Bagaicha Curried Suji* Cous-Cous

*Suji is Hindi for Wheat

While I was in India on IHP I stayed at the Bagaicha retreat center outside of Ranchi in the state of Jharkhand. For breakfast normal fare was a piece of fruit (usually an apple or a banana), a hard boiled egg (from the chickens they raised in house, I think), and 2 slices of white bread. However, some days if we were very lucky they would prepare our favorite breakfast meal which was this dish. From any cookbook I've found on Indian cuisine I haven't been able to find it so from what I can tell it's originally a Mediterranian dish but with an Indian twist (spices!!) but it will always remind me of those wonderful days of our home in India.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium node of ginger, minced
2T parsley flakes

salt and pepper to taste
1T garam masala
1T tumeric
1T cumin

vegetable oil
2 cups of vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups of semolina cous-cous (suji, durham wheat)
1 medium tomato, chopped

Optional:
1/2 cup of unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup of unsalted cashews
1/4 cup of sultanas (golden raisans)


1. heat a stock pot over a medium heat until hot. coat the bottom the pot with vegetable oil. add onion, ginger, garlic, and parsley and cook until onion is tender, about 2 minutes.

2. add cumin, garam masala, tumeric, salt and pepper and mix well. add vegetable broth and heat until boiling.

3. reduce heat to low and add cous-cous, tomato, and nuts. cook for about 8-10 minutes until done, stirring occaissionally.

4. add sultanas and stir. serve hot.

Eat Bagaicha style with your hands.