Aloo gobi (spicy potatoes and cauliflower)

Potato - Part 1.

Fire up your taste buds.

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chillies, sliced
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely shredded
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt to taste
300g new potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tsp garam masala
A bunch of coriander leaves

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the cumin seeds for 30 seconds. Lower heat, add the chillies and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant.
2. Add turmeric, ground coriander and salt. Stir to mix. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and stir to coat spices evenly.
3. Add a splash of water and cook over low heat until vegetables soften, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the pan gets dry, add a splash of water at a time.
4. Turn up the heat and gently toss the vegetables in the pan to dry off excess water.
5. Stir in the garam masala and serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.

Tips:
Leftover Aloo gobi makes for great samosa filling. Fold thawed popiah skin in half to make triangles, fill and deep-fry.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Mar 2008)

Cheesy vegetable pie

An eggless recipe.

Ingredients (makes 12.5cm pie):
Filling:
60g butter
40g plain flour
500ml milk
800g mixed vegetables, diced and steamed
180g frozen peas
100g grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Pie crust:
300g plain flour
1.5 tsp ground cumin (阿拉伯茴香)
1/2 tsp ground chilli
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
160g butter
Enough cold water to knead dough

Method:
Filling:
1. Heat butter. Add flour. Stir over heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and add the milk gradually.
2. Return to heat and boil until the mixture thickens. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Pie crust:
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Rub in butter till mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough water to make the ingredients cling together.
2. Wrap pastry in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Divide dough into portions. Roll out 1 portion on floured surface to fit the greased pie dish. Prick all over with a fork and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Spoon in the prepared filling. Roll out the remaining pastry to cover the pie dish. Trim and seal the edges. Bake until golden brown.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine