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These two dishes are the ultimate comfort food for me! It made me want to eat both the rice and the dal today as I stepped outside in the cold and felt the 18 degrees! Also I wanted to give my daughter something light to eat since she was home sick with a fever and sore throat. Typically this dal is made in a pressure cooker, it doesn’t take very long at all, about 10 minutes. I included the regular cooking method so more people can try it. I typically add an ingredient similar to tamarind to add a sour element to the dal. It’s called ‘kokum’ and is only available at the Indian stores. I decided to substitue the ‘kokum’ with lemon juice. The lemon juice adds a good sour flavor and is a good substitute. The smell of cooked rice is very nostalgic, gives me a happy warm feeling inside.. perfect for this weather.

Toor Dal

• 1 cup toor dal
• 3 cups water or more if needed
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 serrano chili, chopped (take the seeds out if too spicy)

Tempering

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ a lemon, squeezed
• ½ cup chopped cilantro

In a large pot, add the toor dal and the water with turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Unless you are using a pressure cooker, this dal takes a while to cook, about 40 minutes. Keep it at a simmer and add water as needed.
In a separate small frying pan, heat the oil or ghee and add the cumin and mustard seeds.
Cook till they sizzle, about a minute.
Once the dal reaches the needed consistency, add the cumin and mustard seeds.
Turn the heat off and add the lemon juice and the cilantro.

Rice Pulao with Peas

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 2 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon salt

In a heavy pan, heat up the olive oil and add the cumin seeds. Add the onions once the cumin begins to sizzle. Cook the onion on medium heat till golden brown. Add the rice and stir till it is opaque, careful not to burn. Add the chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil and cover on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas right on top and cover and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes.

I taught this dish yesterday in one of my cooking classes and it came out delicous. When I was testing the dish, I started with something completely different. It was okay, tasted fine but it didn’t stand out. So I decided to add some mustard seeds, crushed tomatoes and onions. That made a big difference in the taste and texture of the gravy. I love going out for south-indian food, especially since I am from the north. I then like to come home and try to replicate the dishes to the best of my ability. Hope you enjoy my version of a south-indian chicken dish!

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2 inch pieces

Marinade

• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 3-4 inch ginger minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 lemon juiced
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce

• 1 medium white onion sliced
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup low fat coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Mix all 5 ingredients and marinate the chicken for 2 to 3 hours. In a heavy saucepan heat the olive oil and add the mustard seeds, cook for about a minute until the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the chicken with the marinade, coriander powder, cayenne pepper, salt, garam masala and sauté for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes while the chicken cooks. Add the crushed tomatoes, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and let it simmer till the sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning and add the cilantro.

This meal is partially home-made, which is fine because we all need meals like this to get through the week. I love shopping at Trader Joes and one of my favorite things to buy is their frozen marinated rack of lamb. It is absolutely delicious with lots of garlic and rosemary, perfectly spiced! I always have that in the freezer. I decided to make my spiced roasted potatoes (recipe already posted) and some creamed spinach. Both the sides didn’t take very long and in the end we had a fabulous meal. My husband made some delicious tamarindtinis!!! (a form of martini that includes tamarind and pinneapple juice) Overall it was a fabulous dinner!

• One frozen Rack of Lamb
• 20 ounces frozen chopped Spinach
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare the lamb according to instructions on the package.

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the shallot and garlic. Cook till transparent and add the spinach. Cook the spinach until heated through and the water evaporated. Add the half-and-half and nutmeg. Cook for another minute or so. Adjust the seasoning and serve with the lamb and the Spice Roasted Potatoes (recipe already posted).

Palak Paneer is cooked in several different ways. Restaurants tend to make it quite rich with lots of butter and cream. In the homemade versions the paneer is fried. I have tried to make mine as simple and healthy as possible. I don’t think there is any need to fry the paneer, soaking it in water makes it very soft and spongy and it absorbs the spinach flavor well. It is a little time consuming but the result is worth the extra work. I grew up with this dish in Delhi, having all different versions of it. I like my mom’s the best and this is very close to hers.
I like eating Palak Paneer with some dal (check out the masoor dal recipe) and roti/naan. Beer goes nicely with Indian food, but since I am more of a wine drinker, I go for a crisp Riesling, Savignon Blanc, Rose or Champagne!

• 12 ounces Paneer- store bought Indian cheese
• 1 pound chopped frozen spinach-thawed in the package
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 inches ginger, small pieces
• 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt- or to taste
• ¼ cup half-and-half

Cut the paneer into two inches squares and place in a medium bowl with water to cover the cheese. Let the paneer soak in the water for at least 2 hours. This makes the cheese nice and soft for consumption.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil with the cumin seeds. In the mean time blend the onion, garlic, ginger and cilantro into a paste- don’t wash the blender, we will re-use it for the spinach. Once the cumin begins to sizzle, add the onion mixture. Saute this mixture on medium heat for 10 minutes stirring consistently. Then add the crushed tomatoes, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Saute for another 10 minutes stirring well. On the side, blend the thawed spinach in the same blender. Add the blended spinach to the tomato mixture and cook on medium heat for at least 15 minutes or till the water (from the spinach) has evaporated. Add the half and half and the drained paneer. Cook for another 10 minutes on low heat with the lid on. Adjust seasoning and serve.

I love all sorts of mushrooms! I try to eat them in every possible way I can but, my favorite is in pasta. I was thinking about the New Year and eating well and healthy. My plan was to make pounded chicken cutlets with the pasta to add some healthy protein. I went shopping for my ingredients and made my way into the fish section and noticed that cod was on sale! So I decided to make cod fillets with the pasta. Luckily my daughter enjoys both mushrooms and most fishes. I also bought fresh whole-wheat pasta- again it’s the whole staying healthy theme. I have to say fresh whole-wheat pasta is a completely different specie than the dry! It has great texture and tastes yum!
I decided to step out in my back yard and gather some fresh rosemary and thyme (they are still doing quite well despite the weather) before I came back inside to unload my groceries.
I remembered to use my favorite Christmas gift this year, my 14 inches all clad frying pan! It is awesome! I love cooking in it. It is so big and pretty, it makes me happy every time I look at it. Decided to open a bottle of left over Beaujolais-Villages from Thanksgiving and started cooking! I know I am supposed to drink white wine with fish but somehow mushrooms always remind me of red so I think the Beaujolais is a good compromise.

• 5 ounces sliced shitake mushrooms
• 2 large sliced portabella mushrooms
• 10 ounces sliced white button mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup pecorino romano grated
• 3/4 pound cooked whole-wheat papperdelle pasta
• 3-4 fillets of Cod
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of chopped thyme and rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Extra salt for the fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a wide frying pan heat the extra virgin olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté till golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Then sprinkle the mushroom mixture with the flour. Cook the flour for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and whisk until a smooth gravy is formed. In the meantime cook the pasta till al dente. Once the pasta is done, add it to the mushroom mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Top with the pecorino romano.

Sprinkle salt on the fillets and set aside. Mix the thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper with the flour. Dredge the fillets with the flour mixture. Heat a non-stick skillet with the olive oil and cook the fillets for about 5 minutes on each side or till done.
Serve on top of the mushroom pasta!