TRAVEL/FOOD

Born in India and raised outside of Philadelphia, Anupy Singla grew up visiting her grandfather’s childhood village of Bhikhi in the State of Punjab, known for the rich, robust flavors of its food.

She first learned to cook traditional, spicy Punjabi-style food from him. It was this passion that compelled her to leave a successful reporting career in Chicago to teach her young girls how to appreciate good Indian food and blog about it on indianasapplepie.com – now also the name of her company where she offers an array of Indian condiments, sauces, spices, frozen foods such as Butter Chicken, Chana Masala, and Dal Makhani.

Her first two books, The Indian Slow Cooker and Vegan Indian Cooking, remain among the top-selling Indian cookbooks in North America. In both, she successfully combines her knowledge of Indian cooking and her journalistic style to give you easy recipes that are at once authentic and healthy. Her approach is Indian food from an American point of view – the essence of Indian As Apple Pie. Since then, she’s written several other books, including Indian for Everyone and Instant Pot Indian. She also offers Indian Spice Tours of Chicago’s Devon Avenue and now hosts her cooking show, Indian As Apple Pie. Watch it on @wttwchicago and @pbs member stations!

Mark your calendars and join Anupy Singla on Saturday, May 30 from 1–3 PM CST at Macy’s Culinary Studio (7th floor, 111 N State Street, Chicago) for a live Indian cooking demo, Q&A on her new show, Indian as Apple Pie, and a meet-and-greet with book signing.

Please note: All signed books must be purchased through Barbara’s Bookstore. RSVP using the link in our bio!

Traditional Chicken Curry

Slow cooker size: 5-quart

Cooking time: 8 hours on low

Yield: 8-10 servings

“When most people think of Indian food, the first dish that comes to mind is a good chicken curry. I went with my husband’s childhood version for this recipe,” says Anupy about this classic dish. “He says the best chicken curry is made with a rich sauce and no vegetables. Though many recipes call for chopped cauliflower or carrots, I’ve tried to remain true to his tastes for this recipe.”

• 4 pounds (2 kg) skinless whole chicken, cut in 10 pieces including the breast, legs, and wings (boneless can also be used)
• 1 large or 2 medium yellow or red onions, roughly chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
• 1 (4-inch [10-cm]) piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon red chile powder or cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup (59 mL) plain, unsweetened yogurt (dairy or alternative)
• ½ cup (14 g) kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), lightly hand crushed to release flavor (optional)
• 2 (2-inch [5-cm]) cinnamon sticks
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 2-6 fresh Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed, halved lengthwise
• ½ cup (118 mL) boiling water (optional)
• ½ cup (8 g) fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Put the chicken in the slow cooker.

In a food processor, grind the onion, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic until smooth. This may take a few minutes, so be patient. You want the paste to be as smooth as possible.

Transfer the paste to a bowl. Whisk in the sea salt, turmeric, garam masala, red chile powder, oil, yogurt, and methi (if using). Pour this mixture over the chicken.

Add the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, and fresh chiles. Mix gently.

Cook on low for 8 hours. If you want more broth with your chicken add the water toward the end of the cooking time. Remove the whole spices just before serving.

Garnish with the cilantro and serve over a bed of basmati or brown rice or with roti or naan.

Try this! For you vegetarians out there, substitute seitan for the chicken and follow the same steps. Although seitan does not need to cook as long as the chicken would, stick to the cooking time given. The masala still needs to cook thoroughly. If you are concerned that the seitan may get tough, add it in after 4 hours of cooking.

Spiced Cauliflower And Potatoes

Aloo Gobi

SLOW COOKER SIZE: 4- OR 5- QUART

COOKING TIME: 3 HOURS ON LOW

YIELD: 7 CUPS (1.66 L)

“Until I made this myself in the slow cooker, I refused to believe my mother-in-law when she said it was possible,” writes Anupy about this recipe. “I also wondered why I wouldn’t just make this dish on the stovetop, where it could sit for less time. After trying it once, I realized the answer: because I can now stick it in my slow cooker and go about my day. I don’t think twice about the kids near the stove or anything burning. My father—the real foodie of the family—also wouldn’t believe this dish could be made well in the slow cooker, so he just had to try it himself. He had me on the phone in excitement for half an hour after trying it for the first time. He insists on the tomato. I like it better without. You be the judge.”

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups [1.89 L])
• 1 large potato (russet or yellow), peeled and diced (about 2 cups [473 mL])
• 1 medium yellow or red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, diced or pureed (optional)
• 1 (2-inch [5-cm]) piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3–4 fresh Thai, serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems
• removed, chopped or sliced lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon red chile powder or cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 tablespoons (50 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 heaping tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Put all the ingredients except the cilantro in the slow cooker. Mix well.

2. Cook on low for 3 hours. Mix once or twice during cooking, especially in the beginning. Eventually the cauliflower will release enough liquid to prevent anything from sticking to the sides of the slow cooker.

3. Add the cilantro. Mix well but gently so as not to break up the cauliflower. Serve with roti or naan and a side of onion and cucumber salad.

To make this dish in a 3ó-quart slow cooker, halve all the ingredients and proceed with the recipe. Cook on low for 3 hours. A half recipe makes 4 cups (946 mL).

Reprinted with permission from The Indian Slow Cooker: 70 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes, 2ed. by Anupy Singla, Agate Surrey, 2018.