Tag: indian cuisine
Besan and Nariyal Barfi (Indian Confection Made with Chickpea Flour and Coconut)
Here is one of my favorite Indian sweets! Happy Diwali! Enjoy..
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 4 to 5 green cardamoms (seeds taken out and crushed)
- 1¼ cups sugar
- Sliced almonds
- Pistachios, chopped
Heat a medium frying pan and add the coconut oil. Add the besan and sauté on medium heat for at least 30 minutes (or more) till the mixture turns a light caramel color.
Add the ricotta, coconut and cardamom seeds. Mix well and let the moisture from the ricotta cook out- about ten minutes.
Turn the heat off and add the sugar. Mix well until all is incorporated.
Spread the mixture on to a shallow platter with edges. Smooth with a spatula and sprinkle the almonds and pistachios and press down with fingers. Keep in fridge for half an hour to set. Take out and cut into small squares and serve.
Chicken Curry
- 1 pound chicken thighs, with or without bones, without skin
- ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 inch fresh ginger, grated
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
Mix the yogurt, half and half, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, salt and garam masala in a bowl. Add to a zip lock bag with the chicken and marinate in the fridge overnight or at least 2 hours. Keep aside.
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut in half
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, washed
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 green cardamoms, crushed
- 2 cloves
Add the onion, tomatoes, chicken broth, cardamom and cloves to a medium pan. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes or till everything is soft and mushy. Blend in a blender till smooth.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- ½ cinnamon stick
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a large saucepan with the olive oil and cinnamon stick. Add the blended onion mixture and sauté on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken including the marinade. Mix well and cook on a medium heat covered for 20 minutes or till the chicken is cooked through. Take the lid off and turn the heat up to cook the extra moisture off, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro.
Cauliflower and Potatoes Sauteed with Tomatoes
- 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
- 4 to 5 medium sized yellow potatoes, cut into ½ inch wedges
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom) seeds
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2 inch ginger, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the cumin and ajwain seeds and sauté on medium high heat till the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the onion, ginger and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 4-5 minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well and add the cauliflower and potatoes. Mix well and lower the heat and cover for 15 minutes or till the potatoes and cauliflower are tender. Turn the heat up and uncover the pan and sauté, stirring constantly. Saute for 5-6 minutes, till the excess moisture at the bottom of the pan has evaporated. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro.
Sauteed Shrimp with Indian Pickling Spices
This is a great dish for a main meal or an appetizer…it’s yummy!!
- 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon onion seeds (nigella seeds)
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 serrano chili, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of half a lime
Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the cumin, fennel, mustard, onion and fenugreek seeds. Saute on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the onion and serrano and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato puree and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt and cilantro. Add lime juice. Serve warm.
Channa Dal with Curry Leaves
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup channa dal, rinsed and soaked in water
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon ghee or oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 to 7 curry leaves
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Heat a medium pressure cooker with the oil. Add the onion, garlic and chili. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato and sauté for 2 minutes on medium heat. Drain the dal and add to the sautéed onion. Add the water, salt, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Bring to a boil and cook under pressure for 20 minutes. Take the lid off once the pressure has subsided. Continue to cook on medium heat. Add the lime juice and check for seasonings.
In a small frying pan, add the ghee, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes till the cumin seeds begin to sizzle. Transfer the cumin seeds and curry leaves to the cooking dal. Mix well and add the garam masala and fresh cilantro. Serve warm.
Punjabi Kadhi- Potato Fritters Cooked in a Yogurt Gravy
Amazing recipe I haven’t posted in a while…
This is a delicious dish I grew up with. My mom would make it once in a while and when she did – we all looked forward to it. For me it is one of those things I like to eat every few months- not all the time- not sure why- maybe because it is a bit labor intensive so people don’t end up making it very often.
This dish also has a few hard to find ingredients- including asafetida, fenugreek seeds and dried fenugreek. These ingredients are available at any Indian grocery store or online.
The dish is essentially a yogurt gravy thickened with besan (chickpea flour). Potato fritters are fried made with onions, ginger, cilantro,etc and are added to the thickened yogurt gravy.
Last but not least, the dish is seasoned with a mixture of fenugreek seeds and chili peppers and topped with dried fenugreek leaves.
The dish has a very distinct flavor imparted by the asafetida and the fenugreek seeds. You could make it without either and it will still taste good.
Try this on a Sunday afternoon when you have some time to spend in the kitchen- our family will love it…
Yogurt Gravy
- 6 cups low-fat plain yogurt (it should be nice and tangy), whisk till smooth
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour), sifted
- 7 cups water
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon asafetida powder
Add the yogurt and besan to a large saucepan. Whisk till smooth, getting rid of all lumps. Add the water, salt, turmeric and asafetida powder. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
Potato Fritters
- 2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
- 1 large potato, chopped into ¼ inch dice
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ½ small red onion, chopped
- 2 inch grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup water
Mix the besan, potato, cilantro, green onions, red onion, ginger, garam masala, cayenne pepper, coriander powder, salt and baking powder into a medium bowl. Add the water slowly while mixing the ingredients with your hands. The consistency should be like a wet potato salad.
- 2 cups extra light olive oil
Place the oil into a wok like saucepan and heat the oil to 375 degrees. Form soft balls with a spoon and gently fry in the oil. Try not to over crowd. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or till the fritters are golden brown. Take out and drain in a paper towel lined platter. Repeat process till all the mixture is used up.
Add the fritters to the simmering yogurt gravy. Turn the heat off.
Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil (you can same oil you used for frying)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 dried chili pepper
Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add the fenugreek seeds, asafetida, cayenne pepper and the chili peppers. Saute on medium heat till the seeds begin to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add the seasoned oil into the gravy. Mix and check for seasonings.
Garnish
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
Garnish with garam masala and methi. Serve hot with plain rice.
Curried Chickpeas
- 2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight or at least 5 to 6 hours
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1 large cardamom
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 14 ounces can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a pressure cooker or regular saucepan with the oil and ghee. Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom. Saute on medium heat for a minute. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas with the soaking liquid. Bring to a boil. If using the pressure cooker, cook for about half an hour. If using regular saucepan, cook for at least an hour or till the chickpeas are soft but not mushy. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro.