Friday's Indian Feast

On Friday hubby and I had my hairdresser Kevin and his partner Jim over for dinner. They said they love Indian food, so we didn't hold back on the spice (as we usually do when we have ferungees over for dinner!). We had a really great time laughing and talking with them and really enjoyed the bottle of ice wine they brought for dessert. They both have a wicked sense of humor so we laughed the whole night! Poor guys, though...they were both wiping their noses the whole time so we were afraid that maybe we did make it too spicy...but they politely insisted it wasn't!

Anyway, the dinner was not for dieters...first we served cocktail samosas (from our local international grocery, Oasis) with homemade cilantro and tamarind chutneys. Dinner was basmati rice, dal makhani, baingan ka bharta (spicy eggplant) and methi gajjar (carrots with fenugreek).

The carrots were our own creation, or rather, our take on Archie Didi's methi gajjar. I fell in love with them when we were in India. The carrots there are so sweet and good, and they aren't orange--they're more of a reddish color. As soon as we got back to the US I had to learn to cook this recipe. If you like glazed carrots, then you'd love these: sweet and spicy at the same time.

Methi gajjar

6 or 7 large carrots, cleaned and peeled
1 tbs oil
1 tbs dried methi (fenugreek leaves)
cayenne powder to taste
salt to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1/2 tsp dhania (ground coriander)

Cut carrots in half lengthwise, then those halves in half. Slice thinly.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the carrots. Saute for a few minutes. Add enough water to cover, and simmer until water cooks away and carrots start to become tender.

Add the spices, except for the methi. Stir for a minute or so, add the sugar, then add a little water. Add the methi. Cook until carrots are tender and liquid is mostly cooked away. Serve hot with rotis.