SPINACH-CURRY(MV)        USENET Cookbook        SPINACH-CURRY(MV)
SPINACH AND CHEESE CURRY
     SPINACH-CURRY - Indian vegetarian spinach and cheese 
curry
     This is a dish I learned from an Indian lady, at 
a cooking
     class.  It's simple to make and has a beautifully 
subtle
     flavor.  As per true curries, it uses raw spices 
instead of
     some prepackaged curry powder.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4 to 6)
     1 1/2 lbs fresh spinach
     1/2 lb    fresh ricotta cheese (see note)
     3         medium brown onions
     1 1/2 inches
               fresh ginger, chopped fine
     1         medium tomato
     1 1/2 tsp cummin seeds
     1/2 tsp   turmeric
     1/2 tsp   red chile powder (cayenne) (or more to 
taste)
     2         cloves
     pinch     nutmeg
     pinch     mace
     1 Tbsp    ghee (or use melted butter or oil)
               salt (to taste)
PROCEDURE
          (1)  Cook the spinach and chop it up.
          (2)  Cut the cheese into 3/4-inch cubes and 
deep fry a
               few pieces at a time in oil (a wok is 
good for
               this).
          (3)  Fry the chopped onions in the ghee.  
When almost
               brown, add the finely-chopped ginger. 
 Use a
               medium to high heat.
          (4)  When the onions are golden, reduce the 
heat and
               add the skinned and chopped tomato, then 
the
               spices and salt.
          (5)  Cover for a few minutes, then add the 
spinach and
               salt.
          (6)  Cover and simmer about 5 minutes to let 
spices
               penetrate.
          (7)  Add the cheese pieces, mix, and serve.
NOTES
     We eat this dish as a meal with rice, although 
you can use
     it as one dish along with others.
     The quantities given for the spinach and cheese 
are very
     flexible.  I never measure them, just putting in 
what seems
     right.  Experiment.  Similarly, it can be kept 
hot for a
     while with no loss in taste or texture.
     In North America, most Ricotta cheese is packed 
as a pot
     cheese. This recipe calls for a more solid form 
of the
     cheese. Specialty ethnic markets in large cities 
will carry
     solid Ricotta. You can make your own by buying 
a tub of pot
     Ricotta and wrapping it in a clean cloth to wick 
the mois-
     ture out, leaving the whole assembly in the refrigerator 
for
     a week or so, and changing the cloth every day. 
With such
     treatment the cheese will gradually solidify enough 
that you
     can slice and fry it. Buffalo-milk Mozzarella is 
a fair sub-
     stitute, and ordinary Mozzarella is a last-chance 
substi-
     tute.
     Don't fry the cheese too long.  It should have 
a golden
     exterior and have a marshmallow texture inside. 
 Frying too
     long makes it hard and dry.
     Use whole cummin seeds and cloves, not the ground 
variety.
     Like most curries, this reheats splendidly.
RATING
     Difficulty: easy to moderate.  Time: 1 hour.  Precision:
     Approximate measurement OK.
CONTRIBUTOR
     Peter C. Maxwell,
     Department of Computer Science,
     University of New South Wales,
     Sydney, AUSTRALIA.
     peterm%cadvax.oz@seismo.css.gov
     Path: decwrl!recipes
     From: shore@adobe (Andrew Shore)
     Newsgroups: mod.recipes
     Subject: RECIPE: Spinach dip
     Message-ID: <3184@decwrl.DEC.COM>
     Date: 23 May 86 03:38:15 GMT
     Sender: recipes@decwrl.DEC.COM
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