Garam Masala

Over the last couple of weeks, it seems like I've heard about the spice blend Garam Masala about 4 different times. Once when I bought a new frozen lunch, they had a little blurb about it in the Taste section of the paper, and then it was mentioned several times when I went out for Indian food with friends. So I decided to find a recipe that used it and give the flavors a try at home.

I found Garam Masala in the bulk section at Central Market. This blend included cumin, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Nice to be able to just by a little. It's so fragrant - the smell permeated my whole pantry even though it's in a plastic bag.

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Then I scouted out a recipe. I decided to do Sweet Potato and Cashew Korma over Coconut Rice.

Earlier this year, my friend Carla introduced me to this great pressed tofu made locally in Dallas by a company called Calco. I buy it at Asia World Market, and I'll never buy the regular Kroger kind again.

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When it's cut, it the look and texture really resemble Portabellas. They make one that doesn't have the brown coloring, but I just like the way this kind looks.

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Gathered everything up and did the chopping...

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The Basmati Rice cooked in coconut milk. Yummy! It made it very creamy and a little sticky when it was done.

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Things got hectic when I was cooking the Korma part (sweet potatoes, tomatoes, etc.), so I didn't get a picture of the pot. But the spices smelled wonderful. I loved the smell of the Garam Masala, ground coriander, ginger, and garlic.

Todd sliced a pineapple to go with our dinner.

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The final product. It has a little plain yogurt and chopped cashews on top.

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I thought this was very good. Todd liked it - he doesn't really care for sweet potatoes, but he thought the spices really made them taste better. I love sweet potatoes, and I thought the spices worked really well with their flavor. I would add a touch more spice (chili garlic sauce) next time. The coconut rice was delicious. It wasn't "knock your socks off" good, but definitely a keeper. I'd like to learn more about Indian cooking.

A friend told me about samosas baked in wonton wrappers - I might try that next.