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<\/a>A couple of weeks ago, Keith and I had the pleasure to eat some authentic Indian food at the home of friends Harshad and Smita.\u00a0 The food was prepared by Smita and her mother in law who is currently visiting the States.\u00a0 So naturally, we had to take advantage of her expertise and\u00a0invited ourselves over to their place.\u00a0 Our meals consisted of:\u00a0 yellow lentil daal, chole (chick peas), palak paneer (spinach and cheese), vegetable jalfrezi, mango pulp, and tomato bhaji.\u00a0 We also had some naan, poori, and bay laurel scented basmati rice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My favorite dish was the tomato bhaji.\u00a0 I could just eat\u00a0it everyday.\u00a0 Smita was kind enough to share the recipe with everyone.<\/p>\n
RECIPE<\/strong><\/p>\n Tomato Bhaji<\/strong><\/p>\n Ingredients<\/em><\/p>\n Heat the oil in a pan and let it get really hot.\u00a0 Then add the cumin, asafoetida, turmeric, curry leaves, green chilies. Add ginger paste and sautee for a few seconds.\u00a0 Proceed with the onions and cook until transluscent.\u00a0 Add the tomatoes and cooked on a lower heat (medium).\u00a0 When the tomatoes are cooked halfway, add the salt, sugar\/jaggery, and crushed nuts.\u00a0 Cook for about a minute more and it’s finished.\u00a0 Garnish with a little cilantro.<\/p>\n The meal was so delicious that I had to go back for a second plate.\u00a0 Unlike the food served in typical\u00a0Indian restaurants, I found these home-made dishes to be lighter, less fatty, but definitely not lacking in flavor (but then again maybe I was just looking for an excuse for that second plate).\u00a0 The only thing I would like for next time<\/em> would be a little more heat \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 I like Indian food to be\u00a0hot enough that it makes my eyes tear up a little\u00a0or to induce a little sweat on my forehead.\u00a0 The meal ended with some gulab jamun perfumed with cardamon pods and saffron.\u00a0 If you must know, I had three pieces and took home 8 more!\u00a0 I’m not telling how long they lasted in our house.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/driftlessappetite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/indianmeal.jpeg\" "\\"indianmeal\\"")
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![\"\"](\"http:\/\/driftlessappetite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/gulabjamun.jpg\" "\\"gulabjamun\\"")
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