Tonight for dinner I made a dish I've decided to, from here on out, call "Indian Jambo" ~ why .. um, well, because what we were calling it wasn't really accurate, and it isn't Gumbo, nor is it Jambalaya, and saying "Indian Jambalaya" is a total tongue twister but I really liked that kinda vibe, so .. Indian Jambo.
I haven't made this dish in well over six months, despite the numerous times it has appeared on the menu list. It isn't that something is wrong with the dish, it probably isn't really even that hard to make, it just doesn't sync well with me. Or I don't sync well with it. Or something like that. The main reason for this is that when I make this I'm making actually making two entrees at the same time, along with a big ole batch of rice. And, folks, I seriously just don't have that kind of focusing capabilities. Squirrel!
Ok, where was I? Oh yea, focusing. *oohhh .. shiny.* See, not good at it. But, I do make the dish because it is really damn yummy. It is also vegetarian and probably really good in terms of Ayurvedic diet stuff, and it makes a friggin' ton of food so we're set up with meals forever (which freeze & reheat well), which means it is actually a really, really, ridiculously cheap meal. I'd do the math on this but I did it once and I just don't like math enough to do it again. But it was really cheap in the end.
So, since it is so yummy I am going to share it with you now. This dish was inspired by Amy's Organic frozen meal called Mattar Paneer. A friend had brought some over and we shared it and ended stirring it all together and it was really yummy. I wanted to try and make it myself, and searched out the recipes.
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| Indian Jambo!! All blended together and magically delicious! |
What I immediately found out was that Amy's version isn't just Mattar Paneer. It is Mattar Paneer, Chana Masala, and rice. So, let's break it down. You'll need your regular ole pot/saucepan, two large skillets, and a big ole bowl. Plus containers for leftovers.
1) Rice - Make a massive amount of rice for this. I use brown rice, but feel free to use white if it tickles your fancy. What I've found is that though you add more rice the flavor doesn't fade away, making the rice a really awesome way to stretch this dish out to the max. I used 8 cups of water & 4 cups dry rice, giving me 16 - 20 servings of rice! This amount is the maximum that my regular pot/saucepan will hold, which is quite convenient. Make it just like you would regular rice.
2) Chana Masala - Here's the link to the recipe I used: http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/indian/chana-masala -- If you really want me to type it out harass me about it and maybe I will. This dish can go in the smaller of the skillets (if you don't have two equally big ones - I know I don't), but it will need a lid.
3) Mattar Paneer - Again, here's the link to the recipe I used and if you want me to type it all out, well, see above: http://www.indianfoodforever.com/vegetables/matar-paneer.html - This dish is definitely going to need the biggest skillet pan you've got. In fact, because I didn't pay attention (see way above as to why I don't make this too often) I ended up having to leave out some of the water and then made a mess on the stove when trying to scoop it all out.
1) Rice - Make a massive amount of rice for this. I use brown rice, but feel free to use white if it tickles your fancy. What I've found is that though you add more rice the flavor doesn't fade away, making the rice a really awesome way to stretch this dish out to the max. I used 8 cups of water & 4 cups dry rice, giving me 16 - 20 servings of rice! This amount is the maximum that my regular pot/saucepan will hold, which is quite convenient. Make it just like you would regular rice.
2) Chana Masala - Here's the link to the recipe I used: http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/indian/chana-masala -- If you really want me to type it out harass me about it and maybe I will. This dish can go in the smaller of the skillets (if you don't have two equally big ones - I know I don't), but it will need a lid.
3) Mattar Paneer - Again, here's the link to the recipe I used and if you want me to type it all out, well, see above: http://www.indianfoodforever.com/vegetables/matar-paneer.html - This dish is definitely going to need the biggest skillet pan you've got. In fact, because I didn't pay attention (see way above as to why I don't make this too often) I ended up having to leave out some of the water and then made a mess on the stove when trying to scoop it all out.
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| Same dish, just now the photo is taken with a FLASH! Woo!! |
After you've got all three dishes prepped and made, start adding them in equal proportions to your big bowl. I use the biggest bowl we've got, the one normally reserved for chips & football games. For me the best way to make sure I'm schlopping equal portions is to scoop 1, 2, 3 scoops of the Mattar Paneer then 1, 2, 3 scoops of the Chana Masala, then 1, 2, oh hell, 1/2 the rice or so. Mix well with a spoon.
This dish is so large that I actually can't fit it all in one bowl till after we've eaten. But, hey, it's all good because .. well, it's all good!!
This dish is so large that I actually can't fit it all in one bowl till after we've eaten. But, hey, it's all good because .. well, it's all good!!
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| Leftovers!! |
Like I said, the leftovers on this dish are a plus in my category because it means future dinners that are homemade but that I don't have to really take any effort to get to the table. The white container above Justin will take for lunch tomorrow. The other two are holding way more than they look in the photo. The glass pyrex dish (under the white container) will easily feed the four of us for dinner.
Try it out and see what you think.
2 comments:
Looks delicious!
Thanks Russell. It really is a delicious dish. I had some of the leftovers for lunch today and was lamenting "why don't I make this more often!"
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