Food Matters: Indian meals in a slow cooker; fundraising dinner for Texas Botanical Gardens

Give slow cooker meals Indian flavor

Electric slow cookers are an American invention, but they are perfectly suited for cooking many Indian dishes, says author Anupy Singla, whose book "The Indian Slow Cooker" is still the top-selling Indian cookbook on Amazon a year after it was released. Singla, who will be teaching a class ($50, wholecateringaustin.com) at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 29, at Whole Foods' Lamar Culinary Center, says the idea of cooking food at a low temperature and trapping the steam with a lid is similar an Indian technique called dum pukht. "The slow cooker is an Americanized version of that," she says. Most recipes for Indian curries and stews usually require a multitude of steps, but "I wanted to try to see if you could cook it in one step and still get the same level of flavors," she says. Plenty of her friends and family were skeptical that Singla could reproduce the complex flavors of, say, lamb biryani in a Crock Pot, but she proved them wrong. "Once they try it, they are hooked."

Although "Indian Slow Cooker" contains plenty of recipes with meat, Singla's next book is about vegan Indian cooking and is due out next year.

Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes (Aloo Gobi)

1 large cauliflower, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large potato (russet or yellow), peeled and diced

1 medium yellow or red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 medium tomato, diced (optional)

1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped, minced, or grated

3-4 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chilies, stems removed, chopped or sliced lengthwise

1 Tbsp. cumin seeds

1 Tbsp. red chili powder

1 Tbsp. garam masala

1 Tbsp. salt

1 tsp. turmeric powder

3 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

1 heaping Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

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

Add 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. Makes 7 cups. (To make this dish in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker, halve all the ingredients and proceed with the recipe. A half recipe makes 4 cups.)

- The Indian Slow Cooker, Agate Surrey ($19.95)

Texas Botanical Gardens group plans second fundraising dinner

For the second year, the team behind the Texas Botanical Gardens & Native American Interpretive Center in Goldthwaite, which is slated to break ground next year, is hosting a fundraising dinner on Oct. 1, that will feature a meal from Richard Hetzler, executive chef of the Mitsitam Café, which is in the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The Prairie Experience dinner will take place at the historic Duren Hotel, which has been relocated to private land in Mills County. Tickets cost $200, and because many of the guests are coming from the Austin area, the planners are chartering a bus for an additional $60 that will leave Austin at 3 p.m. on the day of the event. For reservations or information, call (325) 642-7527 or email lhtngwmn@centex.net.

Food briefs

• Many food delivery services offer a few vegetarian and vegan options, but now there is a company that makes and delivers vegan dishes exclusively. Veggytopia, which launched last week, offers weekly delivery of eight dishes - four entrees, four side dishes and a dessert, all in 24-ounce containers, so enough for about a dozen meals - for $97. Place your order by Friday and they'll deliver the food on Monday to just about anywhere from Round Rock to New Braunfels, Lakeway to Bastrop. (You can also pick it up and get a $5 discount.) veggytopia.com, 843-7700.

• A Philadelphia food touring company has expanded to Austin. Guides with Ready To Nosh (readytonosh.com) offer two walking tours: a food truck tour ($45) and a progressive dinner tour ($65). The tours last a few hours each and include the price of food and drinks. You can also hire the guides for private group tours.