Curried Nights in Cold Washington

If you all couldn't tell, my cooking setting has been turned to hyper speed these past few days. And that's not a bad thing, for you readers at least. For my kitchen's state of cleanliness, well, that's another story.

For dinner last night, I whipped up a quick and easy Indian meal. And let me tell you, I'm never buying an Indian sauce from a jar again. Using exclusively items from my pantry (granted, it's a well-stocked pantry), I was able to conjure flavors just like those in restaurant dishes. Plus my boyfriend was mightily impressed, and that's really the goal here, right? Oh course, right.

I altered several recipes to get my desired result. You can make your own substitutions as well:

Chickpea and Pea Curry

1 can of chickpeas

Half a package of frozen peas

1 can of crushed tomatoes

3/4 cup of coconut milk

2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp of cumin

1/2 tsp of coriander

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of ground ginger

About 10 whole cloves

Combine everything over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until tomatoes break down, peas are thawed and liquid component of dish has reduced; about 15 minutes. Serve with basmati rice.

To say this dish was easy to prepare is an understatement. The only odd items are ghee (which is wonderful, and I recommend you go out and buy immediately), which can be replaced with butter, and coconut milk, which can be easily purchased in any supermarket.

Don't be intimidated by the number of spices in this dish. They're flavors used in myriad cuisines and should be in any well-stocked kitchen. Go forth, and cook!