Cashew in spinach Curry (KAJU PALAK)

CASHEW IN SPINACH CURRY

(KAJU PALAK) 

(This Indian curry is a twist to the regular Spinach curry. It has got the tanginess from the yogurt and richness of the cashews. It goes well with any Indian bread like roti  , naan and is just as good with rice.)

Ingredients : 

1tbspn oil , 3-4 cups spinach , fist full cilantro , 2 cloves of garlic , 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion ,
pinch of cumin, 1/4th tspn coriander powder , 1/2 tspn Garam masala, salt to taste , 2 tbsp yogurt , 1/4 cup heavy cream(optional)

Roasted cashews halves 

2tbspn oil ,  2tbspn julienned ginger, 1/4 tspn red chilly powder 

Procedure :

Boil some water in a saucepan and add spinach to it . Turn off the heat and let it sit till the spinach wilts down and cooks . Remove the spinach from the hot water and dunk it into an ice bath . This stops the process of cooking and keeps the frsg green color intact . 

In a blender blend garlic + spinach + cilantro to a fine purée. 

Heat oil in a pan , add a pinch of cumin and the add the spinach purée + garam masala + salt + well beaten yogurt + heavy cream (optional)

Do not over cook as it may affect the color of the curry . 

When you are ready to serve add the roasted cashew halves in the curry . You may roast raw cashews on oil or use the store bought roasted cashews . 

Right before you serve, heat a little oil to fry the ginger juliennes on medium high heat till golden brown. Add the red chilly powder and pour this tadka over the curry. This finishing touch gives the curry a very unique flavor . 

Chole Bhature

CHOLE BHATURE
(Chole Bhature is a popular dish from Punjab. What better way can one find to warm up for the colder months than with some tasty hearty meals for the family)

Ingredients :

For Chole :

1 cup garbanzo beans (kabuli chana) soaked in water overnight,

2 onions , 1 tomato , 4-5 cloves of garlic , 1 inch ginger ,

2 tbspn oil , 2 tspn Everest chole Masala , Salt to taste ,1/2 tspn Amchur powder

1 potato boiled ad peeled ,1.5 tspn red chilly powder 1 tspn tea powder, 3/4^th cup water

For Bhature :

1 cup Maida , ½ cup Sooji , 1 tbspn yogurt , ½ tspn baking baking powder ,

½ tspn sugar , salt to taste , 1 tspn oil.

Oil to fry

Procedure :

For Chole :

Pressure Cook the soaked garbanzo beans . Blend onion , tomato , garlic and ginger in the blender.

Heat oil in a nonstick pan and add the blended onion tomato mixture. Saute well till it looses most of the moisture , turns dark brown. Mash the boiled potato and add it to the pan. Adding boiled potato helps to get a thicker curry.

Add the garbanzo beans , salt to taste , red chilly powder , amchur powder and mix well

Heat 3/4^th cup water and add a teaspoon full of tea powder. Let it come to a boil and strain the water directly into the Chole pan. This step is optional but it help get a dark color to the curry. Add water to adjust the consistency to your liking. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes .Serve hot with a wedge of lemon and onion on the side.

For Bhature :

Mix yogurt and a little water and stir well. Add Sooji and let it soak well for couple hours. Add all purpose flour (Maida) + Salt + Water + Sugar + Oil and knead a dough of the mixture. Let it sit for couple more hours. Make cookie size ball and roll it with a rolling pin. Heat oil in a pan to fry and fry till golden brown. Serve hot with Chole.

Methi Malai Mutter

METHI MALAI MUTTER

(A delicious and healthy preparation of Fenugreek and green peas in Cashew and cream Curry.)

Ingredients :

1 cup Fenugreek finely chopped and roasted on a tbspn oil ,

½ tspn green chilly + garlic + ginger paste ,

12-15 cashew soaked in water and then blended to a paste ,

1 small onion grated , ½ tspn Garam Masala ,

salt to taste , ½ cup fresh cream , ½ cup blanched green peas.

Procedure :

Take a tablespoon full oil in a hot nonstick pan. Add the grated onion and the ginger + garlic + chili paste and roast well in the heated oil till it turns brownish.

Add the roasted fenugreek , cashew paste and fresh cream. Add salt to taste , Garam Masala and the blanched green peas.Methi Malai Mutter tastes good with Roti ,Nan or bread of your choice.

Stuffed Eggplant (Baigan)

Stuffed Eggplant (Baingan)

Eggplants , mostly subjected to a lot of aversions and dislikes can be made interesting with a delicious and tangy mix of spices stuffed inside them.

Ingredients : (serves 2)

4 baby eggplants (preferably green) , 1 peeled and roughly chopped potato (optional)

1 medium sized onion finely chopped , 1 tspn full red chilly powder ,

1 tspn Garam Masala , Salt to taste , 2 tspn roasted peanut powder ,

1/2 tspn Ginger garlic paste , 1 large tomato finely chopped ,

2 tbspn oil , a pinch of asafoetida , 1/4th tspn turmeric.

Procedure :

For stuffing : Mix 3/4th chopped onion , 3/4th tspn red chilly powder , 3/4th tson Garam Masala , Salt to taste , roasted peanut powder , ginger garlic paste.

Wash and dry the Baingan well. Chop off the stem . Hold the stem side up. Give one cut all the way through the eggplant leaving about 1/2 cm uncut at the bottom. Turn the eggplant 90 degrees and place the stem side down this time giving a similar cut as before. Stuff the stuffing mixture in the crevices . For Curry : Heat oil in a pan. Add hing , turmeric , rest of the chopped onion and tomato , potato. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes . Add red chilly powder , Garam Masala , Salt to taste and remainder of the stuffing mixture and stir well. Gently place the stuffed Baingan in the curry and add 1/4th Cup water. Cover the pan and let it cook for 15 minutes. Stuffed Baingan is ready to serve.

NOTE : You may use the widely available purple eggplants as well. However the green ones hold their shape well even after cooking. You may also stuf Ivy gourd (Tindora/Tondli) instead of Eggplant.

Aloo Mutter.

ALOO MUTTER.

Aloo Mutter is an all time North Indian favorite all over India. Here is a quick and delicious way to make Aloo Mutter.

Ingredients :

2 potatoes boiled and peeled , 1/2 cup blanched green peas ,

1 tomato , 1/2 cup chopped onion ,

2 tbspn chopped cilantro , 1/2 tspn sabji Masala ,

1/4 tspn red chilly powder , carrots chopped in bite size pieces 1/4th cup (optional),

Salt to taste , 1/4th tspn sugar , 1 tbspn oil , 1/2 tbspn

1/4 tspn turmeric , 2 pinch asafoetida , 1/4th tspn mustard seeds .

Procedure :

Heat oil in a pan with mustard seeds (Mohri) . Let them splutter and then add asafoetida , turmeric and onion + tomatoes + green peas +carrots . Saute them for a minute or two , so that the raw flavor goes away. Sprinkle handful of water and let most of it evaporate. This helps to cook the peas all the way through. Add the chopped potatoes + salt to taste + sabji Masala + red chilly powder + sugar and mix well.

Aloo Methi (आलू मेथी)

Aloo Methi ( आलू मेथी )

Aloo methi , as the name suggests is made of potatoes and methi (fenugreek). Methi / Fenugreek is used in variety of food like Methi Malai mutter , Methi Paratha , Methi Pulao etc. Aloo Methi can be served with butter paratha or as a side with Jeera Rice.

Ingredients : (Serves 4 )

1 cup Methi / Fenugreek finely chopped ,

1/2 cup onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped,

Salt to taste , 1/4th tspn mustard seeds , 1/4th tspn cumin ,

a pinch of asafoetida , 1/4th tspn turmeric , Salt to taste ,

1/2 tspn sugar , 1/2 tspn red chilly powder ,

2 medium sized boiled & peeled potatoes, 2 tbspn oil.

Procedure :

Heat oil in a pan , Add cumin and mustard seeds. Let them splutter , then add asafoetida ,turmeric , garlic and onion . Saute till the onion gives away the moisture. Then add finely chopped Methi /Fenugreek. Roast the fenugreek on medium high heat till it looses all the moisture and becomes crisp. In this process it looses the fresh green color. However you need to choose taste over the visual appearance this time. Add salt , red chilly powder , sugar and mix well .Chop the boiled & peeled potatoes in bite size pieces and incorporate it with the roasted fenugreek. The fenugreek then coats the potato. You may now turn down the heat to medium low for about 5 minutes. You may serve Aloo Methi with a wedge of lemon and squeeze it over as per your taste buds.

Baingan ka Bharta. (बैंगन का भर्ता)

BAINGAN KA BHARTA (बैंगन का भर्ता)

Eggplant or brinjal is a commonly used vegetable in cooking. Baingan ka bharta is a North Indian Vegetarian dish . Bharta can be served as a side or also as curry with Roti , Naan , Bhakri and/or Rice)

Ingredients :

1 big Eggplant , 1/2 cup each of finely chopped onions and tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped , 3 tbspn oil , Salt to taste ,

1 tspn red chilly powder , 1/4th tspn turmeric , a pinch of Asafoetida,

1/2 tspn mustard seeds , 1/2 tspn Garam Masala ,

Cilantro / coriander to garnish.

Procedure :

Wash the eggplant thoroughly and wipe it dry . Apply oil on the skin of the eggplant . Prick about 4 to five times with the tip of a knife on each side of the surface. This makes a path for the steam to escape out at the time of roasting the eggplant .

You may directly place the eggplant at this time over high heat on the gas stove . If you have an electric coil cook top do not place it on the coil. That may make things messy . Instead you may place the eggplant on a baking sheet and roast it for about 30 minutes on 375 degrees. It may take less or more time to roast the eggplant. After roasting it needs to be soft and mushy . The skin of the eggplant should have flakes or wrinkles so that you can peel of the skin easily.

Mash the peeled eggplant with the tip of spatula or even the edge of a spoon.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and after they splutter, add asafoetida , turmeric , Garlic , onion and tomatoes . Cook well for about 7-8 minutes. Then add the the mashed eggplant followed by red chilly powder , salt to taste , Garam Masala. Cook well for another 5-6 minutes to reduce the excess moisture. Garnish with cilantro. Bharta tastes best if served with piece of lemon juice squeezed on top and Raw onion.

Aloo Palak (आलू पालक)

ALOO PALAK (आलू पालक)

( Aloo Palak is a nutritious Punjabi recipe.Palak Aloo is usually served with naan , chapati, and makki di roti or Jeera Rice. )

Ingredients :

2 cup Spinach , 1/4th cup finely chopped onions ,

2 cloves garlic finely chopped , 1/2 tspn crushed black pepper ,

2 tbspn oil. , 1/2 tspn Garam masala powder , 1/2 tspn red chilly powder ,

Salt to taste . 12-14 pieces long sliced potato.Oil to fry potatoes

Procedure :

Blanch the spinach for about 4-5 minutes and blend to form a fine paste.

Deep fry the potato pieces till they are well cooked.

Heat oil in a pan . Saute onion and garlic till golden brown . Add the spinach puree , pepper , salt to taste , red chilly powder , Garam Masala and mix well . Add the fried potatoes. Turn off the heat.Do not overcook the spinach as it tends to loose its fresh color and turns dark.

Replace the potato with Paneer to make Palak Paneer.

Vegetable Korma.

VEGETABLE KORMA

The korma (sometimes spelt kormaa, qorma, khorma, or kurma) is a mild, pale, creamy, curry dish originating in South Asia and can be made with yogurt, cream, nut and seed pastes or coconut milk. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian kormas exist.

Ingredients : (serves 2)

1/2 cup florets of cauliflower , 1/4th cup sliced carrot ,

1/4 th cup coarsely chopped capsicum , 1/4th cup green peas ,

1/4th cup green beans ,1/4th cup diced potatoes ,

1/4 th cup roughly chopped tomatoes.

(You may use Paneer cubes and baby corn or any other veggies of your choice)

1 cup onions + tomatoes , 3 cloves of garlic , 1 inch ginger ,

1/2 tspn red chilly powder , 3/4th tspn Garam Masala , Salt to taste ,

1/4th cup heavy cream ,

Procedure :

Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic , onion and tomatoes for gravy till they cook. Add garam masala , red chilly powder and salt to taste and blend it into a smooth paste.

Heat about a teaspoon full of oil in a pan. Add the gravy to the pan and keep stirring all the while till the gravy releases the oil on the sides. Then add the chopped veggies and water as needed. Cover the pan and let cook for about 15 minutes. Make sure you do not overcook the veggies. Keep checking till they are cooked just right . You may cook it in the microwave for about 10 minutes with 'Cook Vegetable ' option.

Vegetable korma is ready to serve. You may serve it with lemon so that it can be squeezed over as per individual taste buds.

Vegetable Kung Pao

VEGETABLE KUNG PAO.

Kung Pao is a classic dish in Szechuan cuisine. Although chicken is traditionally used, seafood items such as shrimp or scallops, or other meats such as beef or pork, are sometimes used in place of the chicken (although typically only a single meat or seafood is used). It can also be prepared with tofu instead of meat. Vegetarians may exclude meat out of the recipe , as it is , in this recipe.

Ingredients :

2 tbspn Oil , 1/2 tspn finely chopped garlic , 1/2 tbspn finely chopped ginger ,

2 cups coarsely chopped vegetables ( like onion , carrot , green beans ,

corn niblets , zucchini , tofu , broccoli , cauliflower , mushroom , spring onions ) ,

Salt to taste , 2 tspn corn starch , 1/2 tspn crushed black pepper, roasted peanuts.

Sauce Concoction : 1 cup water , 1 tspn red chilly flakes , 2 tspn sugar , 3 tspn white vinegar , 4 tspn soy sauce .

Procedure :

Mix all the ingredients for sauce concoction.

Heat Oil in on high heat , add ginger garlic till they change color. Then add onion and stir well . Add the mix of the coarsely chopped veggies. Do not turn down the heat so that they get a little charred where the veggies touch the bottom of the hot wok. Make sure you stir at regular intervals. Do not overcook . It helps maintain the crunch in the veggies. After about 5 minutes stirring on high heat sprinkle about 2 tspn corn starch and add the concoction to the veggies.

The corn starch sprinkled on the veggies acts as a thickening agent for the concoction. The sauce then coats the veggies and brings the shine and the taste. Sprinkle roasted peanuts and spring onions on top.
Vegetable Kung Pao can be served as an entree or a side with Rice or Noodles.

Vegetable Stir Fry.

VEGETABLE STIR FRY.

Veggie Lovers treat themselves by incorporating as many vegetables as they can in a meal . What better way can one have to accomplish this desire. A stir fry your own way can be a mix of all veggies you like and are available. )

Ingredients : (Serves 4)

1 cup coarsely chopped Capsicum , 1/2 cup grated Cottage Cheese (paneer) ,

1/4th Cup Green peas , 1/4th Cup onion , 1 tomato ,

Salt to taste , 1/2 tspn red chilly powder , 1/4 tspn sugar ,

1/2 tbspn Everest Garam Masala ,1/4th tspn cumin 2 tbspn oil .

Procedure :

Heat oil in a pan add cumin till it splutters . Then add onion , green peas , capsicum , tomatoes and other veggies of your choice. Cover for a minute or two on medium high heat . Add grated paneer salt to taste , Garam Masala , Red chilly powder , sugar .

Turn off the heat ad the stir fry is ready to serve. If you like a little gravy . You may add water in small quantity. Do not overcook the vegetables as they tend to loose color. Cooking it just right also ensure the crunch in the bite. Enjoy !!!!!

Note : You may add other veggies like baby corn , carrots , Cauliflower etc.

You may add paneer cubes. However strands of grated paneer look good in the dish.

Paneer Bhurji (पनीर भुर्जी)

Paneer Bhurji (पनीर भुर्जी)

( "Do not cry over spoilt milk" - Yeah you read it right... Paneer (Cottage cheese) is nothing but curdled milk. Paneer is a source of protein for those who adhere to vegetarian. If you feel that you are missing something when others enjoy Egg Bhurji , try this one.)

Ingredients : (Serves 4)

2 cup grated Paneer , 1/2 cup finely chopped onion ,

3-4 grated cloves of garlic , Salt to taste , 3 green chillies finely chopped,

1 tbspn oil , 1 tomato , 1/4 tspn Cumin

Procedure :

Heat oil in a pan . Add cumin followed by garlic , onions and tomato. Mix well and let cook.

If you are using store pack paneer , you need to grate it as it is in the form of a slab.

Add Grated Panner , finely chopped green chillies , Salt to taste . Stir well , Garnish with cilantro. Paneer Bhurji is ready to serve.

Procedure to make paneer :

To prepare paneer, food acid (usually lemon juice, vinegar, or yogurt) is added to hot milk to separate the curds. The curds are then drained in a muslin cloth and excess water is pressed out.

Kofta Curry.

KOFTA CURRY

Ingredients :

Basic Brown Gravy : For recipe refer

http://koolkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/04/basic-brown-gravy.html

1 tbspn Kasoori Methi.

2 Cup Mashed Potato ,

1/4 Cup grated dry coconut (खोबरा) , 5-6 Cashews

Salt to taste , Red chilly powder , 1 tbspn Rice flour ,

Oil to fry.

Procedure :

Dry Roast cashew pieces in a pan . Then roast grated coconut . Add chilly powder and salt to taste. Mix well.

Take a mashed potato and stuff the coconut + chashew Mixture to form balls (kofta). DO NOT ADD SALT OR ANY SEASONING TO THE POTATO AS IT GETS MOIST AND FALLS APART WHEN DEEP FRIED. Roll the kofta in rice flour to form a thin coating . Deep fry the kofta on medium heat.

Roast Kasoori Methi so that it becomes crisp. Crush it to fine powder with hands and add it to the basic brown gravy. Then place the Kofta in a bowl. Pour the gravy over it and garnish it with Cilantro / Coriander. Kofta Curry is ready to serve.

Variation : You may use Grated Paneer , soya granules for filling.

Bhindi Masala ( भिंडी मसाला ).

BHINDI MASALA (भिंडी मसाला).

( A simple way to make Okra (Bhindi Masala). Bhindi is made in a typically way in every household. The idea of Adding Masala(Onion/ Tomato) may seem to be strange at first however you will feel the difference once tasted.)


Ingredients:
Approx 20 Bhindi cut into 1 inch pieces,
Oil, Mustard seeds, Cumin, Asafetida, Turmeric , 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 big onion vertically chopped, 1 Tomato coarsely chopped,
1 tspn red chilly powder, Salt to taste, 1 pinch Garam Masala, ¼ tspn sugar.

Procedure :
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin, asafetida, turmeric, garlic, onion. Sauté till onion looses its raw flavor. Add Bhindi and stir well till bhindi gets half cooked. Add coarsely chopped tomato. Let cook . Add salt, red chilly powder , Garam Masala , Sugar. Stir well. Bhindi Masala is ready to serve.

Basic Brown Gravy.

BASIC BROWN GRAVY
(About the gravy : This gravy is very versatile as it has a simple savory taste . You may add Kofta , Paneer , Corn niblets + Capsicum , Chunks of boiled egg , any form of meat and enjoy the variety. It may last for more than a week however it is advisable to use it within a week.)

Ingredients :
3 tbspn Oil , 1 cup coarsely chopped onion , 1 tomato , ½ tbspn All Purpose flour (Maida)
¾ tbspn Garam Masala , 1 tspn red chilly powder (or per your taste preferences)
¼ tspn turmeric , 2 pinch asafoetida (Hing) , Salt to taste ,

4-5 cashews , 1 tbspn heavy cream (optional)

Coilantro (Coriander) to garnish.

Procedure :
Heat Oil in a pan . Add Hing and turmeric followed by Onion. Let the onion cook then add All Purpose flour so as to remove the raw flavor. Then add chopped tomato and let cook. Once cooked let it cool and move the ingredients to the grinder. Add Garam Masala , Salt , Red chilly powder and blend to form a fine paste. You may add cashews and heavy cream to the grinder to enhance the richness.

Heat a dash of oil in the same pan again and add the gravy to the pan. Let it come to a boil so that all flavors mix well. The gravy is ready.

You may now add the cooked vegetables / meat / Kofta to the gravy.

Garnish it with Cilantro.