Desi food cookout - Part Deux

Ok, time to finish up this post! :)

So, after finishing up the sides, I started on the chappathis. The dough had sat for over an hour and was soft and quite happy. Hmm ... no rolling pin! That's a challenge. Oh well! I just had to use my hands instead. Wait! A Voss bottle! Brilliant! That was fun - rolling balls of chappathi dough into rotis with the Voss bottle. I just cooked them dry on a pan, no oil or butter. Turned out perfectly soft and yummy!

Finally, the Peas Pulao that I got started before rolling out the chappathis:

2 cups basmati rice - soaked in water for about 5 minutes, drained and spread to dry in a plate or flat pan
1 stick cinnamon
3 bay leaves
1 piece of nutmeg
1 t garam masala
1 pinch turmeric
1.5 cups frozen peas
1 t sesame oil
2 t ginger-garlic paste
salt to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan (large enough to cook the rice) and add the ginger-garlic paste, cinnamon, bay leaves and nutmeg. Once they are browned, throw in the rice and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add 3.5 - 4 cups of water along with the peas, garam masala and salt and simmer partially covered till the rice is cooked. Garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro.

Dinner rocked! We opened a bottle of Prosecco to go with the desi food - it is often hard for us to find decent pairings given the spiciness of indian good, but this Prosecco totally complemented the flavors. Except now I've forgotten the label! Damn!