I never cared for Indian food until recently.  I spent off and on in my 20’s and 30’s living in an ashram with a monastic group and Indian food was the order of the day.  I found it not to my liking and thereafter avoided it.  Then in October 2006 while attending the Pranic Healing Workshop in Orlando, I was invited to lunch with Master Steven Co and his group.  Tom Park asked if I liked Indian food, since they were going to an Indian buffet.  I inwardly cringed and outwardly smiled and said ‘Yes, I’d love that.”  To my delight, I found there were many dishes I loved, and they tasted nothing like I remember “Indian food” tasting.  So flavorful and so many vegetarian choices.

In my new search for low fat, high flavor meal choices, I’ve been studying up on Indian food and trying out some recipes.  The spices are very unfamiliar to me.  I am not only learning their names, but how to use them.  I am realizing the more creamy dishes contain yogurt or cream, which I don’t care for.  I am anxious to learn more.  I found a website with good info at www.food-india.com.

I’ve had to buy a whole set of spices unfamiliar to me: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, coriander powder, cardamom seeds and powder, turmeric, garam masala.  I’ve also had to learn to cook using chilies, or chili peppers.  The Indian foods use different flours, like besan (chickpea) and a lot of pastes, so you make (or buy) ginger paste, garlic paste, or puree onions and spinach into pastes to thicken sauces.  That part interests me, since I am a gravy freak.  Oh!  To think I can have gravy!  I’m excited!

I am also learning how each spice tastes, alone and in combination with each other.  It’s weird not being able to know right offhand, like I do with garlic, cumin, basil, oregano, tarragon: my staples.  My remedy is to continue dining at the Indian buffet on a regular basis and question the server about the dishes I like.  Then go home and go onto to www.google.com and search the name of the dish and find the recipe.

Then I got in a chile pepper stage and tried cooking with different chiles.  I first tried the tiny hot Thai peppers and found they were “burn my face off” hot.  A little goes a long way with me, so a few slivers in a stirfry or soup was my limit.  Next I tried the larger, sweeter varieties: Poblanos, Hungarian wax, Anaheims and Cubanelles.  These went well with the Indian curries and also led me into the arena of Mexican recipes.  I like any kind of latino food, but I prefer the lighter versions with very little fat or cheese.

My first Poblano recipe was a casserole version of chiles rellenos, which sounded good… on paper.  In reality, it was an underspiced dish of peppers stuffed with heavy ricotta and chedder, nestled into a quiche type mixture and overcooked.   I pondered what to stuff the peppers with next, and tried 2 different ways I’ll share with you here:

No. 1:  I defrosted a dozen shrimp and sauteed them with leftover rice, an onion, a cup of chopped fresh basil and 2 tbsp chopped garlic.  Also some salt and pepper, 2 tsp lime juice, and 4 tbsp light cream cheese.  This is what I stuffed 2 fat peppers with. I had a can of green chiles, so I found a recipe online and made a green chile sauce: cook an onion with garlic and cumin, add equal parts of canned, chopped green chiles and chicken broth, cook down about 20 minutes.  I topped the stuffed peppers and put them in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

No. 2:  The second thing I did was take 2 Poblano peppers and cut them into long 1” strips and boiled them for 3 minutes to soften them.  I put some of the green chile sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.  Then I took some corn tortillas and softened them in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Inside each one, I put a strip of chile and some of the rice shrimp basil mixture from No. 1 above, and then rolled it up and lined the bottom of the pan with them.  On top I put the remaining green chile strips, then the remaining chile sauce, then a layer of shredded cheese on top, then baked at 350 for 40 minutes.

I ate some of each and they were all flavorful.  I’d add a few slivers of a hotter pepper inside the rice mixture if I make them again.  The shrimp and chile was a good combination, and the lime juice and basil made a big difference in giving high flavor.

With the new cooking regimen, I’m often asked what do I have in my pantry and fridge right now?

Let’s see, I have Thai eggplants and bok choy,I have fresh mushrooms, onions, basil and bean sprouts,potatoes white and sweet, onions, red and Vidalia, carrots,celery, scallions, cherry tomatoes, eggs, feta,tahini, garlic paste, ginger paste, fresh ginger, chopped garlic,garlic chili sauce, fish sauce, corn tortillas, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos,a jar of Peanut Wonder, mango jam, soy milk and Earth Balance vegan spread,which I do finally prefer over butter.
In the pantry I have linguine pasta, Raisin Bran, tom yum paste,some canned curry sauces, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup andItalian Wedding soup.  I have Irish oatmeal, Scottish oatmeal,rice noodles, egg noodles, a variety of the Lundberg Farms rice blends,canned tomatoes, canned green chiles, canned chipotle in adobo sauce for when I’m feeling brave, and a selection of canned and dry beans: black, pinto, navy, garbanzo, split pea.

In the freezer, besides my secret stash of breads, I might have salmon or tilapia and white shrimp, lemongrass, gangalal and keffir lime leaves for my beloved tom yum soup.  Most days I keep it simple and breakfast might be a cup of chicken noodle soup with a teaspoon of tom yum paste and some beansprouts and fresh basil leaves in it.