recipes from a cumin junkie
Considering that I was on a two year extended Indian cooking kick before I started this site, I find it odd that I have included in the time since. I’m not sure if others do this, but I tend to go in and out of food crazes — currently, the absolutely only thing I want to eat after the gym is tofu pad thai, which doesn’t sound so horrible until you consider that I hit the gym three times a week, and no doubt reverse its effects just as often. I’ve gone through similar phases with poached eggs (atop anything), dinners of asparagus and roasted tiny red potatoes (only), dumplings, and for two torturous months of Alex’s life, a certain of Nigella Lawson’s I fiended for, even first thing in the morning.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 14 of 17 ingredients — the other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 14 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Lentil | 1/2 cup cooked (99g) | 115 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup chopped (156g) | 55 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Cucumber | 1/2 cup sliced (52g) | 16 |
| Turmeric | 1 tsp ground (3g) | 9 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Seed | not in our table | 0 |
| Coriander | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 200 grams (1 1/4 cups) red split lentils (masoor dal), picked over, washed and drained
- 1.2 liters (5 cups) water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into fine slices
- 225 grams (1/2 pound) cored and finely shredded cabbage
- 1 to 2 fresh, hot green chilies, finely sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 medium tomato, peeled (ahem, Deb did not peel her tomato) and finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon peeled, finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 (1 3/4-lb) head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
- 1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño, including seeds
- 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup finely chopped English (seedless cucumber)
- 1 thinly sliced scallion
- 3/4 cup yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt