Closet Indian

My project lead came into work this morning and asked me "What's weeth you and Indian food? I think you are a closet Indian."

He's right actually.

I have been obsessed with Indian food lately. Ever since I went with him to this Indian restaurant and ordered Vegatable Biryani, I've been talking about it nonstop. I liked the VB so much that I decided to look up a recipe for it. Problem is, I don't have half of the stuff in the recipe. Where in the world do I find Black Cardamom? And what is Haldi Powder? And Cumin-Coriander powder? Can I just take cumin and coriander and mix them together? How much of each?

Plus, it calls for whole cloves and cinnamon sticks, neither of which I have. Let me tell you, if a recipe calls for ingrediants that I can't get it at the local Safeway, I generally don't make that recipe.

So making Vegetable Biryani is on hold for now, but I haven't given up. I'm determined to amass these ingrediants eventually and then wow my wife with some good ethnic cooking.

If you're interested in making Vegetable Biryani yourself, here is the recipe my dear Indian friend gave me:

Ingrediants:

• 1 1/2 cups of good quality Basmati Rice
• 250 g of Cauliflower (I know... who in the world measures cauliflower in grams??)
• 2 medium sized potatoes
• 2 medium sized onions
• 50 g of green peas
• A few cloves, cinnamon stick, black pepper, black cardamom, a bayleaf or two (everything whole)
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste
• 1 medium tomato (chopped)
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
• Ginger-garlic paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons haldi powder
• 2 tablespoons of cumin-coriander powder
• 2 teaspoons (or to taste) of red chili powder

Directions:

1. Wash rice, boil in salted water for 5 minutes, then drain. Set aside.
2. Chop and fry with whole garam masala (??) until brown.
3. Cut all vegetables into big pieces and add to the onion mix.
4. Add chopped tomatoes, yogurt, salt, ginger-garlic paste, haldi powder, chili powder, and cumin-coriander powder.
5. Stir until all vegetables are well-coated with spices.
6. Spread rice over vegetables.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and cook over low heat for 60 to 70 minutes.
8. Check every 15 minutes or so for water. Normally no water is needed as the juices of the vegetables will be sufficient, but check just to be sure.
9. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, fried cashews (if desired) .
10. Say a prayer.
11. Eat and enjoy.

Since I haven't had the opportunity to actually try this recipe, I'd love to get feedback from someone who has.

Comments welcome.