INDIA!!

bye bye february.

i won't miss you.

i could use a little more light, and a bit more warmth,

and a lot more time.

that's coming our way soon enough,

but first we gotta get february the F* outta here...

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last night was cold.

and windy.

and dark.

i needed somethin' hot and hearty to heat my skinny little body 

back up to a normal temperature...

i'm talking about spice and substance, dudes.

i'm talking about homemade hottness.

i'm talking about aloo chana mutter, neighbors.

check the teleport:

CURRIED POTATOES, PEAS, AND CHICK PEAS!!!

HOMEMADE NAAN!!!

that's what's up.

y'got rice, bread, and starchy protein spice magic, all right there.

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it isn't the fastest meal ever, but it keeps you warm the whole time, 

and that's good news, for sure.

let's start with the naan.

look at it:

WORD.

it's not terribly hard to make either.

it goes like this:

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*

 ILL NA-NAAN!!

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in your stand mixer, dough-hooked and read to go,

add 1/2 cup warm water;

1 tsp sugar;

1 pkg regular-actin' yeast + 1 tsp bread machine yeast,

all together and let it bloom for a few minutes.

add in:

2 T vegan butter;

2 cups bread flour;

1 tsp sea salt;

1/4 cup unsweetened plain coconut yogurt.

knead it up for 11 minutes, cover it up and let it rise until it's 2x o.g. size.

...that'll take 30-60 minutes.

the exxxtra yeast speeds it up, 

and i was hungry, 

so i might've not actually all the way waited.

divide it into 6 balls, rolled nicey-nice, and cover those for fifteen more minutes.

meanwhile, heat up a big dry cast iron pan to the hottest it can get

over the highest heat your stovetop has got to offer.

that's key.

naan needs that fire to get those sexxxy black bubbledots.

f'real.

roll each ball into an oval, and lay 'em on the pan for a few minutes on each side.

the first side will be browner that the bubble side, but that's how it's s'posed to be.

when they're ready, brush 'em with melted vegan butter, and get ready to freak out.

they're expert as hell, and you're gonna wanna eat 'em all.

go ahead.

that's what they're for.

*

the bread would've been enough, honestly.

but i also fired up some rice.

i mean, it's india time, and rules is rules.

that's a thing.

long grain white rice is what you need.

basmati if you have it, jasmine if you don't.

i gave it a scallion sprankle or two, just because i feel like i have to.

y'know?

yeah.

*

and that curry?

holy F*ing sh!t.

it's make believe, but it's also elite.

look:

damn it feels good to make good food, dudes.

here's how it happened.

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CURRY POTATO SEXXXPLOSION!

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parboil 3 skin on red potatoes, cubed into 8 pieces each.

drain, and set aside.

in a hot pan, toast up:

1 tsp ea. GPOP, cumin, coriander, ginger, smoked paprika, turmeric;

1/2 tsp ea. crushed red pepper, cayenne, ground mustard, cardamom;

pink salt, black pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.

melt in 3 T vegan butter, and let that cook into a paste.

next, add 2 T tomato paste, and stir it up well, letting it stay on high heat, 

and cook another minute.

that's when you add 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut-almond milk,

and 1/2 cup warm water,

and let it cook down and thicken up.

yeah.

after five minutes of bubblin',

add the potatoes and coat them completely.

toss in 1/3 cup chickpeas,

1/4 cup frozen green peas,

1 T jalapeno, and reduce it to a simmer.

add 1/4 cup slivered red onion,

1 T coriander stems, minced,

and finish it off with scallion and cilantro for the ultimate in excellence for your face.

you see that?

*

a scoople of the potatoes and a scoople of the rice wrapped up in a naan?

guys, c'mon.

all day long, that's level eleven sexxxiness.

spicy.

hearty.

rewarding.

from-scratch, homemade turbo deluxxe dopeness, 

fresh from the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress test kitchen laboratory straight to you.

***********

february was dumb.

march had better be better.

i'm ready or some new sh!t,

and i'm so over the old sh!t.

on the onoes-

i've got babies comin',

and lovers to love,

and work to do every-damned-where.

it's all really happening.

a wild ride whirlwind of spirit and memory,

heart-swelling hope and heartbreaking hurt

and work and love and life and loss-

it's almost overwhelming....

luckily, too much is the right amount,

so we're just gonna have to take it as it comes,

and take it to the limits of comprehension and endurance.

that's all there is to it,

and that's all we can do;

never quiet, never soft.....