Date: September 24, 2006

Hosts: Rashmi & Milan

Cooking Theme: Indian


Pakoras is a salty deep fried appetizer made with chick-pea flour and eaten with chutney/ketchup.
Ingredients
• 1 cup chick-pea flour (garbanzo beans flour)
• 4 cups cauliflower, potato and onion (chopped in little pieces and mixed together)
• Oil for frying
• 1 tsp salt
• Chile powder
• Lemon juice

Directions
• Mix all the veggies and chick pea flour together.
• Add salt and chile powder (to taste), as well as some lemon juice to bind it together.
• Heat oil in a frying pan.
• Roll the mixture into small bite-size balls and fry untill golden brown.
• Serve hot with chutney.


Cashew Curry
Ingredients
• 1 cup cashews (crushed into a powder)
• 4-5 bell peppers (long slices)
• 10-15 slices of Indian cheese (Paneer), optional
• Garam Masala OR the following seasonings crushed together:
     - 4 pieces cardamon
     - 1 cinnamon stick
     - 10 black pepper
     - 25 coriander seeds
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tomatoes (pureed)
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• Tumeric powder
• Chile powder

Directions
• Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat it.
• Add onion and heat until golden brown.
• Add pureed tomato and heat until the oil begins to separate out.
• Add salt, tumeric powder (it gives yellow curry its color), and chile powder (to taste).
• Add in the crushed cashews and Garam Masala mix.
• Pour in 2-3 cups of water.
• Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add bell peppers and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Serve curry with Indian Bread or Naan.


Guest Dish: Kari

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
• 1¾ cup flour
• ¾ cup cocoa
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla

Directions
• Combine all ingredients.
• Mix with mixer on medium for 2 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of boiling water.
• Stir in with spoon (batter will be thin).
• Pour into 9x13" pan.
• Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
• Cool and frost or serve with berries and cream.