Indian Flatbreads and Oxymorons

Fast Indian food = oxymoron.  I have (reluctantly) realized that good Indian food takes time... until now!  Granted, I would love, love, love to make an entire Indian meal, with perfectly steamed white rice, crispy samosas or a fragrant curried vegetable all in the same night; but it has become increasingly evident I suck at working sane hours (or, as I've been told, I don't know how to work "smarter and not harder.").  Hey, I prefer the scenic route. 

I've been trying to find something Indian inspired that didn't take hours to cook after a long day at work, and I think I'm onto something: flatbread! I first pan- fried tender potatoes, sweet peas, and fragrant onions and combined the ingredients with familiar Indian spices like cumin, turmeric and garam masala.  Then I topped the flatbread with a tangy mango chutney and added the potato mixture, which turned into an easy weekday meal that anyone can create. 

If you're looking for some of the traditional Indian spices, but don't use them very often, I recommend finding spices in bulk.  Most stores are finally offering bulked spices, and you can purchase any amount; from 1 teaspoon to 1 cup! 

Serves 5

Total cook time: 30 minutes

5 pieces of flat bread (or naan)

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp mango chutney

1 bag frozen organic peas

2 large russet potatoes, diced

2 large onions, diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

a few leaves from a small bunch mint

Preheat oven to 350, and lay flat breads on a baking sheet.  Spoon mango chutney on flat breads until mostly covered, and set aside.

Heat skillet at medium high heat, and add olive oil.  Add potatoes and lightly salt.  After about  5 minutes of pan-frying, add onions.  When onions are translucent, add frozen peas and heat until peas are warm.  Mix together all spices, including salt and pepper and add spices to potato mixture.