Category Archives: Lunch

Black Eyed Peas Curry – Lobia Curry

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Lobia1
There are times when we need to whip up a curry in a hurry. I know many of my readers are mothers that work full time and they need to care for their families too. This dish is easy to prepare. For vegetarians, black eyes peas is a great substitute for meat and a low-calorie option. It is loaded with fiber, potassium, zinc, and iron.

You can buy dry black eyed peas, soak it overnight, cook it in the pressure cooker, and then follow my recipe to make the curry. Save one and a half cups of water that you cook the black eyed peas in because you can use it instead of the water that is called for in this recipe. Or, you can buy black eyed peas in cans from the grocery store and you can skip the soaking and pressure cooking part. The whole garam masala, that is, the bay leaf, cardamoms, cinnamon, star anise, cumin, and cloves add a lot of flavor to this dish so please don’t skip using them.

This curry goes well with rotis or rice. Try it out and let me know how it turns out. Also, if you have a good recipe for black eyes peas, please share it with me.

Black Eyed Peas Curry – Lobia Curry
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
3 15.5oz (439g) cans of black eyed peas, drained
¼ cup oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 bay leaf, torn into two
2 black cardamoms
1-inch piece of cinnamon, broken into bits
½ of one star anise
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
2 cups blanched, skinned, and diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
1½ cups of water
salt
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 tablespoons kasori methi, crushed
2-3 slit green chillies, (optional)

Directions:
Place a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and when it shimmers, add the onion, bay leaf, black cardamoms, cinnamon, star anise, cumin, and cloves. Fry the onion and spices until the onion turns light brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Stir constantly and cook for about two minutes or until the raw smell of ginger-garlic disappears. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, and chili powder. Stir well and let the tomatoes cook until the oil separates.

Next, add the black eyed peas, water, and salt. Let it come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Finally, add the garam masala, kasori methi, and green chilli. Stir and let it cook for another five minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro or whole green chillies.

 

Arugula Salad with a Middle Eastern Twist

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Hannah's Salad 1Every now and then my friend, Hannah, and I cook together. It was at one of those sessions that she whipped up this salad for lunch and shared the recipe with me. A salad within a salad, might be the best way to describe this dish. It’s a complete meal, full of protein, and fiber. Thank you, Hannah. It has become one of my favorites.

The Middle Eastern twist takes the ever popular arugula, mango, and avocado salad from ordinary to extraordinary! The recipe that I’ve included for the chickpea, black bean, and spice relish makes more than what you will need for the arugula salad. But I love having extra. It makes for a great side salad, by itself, and keeps well in the refrigerator. You can also combine it with your favorite salads to make them more elaborate, fancy, and nutritious.

I used Trader Giotto’s (Joe’s) Balsamic Glaze to make the vinaigrette. But you can use balsamic vinegar, if you desire. And one more note, before I end. I like choosing an “almost” ripe mango for the salad. That slightly tart-sweet taste of mango adds another dimension to this flavorful salad. You’ve got to taste it, to believe it!

Arugula Salad with a Middle Eastern Twist
Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
5 cups baby arugula, (about 5 ounces)
1 “almost” ripe mangoes, (pitted, peeled and diced)
2 ripe avocados, (pitted, peeled and diced)
1 small red onion, (thinly sliced)
1 cup chickpea, black bean and spice relish, (see recipe below)

Directions:
To make the vinaigrette whisk the balsamic glaze, lemon juice, shallots, and sugar in a small bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil, while whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, mango, avocado, and onion. Just before serving, add the dressing and toss gently to coat. Top with one cup of the chickpea, black bean, and spice relish. Serve immediately.

Chickpea, Black bean and Spice relish
Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 12

Ingredients:
1 (15.5 oz) can garbanzo beans, (drained)
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, (drained)
2 ripe Roma tomatoes, (blanched, skinned, and diced)
½ cup diced shallots
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped mint
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon cumin powder
1/8 teaspoon chilli flakes, (optional)
1 garlic clove, (minced)
¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
Salt

Directions:
Combine garbanzo, black bean, tomato, shallot, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, chilli, garlic, pepper, and salt together in a bowl. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, for the flavors to blend. Use about a cup of the relish for the arugula salad and store the rest in the refrigerator for use later.

Tamarind Rice – Imli Chawal

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Tamarind Rice1

Tamarind rice is a tangy, spicy, nutty, flavor-infused rice dish from South India. Since the dish is made with tamarind, it keeps well without refrigeration. I am sure you will remember that I recently shared my lemon rice recipe with you. Both tamarind rice and lemon rice are popular dishes made by Indian families when they go on picnics and long journeys. There are several variations of this recipe and each dialect in India calls this dish by a different name. Here are a few – puliyodhari, puli sadam, puliyogare, and imli chawal.

Growing up in Pune, India, there were tall tamarind trees right next to my home. I remember plucking and eating raw green tamarind pods with salt and chilli powder. If you’ve done the same, your mouth must be watering just thinking about it! Tamarind pods are about five inches long and contain seeds. When they become ripe the thick, sticky pulp that surrounds the seeds have a sweet-sour taste. It can be found in various forms at the Indian and Asia grocery stores – concentrated pulp, whole dried pods, solid block form, powdered, and also in liquid form in cans. For this recipe, I’ve used the whole dried pods which I soaked in water and extracted the juice.

Did you know one of the ingredients in Worcestershire sauce is tamarind? As the story goes, the famous Worcestershire sauce was originally an Indian recipe that was brought back to Britain by Lord Marcus Sandys, the ex-Governor of Bengal. He took it to a chemist in Worcestershire, England, and asked him to make a batch of sauce from his recipe. They kept the sauce in barrels in a cellar. One day, in the middle of spring cleaning, they came across the barrel and tasted the special mixture. It had mellowed into a great sauce. The recipe was bought from Lord Sandys and today you will find Worcestershire sauce on kitchen shelves around the world. It’s a great story, however, I’m not sure if it is true!

For this recipe, I’ve made the tamarind rice spice powder from scratch. Once you’ve tried it, you will not want to use the store-bought packet again. This spice powder has a long shelf life, so you can store it in a clean bottle and use it to make tamarind rice again.

Tamarind Rice – Imli Chawal
Prep time: 15 minutes (does not include time to soak ingredients)
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 8

To make tamarind rice spice powder
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
10-15 whole dry red chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
½ teaspoon asafoetida powder, (hing)
6 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions:
You only need a drop or two of oil to roast each of the above ingredients. Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry all the above ingredients in the sequence that they are listed, one by one. Stir constantly while you roast each of them for 10-15 seconds or until they turn lightly brown and fragrant. When they are ready put them on a plate. Let them cool. Grind to a coarse powder in a coffee grinder. If you grind for too long the sesame seeds will turn oily. So, be careful. You will use only three teaspoons of this spice powder when you make the tamarind sauce. It keeps well and you can use the leftover spice powder when you make tamarind rice again.

To make the rice
Ingredients:
4 cups Basmathi rice
18 cups water
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions:
Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes. In a large pot, add water and bring it to boil over high heat. Add turmeric powder, salt and oil. Drain the soaked rice and add it to the boiling water. Stir and let the rice cook until al dente or almost done. Drain the water and spread the rice on a large sheet pan to cool.

To make the tamarind sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup tamarind, (tightly packed)
4 cups hot water
¼ cup sesame or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
½ cup split Bengal gram
½ cup raw peanuts, (you can add up to one cup, if you like)
¼ cup split black gram
5 whole dry red chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
1 sprig curry leaves
1 teaspoon asafoetida powder
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoons turbinado sugar or jaggery, (optional)
salt
2 tablespoons of sesame oil

Directions:
Soak the tamarind in four cups of hot tap water for 20 minutes. When it is cool, mash it with your fingertips to extract the tamarind juice. Strain the juice into a bowl and taste it to see if the juice is tart enough for the amount of rice that you plan to use. Adjust the tartness to suit your palate. Set it aside.

Put a large (non-reactive) pan over medium heat. Add oil and when it shimmers add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the Bengal gram. When they begin to turn light brown add peanuts and fry for two minutes or until the peanuts are almost done. Add black gram and fry them until they turn light brown. Next, add the dry red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric. Fry for 10 seconds. Add the tamarind juice. Stir well and let the tamarind sauce thicken. It will take about 20-25 minutes. After the tamarind sauce thickens, add sugar, salt, three teaspoons of the tamarind rice spice powder, and two tablespoons of sesame oil. Stir, turn the heat to low and let it bubble gently for three minutes while the spices blend into the tamarind sauce.

To finish the Tamarind Rice
Directions:
If you make the same amount of tamarind rice as I did, divide the rice and tamarind sauce into three portions. Put one-third of the rice and one-third of the tamarind sauce into a large bowl. Toss gently so they mix well together. You can also use a fork to combine the rice and tamarind sauce. Once the rice and tamarind sauce is well mixed put it into a large pot. Do the same with the other two parts of rice and tamarind sauce. Cover the pot and let the tamarind rice rest for at least 30 minutes before you serve. Garnish with some fresh curry leaves.

Egg Biryani

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Egg Biriyani1

Biryani is one of the most famous dishes that has come down to us from the kitchens of the Mughal Emperors. Being artistic in nature, the Mughals looked on cooking as an art. It was brought to South Asia by travelers and merchants. There are many stories about the origin of biryani but this is the one that I like best! It is said that when Mumtaz Mahal (the beloved empress of Shah Jahan, and in whose memory the Taj Mahal was built) paid a visit to the Indian army barracks she found the soldiers weak and undernourished. She asked the chef to prepare a dish that combined both meat and rice which would provide a balance of rich nutrition and protein and “biryani” was born. Biryani is a rice based dish made with a blend of aromatic spices and a choice of chicken, mutton, fish, beef, eggs or vegetables.

There are many varieties of biryanis and different ways of preparing it. I thought we would start with a basic egg biryani recipe and then slowly graduate to the more complex biryani recipes. In this recipe we use “potli ka masala,” which is the Indian version of a “bouquet garni.” It is unlike a bouquet garni in that the spices are tied in a muslin cloth with a piece of string and used in the cooking process. It is then discarded before the dish is finally completed.

The potli ka masala used to make different kinds of biryani contain over 20 aromatic herbs and spices and can be bought in a well stocked Indian or Pakistani grocery store. For this simple egg biryani, I put seven spices in a small piece of cheese cloth and tied the mouth with a piece of string. I used it to infuse flavor to the boiling water in which the rice was cooked. The list of ingredients may seem long and the directions lengthy, but try this recipe and I am sure you will be pleased with the results.

Egg Biryani
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Serves: 5-6

For Egg Masala
Ingredients:
6 eggs
3 tablespoons ghee
2 whole star anise
2 petals of mace
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon, broken in half
2 black cardamoms
2 cups finely chopped onion
salt
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
3 green chillies, slit in half (optional)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons chillie powder, (depending on heat and your preference)
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 cups diced tomatoes
¼ cup yoghurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
5 mint leaves, torn into bits

Directions:
Place the eggs in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them. When the water comes to a boil, immediately turn off the heat. Cover with a lid, and let the eggs sit in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan and put them in a bowl. Allow to rest for two minutes and when the eggs are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the shell. Slice each egg in half and set aside.

Heat ghee in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add star anise, mace, cinnamon, cardamom and let the spices infuse the ghee with their essence for one minute. Next, add onion and salt and fry until the onion turns light brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, and green chillies. Cook until the raw smell disappears. Then add the turmeric, chillie cumin, coriander, and garam masala powder. Fry for one minute and add the tomatoes. Cook until the oil separates from the tomato mixture. Add the yoghurt, cilantro, and mint. Stir well. Add the egg halves and mix gently so that the eggs stay intact and are well coated with the tomato mixture. Cover and set aside until the rice is ready. You will use this pot to create the layers for the biryani.

For the Rice


Ingredients:
2½ cups Basmati rice
8 cups of water
salt
1 teaspoon of ghee
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, (shah jeera)
1 bay leaf
3 green cardamoms
2 black cardamoms
6 cloves
12 black pepper corns
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon
2 marathi mogga, (optional)

Directions:
In a small piece of cheese cloth add bay leaf, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, cloves, pepper, cinnamon and marathi mogga. Tie it up with a small piece of string. This bundle of spices will be used to flavor the water in which the rice is cooked.

Wash the rice and soak it for 15-20 minutes. Drain the water completely. Add eight cups of fresh water to a large pot. Add salt, ghee, caraway seeds, and the potli ka masala. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil. Let the water boil for two minutes. Then turn the heat to medium so the water comes to a simmer. Add the drained rice, stir gently and let the rice simmer for 10-12 minutes. Check by pressing a couple of grains of rice between your thumb and forefinger to see if it is cooked. If you find it still has a hard, grainy center, cook for another minute or two. The rice will continue to cook when you are draining it and also when you layer the rice with the egg masala in the next step. Switch off the flame and drain the rice in a colander. Discard the potli ka masala. Gently fluff the rice with a fork.

To Finish the Biryani
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
6 mint leaves, torn into bits
¼ cup fried onions
¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
a few strands of saffron
¼ cup warm milk
¼ teaspoon orange food color, (optional)
2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons melted ghee

Directions:
Put the saffron strands into a small bowl, add the warm milk and stir gently. Put the orange food color in another small bowl and add two teaspoons of water to dissolve it.  Set aside.

Take half the egg masala out of the heavy-bottomed pot and keep it in a bowl. Put half the cooked rice over the egg masala that is in the pot. Scatter one tablespoon of cilantro, a few bits of mint and half the fried onions over the rice. Sprinkle half the garam masala powder, and dribble a little saffron milk and a few drops of orange food color over the rice. Arrange the rest of the egg masala over this and add the remaining rice. Sprinkle the rest of the cilantro, mint, fried onion, and garam masala. And finally dribble the rest of the saffron milk and orange food color. Lastly pour melted ghee over the layered egg biryani. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place it over medium heat. When you see the steam escaping, reduce the heat to low and cook for ten minutes.

Paneer Makhani

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Paneer Makhani5
Have you ever been to a restaurant and eaten a dish that you really liked and you wanted to make that dish at home? Well, this is one of those dishes that I really enjoyed in a restaurant in India and wanted to replicate at home. With every bite that I took, I tried desperately to detect what went into it. I also tried many recipes from cookbooks and finally came up with this version of paneer makhani which I felt matched what I tasted at the restaurant.

I recently made this dish for a potluck with my friends and was pleased when they asked me to post the recipe on my blog. The restaurant version had a lot of makhan (butter) floating in it, but I didn’t use as much as they did. Of course, adding an extra pat of makhan just before finishing the dish makes it richer and yummier. But I’ll let you be the judge of whether that is necessary or not when you taste my version.

There is a bit of prep work that goes into making this dish. The paneer needs to be cut into cubes, lightly fried and soaked in hot water. The onions need to be boiled and puréed. The tomatoes need to be blanched, the skin discarded, and then puréed. The ginger-garlic paste can be bought from an Indian grocery store or you can make it at home. I’ve described how to do that in the directions. Cashew nuts need to be soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and then puréed in a blender. Once all the prep work is done and you have all the other ingredients measured and ready to be used, it is easy to put the paneer makhani together. Please note that I made this dish for a large group so it is a larger quantity than I usually make. I hope you will enjoy this dish as much as I do. Happy cooking!

Paneer Makhani
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 10

Ingredients:
3 cups water
2 14 ounce (400 grams) packets of paneer, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons oil
2 large onions, (quartered, boiled, drained and puréed – 2 cups onion purée)
4 large tomatoes, (blanched, peeled, and puréed – 3 cups tomato purée)
5 tablespoons butter, plus 2 teaspoons oil
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
1 teaspoon hot red chilli powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons cumin powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
3 teaspoons garam masala powder
salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon red food color, (optional)
2 teaspoons kasoori methi, (dry fenugreek leaves)
20 cashew nuts, (soaked in water for 30 minutes and puréed)
¼ cup whipping cream
2 cubes grated fresh paneer, for garnishing

Directions:
In a medium-sized saucepan, bring three cups of water to a boil, over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat off, and set it aside. You will use this to soak the fried paneer.

Set two cubes of paneer aside to be used for garnishing this dish. Fry the paneer cubes in two batches. Add one tablespoon of oil to a non-stick frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Swirl the oil so that it coats the bottom and sides of the pan. Add half the paneer cubes and fry until very lightly colored. Remove and put them into the hot water that you set aside for this purpose. Add another tablespoon of oil to the frying pan and fry the rest of paneer cubes until light brown. Remove and put them also into the hot water. Let the paneer soak until you need to add them to the gravy, and continue with the rest of the prep work.

Cut the onions into quarters, boil them in one cup of water until they turn translucent, drain and save the water as you will use some of it in the gravy. Cool the onion and purée. You should have two cups of onion purée. Set aside. Next blanch the tomatoes in hot water, drain, cool, remove the skin, and purée the tomatoes. You should have three cups of tomato purée. Set aside. If you are making the ginger-garlic paste yourself, clean and chop a two-inch piece of ginger and eight cloves of garlic. Add them to a blender along with one tablespoon of water. Blend until a paste is formed. Set aside. Soak cashew nuts in hot water for 30 minutes and then purée in a blender until smooth. Set aside until you are ready to use it in the paneer makhani.

Heat a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add two teaspoons oil and the butter. The oil is being added so that the butter does not burn easily. When the butter melts add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry for three minutes or until the raw smell of ginger-garlic disappears. Add puréed onion. Sauté for eight minutes. Make sure that it does not burn or catch to the bottom of the dish. Turn the heat to medium-low if needs be.

Next, add Kashmiri chilli powder, hot chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and salt. Sauté for a minute and add quarter cup of the water in which the onion was boiled (if you remembered to save it or you can just add water). Sauté again till the water evaporates. Add tomato purée, tomato paste and food color. If you are using powdered food color, first dissolve it in a few drops of water and then add it. Stir, cover with a lid, and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

Add the cashew paste and crushed kasoori methi. Stir well, cover and cook for another five minutes. Use a slotted spoon to drain the paneer that is soaking in hot water and add them. You don’t need to squeeze the water out of the paneer pieces. Add whipped cream. Stir gently so paneer pieces are coated with the creamy gravy and cook on low heat for five minutes. Dish out into a serving bowl. Grate the two cubes of fresh paneer, that you saved to garnish the dish, and sprinkle on top. There you have it, a restaurant style Paneer Makhani.

Lemon Rice

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Lemon RiceNew3

If you like the tart, citrusy note of lemon, I am sure you will like the lemon rice recipe that I am sharing with you today. It is a simple South Indian rice dish that can be made in a jiffy. I remember my mom making lemon rice whenever we went on our long train journey from Pune to Kerala to visit my grandparents. We could hardly wait for mealtime and lemon rice never tasted better. It keeps well and doesn’t spoil so its great for picnics and packing in your child’s lunchbox.

This recipe is also great when you have leftover rice. I’ve used Basmati rice, but you can use any short-grain or long-grain white rice to make it. Sesame oil, green and red chillies, black gram dal and bengal gram dal add flavor to this dish so make sure that you use them. I had to use six tablespoons of lemon juice because my lemon was not tangy enough. So, taste and adjust the amount of lemon juice that you use. Try this dish and let me know how it turns out.

Lemon Rice
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sesame oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoons Bengal gram dal, (channa dal)
1 teaspoon black gram dal, (urad dal)
3 tablespoons raw peanuts
3 dry red chillies, (broken into bits)
1 tablespoons finely chopped green chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
1 sprig curry leaves
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
salt
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups cooked rice, (cool and fluff the rice with a fork to separate the grains)

Directions:
Heat a wok (kadai) over medium-high heat. Add sesame oil and when it shimmers add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the peanuts and fry them for two seconds. Next add the Bengal gram dal , black gram dal, red chillies and fry until the dal turns light brown. Add the green chillies, asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric, salt and fry for one second. Turn off the heat and stir in lemon juice. Finally add the cooked rice. Mix well, cover and keep for 20 minutes so that the rice can absorb the flavor from all the ingredients and the lemon juice. Serve with mango pickle and papadum.

Samosa Chaat

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Samosa Chaat3

Just the mention of the word “Chaat” makes my mouth water. Chaat is a word used for many of India’s favorite street foods like bhel puri and paani puri. The last time I was in India I saw a street cart with the sign, “paani puri made with mineral water.” It was nice to see that local vendors are making efforts to make chaat safe for foreigners, or locals-living-abroad, such as myself.

When I was a young girl, during my summer holidays, several schoolmates and I used to go to the Pune Cantonment swimming pool. Right after our swimming session we would stop by the street carts for our fix of samosa chaat, bhel puri, and paani puri. What fun we had! I wonder if anyone of them remembers those days.

On one of our vacations to India my children and I stopped in Mumbai. We went to a restaurant called Status. We heard they were famous for their samosa chaat. We were hungry after a whole morning of shopping. The three of us were ravenous and we ordered a whole bunch of dishes. My son ordered two plates of samosa chaat and the waiter told him that would be too much for the three of us. That one plate along with all the rest of the food that we had ordered would definitely be enough. But my son insisted on two plates. When our food came, we could hardly finish the first plate of samosa chaat. The samosas were humongous! That was a meal in itself. In the background we could hear the waiters whispering to each other with smiles on their faces.

Making samosa chaat at home is a time consuming job, but totally worth it. My friends and family have great fun assembling their own plates of samosa chaat. I made my own samosas but you can buy yours from an Indian store or restaurant. However, it is well worth making the chole, cilantro and mint chutney, and the date and tamarind chutney from scratch as homemade tastes best. So, here is my take on the famous samosa chaat.

If you plan to use dry chickpeas/garbanzo/Kabuli channa follow the Chole recipe from my previous recipe.

Chole – using canned garbanzo beans
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6

For the spice mix
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 black cardamoms, peel and use seeds
5 cloves
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
1 bay leaf, (tejpatta)
4 whole dry red chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds, (anardana)

Directions:
In a small pan, over low heat, roast the above mentioned ingredients until they smell fragrant and turn a very dark brown. Cool completely and then grind to a powder in a coffee grinder. Set aside.

For the Chole
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped green chillies, (optional)
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
Salt
2 15.5 oz cans of garbanzo beans
3 cups water

Directions:
In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium-high heat, add oil. When the oil begins to shimmer add the onions. When they turn translucent add the ginger and fry for a minute. Add the green chillies and tomatoes. Keep stirring until the tomatoes are well cooked you see the oil separating from the tomato-onion mixture. Add the spice mix, Kashmiri chilli powder, and salt. Fry for 30 seconds.

Add the garbanzo beans along with the liquid in the cans and three cups of water. If you like the chole gravy to be a little thick, use a potato masher to mash a small portion of the garbanzo beans. Bring to a simmer and cook for an additional 30 minutes over medium-low heat, so the flavors can meld. Stir occasionally to make sure that the gravy does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Serve on top of samosa chaat.

Date and Tamarind Chutney
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup tamarind extract
3 teaspoons red chilli powder
2 teaspoons ginger powder
3 cups water
2 teaspoons chaat masala
1½ teaspoons black salt

Directions:
Add cumin and fennel seeds to a small non-stick pan. Roast over low heat until fragrant. Cool and grind to a powder.

Add cumin and fennel powder, chopped dates, brown sugar, tamarind pulp, chilli powder, ginger powder, chaat masala, salt and two cups of water to a small saucepan. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for ten minutes. Cool completely. Add to a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Serve with samosa chaat.

Cilantro and Mint Chutney
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup fresh mint leaves
3-4 green chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
2 tablespoons water
Salt
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
Roughly chop the cilantro, mint, and green chillies. Add to a blender and process until smooth. Use a tablespoon or two of water if necessary. Add black salt and sugar. Blend again and transfer to a bowl. Stir in lemon juice. Serve with samosa chaat

Plating and Garnishing

Ingredients:
12 Samosas, (can be warmed up in an oven at 400 degrees F for 6-8 minutes)
2 cups plain yoghurt, whipped
2 cups fine sev, (can be bought from Indian grocery store)
1 cup finely diced onion
1 cup finely diced tomato
2 tablespoons finely chopped green chillies, (optional)
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons roasted and powdered cumin seeds
2 teaspoons chaat masala
2 teaspoons chilli powder

Samosa Chaat4

Directions:
Break two samosas into four or five large chunks and put them on a plate. Pour a large spoonful of chole over them. Scatter a heaped teaspoon of chopped onion and tomato. Add a few bits of green chillies, if you like your chaat to be spicy. Sprinkle with a pinch of cumin, chilli and chaat masala powders. Drizzle a tablespoon of yoghurt, tamarind and date chutney, and cilantro and mint chutney over them. Finally top them off with sev and bits of chopped cilantro. There you have it – one of Indian’s favorite street foods!

Kolhapuri Chicken Curry

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Kolhapuri Chicken3

By now, all of you know that I love Maharashtrian food. Kolhapur is a city situated in the south west corner of Maharashtra and it can boast that it has one of the areas best cuisines. I featured their famous misal pav in one of my blog posts and I hope you had an opportunity to try it. The city is also known for their traditional leather sandals, called Kolhapuri chappal, and their antique jewelry.

The Kolhapuri chicken curry that I am featuring today is one of my favorites. Adjust the spice level to your taste. I added two types of chillies for this recipe. One to add heat and the other to give the curry its brilliant red gravy. I hope you will enjoy this dish as much as I do.

Kolhapuri Chicken Curry
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
½ cup grated dry coconut, (copra)
4 dry red chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
5 Kashmiri dry chillies, (for color)
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
4 green cardamoms
2 black cardamom
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 petals of star anise
5 cloves
1 blade mace
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
8 black peppercorns
2 pounds chicken, cut into medium sized pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
salt
¼ cup oil
3 cups finely diced onion
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 cups water

Directions:
For the Kolhapuri Masala:
In a small frying pan, over medium-high heat, roast the grated dry coconut until it turns light brown. Remove and put it into a small bowl. The the same pan, roast the dry red chillies for two minutes. Put them into the bowl. Next, to the same pan, add the cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, star anise petals, cloves, mace, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and peppercorn. Roast until fragrant. Add the spices into the small bowl and cool all the ingredients for 10-15 minutes. Then grind to a coarse powder.

For the Kolhapuri Chicken Curry:
Marinate the chicken in one tablespoon of the Kolhapuri masala, lemon juice, turmeric powder and salt for fifteen minutes.

Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and the chopped onion. Fry until the onion turns light brown. Add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry for two minutes or until the raw smell of ginger-garlic disappears. Add the marinated chicken and roast until you see brown spots on the pieces of chicken. Add the rest of the Kolhapuri masala, grated nutmeg and coriander leaves. Roast for one minute and then add water. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the pieces of chicken are well cooked and the gravy thickens. Taste and adjust the salt, if needed, and turn off the heat. Serve Kolhapuri chicken curry with steaming hot rice. This is a spicy dish but you can adjust the heat level to suit your taste.

Blueberry Cheesecake and Happy Mother’s Day

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Blueberry Cheesecake3

Celebrate Mother’s Day with this luxurious, rich, white chocolate cheesecake with home made blueberry topping. It is definitely worth the time and effort to make this special dessert for your mom.

Blueberry cheesecake has been one of our family favorites for many years. I remember making it for the first time in a 9 by 13 inch pan after tasting it at a restaurant. It was more like a blueberry bar than a cheesecake, but as far as the taste – I couldn’t have been happier. My recipe has evolved since then and it has become decadent with extra calories to go along with it. But Mother’s Day is a good time to have a piece of cheesecake without feeling terribly guilty.

I can’t help but think of my mom while I write this post around Mother’s Day. I have beautiful memories of of her. I remember she used to play catch with me while I ran around a flower bed in my garden. When I think back now, I wonder how she ever found the time to do that while holding a full-time job, cooking every meal, and doing a myriad other tasks that moms have to do. While she made chapatis in the kitchen, she taught me my multiplication tables and spelling. She was strong in her faith and prayed for all her children and grandchildren. We felt protected and loved when we went through difficult times in our lives. Oh, I love her so very much, and wish I could tell her one more time.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the selfless mothers out there. God bless you.

Blueberry Cheesecake
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45-50 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ cup almond flour
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup butter, melted

For the topping:
2 cups fresh blueberries
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup water plus 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an eight-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

To make the crust: In a bowl mix graham cracker crumbs, almond flour, sugar and butter. Press onto bottom of the springform pan. Bake for six minutes. Cool completely.

To make the topping: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, sugar and one-third cup of water. Stir frequently, and bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water. Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries. Simmer until the blueberry topping is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, about five minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Cool and refrigerate until you are ready to serve the cheesecake.

To make the filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until creamy.  Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, mixing on low after each just until blended. Add melted white chocolate and vanilla and beat until mixture is smooth. Pour over the crust and bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool completely, run a butter knife gently around the edge of the pan, and refrigerate for four hours or over-night.

Serve slices of cheesecake with whipped cream and blueberry topping.

Creamy Fenugreek Leaves and Green Peas

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Fenugreek leaves and peas1

Fenugreek leaves, also called methi in Hindi, is used as an herb and as a spice in Indian cooking. I use the fresh leaves in dals, vegetables dishes, and to make methi paratha. I use fenugreek seeds in pickles, sambars, and to make different powdered spice mixes or pastes. Several of my recipes call for dried fenugreek leaves, which is called kasuri methi in Hindi. The fresh fenugreek leaves have a slightly bitter taste which becomes more prominent when dried. I use dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) in small quantities to flavor my dishes. Amber in color, fenugreek seeds are an essential ingredient to the Bengali five-spice mix, which is call panch phoron. I’ll post a recipe using fenugreek seeds soon.

In one of his shows, Dr. Oz talked about how fenugreek helps boost energy and level your blood sugar. The seeds have been used in India for centuries as a natural remedy for many problems, such as, acid reflux, heartburn, reducing cholesterol, and soothing soar throats.

If you haven’t tried using fenugreek leaves before, here is a recipe to help you get started. You can buy fenugreek leaves at the Asian market or at an Indian grocery store. Use the young, fresh leaves as they have less of a bitter taste.

Creamy Fenugreek leaves and Green Peas
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ghee
2 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ cup tomato purée, (2 Roma tomatoes, blanched, skin removed and puréed)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
1 cup frozen/fresh peas
2 bunches fenugreek leaves, (methi)
1 cup heavy cream, (you can use milk for a lighter version)
¼ cup cream, (malai)
½ teaspoon sugar
salt
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons kasuri methi, (optional)

Grind to a paste:
1 cup roughly sliced onion
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
1 tablespoon roughly chopped ginger
3 green chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
8 cashew nuts (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 cardamoms, (use seeds only)
1 clove
½-inch piece cinnamon, (broken into bits)
¼ cup water

Directions:
In a blender, grind the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, cashew nuts, poppy seeds, cardamom seeds, clove, cinnamon, and water to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Pick the fenugreek leaves and discard the stems. Wash the leaves in several changes of water and soak them in hot water for five minutes. Drain and chop them roughly.

Heat ghee and oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the ground ingredients. Stir constantly and cook until the raw smell of ginger and garlic is gone. About three minutes. Add the tomato purée and cook until you see the oil separate. Add the turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, peas and fenugreek leaves. Stir well, cover with a lid, and cook for five minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream, two tablespoons of cream, sugar, salt to taste, and garam masala. Crush the kasuri methi in your palm and add it to the creamy gravy. Let it cook for another ten minutes. Do not let it come to a boil. If the gravy is too thick, you can add two or three tablespoons of milk. Turn off the heat, and garnish the dish with the remaining two tablespoons of cream. Serve with chapati, naan or rice.