Month: February 2019

Ingredients:

1 cup rice (soaked for 20 minutes)s

1/4 cup red gram (Pigeon Pea arhar dal)

2 Tsp coriander seeds

½ Tsp fenugreek seeds

1 Tbsp. coconut sgrated)

1 Tbsp. Bengal gram (chana dal)

1 lime-sized tamarind extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

250 gm tomatoes (chopped)

50 gm fried onion paste

1 drumsticks (cut into pieces)

1 carrots (cut into pieces)

5 beans (cut into pieces)

2 potatoes (cut into pieces)

2 green chillies (slit)

250 gm small onions ( optional)

1 Tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

For the Tempering: 1 Tbsp. oil

6-8 curry leaves

1 Tsp mustard seeds a pinch of asafoetida

2 dry red chillies

Method:

Dry roast the coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, coconut, and Bengal gram. Grind to a powder and keep aside. Squeeze out tamarind pulp and strain.

Heat the oil in a pan; fry all the vegetables, keeping the onions whole. Add the tamarind extract, the powdered spices, turmeric powder, and salt.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, asafoetida, and dry red chillies, stir fry till dark brown. Remove and add to the vegetable mixture. Add rice and red gram and 3 cups of water. Cook till rice and gram are done. Remove and serve. This dish can also be made in pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes (medium-sized, blanched and peeled)

The Filling:

100 gm paneer (grated or crumbled)

100 gm green peas (boiled and coarsely blended )

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

½ red bell pepper (diced)

1/2 green bell pepper (diced)

1 Tbsp. fresh coriander leaves (chopped)

2 green chilies (minced)

2 Tbsp. cashew nut halves (roasted)

1 Tsp royal cumin seeds (freshly roasted)

salt to taste

The Gravy:

2Tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 Tsp mustard seeds

1 Tsp cumin seeds

8-10 curry leaves

100 gm onions (finely sliced)

1 Tsp ginger paste

1 Tsp garlic paste

1/2 Tsp red chilly powder

1 Tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tamarind pulp extract

salt to taste

The Paste:

Grind together:

1/4 cup peanuts (roasted)

1/4 cup coconut (desiccated)

1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (white)

1 medium size onions

3 Tsp coriander powder

1 Tsp cumin powder

Just pinch of salt

Method:

Melt butter in a pan, add boiled peas and lightly saute over medium heat until moisture evaporates. Mix with grated paneer and all other ingredients listed for the filling. Pack a portion of the filling in each of the blanched tomatoes and keep aside.

Heat oil in another pan, add mustard and cumin, stir over medium heat until they begin to splutter, add curry leaves, stir, add onions, lightly fry until translucent, add the ginger and garlic pastes, stir-fry until onions are golden, add red chilies and turmeric powders (dissolved in 2 Tbsp. of water) and stir-fry until the moisture evaporates. Then add the paste, stir-fry until the fat leaves the sides, add 3 cups of water and salt, bring to a boil, stir-in tamarind pulp, reduce heat, simmer, stirring occasionally, until of thin sauce consistency. Place the stuffed tomatoes in the gravy, cover and simmer, for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the gravy is thick. Remove and adjust the seasoning.

Ingredients:

250 gm green peas (optional with pods)

2 Tbsp. ghee/clarified butter

1 medium sized onion (finely chopped)

1 Medium Size Onion (Sliced)

2 Tsp cumin seeds

2 Tsp coriander powder

2 green chillies (deseeded and sliced)

2 ginger pieces (diced)

a pinch of asafoetida

1 Tsp black pepper (roasted and coarsely grounded)

2 Tsp Special Spice Mix ( black cardamom, clove, cinnamon, mace , all in powder form)

1 Tbsp. mango powder

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

salt to taste

Method:

Remove stems from the peas, blanch ,set aside. Heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds. When they begin to crackle add chopped and sliced onions and asafoetida. Fry till golden brown, add chillies, coriander powder, mango powder . Fry for about 1 minute and put the green peas in it. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to add ½ cup of water if the masala gets very dry. Make sure you use very tender peas or you may use snow peas instead of normal peas.

Stack your paneer

Ingredients:

For Paneer Stack

5-6 Cottage Cheese Sheets (Slice the paneer brick carefully to get nice sheets)

1/ 2 cup grated paneer

1Tbsp. cooking oil

½ Tbsp. cumin seeds

¼ Tbsp. Fennel seeds

2 Tbsp. Chopped Tomatoes

½ Tbsp. Chopped ginger

½ Tbsp. Chopped green chili

¼ Tbsp. Turmeric powder

1 Tbsp. Chopped coriander

2 Tbsp. Blanched and minced spinach and fenugreek leaves paste

Salt to taste

For Cashew gravy

1 Cup Cashew paste ( Boiled, blended to make a paste)

1 Tbsp. chopped Onion

½ Tbsp. Chopped ginger

¼ Chopped green chili

2 Tbsp. Yogurt

2 Cardamom

1 inch cinnamon

2 Tbsp. Cooking oil

2 Tbsp. Cream

Salt to taste

Few stands of saffron

1 Tbsp. Dried fenugreek leaves

Method:

Heat oil in a frying, saute green cardamom, cinnamon, onion, ginger and green chilies , sauted for a while and then add cashew nut paste stir for a minute then add beaten yogurt, salt and cream. Strain the curry. Add dry fenugreek leaves. For the cottage cheese stack, heat the oil in the pan; fry the cumin seeds, onions, tomatoes, ginger and green chillies. Add turmeric powder, masked cottage cheese and salt. In another pan in little oil saute your Spinach and Fenugreek paste add green coriander and salt. Line the cottage cheese sheets with cooked Tomato cottage cheese mixture and alternately spread the green paste on another sheet, stack one sheet over the other to make a stack . Cut the stack into two and tie with the help of scallions. Present the stacks standing vertically on cashew curry. Throw some saffron strands to garnish.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Brown Rice (Cooked)

2 Cups Kidney Beans ( Soaked overnight and pressure cooked)

You can use canned Black or red kidney ban

8-10 Tofu –cubed (big chunks)

1 ripe avocado – Halved, deseeded and cut in cubed

1 cup diced capsicums (Red,Green and Yellow)

3 Tbsp. cooking oil ( I use Waga waga –Olive- Rapeseed mix oil)

1 Onion –Chopped

1 Tbsp. Garlic –Chopped

2 Tbsp. Roasted Cumin

¼ Tbsp. lime zest

1 Tbsp. Lime juice

1 Tbsp. – Paprika Powder (I use sprig gourmet’s Paprika powder)

¼ Cup Chopped Coriander

1 Tbsp. Salsa sauce

½ Tbsp. Red Chili- Green chili –chopped/sliced

½ Tbsp. chopped jalapeno chili (canned) or fresh

Method:

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a frying pan on medium to high heat, add chopped onion, stir for few minutes, add ½ Tbsp. garlic , saute for a minute then add ¼ Tbsp. of roasted cumin. Add kidney beans and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add lime zest, juice and salt to taste. Saute for few minutes. Beans are done. Keep aside. In the meantime, marinate tofu cubes with very little oil, ¼ Tbsp. Paprika , ¼ Tbsp. roasted cumin and salt to taste. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Take the grilling pan, put marinated tofu, and drizzle some oil grill the tofu cubes on all the sides. The entire grilling process should not take more than 5 minutes

Now take another pan, heat remaining oil and splutter remaining oil , remaining garlic and roasted cumin . Saute for a while then add capsicums and saute on high heat for 2 minutes. At this point add cooked brown rice, season it well with paprika , salt and salsa sauce. Add 1/8 cups of chopped coriander. Saute for 1 more minute , your rice is done.

Assemble the dish in a serving bowl with beans mixture, rice and top with Tofu cubes and avocado cubes. Garnish with remaining coriander, jalapeno, lemon wedge and sliced chilies. Just before the serving drizzle lime juice.

Ingredients:

10-12 medium size button mushroom (Washed thoroughly and pat dry)

100 gram shitake mushroom( soaked in warm water for 30 minutes)

1 Cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp. spice mix

1 Tbsp. Red Chili sauce

½ Tbsp. Black pepper powder

Salt to taste

½ full cream

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. Chopped garlic

¼ Tbsp. lemon zest

½ Tbsp. hopped coriander stalks or roots

Method:

First and foremost , carefully remove stalks of the mushrooms and scoop out the mushroom to make small cavity . Keep the stalks and scrapping.

Prepare Stuffing

In a frying pan and on medium heat , add ½ Tbsp. olive oil and within 15 seconds add chopped garlic , saute for 30 seconds and then add mushrooms scraps . Saute for 2 more minutes and then take it off heat. Let the mixture rest for a while. In a bowl, take grated cheese, pice mix, pepper powder, chopped coriander stalks, fresh lemon zest and salt to taste. Mix well.

Now take the button mushroom and gently rub salt and red chili sauce inside the cavity. Carefully stuff these mushrooms with cheese stuffing and rest it for 30 minutes in refrigerator.

In the meantime prepare your mushroom froth. Grind and make paste of soaked shitake mushroom . In an frying pan take butter , on low heat. Before butter starts melting add mushroom paste , stir for a minute ,add cream , stir well for two minutes add salt to taste and with use of hand blender, blend this mixture to get froth.

Now in a shallow frying pan , add olive oil and on high heat , put the stuffed mushrooms one by one , cover with the lid for 30 seconds . Take it off heat.

Take these shallow fried mushroom in a pre heated oven (180 ºC ) bake for only 5 minutes.

Prepare your plate: Froth as base, keep your mushrooms on top of froth, sprinkles some more cheese on top of mushrooms. Use blow torch to char the cheese and mushroom just a bit. However if you do not have the blow torch, simply top up the stuffed mushroom before baking them.