curried lentil soup

This weekend I decided to make lentil soup. I looked through some recipe and found this Curried Lentil Soup recipe on epicurious.com. Of course I had to modify it a bit because, well, that's just how I am. I used the whole bag of lentils, so as not to waste any, so I added an extra can of broth, another potato (I have a major thing for curry/potato combo...perfection) and one more carrot. I also added lots more curry powder and cayenne pepper, plus some garlic powder & turmeric.

It's an easy recipe and it turned out really yummy, and there's lots of it (and it cheap!). I'll probably have to freeze some, because apparently Jacks' not into lentil soup, and I'd have to eat it 3 meals a day for a week to finish it. Even though I do adore the stuff, I think that might get a bit old. Anyway, perfect winter cooking. It's hearty and spicy and rich...really warms you up, and makes your home smell wonderful. And with that little bit of olive oil as the only fat, very healthy, too!

House of Yum!

Friday Night I met some friends at House of India at Delmar and I-170. I adore Indian food, but have only been to a couple of restaurants. I've heard that House of India is very good, and it's true! The service was good, like at all Indian restaurants I've been to. We had a big table of people, so service was affected by that a bit, but overall no major problems.

I tried my friend's Mango Lassi, which I've never had. Those things are fantastic...at least for a huge mango fan like myself. We got and appetizer sampler platter. Being one of the 2 meat eaters in the crowd, I tried some kind of tubular lamb sausage and tandoori chicken. Both very flavorful.

For dinner I order #73-Chana Alu, which is "Chick peas and potatoes cooked in curry sauce with fresh tomatoes and onions." It sure was tasty. I have such a weak spot for potatoes in curry sauce. They are just the perfect couple. House of India has wonderful rice, too. Basmatti rice comes with most of the meals, but it's not just plain ordinary rice...It's delicately flavored with, I think, cinnamon, maybe lemon, maybe cumin? Like I said, subtle but it makes a positive difference. I tried my friend Kristen's homemade cheese with spinach dish. It was good, too, but not as flavorful as I like...very simple.

Mine was only $8, and I even had a little left over to bring home a sample to Jack! Oh, and when you get a to-go box, they supply you with some fresh basmatti rice! How nice is that?

Curry night

Last night Jack made curry. Just the normal golden curry-powder kind we all know and love. He made the sauce first, with onions, curry powder, black mustard seeds, Chicken broth, coconut milk, red chile flakes...that's all I know for sure. Our apartment (and the hallway outside) will smell like curry for the rest of the week, which is fine with me. Such a spicy, sexy sweet smell...warms me up.

Anyway, when it was time to eat, he stirfried chicken, sliced carrots, onions and potatoes (which he blanched first). After all of that was almost soft enough, he ladeled in some of the sauce, added green pepper peices and cashews, and heated everything through. Served over rice, It's one of my favorite meals.

Soon we hope to learn how to make Thai green curry and red curry. Here's a good source for all things Curry