Palak paneer

Since the COVID pandemic started we haven’t been dining at restaurants and we have been cooking a lot more at home. I am going to start sharing my recipes here . I cook by taste and I tend to add things until they taste right ! This is how I was taught how to cook. I am going to try to add objective measurements and directions for people who follow this blog. 

Palak paneer is a spinach dish with cubes of paneer ( Indian cheese) . 

Ingredients

Frozen (well thawed) or fresh spinach ( cooked ) - 2 cups

Paneer ( cubes) - 2 cups - can get the pre cubed and fried frozen kind or you can get a block of paneer and then cube and fry them until golden brown in butter 

Cumin powder - 2 tsp 

Garam masala powder - 2 tsp 

Onion - 1 large chopped into small cubes

Tomato - 1 large chopped into cubes 

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp 

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp 

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

1 green chili - de seeded and chopped ( if you want it spicy you can use two chilies with the seeds )

Clove - 2 crushed 

Cream - 1/4 cup 

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste 

Butter or ghee- 2 to 3 tbsp for frying the paneer 

Oil- 2 to 3 tbsp 

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Take the spinach and purée it well in the blender and set aside 

If you have fresh paneer make it into medium sized cubes and fry it in the butter / ghee until golden brown and crispy on all sides and set aside 

Now in the pan put the oil and sauté onions until translucent and golden brown. 

Add ginger garlic paste and green chili and sauté it in with the onions. 

Add cumin powder, cloves, garam masala , chili powder, turmeric powder , salt and sauté in the oil. 

It is very important in Indian cooking to sauté the spices so it doesn't taste raw ( whcih is what most American restaurants do with curry powder- which gives it a raw bitter taste)

Once sautéed add the tomatoes and ensure they are cooked as well.

Add in the spinach purée and water (as needed to get the desired consistency of a gravy) and mix all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes ( spinach purée will have bubbles when it is hot). Make sure you stir once in a while to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning 

Add in the heavy cream and stir it in 

Now add in the paneer cubes and let cook for about 5 minutes on low heat. 

Now we are all done and ready to serve this with chapathi ( indian flat bread) or basmati rice. I have even used this as a filling this to make a palak paneer roll!

Indian Sloppy Joe's

 I use vegetable kurma (vegetable kurma)to make these tasty sandwiches!

Ingredients:

White bread

Mint chutney

Tamarind sauce / ketchup

Vegetable kurma

Ghee/butter

White cheese ( pepper jack/Muenster/havarti)

1. Take two pieces of white bread and spread ghee/ butter on it on the outside.
   
   
   
2. Next spread mint chutney/mint powder and tamarind sauce/ketchup on the inner side of the bread
   
   
   
3. Place cheese on the inside of the bread
   
   
   
4. Place vegetable kurma on top of the cheese
   
   
   
5. Toast the bread on pan until the cheese melts and the outside is golden brown!
   
   
   
   
   
   

This is a tasty way to use the vegetable kurma !

Vegetable kurma (korma)

 I love using whatever vegetables I have around for this korma.

Ingredients

Green beans - frozen ( thawed) or fresh cooked ( steamed )- 1 cup

1-2 cups of paneer cubes fried to golden brown in butter/ ghee ( clarified butter) kept aside - or use precut and fried frozen paneer ( thawed)

Mixed vegetables - I have used the frozen peas and carrots ( from walmart) or if I can't find it I use the mixed vegetable (the one with carrot, peas, Lima beans and corn)- thawed - 1 cup

Optional - cooked potato, cauliflower soft but not mushy

Optional - pineapple - sautéed

1 large onion - chopped

2 cups of tomato purée - can cut up fresh tomatoes and just purée it. If you have tomato paste you can dilute it 1 portion of the paste to 2 Portions of water to get a purée consistency

Soak 1/2 cup of cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes , drain and grind into a fine paste

ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Homemade masala - 1 tsp (sauté equal parts white poppy seed 2 tbsp and fennel 2 tbsp with tsp of cloves and grind into a fine powder and set aside)- optional since most of this is in the store bought garam masala ( next)

Garam masala - 1 tbsp

coriander powder - 1 tsp - optional

Cardamom - 2 to 3 pods crushed to release the seeds

Cinnamon stick - 1

Bay leaf - 2

Heavy cream/ whole milk / coconut milk - 1/2 cup - you can use choose one of these but do not use all of these

Cashews and golden raisins - sautéed in butter until golden brown and set aside for garnishing

Oil and or butter for sautéing

Salt - 1 to 2 tsp ( to taste )

Directions:

1. Put 2-3 tbsps of oil or butter in a hot pan. Add the chopped onions and sauté until golden brown and translucent
2. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté it
3. Add the spices - and sauté them - turmeric powder , chili powder, homemade masala , garam masala, coriander powder, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick , bay leaves and roast them ( make sure they don't burn)
4. Add the tomato purée and mix it in well and let it cook until it starts bubbling up . If it gets thick add water for gravy like consistency
5. Add the cashew paste into the the kurma and stir it in
6. Add the fried paneer , cooked/ thawed vegetables to the gravy and let them cook for about 10 minutes on low heat so they can soak in the kurma flavor
7. Add in the roasted cashews and raisins and optional pineapple and stir it in
8. Finally add in the cream ( or substitutes) and mix well , cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes
9. pull out the bay leaves and the cinnamon stick before serving ( these can be choking hazards)
10. Vegetable kurma is ready to serve with chapathi , basmati rice or it can be served in a chapathi or tortillla as a wrap or it can be served on toasted bread as a indian ' sloppy joe '
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. North Indian Navratna korma is prepared similarly but tomato purée is not used and in its place one can use more cream/ milk and perhaps some yogurt for the same tanginess. Also when making the cashew paste, almonds (1/2 cup)and white poppy seed ( 2 tbsp) is also soaked as well and ground up with the cashews into a paste

Cooking Rice

Cooking rice is an art form. You want rice cooked so that it is fluffy and not sticky. I use Sona masoori rice (medium grain Indian rice) for everyday cooking. For special occasions and to make special dishes like biryani I use basmati rice ( long grain fragrant Indian rice).

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

water - 2 cups

salt - 1/2 tsp

vegetable/canola oil- 1 tsp

Steps:

1. Rinse the rice in cold water . I typically place the rice in a bowl and add enough water to submerge the rice and mix it my hands and pour out the excess water. I repeat this step many times until the water is clear ( the starch in the rice can make the water cloudy at first and gets clearer once rinsed thoroughly). Drain all the water at the end.
2. Now add the oil to the rice and mix it well with your hands so that the oil coats the rice
3. To the 1 cup of rice add 2 cups of water ( ratio of rice to water is 1:2)
4. Add the salt
5. you can place this in the instant pot and cook on high pressure setting for 30 minutes. Release the steam, fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
6. If cooking on a stove top, place above rice ( rice/water/salt) in a saucepan and cook on medium-high setting until the water starts boiling, then lower the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes until rice is cooked. Take off the stovetop and open the lid and vent the steam (careful to vent it away from you) for a few minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.



Avial - South Indian vegetable and coconut curry

 This is a South Indian curry that you can eat with rice or can eat as a side dish with Adai.

Ingredients

Vegetables- 3 cups total

I usually use:

Carrot - 1 large cut into small 2 inch strips

Potato- 1 large cut into small 2 inch strips

Green Beans - 15-20 beans cut into 1 inch strips

Other vegetables (optional)- pick 2 or 3 of these

Drumstick- 1 cut into 2 inch pieces ( this is a Indian vegetable - which once cooked you have to open it up to eat the pulp inside and throw out the outer shell)

small Indian eggplant ( black beauty eggplant) - cut into small pieces - 1

Pumpkin - cut in cubes - 1/2 cup

Snake gourd - cut into small pieces- 1/2 cup

Plantain - cut into small pieces - 1/2 cup

Yam - cut into small pieces - 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Yogurt - 1/2 cup (whisk until smooth)

Salt to taste

To grind:

Coconut ( grated ) - 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 2 to 3 ( de-seeded if you want it less spicy)

Garnish

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 4 to 5

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Instructions 

1. Take a large saucepan and add the carrot, beans, potato and drumstick to it and add water just until it covers the vegetables . Add turmeric powder and a teaspoon of salt and cook the vegetables until they are soft ( but not mushy). You can use a fork to poke the vegetables to see if it is cooked.
2. Some of the softer vegetables like pumpkin , snake gourd may need to be cooked separately since they get mushy pretty quickly
3. Drain excess water and keep the vegetables in the saucepan
   
   
   
4. While the vegetables are cooking grind the ingredients that are listed ' to grind' together into a smooth paste
5. Add the ground paste to the vegetables and fold in and mix well taking care not to mush the vegetables and cook for 3 to 4 minutes with a lid on the pot 
   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
6. Finally add the yogurt in and mix it with the vegetables and turn down the temperature to low and allow to cook for a minute or two
7. Turn off the stove
8. Now in a separate little pan add the coconut oil and heat it up and add the curry leaves and cumin seeds to it and sauté it just for a few seconds until the seeds pop slightly.
9. Take this oil and the curry leaves/cumin and pour into the cooked avial and mix. This garnish gives avial its wonderful aroma and taste 
   
   
   
10. Serve with rice as a curry or as a side dish with Adai.

• Tip: Mix the avial with rice and you can eat it with a side of potato poriyal ( spicy potato side dish) or chips or appalam (indian version of chips)

Coconut chutney

Coconut chutney is a great accompaniment to many foods. Chutney is defined a sauce/relish of Indian origin. In the US chutneys are usually associated with sweet/spicy sauces made of fruit and spices like a mango chutney which comes in a bottle like a jelly/jam. South Indian chutneys are usually savory and made from fresh ingredients. It can be served with idli, dosa, pongal, upma, bajji, vada, etc. It really is a versatile side dish and it is very tasty. There are many variations of this chutney and I am going to give you the basic recipe for coconut chutney made with green chillies.

Ingredients:

coconut ( grated)- 1 cup

green chillies ( small indian/thai green chillies) – 2 (de-seeded if you want it less spicy)

Roasted skinned split chickpeas ( pottukadalai/ Channa dal/bengal gram)- 1 to 2 tbsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp (to taste)

Water – as needed

Optional:

Tamarind paste – a pea size glob ( or a pea size of real tamarind fruit)- you can add this to the chutney so it keeps for a few days to prevent it from spoiling

Garlic – 1 to 2 cloves — you can add this to the chutney if you love garlic

Ginger – 1 inch piece – you can add this to the chutney if you want a little zing

In the place of green chillies

dried red chillies- 1 large or 2 small to get a red chutney

Black peppercorns- 1 tsp – to get a peppery chutney

There are numerous other variations to chutney .

To garnish:

Black mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Urad dal ( split skinned black gram)- 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Curry leaves – 5 to 10

Oil – 1 tbsp

Instructions:

1. Grind the coconut , roasted split chickpeas, green chillies, salt ( and tamarind) together in a blender. Add a little water to start with and add more water as you go depending on if you want the chutney coarse/thick or thin/ watery.
   

   

   
   
   
   
2. Place this chutney in a bowl and taste it and add additional salt and mix well

 3. Now in a separate small pan add oil and heat it up. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, and curry leaves to the oil until they sizzle / sputter ( just a few seconds) without burning them and add this mixture to the chutney and mix well.

4. Coconut Chutney is ready to serve as an accompaniment with your dish !

Vegetable or paneer bajji (pakora/ fritters)

 Bajji is a South Indian snack. Any vegetable or Indian cheese (paneer) can be dipped in a batter and deep fried . This is very similar to state fair foods in the US.

Ingredients for the batter:

Besan flour (chickpea flour) - 1/2 cup

Rice flour - 1/2 cup

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida- a pinch

Baking soda- a pinch

Water

Other ingredients 

Vegetable you want to fry : choose your vegetable or paneer

Onion - cut into thin rounds or into long thin slices

Potato - cut into thin rounds

Carrot - cut into 2 inch thin strip

Plantain cut into two and then into thin vertical slices

Paneer ( if frozen thawed) cut into small cubes - 1 cup

Oil for frying about 3 cups - can use canola/vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients for the batter in a large mixing bowl
   
   
   
2. Add water ( take a cup of water) to it slowly some at a time and mix the batter. You want the batter not too thick but not runny . You should be able to coat the vegetables in it.
3. While doing this place the oil in a deep saucepan (or use a deep fryer set to 375 F) and place on high heat until the oil is heated (about 375F). If you don't have a thermometer take a little bit of batter and put in the oil and you will know it is the right temperature if the batter cooks without burning and rises to the top slowly ( if it sticks to the bottom the oil is not hot enough and if it burns and comes to the top too quickly then the oil is too hot). Once the oil is heated well reduce to medium heat.
4. Now take the vegetables or the paneer and dip in the batter with your hands until it is coated well
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Next drop the dipped vegetables/paneer in the oil gently ( make sure you slide it in the oil making sure not to drop it from a height since this will cause the burning oil to splash on you and cause burns)
   
   
   
6. Fry until one side is golden brown, then turn over with a skimmer spoon ( stainless steel spoon with holes in it to drain the excess oil) so the other side is golden brown.
   
   
   
7. Place the bajjis on plate with paper towels on them to drain the excess oil
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Serve with tamarind sauce/coconut chutney(coconut chutney)/ketchup

Upma ( savory cream of wheat breakfast)

 Upma is savory cream of wheat meal that is usually eaten for breakfast but really can make a great meal or snack anytime. It is one of my favorite dishes of all time and is a comfort food as well. Though I am calling rava (tamil)/sooji ( hindi) "cream of wheat" for easy translation, what is typically used is a semolina ( coarse ground up durum wheat ( not flour) , however cream of wheat can be used if you are in a pinch.

Ingredients:

Rava (sooji/ semolina) - 1 cup

Water - 3 cups ( use the 1:3 ratio of rava to water)

Onion - 1 medium onion cut into small pieces

Ginger (remove peel) - 1 inch cut into small strips

Green chillies - 2 mostly de-seeded and cut into small pieces

Curry leaf - 4 to 5

Cilantro - a few leaves ( taken off the stem)

Black mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal ( split skinned black gram) - 1 tsp

Oil ( vegetable/canola)- 3 to 4 tbsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Optional: ( these extra ingredients can be added to make Rava Kichadi - Rava upma with vegetables and has a slight tanginess/sour taste to it)

cashews roasted slightly in oil/butter and set aside.

green peans and carrot ( small cubes) - you can buy this frozen and thaw in the microwave

tomato - large chopped into cubes

turmeric powder -1/2 tsp

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan roast the rava on medium heat for a couple of minutes until the rava is hot to the touch a slightly golden brown in color (you do not want it to be burned). Set this aside.
2. In the same saucepan add the oil and heat it up. Add the urad dal , and mustard seeds so they sputter. Once oil is heated turn down the heat to medium. Add the onion, ginger, green chillies, (tomatoes, turmeric) curry leaves and sauté it as well. Sautés onions until they are translucent and slightly golden brown. Add the cilantro at this juncture ( it wilts quickly)
   

   

   
   
   
   

3. Once this is done add the three cups of water to this mixture and salt ( taste the water being sure to cool it off to prevent burns). Increase the temperature on the stove to high heat and let the water come to a boil.

4. (Vegetables, cashews can be added at this time as well).

5.Add in the roasted rava slowly a little at a time and stir it in really well (you can use a whisk if you want) so that there are no lumps.

6.Turn down the heat to medium and let the rava cook well. This takes about 5 to 7 minutes.

7.Now upma is ready to eat and you can serve it with coconut chutney (coconut chutney). I have also eaten the upma with plain yogurt/sour cream or some sugar as a side.

8. Optional: you can add a little pat of butter to your upma to enhance the taste.

Indian omelette

I love to make this omelette with a blend of spices which gives it a little kick. It really elevates the flavor of the eggs. 

Ingredients:

Eggs- 2

Ginger - 1/2 inch cut into small pieces 

Green chilly- 1/2 de seeded cut into small pieces

Curry leaf- 1 or 2

Cilantro - a few leaves

Onion- 1/4 cut into small cubes 

Paneer cubes ( optional)- 3 or 4 cubes

Turmeric powder- pinch 

Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste 

Oil- 3 to 4 tablespoons 

Instructions

1. Break open a couple of eggs and beat them well and keep aside in a bowl
2. Cut the ginger, green chilies, onion, paneer into small pieces as shown below.

    3.In a pan add 2 tablespoons of oil and add the onions first and sauté them until translucent , then add the paneer, ginger , green chillies, curry leaves and sauté.

    4.Next add the turmeric powder, garam masala , cumin powder, salt and pepper and sauté well so it’s mixed in with the onion and paneer.

   5.Add the egg to the pan and fold in the veggies   

6. Flip over the omelette once cooked on the bottom and cook for 30- 60 seconds and serve