Jeera Spaghetti

Suraj, a friend of mine since first grade, loves talking about food and the recipes he tells me about, especially his family recipes, always sound so good. He gave me some pointers on Vegetable Manchurian, which I have featured in a previous post. Here is one of his recipes Jeera Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce. It is a great dish for a weeknight when you are busy because, like many pasta dishes, it does not take too long to make.

Some chopped veg: red onion, garlic, and I had some pumpkin on hand so I added some in there. The original recipe didn’t call for it. Feel free to use another type of squash or add your favorite vegetables. Hey Suraj, why did you decide to use red onions? Not pictured: corn kernels

A tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes, onion, and garlic. You can add more liquid to make it thinner or add less to make it a thicker sauce.

A silky tomato sauce.

You could eat the jeera spaghetti without the tomato sauce too. But eating it with hot sauce is a must.

I think I should have added more corn. Also, I think it would taste better with a different type of squash than pumpkin, but it’s still tasty.

I think it tastes best with the tomato sauce than without. 😀

Suraj’s Jeera Spaghetti

Serves 4

Ingredients

dash of oil
1 cup squash of your choice, sliced (optional)
8 ounces spaghetti (I’ve been using Trader Joe’s gluten-free spaghetti)
1/2 to 1 tablespoon jeera (cumin seeds)
3/4 cup chopped red onion
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 teaspoons grated ginger (optional, I didn’t use it)
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup corn kernels (frozen is fine, I used it this time since the season is up)

Tomato Sauce

dash of cooking oil
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 to 2 teaspoons honey (optional)
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 roma tomatoes roughly chopped
1/2 cup Vegetable stock (chicken, beef, or just water is fine)
hot sauce or chili powder (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons organic ketchup
salt & pepper to taste
dash of parsley

Make tomato sauce first by heating a dash of oil in a skillet on medium heat and then sautéing the red onion for about 4 minutes until it starts to caramelize. If you want a slightly sweeter taste, add the honey to help the onions caramelize.
Add the garlic, hot sauce/chili powder, Roma tomatoes, vegetable stock and cook until tomatoes are soft, about 7-10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste and mix in the ketchup.
Once the tomatoes can be easily mashed up with a spoon, take the sauce off the heat and let cool down slightly for about 5-10 minutes.
When the sauce has cooled down a little bit, place it in a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the parsley. Set aside.
Cook your pasta according to package directions.
In a skillet, heat a dash of oil on medium-heat. Add the squash and stir-fry for about 4 minutes until it starts to brown. Place in a container and set aside. Wipe down the skillet with a damp paper towel.
In the skillet, heat some more oil on medium heat. Add the jeera and stir-fry until it starts to pop and become aromatic. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, and salt & pepper to taste. Cook for about 3 minutes until onions start to soften. Add the corn kernels and if frozen cook for about a minute longer. Season with more salt & pepper if needed.
Add the cooked squash and cooked spaghetti to the skillet, then toss with the vegetables. Turn off the heat and then mix with the tomato sauce. Eat with hot sauce.

A yummy pasta dish. Spiced with jeera, it is a nice dish to make when you are craving for something exotic. 🙂