Today’s Special:  Punjabi Eggplant Masala, Jolly’s Indian Bistro

It can be hard to look beyond the Vij’s empire when you’re eating Indian in Vancouver, but sometimes it has to be done. And why not? Monopolies are no fun, no matter how delicious and addictive.  Jolly’s is a fine little place on West 4th that makes fluffy naan and serves generous pours of wine. When the main reason for going out is a catch-up, those kinds of things are important. Carbs and alcohol are on the menu at any good girls’ night. Baby eggplants in a rich tomato curry to help you work your way through that naan are icing on the cake.

Jolly’s Indian Bistro
West 4th Ave & Macdonald, Vancouver

I am cooking again. Every night. Meal planning. Grocery list making. Eat Local First Good Food Box ordering. Racing. Now to get back to writing before this blog loses the sugar to its cream! Life with my sweet baby is joyously busy, and cooking good quick meals has never been more important. So as meals get quicker, so must my posts. Dinners for Two and a Half. The solution.

Lovely Cream paid us a visit in the fall and with her visit, the Vij’s At Home cookbook entered our lives. Now I can hardly express in words the delights of everything Vij. The restaurant, his neighbouring Rangoli, and his cookbooks, are filled with exquisite, addictive, dream worthy Indian food. Every trip to Vancouver involves a freezer bag in my suitcase, a pit stop at Rangoli en route to the airport, and extra weight in my luggage due to as much frozen curry as one girl can pack. No joke. Since the prepared goods are a little more than a hop, skip, and a jump away, the ability to make the goods at home is a treat. The Vij’s cookbook is my go to for Indian when I have some leisure cooking time, but the Vij’s At Home version has simple, fast, and delicious alternatives to its more elaborate counterpart.

Vij’s Kitchen Staff Zucchini Soup is one of the easy, delicate, delicious recipes that will be on repeat in my kitchen for good. Thirty minutes, vibrant colour, tender vegetables, hearty warm soup, and the aroma of exotic spices. More please.

I can hardly wait for the little miss to start sharing meals with us instead of watching intently as we shovel food into our faces. She has just enjoyed her first bites this week. Six months old today. It’s all about bananas. She already wants to hold the spoon and get into the action. Next stop, avocado. She’ll be blogging in no time…

Vij’s Kitchen Staff Zucchini Soup (from Vij’s at Home)

serves 4 to 6

1/3 cup cooking oil

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

2 cups finely chopped onion

2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 Tbsp finely chopped jalapeno

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp turmeric

2 lbs zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1/2 cup water

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 chopped cilantro

In a medium pot, heat oil on medium-high for 1 minute. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for 30 to 45 seconds or until they darken. Stir in onion and saute for 10 minutes until quite browned but not burned. Add garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden, then stir in ginger, jalapeno, garam masala, salt, and turmeric. Saute spices for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly, then add zucchini and water and stir well. Cook zucchini for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is almost cooked to the texture you prefer. Add milk, stir and bring to a light boil. As soon the milk begins to boil lightly, turn off the heat. Stir in cilantro and serve.

It was at my first book club meeting that I met with an Indian sweet that I would never refuse: coconut cardamom burfi.  Kheer as finger food.  The attractive fragrance of cardamom, the light crunch of pistachio, the creamy colour.  All there.

The recipe is from a great Australian TV series called Food Safari.  Each episode is a look at the cuisine of a specific culture.  The burfi recipe was from the show on India.

Coconut Cardamom Burfi—even a video to help you get started!

My interpretation?

I do weigh out 200 g of coconut—I use unsweetened.  A local supermarket sells 250-g bags and I have a tiny $10 kitchen scale, so it’s pretty simple.

For us here in North America, I use one can of Eagle brand condensed milk.

When cooking the mixture, I find that it takes around 10 minutes.  The change is quite subtle, but you will notice that the mixture seems drier and wants to come together as a large mass rather than something spreadable.

They are the perfect addition to your Christmas baking.  Who doesn’t want to eat snow every now and again?