This is the first dish I have made since becoming (mostly) vegan that has disappointed me at some level. I still ate it all and thought it was good, it was just not the spice I expected. I have found that finding ways to add FLAVOR is the key to vegan, at least in my mind. That makes up for the lack of cheese, meat and dairy in part, but also just makes any dish more satisfying even if you aren’t missing the animal products.
This was an almost bland dish while still being pretty good. If I ever made it again, I would figure out how to bring more spice to it. It wasn’t easy for me to think of spices to add to it after I figured out mid-dish that it would not spicy enough. Because it is Indian and I am new to making Indian food, I am not as versed in making it more spicy than I am with other dishes. I don’t feel as confident added a bunch of red pepper flake or garlic powder to an Indian dish as I would as another more familiar dish.
Here is where I found the recipe. The recipe guy is a restaurant trained chef who worked for Cooks Illustrated for years! I put the exclamation point in because I have made two of his recipes now and they both weren’t that great. I have no idea how a trained chef is coming up with these bland recipes.
Sadly, I am such a low level cook I had no idea that it is so easy to boil potatoes to make them easy to eat. It takes 10 minutes people, if you are non-potato users like me.
There is just a lot to chop in this recipe. So much I would almost do it all beforehand instead of as you go, there is that much to prepare.
The cilantro chutney this recipe calls for is completely unnecessary and also not good. It was watery, way too bitter and added nothing. Do not make it, waste of time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into rough 1 1/2-inch chunks
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped in food processor on pulsed
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped in food processor on pulsed
- 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped in food processor on pulsed
- 4 to 5 small green Thai bird chiles (or other green chiles, if you prefer) I chopped Serranos in the food processor.
- 1 small red pepper, finely diced in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients
- 8 stems cilantro, leaves roughly chopped, tender stems finely minced and reserved separately
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- 2 small plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped (a canned tomato is fine)
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, with their liquid
- 8 ounces curly spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon juice from 2 limes
- For the Cilantro Chutney
- 2 cups picked fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small green Thai bird chile
Procedures
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Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water by 1-inch. Season to taste with salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add grated onion, garlic, ginger, chiles, cilantro stems, and red pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the moisture has evarporated and mixture is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add turmeric, coriander, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Add chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, spinach, 1/2 cup of water, and cooked potatoes. Stir until spinach wilts. Add half of lime juice and season to taste with salt. reduce heat to lowest setting, cover, and keep warm while making chutney.
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For the Chutney: Combine cilantro, garlic, chile, and remaining lime juice in a blender or in the cup of a hand blender and add 1/3 cup water. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides and adding water as necessary. Season to taste with salt.
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Add more liquid to jalfrezi if necessary and serve with chutney and steamed basmati rice or naan.
Vegan For Meat Lovers 