Tag Archives: Recipes

Recipes: Kali Mirch Vegetables

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On 1st Jan, having just come back from my India holiday, I wanted to make something different for lunch. After browsing the internet, I came across a paneer kali mirch recipe which I decided to modify. Since S is not too fond of Paneer, I decided not to make it the star of the recipe, instead relegating it to a supporting role.

The kick that kali mirch or black pepper gave, added a nice punch to this recipe and the pot was wiped clean at lunch itself!

Kali Mirch Vegetables

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup mixed vegetables (I used potatoes, beans, carrots and cauliflower) chopped into large bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup frozen paneer, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and then drained
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 1 inch piece ginger
  • 5-6 green chillies
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 1 inch piece cinammon
  • 1/2 cup whisked yoghurt
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tbsp pepper powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 2 tbsp oil or ghee
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil and fry the onion pieces until they turn brown, but do not let them burn. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and blend with a little water into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Make a paste of the garlic, ginger and green chillies and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, add the chopped vegetables and cook until they are around 80% cooked. Remove and keep aside.
  • Heat the balance oil or ghee and add the cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon one by one, stirring for a couple of seconds before adding the next ingredient. Stir till it’s nice and fragrant.
  • Then add onion paste and cook well. Once the onion paste starts to bubble, add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and saute well.
  • Add the whisked yoghurt and keep stirring to ensure the yoghurt does not curdle.
  • Now add the powdered spices – coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder. At this point, you can also add some red chilli powder if you like it spicier, but I didn’t add it to this recipe.
  • Add the cooked vegetables and salt and let the semi cooked vegetables absorb the sauce. You may also add some water or more yoghurt if the gravy seems dry at this point.
  • When the vegetables are cooked, add the paneer pieces and stir well to coat the paneer. If you are making this dish for a party, you can also add cooking cream at this point.
  • Cover and it it simmer for around 10 minutes. Add some water if the gravy starts to dry.
  • Check the seasoning and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
  • Serve hot with rice or any Indian bread.

Recipes: Mixed Dal Tadka

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I had been asked to increase my protein intake recently and was thinking on ways to increase the intake. Dals are a popular way in the Indian subcontinent to get protein into your diet daily. So I decided to make the simple dal tadka which is dal which is tempered and added multiple dals to increase the protein levels.

I made this with three seperate dals, but you can make it with just one dal or as many as you like.

This is a very simple recipe and is a real comfort food which can be made in minutes. It’s super yummy and is best eaten with rice or an Indian flatbread.

Mixed Dal Tadka

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup yellow moong dal
  • 1/3 cup toovar dal
  • 1/3 cup chana dal
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
  • 2-3 dried red chillies
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp ghee or oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1-2 tsp lemon juice
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Soak the dals in hot water for 15 minutes and then cook it with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder in a pressure cooker until it is completely cooked and loses its shape. Cool and then whisk the dal until it is homogenous. Keep aside.
  • If you are using the stovetop, cook it until you can mix all the dals into a paste. Keep aside.
  • In a smaller pan, heat the ghee and when warm, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.Then add the cloves, cardamom and dried red chillies and stir well.
  • Pour the tempering into the whisked dal and let it come to a rolling boil. Season with salt and then crush the kasuri methi in the palms of your hands and sprinkle it over the dal.
  • Switch off the flame and pour the lemon juice and also the chopped coriander leaves.
  • Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Recipes: Almond Cashew Pudding or Badam Kaju Kheer

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The day S was supposed to fly off for his Sabarimala pilgrimage, I wanted to send him off with something sweet. Since he was flying in the morning, I also wanted to make something quick. This Badam Kaju Kheer is that perfect recipe.

Badam Kaju Kheer or Almond Cashew Pudding

Ingredients:

  • 1 litre full cream milk
  • 20 almonds
  • 20 cashewnuts
  • 5-6 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
  • 2 pinches saffron strands
  • 1 tbsp ghee

Method:

  • Soak the almonds and cashew nuts in hot water for 15-20 minutes. When they cool, peel the nuts and keep aside.
  • Chop around 5 each of almonds and cashew into slivers and keep aside.
  • Blend the balance nuts together with some milk to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
  • Boil the milk in a pan and when it comes to a rolling boil, lower the heat and stir for around 10 minutes to thicken the milk.
  • Add the sugar and the almond cashew paste and stir well. Let it come to a rolling boil.
  • Now add the saffron strands and cardamom powder and stir well. Remove from the fire and keep aside.
  • In a small skillet, add the ghee and the slivered nuts and stir until the nuts are brown. When the nuts turn brown, drain from the ghee and garnish the pudding with the nuts and some strands of saffron.
  • Have this hot or cold, but I feel cold is better as it tends to thicken some more. If you find the pudding too thick for your taste, dilute it with some milk.

Recipes: Radish Chutney

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The other day I wanted to make some coconut chutney to go with our dinner of dosai, but realised at the last minute that I didn’t have enough coconut to make the chutney. I dug through my fridge and saw a couple of radishes which I used to make this yummy chutney. When the children ate the chutney, they could not believe that it had radishes in it. This is a very simple recipe which hardly takes 10 minutes to make from start to end.

Radish Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sized radishes, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 2 tbsp grated coconut
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp broken urad dal
  • 2-3 dried red chillies
  • 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 1 small lime sized piece of tamarind
  • 2 tsp chopped coriander
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil

Method:

  • Heat the oil in a pan and when warm, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add the urad dal, red chillies and sesame seeds.
  • Once the urad dal becomes slightly brown and the red chillies start to darken, add the chopped radish, tamarind and some salt and cook until the radishes are cooked and slightly opaque.
  • Take off from the fire and cool completely.
  • In a mixer, blend together the fried ingredients, coconut and coriander leaves to a smooth paste. Add salt to taste and serve with idlis, dosai or even chapati. This goes very well as a spread for bread too.

Recipes: Shahi Aloo Matar

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Another no onion, no garlic recipe, this time the classic aloo matar (potato and peas) curry reimagined without onions or garlic and made royal with the addition of some dry fruits and sesame seeds. It was super yummy and the addition of milk and yoghurt balanced the tartness of the tomatoes and also gives a slight sweetness to the recipe.

Shahi Aloo Matar

Ingredients:

  • 3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh green peas
  • 3 large tomatoes, chopped roughly
  • 1/2 cup skimmed milk
  • 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
  • 6 cashew nuts
  • 6 almonds
  • 1 inch piece of cinnamon
  • 3-4 cardamom pods
  • 3-4 cloves
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 1 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and keep aside.
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds and let them pop. Then add the fennel seeds. Next add the sesame seeds, cloves, cardamon, bay leaf and cinamon one at a time and stir for a few seconds before adding the next ingredient.
  • Next add the cashewnuts and almonds and stir till the nuts are slightly brown. Now add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and let the tomatoes cook and become mushy. Remove, let it cool completely and grind it to a smooth paste with the yoghurt.
  • Heat the balance oil and add the balance cumin seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the asafoetida and turmeric powder and stir for 2 seconds.
  • Then add the chopped potatoes and let them cook for about 5 mins, or until they are half cooked.
  • At this point, add the frozen peas and salt and let the potatoes and peas cook till they are around 75-80% cooked. Remove from the flame and keep aside.
  • In a new pan, add the ground paste and stir well. Add the dry spice powders – chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and cook covered till the oil leaves the sides of the pan and the raw smell disappears. This should take around 7-10 minutes.
  • Now add the cooked potaotes and peas to this paste and stir well. Add the milk and let it come to the consistency you need. You can also add some water or more milk if it is still thick. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavours to mix together. Check for seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
  • This goes very well with any Indian flatbread or even a jeera rice or pulao.