Palak Saag

Materials:

- Spinach
- Milk
- Water
- Salt
- Onions
- Oil
- Dry red chili pepper

- Optional: Cornstarch (dissolved in water, about 1 tsp per 250gm of                         spinach)

Preparation:

Put spinach in a heavy bottom pan. Add water and milk (about equal proportions) to cover the spinach and about 2-3 inches more. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat until spinach is cooked (about 15 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent the spinach from sticking to the pan bottom. It is ready when most of the liquid is reduced. Before all the liquid is gone, add more salt according to taste and the cornstarch if desired.

While the spinach is cooking, prepare the onion garnish. Chop onions fine. Heat oil in a pan and add onions and salt to taste. Stir and cook until onions are nicely browned... sprinkle water as needed during the process. When nearly ready, add red chili peppers and cook until they are crisp.

Finish the dish by stirring the onion garnish into the cooked spinach.

Kadhi

Materials:

- 1 tbsp besan (chickpea flour)
- 1 cup dahi (plain yogurt)
- 1 cup water
- Small piece ginger, crushed
- 1/2 tsp jeera (cumin)
- 1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)
- 1 tsp oil
- pinch heeng (asafoetida)
- salt to taste
- Fresh coriander to garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Add water to the besan and slowly mix until smooth. Add turmeric and mix well. Whip yogurt and combine with this mixture.

Heat oil in a saucepan or kadhai/wok. Add cumin and heeng. Lower heat when you can smell the cumin/heeng roasting. Add ginger and then pour in the besan mixture. Stir and heat until mixture comes to a boil, adding more water if it sticks to the base of the pan. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring every 5 mins or so. If the sauce gets too thin - add more besan... if too thick, add more water.

This can be eaten as a main dish with any bhaji (basic Indian vegetable dish).

One option to make it a more substantial dish is to add pakoras - a recipe for which can be found here.

Garnish with red chili peppers fried in ghee and or with freshly chopped coriander (cilantro).

Baingan Achaar (Eggplant Pickle)

A delicious preserve recipe from my sister:

Materials:


- 4 packed cups eggplant, cubed into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tbsp white vinegar (Heinz or any other)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp hot chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp haldi (turmeric)
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 tbsp cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 tbsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
- 2-4 fresh green chillies chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger chopped (2nd batch)
- 2 tbsp salt (or to taste)

Preparation:

Combine the 3 tbsp vinegar with garlic, chili powder, ginger and turmeric.
 

Heat oil in a large pan. Reduce heat to medium and add cumin seeds. As they brown add the methi seeds (these burn very quickly) - saute till just pink. Add the eggplant and saute for 10 minutes. Make sure all pieces are coated in the oil.

Add paste, vinegar, chili peppers, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Blend well in the pan. Add sugar to taste. Mix and cook to boiling point.

Reduce heat and simmer till you see the oil separate. Top off with some heated oil if needed.

Cool, and store in glass bottles. Refrigerate.

Notes:

I've tried using dark brown sugar and get a delicious flavor. Also - you can use east Asian rice vinegar and this works really well. Lastly, I've made this with regular (canola or other) oils and also with mustard oil... the latter adds a nice zing to the achaar!

Pakoras

Clockwise from bottom left: Green chillies, eggplant slices, baking soda (above dried fenugreek leaves), salt, chickpea flour, potato slices.

Frying!

Methi-Aloo, baingan and chilly pakoras.

Materials:

- besan (chickpea flour)
- haldi (turmeric)
- kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- baingan (large eggplant)
- potatoes
- green chillies (whichever type you want to use)
- salt
- Baking soda
- oil for frying

Preparation:

Cut eggplant and potatoes into thin slices (1/4 inch or 1.2 cm). Keep aside. The potato slices can be saved in a bowl of water as shown in the first image above.

Combine the besan with 1/2 tsp haldi and a pinch of baking soda for every 2 tbsp of the flour. Add salt to taste. Mix well. Then make into a batter by gradually adding water and mixing well. The batter consistency should be such that it pours slowly off a spoon.

Pat the eggplant slices dry with a paper towel/napkin. Dip the eggplant slices in the batter and leave for a few minutes. In the meantime, heat the oil in a karhai (or saucepan or wok). Test for oil temperature by dropping a normal blob of batter... it should fizz and bubble and cook rapidly.

Then carefully add the battered eggplant slices into the oil. It is much safer to use a spoon or ladle to do this - don't drop the slices in by hand! Once one side is done to a golden brown color, flip the slices over. 3-4 minutes per side is enough for this slice thickness.

Make one cut in the chillies (this prevents them from exploding while frying) and immerse in the batter. Fry these for about 2-4 minutes... basically till the batter is golden brown.

Next, add the drained methi to the batter and mix well. Dry the potato slices with a paper towel/napkin. Dip the potato slices in this batter and leave for a few minutes to get a nice coating. Then fry these, again, taking care to place them in the oil using a long-handled ladle or spatula. Fry for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Serving:

These are great on their own as a snack, appetizer, in a bun (pakora-pao), accompanying a meal - especially khichdi. Some chaat masala sprinkled on top after cooking adds a bit more of a zing.

Additional tips:

Adding a pinch of red chilly powder to the batter livens it up... but be wary of the spiciness if you use some!

Kaddu (pumpkin/squash)

Acorn squash, potatoes, nigella, bedagi chillies, garlic (clockwise from top left).

Materials:

- Acorn squash or pumpkin (one acorn squash will be good for 4 servings as a side dish... if you get a large pumpkin, portion as needed and store the rest for later use). Remove seeds and cut into 1.5 inch chunks.
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 3 Bedagi chillies, wipe with a moist cloth and soak in warm water
- 1/2 tsp Kalonji (Nigella)
- 1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
- Salt to taste
- oil (any vegetable oil will do)

Preparation:

Heat a tawa (griddle) and roast the unpeeled garlic... about 3 minutes on a hot tawa should do it. Peel and keep aside.

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add nigella and keep on low heat until the seeds sputter. Add bedagi chillies and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

Then add potatoes and turmeric and stir fry for about 5 minutes on low heat until potatoes are very lightly browned. Add water so the potatoes are half submerged. Cover and cook until potatoes are about half cooked (you should get slight resistance when you check doneness with a knife). The water should be evaporated and the oil will have started separating.

You can now add another 1.2 tbsp oil if desired. Then add the squash and garlic and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp to begin with). Add 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until potatoes are done... the squash will have cooked through in this time as well.

Serving:

Serve hot with rice or chapatis. This is a great dish to serve with puris as well. This also goes well with a simple dal like arhar.

Russian Potato Bread

A quick and easy recipe for a delicious bread (see more photos below - click on link for more).

Materials:

- 3 cups unbleached white bread flour (maida) 
- 1 cup wholemeal bread flour
- 250gms (about 9oz) potatoes
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds (crushed)
- 1 small packet (7gms / 1/4oz) yeast

Preparation:

Boil potatoes until tender. Reserve liquid from boiling. Drain, peel and mash potatoes.

Mix flours, salt, yeast and caraway seeds. Add butter and mix well. Mix 2/3 cup of the water from boiling potatoes. Add potatoes. Gradually work this in and form a soft dough.

Transfer to a floured surface. Knead for about 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a bowl (lightly oiled) and cover. Leave in a warm spot for about 1 hr.

After 1hr, the dough should be about doubled in bulk. Transfer to a floured surface and punch the dough down lightly (knock-back). Shape into a loaf and place on lightly oiled baking tray. Cover and leave for 1/2 hour (second rise).

Preheat oven to 200C (400F). After the dough has roughly doubled in size, transfer to oven and bake for about 30 minutes. It is ready when lightly browned and/or the base sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 1/2 hour.

Garlic potatoes

A quick and easy side dish.

Materials:

- 3 medium size potatoes; peel, clean and chop into rounds or cubes (as desired)
- 6 or more cloves garlic
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, chopped

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan (use a non-stick one if you have it since this is a low heat recipe). Add onions and salt. Cover and cook on low heat until light brown. You may have to add water since we're using less oil here. Then add whole garlic cloves and potatoes. Stir and roast on low heat until potatoes are lightly browned. Then add water just about up to potato height and cover. Simmer until potatoes are cooked through. Then remove lid and dry off any remaining liquid. Add butter and gently brown the potatoes. Adjust salt and crush some black peppercorns on top if desired.

Serving:

Goes well as an accompaniment to pasta/egg dishes and is also great by itself with some toast.

Jeera - Hara Dhania fish (fish with cumin and cilantro)

Recipe for one fillet - adjust as needed for quantity.

Materials:

- 1 fresh fish fillet. I've used catfish (US farmed as well as Basa - Vietnamese catfish) and tilapia and both work well.
- jeera (cumin) - about one level teaspoon; grind coarsely.
- 3 to 4 dried red chili peppers: If possible, use Kashmiri deghi mirch or Bedagi (Byadgi). These have a wonderful flavor and low heat. If not available, use cayenne peppers. Either way, grind coarsely and combine with salt (according to taste). If you don't have the whole peppers, the chili powder works as well.
- Garlic: use as much as you like; 3-4 cloves are good but add more if you enjoy a stronger garlic-ification.
- Hara dhania (Cilantro): small bunch; clean and dry; shred coarsely by hand.

Preparation:

Rub fish with the ground cumin, crushed chili peppers and salt and set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a tava (I use my trusty Lodge griddle; you could use any suitable pan including non-stick types). Brush the surface with oil and heat. Lay the cilantro and garlic and cook on medium heat until the cilantro wilts. Then lay the fish on top and cook each side until done - usually 7-8 minutes per side.

Serving:

Enjoy as part of a meal, perhaps with some lentils (arhar or chana dal) and rice. Also works really well in a wrap or sandwich.

Mirchi achaar - Green Chili Pepper Pickle

An easy and delicious way to preserve some of summer.

Materials:

- Fresh hot chili peppers: use any kind you like - store bought jalapenos; Thai green peppers if available (the Asian stores in many big cities keep these in their fresh veges section); and it's probably most fun to go pick these on a farm especially as you can get a variety of peppers and then experiment with them. Wash and pat dry. Slice down the middle or dice into smaller pieces.
- Oil: Mustard oil results in the most flavorful and sharp achaar; you can also use other oils like olive, peanut, corn or canola.
- Salt
- Mustard seeds - Grind. I use a coffee mill that I've reserved for spices. I like to get a coarse rather than a superfine mustard powder. 

Preparation:

Prepare jars for the pickle by cleaning well with soap and water. You can also pasteurize them as for jams (see this site for example). Add a 1/2 inch layer of the peppers followed by salt and mustard powder. Then pour oil to cover this layer. Repeat until you're at about 1 inch form the top of the jar. Add oil to ensure that it completely covers the chili peppers, salt and mustard.

Cover with cheesecloth to allow it to breathe and leave at room temperature for about two weeks. Check every two or three days to ensure that the oil level is above the solids and also stir well.

Enjoy with any savory dish - I like to add it to dal (lentils), prepared vegges, sandwiches, eggs, pizza... in short, it spices and flavors most dishes superbly.

Options: Adding chopped garlic or peanuts provides further dimensionality to this pickle. Combining different chili pepper types also gets you great new flavors - such as jalapenos with Thai greens.

Chettinad Baingan Bhaji

This is a slightly different take on an old reliable - baingan bhaji (eggplant cooked with potatoes and spices).

Materials:

- 1 medium or large eggplant, cubed into 1 inch chunks 
- 1 large onion, dice or chop thin rounds 
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed about 1 inch chunks 
- 1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric) 
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 
- 1 tablespoon coarsely ground dhania (coriander) seeds 
- 1.5 tablespoons Chettinad masala (see NOTE below) 
- 1/2 cup roasted chana dal (Bengal Gram) 
- 2 tablespoons oil - salt to taste

NOTE: You can find a number of recipes for making Chettinad masala online.

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add mustard and cumin seeds and roast on medium heat until the seeds sputter. Add roasted chana dal and chopped onions; stir. Cook on medium heat until onions are golden brown - you may have to add water to prevent the onions from sticking to the pan and also to get them browned nicely.

Add diced potatoes and turmeric and stir well stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add ground coriander and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup water and cover and cook until potatoes are about 1/2 done. Then add diced eggplant and Chettinad masala and stir well. Add salt. Stir fry on medium heat until everything is well combined. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and cook on medium-low heat until cooked - usually about 15 minutes.

Uncover and stir fry on medium-high heat until all water is evaporated and oil separates out. If you've earned it :-) add a chunk of butter or a tablespoon of ghee and stir well before serving.

Serving: Serve with chappatis, whole wheat pitas, rice or bread.

Grilled pork ribs

A very simple grill dish that can be marinaded and prepared days or weeks in advance.

Materials:

- southern style pork ribs (1 for each person)

- salt (to taste)

- peppercorns (coarsely crushed)

- garlic powder (1/2 tsp per rib)

Preparation:

Clean and trim ribs and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, crushed peppercorns and garlic powder. Pack in freezer bags and leave at least overnight or - preferable - longer. If marinading overnight, leave in fridge. For longer periods, transfer to freezer on second day.

Turn on grill (use indoor oven grill if you do not have an outdoor BBQ) and cook on medium or low for about 15 mins each side. Then grill on high till lightly charred.

Serving:

This can be served with any number of possible sides: rice, mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables (you can toss some potatoes, squash, peppers, eggplant with salt, olive oil and pepper and grill at the same time as you grill the ribs) - have fun and experiment!

A simple Pulao (Rice with Veges)

Known by many names this is a very simple yet incredibly versatile dish. Fast to cook and compatible with virtually any side dish, it is easy to add to your repertoire.

Materials:

- 1 cup rice

- 1 small pack frozen mixed vegetables (Birds Eye or similar); or use a mix of freshly prepared peas, green beans, corn, diced carrots, etc

- Salt

- Heeng (asafoetida)

- Jeera (cumin)

- 1 black cardamom

- 1" piece cinnamon

- 6 black peppercorns

- 1 dry red chili pepper

- 1 tbsp oil

- 1 tsp ghee

Preparation:

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan or dutch oven. Add heeng, jeera, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom and the chili pepper. Stir until cumin is sputtering and you can smell these spices. Add rice and stir fry well on low heat for 2-4 minutes. Add ghee and stir until it is melted. Now add veges and stir fry for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add salt to taste. Stir. Add 2 and 1/2 cups water. Stir well. Bring to a boil and then lower heat, cover and simmer until rice is cooked.

Serving:

This tastes great by itself and also works with any number of accompaniments: plain yogurt, raita (kheera raita for example)  papad, achaar, dal (arhar or chana for example) and any curry dish.

Chhole

Chhole bhature is a favorite dish in India. For a long time, I've been trying to get the recipe for chhole right so it's close to what used to be served at Nathu's in Bengali Market in Delhi. With each iteration, I think I'm getting closer :-) Here's the latest.

Materials:

- 1 large can chickpeas (chhole, garbonzo beans)
- 1 large onion chopped fine
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon dry coriander seeds coarsely crushed
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp dry pomegranate seeds crushed
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 cloves
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- 4 green cardamom (hari elaichi)

Preparation:

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds and stir. Add onions and stir fry until lightly browned (add water if necessary to prevent sticking). Add cloves, peppercorns, black and green cardamom, peppercorns. Add turmeric and stir fry on low heat for about 10 minutes (till you can smell the spices).

Add coriander and stir fry on high until you can smell it (you want the coriander well roasted, not raw). Add crushed pomegranate seeds and stir for about 1 minute. Now add the chickpeas (with liquid from the can) and stir well. Bring to a boil.

Lower heat, add salt to taste and simmer till cooked. You will have to add more water. This tastes really good if you simmer on low heat for a few hours. Remember to stir periodically to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan and add more water as necessary. Also - you can use a ladle to gently smoosh the chickpeas - this helps soften them up and they absorb the flavors better.

You can choose to reduce the curry to taste. A thinner curry is good if serving with rice and bread while a thicker one is good with samosas and kachoris. Try it out - see what works for you!
 
Serving:

Serve with basmati rice, pooris, rotis, whole wheat pitas or regular buttered bread.

Also tastes great served with samosas or kachoris.

A simple stir fry

This is a very generalized and versatile way to make a quick hot meal. It's fun to experiment with ingredients and try different veges and meats.


Materials:

- One onion (chopped round)
- One bell pepper (cut in thickish slices)
- Dry red chili peppers
- Garlic (powder or fresh crushed)
- Salt

Preparation:

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add chopped onions and stir until lightly browned. Add chopped bell peppers and stir fry on medium heat for 2-4 minutes. Add garlic to taste and chili peppers (depending on how hot you want it). Stir fry for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle some water and cover to cook for about 10 minutes on low-medium heat. Uncover and stir on high heat till the oil separates.

Serve with spaghetti or soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles). Also goes well as a side with eggs and toast.

Options: You can prepare a more robust meal by adding a precooked sausage (bratwurst or organic chicken sausage) at the final stir-fry stage. This also works well with medium or hard tofu cut in chunks and added at final stir-fry stage.

Green Curry meatballs in Thai Green Curry

While making kebab's one day, I wondered whether it might work to try a totally different flavor. A few days later, I was making Thai green curry and inspiration struck. I think this would work with (ground) pork or beef as well.

Chaat masala

This is an essential component of chaat, though it can be used in a number of different ways.

Materials:

1 tsp black salt
4.5 tsp cumin seeds - roast lightly
1 tsp deghi mirch (can substitute paprika, or cayenne)
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Combine ingredients in a dry grinder (I use a coffee mill for grinding dry spices) and grind to a fine powder.

NOTE: you can play with the proportions of the mirch and peppercorns to increase or reduce spiciness.

Store in jars/bottles with tight fitting lids.

This can be used for a variety of purposes. You can sprinkle it on tandoori chicken, just before serving. It is a major component of, well, chaat. And it can also be sprinkled on fresh fruit (oranges, pineapples, bananas) to add a little zing.