Tag: turmeric
Mushroom Mattar (Mushrooms and Peas)
I feel I have not posted any Indian dishes in a while. I end up making Indian food at lease once a week but sometimes I skip it- the problem is, there are so many other dishes to make… and I forget about the basic stuff. My daughter reminds me if it has been a while.
I thought I would post this very easy and quick dish that can be served as the main entree or as a side with chicken or fish. I usually serve it with lentils on the side and freshly made rotis.
I start with Cremini mushrooms- one can use the white variety as well but I like these better. I saute some cumin seeds along with garlic and ginger. Typically this dish has onions as well but I decided to keep it onion free- no real reason.. just didn’t feel like cutting an onion. The rest is easy- the mushrooms are added along with some spices and frozen peas.
My daughter loves mushrooms and doesn’t like peas so much- but she eats this dish without a problem…. I sometimes need to remind her to finish the peas… enjoy!
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Moong Dal with Cumin Seeds
This dal would be a great complement to the seekh kebabs from yesterday. It is a dal dish my Mom has made for years and this is the first time I have ever made it myself. I do have another recipe for it on the blog courtesy of my Mom. I always thought it was very complicated and hard to make this particular version.
Typically one adds the lentils and water to a pan and the dish is cooked till the lentils are soft- very simple. This one, you cook like pasta- once the lentils are al dente, you drain and then dress with different spices or herbs.
In my case, I decided to keep it simple and add cumin seeds, onions and ginger. I of course added some garam masala – which I think adds a very distinctive flavor. I finished it with some fresh chopped cilantro. I couldn’t believe how simple it was to make- this will definitely be part of my repertoire. Try this dish, you will really like it…
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Moong Dal
Sometimes it is enough to eat something very simple and super easy to make. I make lentils when I run out of things to make for dinner. My usual go-to meal is a rice pulao with peas and some kind of dal.
This one in particular is especially my favorite. I love it because of it’s taste and also because it is easily accessible in any store (the lentils that is). I also love the way this particular one is cooked. My Mom has been making moong dal for years but she learnt how to make it this way from a friend.
I have been making this dal for years as well. Usually when I make lentils, I cook everything together and add sauteed cumin seeds at the end (most of the time). This one is different… I cook the lentils separately and a mixture of onions, cumin, tomatoes, etc, separately. Once the onion mixture is soft and cooked, I then add it to the cooking lentils and cook the whole thing. It is almost like a lentil stew and really delicious.
Serve with with some veggies on the side with rice or bread- it will become part of your repertoire….
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Spinach and Roasted Corn
This is one my favorite vegetarian, Indian dishes to make. Usually spinach is paired with paneer or some kind of meat in Indian cuisine. Years ago, we had corn and spinach at a restaurant and I thought it was delicious. The spinach is cooked the same way as in the other dishes but somehow corn gives it a wonderful, unique flavor.
I changed it up a bit- of course. I used the roasted corn I buy from Trader Joes. It has a delicious smoky flavor. I also cooked the spinach with dried fenugreek- which brings a unique earthy flavor. It also mimics the smoky flavor of the roast corn really well.
I made it when a friend came over. Everyone loved it including the kids. Make this dish next time you are looking to make something different…
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2-inch ginger, peeled
Process the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor. Keep aside.
- 1 16 oz pack frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Blend the thawed spinach until smooth. Keep aside.
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 pack fire roasted frozen corn from Trader Joes (or 3 cups regular corn)
- ¼ cup dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
- ¼ cup half and half
Heat a heavy saucepan with the extra light olive oil. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for 20 seconds on medium heat. Add the onion mixture and sauté for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the tomato puree and sauté for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the blended spinach, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper and coriander powder. Mix well. Add the corn and fenugreek leaves. Mix well and cook on a medium low heat, covered for 15 minutes. Take the lid off and turn the heat up to high. Add the half and half and stir constantly while cooking for another 5 minutes. Taste for seasonings.
Moong Dal with Spinach (Lentils with Spinach)
This is a great dish to make through the week. It is simple and quick. Especially since I used these particular lentils- moong. They take all of 15 minutes to cook up. I have quite a few lentils in my pantry which is great when I don’t have anything else to cook.
I made these simply with some turmeric, salt and garlic. I let the lentils cook for a while and then added the frozen spinach- another thing I have on hand- it is extremely versatile and easy to use.
While the lentils were finishing up, I heated up some ghee (butter can be used instead) and added cumin. I added the mixture to the lentils and that was it. I served the lentils with some rice and it was a delicious weeknight meal. Everyone loved it.
Make these lentils through the week- they don’t take long at all.
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Indian Style Chicken Cutlets
My daughter was complaining to me the other day about missing chicken nuggets. She claimed not to remember the last time she had them. In my mind- that is a good thing. I explained to her chicken nuggets are for younger kids and especially for those who are a bit picky and don’t like to eat anything else. It didn’t make her feel better and asked me to buy some.
I convinced her to let me make her some instead and she agreed.
I have made chicken cutlets in the past that she has enjoyed. I almost always use panko bread crumbs to add the crunch- plus I always bake them and never fry.
For these- I decided to add an Indian spin to them. I marinated the chicken tenders in garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. All these ingredients gave the chicken super flavor- I was already to a good start.
Next I prepared the breading. I added mustard seeds and curry leaves to the panko breadcrumbs to add great flavor. I added turmeric, salt and coriander powder to the flour. All in all it was a lot of deliciousness going on with all the spices.
My daughter was watching me as I was putting the cutlets together and was not happy with the way they looked- especially the green curry leaves. As usual, I convinced her to try them and she was thrilled- she loved them. She claimed the chicken reminded her of popcorn! I served the chicken with the tomato rice and it was a delicious meal…
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Cauliflower and Potatoes
Here we go again- this is yet another version of cauliflower. I should go back and look on this blog and count how many different cauliflower recipes I have. It is my husbands favorite thing to eat so I try to make it as much as I can- the problem is, coming up with different versions of the same vegetable- yes you are right- I am patting myself on the back for coming up with a new recipe.
Well, it is really not new. I remember eating this kind of a dish at wedding parties in India. It was not the most healthy way of cooking it.. they would fry the cauliflower florets and potatoes first and then cook it with lots of onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. It tasted really good but I certainly didn’t want to make it the same way. So- I decided to roast the vegetables in a large cookie sheet to attain similar results. I roasted them till they were soft and golden brown. I then started a saucepan with oil, cumin seeds, onion, ginger and garlic. I later added the crushed tomatoes and other spices.
Overall, it is a fairly simple dish with a few extra steps- but it is worth the work. The dish is delicious…
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