Not-mutton curry and pilaf

Mmmm! Given a choice between chocolate or curry it's going to be curry, for me. The favorite meal of my childhood, I'd ask for curry at each birthday; Mom simmered raisins and lamb in a fragrant stew all day long, then served it surrounded by at least 10 condiments - shrimp chips (to suck heat from your tongue), bananas, coconut, chopped peanuts, onion, chutney, green pepper, tomato... This was a rijstafel, adopted from the Dutch West Indies, and translated, then translated again, to a South African, then American palate - divine, still (and to be good, the heat should make your scalp sweat; I should be left with a rich, sweet-pungent, joyous mouth-memory.

This curry's no exception to my general love for the breed, though it is (I believe) a far more authentic technique, or at least more direct. Ground coconut, cloves, and cardamom are just the 'c' spices in a rich and very flavorful blend that ultimately becomes the thick sauce, which suspends relatively few 'main' ingredients - mushrooms, potato.

Note, though, that if you don't have the whole spices that are called for - don't overestimate, as I did the cloves. They ended up being pretty overpowering. Next time I'll under-clove. Got this from holy cow! a wonderful blog I just discovered.

Vaishy's 'My Dad's "Not-Mutton" Mushroom Curry'

Ingredients:

3 cups of assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into chunky strips (I used crimini and shiitake, but you could use portabella or even button mushrooms)
2 medium potatoes, cubed and microwaved with some water for about 5 minutes until they are barely tender.
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 red chillies
5 cloves
5 pods of green cardamom
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use a packaged kind I buy from Whole Foods)
1-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes, diced

Heat 1/2 tbsp of the oil in a skillet. Add the coriander, cumin, chillies. cardamom, cloves and peppercorns and roast until they start changing color and become fragrant. Remove and reserve.
Heat another 1/2 tbsp of oil stir fry half the sliced onion, garlic and ginger until they are golden brown. Reserve.
Without adding any more oil, roast the coconut shreds for just a few seconds until they start turning golden-brown. Remove immediately. Be vigilant because coconut can burn easily.
Put the spices, onion, garlic, ginger and coconut in a blender and using 1/2 to 1 cup of water, grind to a smooth paste.
In the same skillet used for toasting the spices and onions, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.
Add the remaining onion and cook until the onion starts turning golden-brown.
Add the diced tomatoes and turmeric. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down.
Add the sliced mushrooms and stir to coat with the spices. Add the potatoes.
Cover and let cook until the veggies turn quite tender.
Now add the ground spice-onion mixture. Stir thoroughly.
Cover and let it cook another 10 minutes for the flavors to meld together.
Garnish with some cilantro or, like I did, add about 1/2 cup watercress in the last few minutes of cooking.
Serve hot!

I served this with Raisin and Nut Pilaf, also from the same blog:

My note: this is so good!

Raisin and Nut Pilaf

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped cashew and/or pistachio nuts
Salt to taste
1 tbsp canola oil

Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and oven-safe handles.
Add the cumin seeds and stir until they sputter, flavoring the oil.
Add the rice and stir until the grains start to turn opaque.
Now add the water and salt and let it come to a boil.
Turn the heat to low and add the peas.
Cover the saucepan with tinfoil and place the lid over it, to ensure a tight seal.
Place the saucepan in a preheated 350-degree oven.
Remove from the oven after 20 minutes. Be very careful because the handles will be screaming hot. Do not open for at least 10 more minutes because the rice is continuing to cook in its steam at this point.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1 tsp of canola oil. Add the nuts and toss them about until they start to turn golden. Add the raisins, stir for about 30 seconds, and turn off the heat.
Pour the nuts and raisins into the rice pilaf and with a fork, fluff gently to mix.