Like many dishes from India, this one contains a lot of ingredients and requires a fair amount of precooking work but is easy to assemble. If you can find fresh paneer—the simple cheese that appears in many Indian dishes—by all means use it. But tofu makes a great substitute. Serve over rice or as part of a larger Indian meal.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　Salt to taste

　　1 pound fresh spinach, large stems removed

　　3 tablespoons peanut or neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed

　　1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

　　1/4 small cauliflower, trimmed and broken into small florets

　　1/4 pound shiitake or button mushrooms, trimmed and chopped, shiitake stems discarded or reserved for stock

　　1 or 2 fresh chiles, like jalapeño or serrano, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

　　1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and roughly chopped

　　1 large onion, roughly chopped

　　3 green cardamom pods

　　3 black cardamom pods

　　6 cloves

　　4 peppercorns

　　1 cinnamon stick

　　1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

　　1 teaspoon minced garlic

　　1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek

　　1 teaspoon ground cumin

　　1/2 package firm tofu, 6 to 8 ounces, cubed

　　1 tablespoon curry powder, preferably homemade (pages 592–593), or garam masala (page 594), or to taste

　　1/2 cup heavy cream

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the spinach and cook for about 2 minutes, or until wilted. Drain, run under cold water, then squeeze out excess water and puree in a blender, adding back a tiny bit of water if necessary to allow the machine to do its work.

　　

Step 2

Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large deep skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Add the carrot and cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add the mushrooms, chiles, beans, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove and combine with the carrot mixture.

　　

Step 3

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then the whole spices, ginger, and garlic and stir for about a minute. Add the powdered spices and stir; add the cooked vegetables and tofu (or paneer) and cook, stirring gently and only occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder, cream, and salt as necessary. Serve hot or warm.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.