Tag: shahi zeera
Morel Mushroom Rice Pulao
I never knew morel mushrooms are used in Indian cuisine. I was talking to my Mom about cooking for some friends who are vegetarian and I wanted to make a rice dish with mushrooms. She told me about how many years ago, this rice dish was served at very fancy weddings. Especially since morels are and were very expensive to buy so only the very wealthy could afford to serve them.
I was very surprised to hear that morels are used back home- I usually associate the mushrooms with Italian cuisine. Anyway, she explained to me how the rice dish is made and I replicated it with very good results. I used dried morels and reconstituted them in some hot water. I also managed to find mushroom broth which elevated the flavor factor by many notches.
Overall, it was a delicious dish- especially served with a variety of vegetarian dishes.
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Dal Keema (Ground Turkey with Yellow Gram Lentils)
This is a very simple and delicious dish to make. If you have never made an Indian dish before and are a little overwhelmed- this maybe the one to try. Don’t let the list of spices scare you- if you can’t find any one of them, just eliminate them.
Keema is essentially ground meat. Typically it is either goat or lamb keema cooked with a vegetable- either peas, cauliflower, potatoes or spinach. I use turkey to create a healthier dish for my family.
I made this dish a bit different and paired it with lentils. I cooked the lentils separately in a pressure cooker. You don’t need to have one- just follow the same instructions but cook the lentils on the stove. It will take longer and a bit more liquid but you will get the same results.
The rest is quite simple, I sauteed some spices, onions and garlic. I added the ground turkey meat and cooked it for a while and then added the meat. To make the dish creamy, I added some Greek yogurt.
It was a delicious dish I served with fresh rotis and a spinach salad.
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A Recipe Fit For Royalty: Vegetable Korma
I teach cooking classes a couple time a month. I try to come up with a complete and balanced menu that is delicious but easy to make. For last month’s class, I did the chicken malai tikka– I wanted to come up with a vegetable dish people can enjoy. Someone had suggested a navrattan korma- which is a very popular dish in Indian restaurants around here. A korma is a dish with either vegetables or meat cooked in a creamy white sauce. I have never really made a vegetable korma and never really order it at a restaurant either. The reason for not ordering the dish outside is that it is filled with cream and butter. I can’t imagine how many calories are in that small serving!
In my attempt to come up with a healthier version of this dish, I must have looked at hundreds of recipes. I finally came up with the perfect, delicious concoction. In my mind, a korma is creamy, delicate yet full of flavor. I used dry spices to give the dish loads of flavor. The cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and most of all the black cumin give this dish a very delicate aroma and taste. I tend to use black cumin when I am making a white creamy sauce- unlike regular cumin, this variety has a very floral taste- it’s delicate yet full bodied – the flavor is unmistakable! That being said- if you can’t find this spice, regular cumin will be just fine. Also, any combination of vegetables is great in this dish. I went with a combination with great aesthetic appeal, full of color. For the white creamy sauce, I decided to use non-fat evaporated milk with a touch of half and half. The evaporated milk gives the dish great body and taste without any of the fat- how clever was that!! The half and half adds just enough richness without going over the top. To finish off the dish, I added chopped raw cashews and golden raisins. The sweetness of the two ingredients goes very well with the mild creamy dish. To take the korma to another level, I added crumbled paneer- it gives the dish great texture. Overall the dish was a big success. My husband loved it! People at the class enjoyed it as well. We at it with fresh homemade rotis and pink lentils cooked with broccoli rabe- recipe to follow soon!!