dairy

I used to say this was the only vegan dish I could get Craig to eat, but then I added Paneer (a medium firm cheese available at Indian grocers) and he won’t eat the vegan version anymore. I adapted the recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking. I like to serve this with a cold side dish (like carrot salad) and basmati rice. 

• 8 oz. dry black-eyed peas

• 4 c water

• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced or quartered

• vegetable oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, pressed

• 14 oz. canned chopped tomatoes

• 1 small cinnamon stick

• 2 t ground cumin

• 2 t ground coriander

• ½ t ground turmeric

• ¼ t cayenne pepper (this makes it medium spicy)

• 2 t salt

• black pepper (to taste)

• 3 T chopped fresh coriander (also known as cilantro)

• ¾ c frozen peas

• ½ c golden raisins

• ~8 oz Paneer, cut in ¾ inch cubes

Put beans in the water and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for one hour. (Alternatively, place the dry beans in the water and let stand overnight.) Bring the beans to a boil again and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the onions and garlic in the oil until the edges of the onions brown. Add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and spices up to the cayenne. Cover and cook over low for about 10 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture, salt, black pepper, coriander, peas and raisins to the beans. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. Add the Paneer and cook another 10 minutes or until the beans are tender and the Paneer is heated through.

Serves 6-10