I would give this recipe 5 stars with my personal challenge level of 3 stars, only because of a few ingredients were used that I don’t usually cook with. This brings me to my first point: kale. I hadn’t ever cooked with kale before, but Isa had a convicting blurb about Kale’s health benefits. Did you know that kale can be an excellent omega-3 source for vegans? It reminded me of cooking with spinach leaves, as it really shrinks down after a little time. The next time you are at the grocery store, you should purchase this green leafy vegetable next to the lettuce. I actually had to hit two stores (Winco & Fred Meyer) just to get enough for the recipe, but usually it is readily available.
The other ingredient that gave me a hard time was the garam masala. I was familiar with this Indian spice but had yet to find it in my town. Previously when fixing Indian dishes, I would just add some dried versions of the spices that are in garam masala, like: cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. However, part of the purpose of this project was to challenge myself, so I was determined to find the garam masala. Winco was my first stop. After checking in with the other spices, the Asian aisle, and the bulk area, I gave up. Later, at Fred Meyer I checked the same areas as well as the health food section and was about to give up when I turned a corner and found all the speciality spices right there in the health food section. Here’s a fun fact for you: garam masala costs $22 a pound at Fred Meyer. That’s right, $22! I will tell you, it is absolutely worth it. I still keep pulling it out of my kitchen and smelling it. The strong aroma is like honest to goodness REAL Indian food! Do note that I didn’t buy a whole pound of it. I am a teacher after all, but I did buy several tablespoons. After typing this, I have just realized how hard it is to describe a scent. If you haven’t had Indian food before, you need to Google some restaurants in your area because you are seriously missing out on what I call “the most orgasmic food ever!” Chocolate is overrated; garam masala is the real aphrodisiac.
Aside from the slight difficulties purchasing some of the ingredients, this recipe was relatively easy - chopping, throwing in the pot, and stirring. I ended up with this:
I had my friend Catherine over to help my husband and I enjoy my first dish. We agreed that it proved to be a little spicy, but not too spicy. Of course Steven can’t go a single meal without putting a condiment on, so he put Tabasco soy sauce on his. Why? I don’t know. That’s just something he always does. Classy, right?
The only complaint I have for this recipe is that it was gone too fast. Next time I will double the recipe.
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