Chana Masala & Zucchini Curry

London opened our taste buds to amazing Indian dishes, especially classic British-Indian dishes (although finding reputable sources on what truly originated in India is difficult versus what started in an immigrant kitchen in England and spread out from there...) and so my ongoing Indian food quest continued with two dishes: Chana Masala and Zucchini Curry.

I've been hitting the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market weekly for a few months now - even through the dead of summer, there was good produce, fruits, and more to be found. Some weeks I buy a ton of items from my list, other weeks only a few things. I do try to stick to my shopping list, since I definitely have my Mom's gene to stock immense amounts of food...for me, it's less about "what if we get hit by a hurricane" and more of "what if it strikes me to make Lemon Bars or add a Broccoli Rabe side dish?"

But, I do love my Saturday morning ritual and with it comes neat surprises - I had to buy some Zucchini and ended up with too much, so I decided to try two Indian dishes and add the Zucchini Curry onto the existing menu of Chana Masala. Surprisingly, they both have very similar sauces: tomato based, barely spicy, great onion, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, and more. The Chana Masala has grated ginger added, such an underrated flavor, and they work very well on the dish together.


"Chana Masala and Zucchini Curry"

Fall is upon Central Texas - thank god, this Summer was very rough. We tied the record for the most days over 100 and with no vacations, I think we were both drawn into a few mirages here and there. Promptly after we returned from England, it dumped. Poured. A good Texas storm. We all knew it was going to come...but when?


"September Rain in the Backyard"

This started a week of beautiful days and even though it was fairly warm yesterday, in the low 90s...just in time for Oktoberfest! While the real event is going on now in München, next weekend the Central Texas version kicks of in Fredericksburg and we're ready for take Vivienne (the convertible) out for a joyride. (Yes, there will be a designated driver Mom!) Last night, we had a vegetarian german feast with our friends Melissa and Robert...more on that later!

Tschüß!