June 27, 2012

(Curried) Asparagus & Broccolini Subzi

Broccolini became New Veggie #33 not too long ago. One of things I noted about this wonderful vegetable was that the stalks tasted a lot like Asparagus (New Veggie #21). This evening, I had both in the fridge and both needed to be used soon, so I decided to mix them both together. A subzi can be any mix of vegetables that are cooked with diced onions (and sometimes tomatoes) with a variety of spices. Served at every meal, subzis form the very back-bone of Indian cuisine.


Prep Time: 20-30 min

Ingredients:
  1. 1 bunch of Asparagus
  2. 1 bunch of Broccolini
  3. 1 small Red Onion, diced
  4. 1 tsp Garlic, minced
  5. 1 tsp Cumin powder
  6. 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  7. 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  8. 1 tsp Garam Masala
  9. 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
  10. Salt and Pepper, to taste.
  11. 1/2 tsp Tamicon.
Directions:
Wash vegetables well and then separate the florets from both the asparagus and the broccolini and set aside. Dice the stalks of both vegetables. Line a non-stick skillet with water, add red onion and garlic with a sprinkle of salt and cook until onion is nicely caramelized. Then add all remaining spices, toss everything together, cover and cook until the stalks are nice and tender. Now add the florets, toss well together and re-cover. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until there is no visible water remaining in the dish. This ensures a tasty savory subzi. Any water, other than what is released upon chewing the veggies, will make the dish feel under-cooked. This is the trick to cooking subzis without any added oils or fats. Traditionally, this dish would be cooked with oils and then cooked until all visible water was evaporated and the vegetables release the absorbed oils. 

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