Did you ever have the experience when you were in college that you were invited over to some new friend's house after you had a particularly engaging conversation about how much you both love Indian food, and they were like, "I make a great vegan curry!" and you were dubious because, to quote a friend of mine, Indian food made at home is elusive at best. But you went, and it was mushy, and had too much curry powder, and you said it was so fabulous even though you had a rock in your stomach for the next three days?
Well, last night, I was the new friend who made vegan curry, and of course your doubts were correct, because it was mushy and had too much curry powder. The tone of thing was festive any how, because it was a daring cooks challenge, and aren't they always festive?
It was a bit of a wild weekend, and my Mom ended up coming over in the because she is allergic to all sorts of things, and I thought a little vegan, gluten lite meal would make her happy. It's a nice old comfort to have my mom sitting in the kitchen with me, even when I am growing unhappier with the results by the moment.
It wasn't so bad, really, and I'm sure that it was all my fault. Basically, there were three components, a spelt pancake,
a chickpea filling,
and a coconut curry sauce. Of the three elements, the sauce was certainly the most appealing, and good thing, because there is now quite a bit of it in my freezer.
I did this recipe pretty verbatim- I added steamed potatoes to the chickpea filling- but beyond that, the entire recipe can be found here. Better off going there, I think, I'm feeling pretty sassy and a little bit wanting to forget my whole meal. Everyone liked it so-so, except Joey who liked it more, and I grumbled through dinner and the various family went home or to bed or to the movies and I did a bunch of chick pea encrusted dishes. That was that.
But no regrets here. Every challenge with these wonderful daring souls is a treat, and thanks especially to Debyi of the healthy vegan kitchen for hosting the challenge. I bet her dosas were really good. And go check out the other daring dosas out there- they were a real hit with most, and I'm sure I just couldn't work the dosa magic this time. Ah well, nice to reflect back on the college years, at least.
Good job on your dobos! They look great! And don't ever get frustrated - it is supposed to be a challenge, and therefore, not easy. Just do your best, and eat whatever mess you make, and pat yourself on the back for trying! :)
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job with the challenge and I love the pictures of your Mom with you in the kitchen. I hope you enjoyed the dosas and the challenge.
ReplyDeleteHa ha..veggie curry mush..that sounds like how my filling turned out! Yours looks lovely, and the addition of potatoes was a great idea, even though it was still 'so-so'. Dang, I would have been happy with 'so-so'..lol
ReplyDeleteI agree it's tough to make good curry at home. What I liked about this challenge (apart from the admittedly delicious coconut sauce) was that it gave me some ideas for variations, or more authentic Indian recipes. Kudos to you for sticking with the challenge (and having fun in the kitchen while doing it)!
ReplyDeleteSorry your challenge didn't work out they way you wanted. You still did the daring cooks proud by trying it though!
ReplyDeleteSorry it didn't go as planned, but they look lovely =D!
ReplyDeleteThe first time I had it, I wasn't impressed...Somehow as leftover it was much better for me!
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