INDIAN VEGETABLE STEW WITH TOMATO-SAFFRON BROTH AND CHICKPEA DUMPLINGS

INDIAN VEGETABLE STEW WITH TOMATO-SAFFRON BROTH AND CHICKPEA DUMPLINGS image

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 35

Ingredients

Ingredients for the stew:
1/4 cup canola oil or ghee (clarified butter cooked to a slightly
toasty golden brown) (see note)
10 fat cloves of garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
4 finely chopped serrano chiles, seeds included, or to taste
1-1⁄2) tablespoon spice mix (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
6 large, ripe tomatoes cut into a large dice and lightly salted for 10 minutes
A generous pinch saffron, crumbled
Handful fresh curry leaves (optional)
Kosher or sea salt to taste
2 pounds mixed summer vegetables, roasted (see note)
1/2 -1 cup water, depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes
1 recipe chickpea dumplings (recipe follows)
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Ingredients for the spice mix:
1 tablespoon whole cumin seed
1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
1/2 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
2 small dried red chiles
1/2 tablespoon ground turmeric
Ingredients for the chickpea dumplings:
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup semolina flour
1-1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon whole cumin seed, lightly toasted
1/2 tablespoon serrano chile, finely chopped, including seeds
1-1/4 cups whole milk yogurt
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons ghee or canola oil

Steps:

Stew: In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat & add garlic and saute until medium golden brown. Add ginger, chiles, saffron and spice mix. Season w/ salt and continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mustard seeds & as they pop, add the optional curry leaves and chopped tomatoes & season w/ salt. Cook over medium-low heat for about 6-7 min until the tomatoes have released a substantial amount of juice & their skins have softened. Add the cooked vegetables along w/ any accumulated juices & adjust the consistency with water to create a slightly soupy mixture. Season again & add 6-8 dumplings/person. Heat through & spoon stew into heated individual serving bowls or a large tureen, garnishing w/ cilantro & scallions. Toss vegetables in a little canola oil, salt & pepper and place them in one layer on a sheet pan covered w/ foil. Roast in a 450 oven until light brown and still slightly underdone, about 20 min. Make sure the vegetables are not disturbed until they begin to color. Spice mix: Toast seeds & chiles over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour into a small bowl and let cool. Grind very fine & stir in ground turmeric. Dumplings: Combine & sift dry ingredients, including salt and pepper. Whisk eggs & add yogurt, oil, cumin & chiles in a large bowl and gradually add flour mixture until well combined. Let the batter rest refrigerated for at least one hour and as long as 24 hours. Line a sheet pan with foil. Bring a med pot of salted water to a boil & form small egg-shaped quenelles of the dumpling batter w/ 2 teaspoons, allowing them to cook for about 6 min, before scooping them out onto the sheet pan to cool and repeating with the rest of the batter.