Groundnut Stew

From Sunday's At Moosewood Restaurant:

2 cups chopped onions
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 tsp cayenne or ground dried chiles
1 tsp pressed garlic cloves
2 cups chopped cabbage
3 cups cubed sweet potatoes
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup apple juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 chopped tomatoes
2 cups chopped okra
1/2 cup peanut butter

Sauté onions in oil for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne and garlic. Sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the cabbage and sweet potatoes, and sauté, covered, for a few more minutes. Mix in juices, salt, ginger, cilantro, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer or about 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender. Add okra and simmer for 5 more minutes. Stir in the peanut butter, turn heat to lowest setting, and simmer until ready to serve. Add more juice or water if stew is too thick.

Dholl Puri

Dholl Puri is a traditional food from the African island of Mauritius. Dholl is the word for legumes, like lentils, peas, or chickpeas, similar to the words for legumes in many South Asian and Middle Eastern countries (dahl, dal, etc...). Puri, a skillet-cooked flat bread, is also common in the same regions, particularly India. I added the recipes for two great condiments, a yogurt sauce and sauteed onion filling.

Dholl Puri

Dholl Puri:
2 c. white flour (plus extra for sprinkling)
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. warm water plus a few tablespoons, as needed
1 c. cooked, pureed yellow peas, lentils, or chickpeas
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Sauteed Onions:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lg. onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. coriander
pinch of cinnamon
1 c. sweet white wine

Yogurt Sauce:
1/4 c. yogurt
1/4 c. sour cream
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
juice from 1 lemon

Combine flour, turmeric, and salt. Add water until dough is soft and supple (consistency of pizza dough). Separate dough into eight balls and let rest 1/2 hour. To roll out, flatten each ball into a disk, fill with 2 tbsp legume paste and close dough around paste. Flatten into a disk again, coat thoroughly with flour, and roll out with rolling pin until puri is as thin as possible. Brush a large skillet over medium heat with a bit of the oil, and brush the top of the puri with more oil. Cook dholl puri until edges look dry, and flip. Keep cooked puri wrapped in foil in a heated oven until ready to serve.

For onions: Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and saute until they begin to brown. Add garlic and spices. Cook for 1 minute. Carefully pour in wine, and simmer until no liquid is left. Let each person fill the dholl puri with onions, and serve with cilantro yogurt.

For yogurt: Combine all ingredients.

Serve dholl puri with yogurt and onions. Stack two puri, fill puri with onions, fold in half twice and dip in yogurt sauce, to eat dholl puri tradtionally.