; serve hot.

Adapted from “Anjum’s New Indian,” by Anjum Anand (Wiley, 2010).