Chhole (pronounced Cho-Lay) - Garbanzo beans cooked with vegetables and spices

This is one of my favourite dishes. And very versatile..serve with rice, bread, with samosas, naan or just eat it by itself! And the best part is, it's so easy to make. It's one of the most popular Indian party foods!

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: Garbanzo beans(2 cans), Onions (medium - 2), Tomatoes (large - 1), Ginger(1 inch), serrano peppers(2),cilantro(1/2 bunch), Tamarind extract(1/2 cup), salt, Garlic (2 cloves), red chilli powder (1 tsp), Chhole Masala(3 tsp)**

**Chhole Masala - Store-brought, available in all Indian Grocery stores and some local american stores as well. If you don't have this on hand, no worries. You could also throw in some garam masala (if you have it) or some cumin and coriander powder and some cinnamon powder instead.

Ingredients for tempering: Canola oil or EVOO (1 tbsp), Cumin seeds(2 tsp), mustard seeds(2 tsp), turmeric (couple of pinches)

Blend ginger, onions, tamarind, cilantro and serrano pepper with salt



Cook the blended paste with onions and red bell pepper



Finished Product..delicious!

Cook Away..

> Slice the onions into thin, long strips, dice the tomatoes, roughly chop the ginger, peel garlic and slice the serrano peppers

> Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and set aside

> Rinse and roughly chop the cilantro

> Soak lemon-sized tamarind in half a cup of water and set aside

> Throw the onions (set aside some of the sliced onions and use the rest), ginger, garlic, cilantro (set aside a little for garnish), half of the tamarind extract, 1 serrano pepper and some salt into the blender and blend to a fine paste with some water

> Heat a pan on medium high on the stove and add the oil and tempering ingredients

> Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the remaining sliced onions, turmeric and remaining serrano pepper and saute for a couple of minutes until onions start to turn golden brown

> Add the diced tomatoes

> Add the blended paste and let it all cook together for a few minutes

> Add the garbanzo beans, remaining tamarind extract, red chilli powder and Chole Masala and combine thoroughly and let it all cook together for about 3-4 minutes

> Do a little taste test and if needed, add a little bit of salt

> Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve hot!

My Thoughts..

> You can throw in all of the sliced onion in the blender if you like, I put some of it aside and drop it in the oil so you can actually taste the onion a little bit more

> If you or someone in your family is not big on garlic, you can skip the garlic in the paste. What I typically do in that situation is roast the garlic separately and serve it on the side. That way the garlic lovers don't miss out on it!

> Sometimes I also use thin long strips of red bell pepper (half) and throw it in while cooking with onions and tomatoes. It adds a little bit of sweetness to balance the tangy tamarind

> If you don't have tamarind on hand, you can use juice of a lime instead

Enjoy!!

Mixed Vegetables with Kidney Beans

I attempted this recipe over the last weekend and it turned out great. I particularly enjoyed this with Chapathis. I am sure it would taste equally great with Naan or Whole wheat bread or even rice.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:  Kidney Beans (1 can), Onion (medium -1), Grape tomatoes(10-12), Cauliflower florets (1.5 cups), Serrano pepper(1), Green peas(1/2 cup), Mint leaves(4-5), salt to taste, Curry powder( 2 tsp), turmeric(couple of pinches)

Ingredients for tempering: Canola oil or EVOO (2 tsp), mustard seeds(2 tsp), Cumin seeds(2 tsp), dried red chillies(2)

Cook away...

> Drain the liquid in the kidney beans can and give then a good rinse and drain

> Dice the onions, serrano pepper and roughly chop the mint leaves

> Heat a pan on medium high and add the oil and all the ingredients for tempering

> Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the onions and saute until golden brown

> Add serrano pepper, grape tomatoes and cauliflower, turmeric and combine them well

> Reduce the heat to medium and add the mint leaves and green peas and cover with a lid and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes

> Now add the salt and curry powder (recipe coming up soon!!) and cook for an additional couple of minutes

> Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl

> Serve hot with rice or bread or chapathis

My Thoughts..

> You can also use roma or large tomatoes  but I think the grape tomatoes add that sweet and tangy taste that comes out really well with the rest of the vegetables in this dish

> You could also add some green beans and carrots (diced) to this dish

> Curry powder is so easy to make, I will post my mom's recipe soon. If you have easy access to an Indian grocery store or your local market that sells Indian spices, you can buy the "MTR curry powder". I sometimes substitute that when I don't have the homemade one on hand and it is quite tasty as well.

Enjoy!

Festival Feast - Steamed Rice cakes (Undrallu) with Ginger and Cilantro Chutney, Coconut Jaggery Sweet dish

Today's post is special..these are dishes that I usually make once a year .Today's celebration is Vinayaka Chavithi, the birthday of Lord Ganesha and the steamed rice balls and the sweet dish are considered the favourite food of Lord Ganesha. And the Ginger chutney is so yummy, I make it pretty often to eat with White or Brown rice. The pairing of ginger chutney with the Undrallu or the steamed rice balls is really good because the Undrallu by themselves are kind of bland, but when paired with the chutney, you can easily lose track of how many you eat!

Recipe 1: Undrallu (Steamed Rice balls)

Prep time: About 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients: 1.5 cups of white rice (basmati, long grain or sona masoori), 3 tbsp Chana dhal (Split pea Lentils), Cumin seeds (3 tsp), Salt to taste, Ghee (Clarified butter - 2 tsp)

Cook away...

> Wash the rice and let it dry completely and grind to a coarse powder

> Wash and drain the Chana dhal

> Heat a thick-bottomed pan on medium high, add the ghee and add cumin seeds

> Once they splutter, add about 4 cups of water and the Chana dhal and salt and bring to boil

> Now reduce the heat to medium and add the coarsely ground rice powder while stirring continuously

> Stir for about 5 minutes on medium heat until the rice powder is completely cooked and it becomes a lump-free paste

> Let it cool for a few minutes and make the paste into balls (I would say the size of a really small lime, maybe smaller)

> Steam cook these balls for about 10 minutes (I usually do this in a pressure cooker)

> Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with Ginger chutney (recipe follows)

Recipe 2: Ginger and Cilantro Chutney

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients: Ginger ( 2 inch piece), Cilantro(1/2 cup), serrano pepper(1/4), canola oil (3 tsp), mustard seeds (2 tsp), coriander seeds(1 Tbsp + 1 tsp), black gram dhal (2 tsp), chana dhal (2 tsp), dried red chilli (2), jaggery (2 tsp, finely chopped), Tamarind juice (1/4 cup), salt to taste

Ingredients for tempering: Canola oil (1 tsp), mustard seeds (2 tsp), black gram dhal (2 tsp), curry leaves (3 to 4)

Fry spices to make Chutney

Spices, Tamarind, Ginger and Cilantro

Finished Product!

Cook away...

> Chop the ginger into small pieces, wash and drain cilantro

> Soak couple of tablespoons of tamarind pulp in about 1/4 cup of water and set aside

> Heat a pan on medium high and add oil, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, black gram dhal, chana dhal and dried red chilli and heat until mustard seeds splutter and turn off the heat

> Let this cool a little and add this to the blender and grind to a fine powder

> To the blender add chopped ginger, serrano pepper, cilantro, jaggery, salt, tamarind extract and blend everything to a fine paste. Transfer to serving bowl

> Take the same pan and add all the ingredients for tempering (except curry leaf) and once mustard seeds, splutter, add the curry leaf and turn off the heat

> Add the tempering to the Chutney and mix with chutney before serving

> Serve with Undrallu (or even white rice or chapathis)

Recipe 3: Sweet dish with Coconut and Jaggery

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: Fresh shredded coconut (1 cup), Jaggery ( 1 cup, shredded/finely chopped), Milk(1/4 cup), cardamom powder (1/2 tsp), Ghee(2 Tbsp)

Cook Away..
> Heat a thick-bottomed saucepan on medium heat
> Add the coconut and jaggery and stir contiuously until jaggery and coconut combine well (around 15 minutes)
> Add the cardamom powder and ghee and stir some more until the mixture starts to harden a little bit and turn off the heat
> Allow the mixture to cool down
> You can serve the sweet dish at this time (by making round balls from the mixture) or you could take the rice powder paste from the Recipe 1 above (before steaming it) and stuff with the coconut and jaggery mixture and then steam it
> I prefer the latter because the salty/savoury flavor of the rice balls nicely balance the sweetness of the coconut and jaggery mixture

Coming up soon...Tamarind rice..yum! Enjoy your weekend..

Tempering - Basics

Almost every Indian recipe that I've posted, I start the cooking process with tempering. I've been asked by a couple of people what the purpose of tempering is.

Not until I actually started cooking did I stop for a second and think about why we actually add tempering to all (or almost all) Indian dishes. As a kid growing up, all I knew while I watched my mom cook was that it was an integral part of the daily cooking. You had to add "tadka" or "bhagaar" or "popu" (which is what we refer to as tempering in English) to "make it taste better". One of my food-related memories as a kid was tasting a yummy tamarind rice dish that my mom made and biting into the dried red chilli that she added with the tempering and frantically drink tons of water and eat some sugar, all to calm down the fire in my mouth! It was then I realized that, dried red chillies are to be added to enhance the flavor of the dish and add that little heat to the dish and are not meant to be actually eaten.

So what is the purpose of tempering? Quite obvious, actually - Frying all the potent spices in hot oil releases the flavours of the spices and the aroma, and cooking the dish in this flavorful oil adds the subtle taste of the spices to the dish, without overpowering the actual dish itself. There are two ways to temper your dish. Start the cooking process by adding spices to the hot oil and then cooking the dish in this or cook the dish and add the spices to oil separately and add to the cooked dish. I've seen that in some dishes adding it later enhances the dish a little bit more. Ingredients used in tempering vary with different cooking styles (north Indian vs south Indian). You must have noticed that I invariably use mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram dhal, (lentils) dried red chillis, turmeric and asafoetida (sometimes). A lot of these spices are known for improving digestive health and healing powers. Turmeric, for example, has anti-oxidants for  building immunity and also heals wounds etc. Cumin is known to improve digestion.

clockwise: dried red chilli, black gram dhal, split pea dhal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds

Another way to introduce spices to your dish is to roast them (dry or in oil) and blend them to a powder and add while you cook. Or blend to a paste and add to your dish. These are commonly referred to as Masalas (The very popular, Garam Masala for example). More about masalas in a future post.

There are so may many more spices that make Indian cooking so delicious and bursting with flavor, but these basic ones I mentioned are a good place to start. I'll introduce a few more spices in my future posts (cardamom and cloves, anybody??) :)

What was for dinner tonight?

Simple, healthy and hearty Indian fare for dinner tonight in our house. All easy-to-make dishes. Appetizer was Tortilla chips with Garlic, cilantro and mint hummus (see my previous post for recipe). (Going anti-clockwise in the picture below)Baked Yam with olive oil, Dhal with green and red tomatoes (Cooked lentils), Green bell pepper with curry powder( curry powder recipe in a future post) and Sambhar (lentil soup with tons of veggies) all served with brown rice. Yum-my! And tons of left overs too, so we are covered for lunch tomorrow.

Tomato Rice

Another one of my favourite rice dishes. You will love this if you love your tomatoes and it's easy to make too.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: Basmati Rice (1.5 cups, uncooked), Tomatoes (medium, 5-6), Onion (large - 1), Serrano peppers (2), Cilantro (for garnish), turmeric ( a couple of pinches), salt (to taste), Coriander powder (2 tsp), cashews (20 halves)

Ingredients for tempering: Extra virgin olive oil or canola oil (3 tsp), dried red chilli (2-3), mustard seeds (3tsp), cumin seeds (2 tsp), chana dhal (yellow lentils) 2 tsp, black gram dhal (2 tsp), cinnamon stick (1/2), cloves (whole - 2 -3)

Cook away...

> Cook the Basmati rice per instructions on the package

> Heat a pan on medium high heat on a saucepan and add oil

> Add all the ingredients for tempering and cook until the mustard seeds start to splutter

> Slice the onions into long thin slices, dice the tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, slice the serrano peppers

> Add onions and peppers and saute until the onions start to turn golden brown

> Add turmeric and add the tomatoes and cover with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked

> Add salt and coriander powder and saute for a minute

> Add the cooked rice to the tomato and onion mixture and combine thoroughly  and transfer to the serving bowl

> Roast the cashews in a little bit or oil or butter and garish

> Chop cilantro and garnish

> Serve hot with some yogurt chutney on the side (maybe some potato chips too!)

My Thoughts...

> Cut back on the serrano peppers and/or the dried red chilli to reduce spice level

> If you want to add some protein to this dish, cook some soy granules along with the onion and tomatoes and combine with the rice

> I sometimes do 50:50 of white basmati rice and brown basmati rice for this dish

Semolina Upma (Roasted Semolina cooked with vegetables)

This is a quick and easy snack item, ready in less than 10 minutes once you have all the ingredients ready and the vegetables sliced and diced. My toddler also enjoys this for her dinner and if a picky eater like her can eat some of this, I guarantee you, the rest of us will eat it up in no time!

Prep time: 15 min

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients: Vermicelli (or even rice noodles will do)- 1 cup, Broccoli (10 florets), carrot (1 long stick), green peas (fresh or frozen) - 1/4 cup, tomato (1- medium), serrano peppers (1), ginger (1/2 inch), lime juice (2 -3 tsp), 2 and 1/4 cups of water,salt to taste

Ingredients for tempering: 2 tsp canola oil or olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp black gram dhal

Cook away...

> Dice the carrots and tomato, serrano pepper

> Heat a pan on medium and dry roast the semolina for a couple of minutes until golden brown and set aside

> Heat the same pan on medium high and add the oil and ingredients for tempering

> Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add all the chopped vegetables and grate the ginger on the top

> Saute for about 3-4 minutes

> Now add the water and salt to taste

> Once water boils, add the roasted semolina and lower the heat and continuously stir

> Stir until all the water is gone and turn off the heat

> You can garnish with cilantro and/or some cashew halves roasted in oil/butter

> Serve hot!

My Thoughts..

> I usually skip the serrano pepper if I am making this for my toddler (and the cashews too) and I substitue the oil with a little bit of butter for the tempering

> You can add more vegetables to this, if you like (potato, zucchini, onions, green beans, cauliflower...the possibilities are endless :))

> I usually serve this with some ginger chutey or tomato chutney on the side (yum!) or even tomato ketchup

For the next post, I want to do a little write up about the concept of tempering (that I use in almost every recipe) and a little info on the ingredients involved, hopefully with some pictures.

Enjoy!!

Yummy Tomato Chutney

(Picture coming up soon..)

I got this yummy tomato chutney recipe from my mom. I used to love it as a kid and anytime my mom made it, I would pretty much finish up half of it if not more. It goes very well with rice as well as bread (chapati) or any south indian snacks like idly (steamed rice cakes) or Dosa (Pancakes made with lentil batter).I've tried hard over the years to make it exactly like my mom makes and I am pretty good at it now..but never as good as mom :)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 1-2 tsp canola or vegetable oil , 4-5 Medium sized tomatoes (Roma),about 2 Serrano peppers (you can do one if you don't want it too spicy),1 teaspoon roasted fenugreek powder **,Good amounts of cilantro (half a bunch or so),1 teaspoon sugar, couple of pinches of turmeric, salt to taste

**(I buy Fenugreek seeds from the Indian store, dry roast a handful of them till they start changing color and then grind them up in a spice grinder. This powder keeps for months together so I usually make it once and use it for the next 2-3 months.)

Ingredients for tempering: 2 tsp canola oil or vegetable oil,2 tsp mustard seeds,2 tsp black gram Dal ,couple of dried red chillies broken in half , pinch of asafoetida

Cook away...

>Dice tomatoes into medium (bite sized) chunks.

>Slice Serrano peppers into halves. Roughly chop the cilantro (I include the stems too, because they enhance the taste, I think)

>Heat oil in a pan and add tomatoes and Serrano peppers. Let them cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

>Add the roasted fenugreek powder, turmeric,sugar and salt to taste ( I add about a teaspoon and a half). >Add the cilantro as well and let these cook for another minute or two. Stir them all together.

>Take the mixture aside and let it cool. Once cool, throw it into a blender and blend till it's a semi-soft paste (some people prefer it to be a completely smooth chutney, I like a few chunks of tomato here and there in mine).

>Heat oil in a pan and add the tempering ingredients. once the mustard seeds start to splutter, turn off the heat and add this tempering to the prepared chutney.

>Yummy tomato chutney is ready to eat! So simple, so much flavor.

My Thoughts...

>If you made the chutney with one Serrano pepper and it still feels spicy, you could add a tablespoon of non-fat yogurt to it. Makes it mild and still tastes yummy

> If you want to make the chutney last a bit longer (south indian pickle-style), cook the tomatoes in extra canola oil (maybe about half a cup) and add some tamarind to it while it cooks and then blend it all together when it cools. This lasts about a couple of months for sure, if stored in the refridgerator

Enjoy this versatile chutney with just about anything!

Cauliflower with Garbanzo Beans

I saw Tyler Florence's show a few years ago on Food Network and he made this Indian dish( I remember being excited at the prospect of a Food Network Chef attempting to make Indian food!) with Cauliflower and Garbanzo beans. I don't remember what exactly he did at that point or what specific ingredients he used, but I've cooked up my own recipe using those two main ingredients and a bunch of Indian spices. I like my cauliflower and am always looking out for ways to make it interesting, colorful and flavorful. So here's one way to do it! :)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: Cauliflower(1 head), Garbanzo beans(1 can), Onions(2 medium), Tomatoes(2 medium), Ginger(1/2 inch ginger root), serrano peppers(2), Salt to taste, Turmeric(a couple of small pinches), Red chilli powder(2 tsp), Cumin powder (1 tsp), Coriander powder(1 tsp), Cilantro(as much as you want - for garnish)

Ingredients for tempering: Olive oil (2 tsp), mustard seeds(2 tsp), Cumin seeds(2 tsp), dried red chilli(1 whole) - Optional

Cook away...

> Separate the cauliflower florets and wash and drain. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans

> Dice the onions, tomatoes and serrano peppers

> Heat a pan on medium high and add the Olive oil and ingredients for tempering

> Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the onions and serrano peppers and cook while sauteing,until the onions start to turn golden brown

> Add tomatoes and turmeric and stir some more

> Grate the ginger (using a microplane) on top of the mixture and stir everything and cook for 3-4 minutes

> Now add the cauliflower and cook for a couple of minutes

> Add the garbanzo beans and salt to taste and cover with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes till cauliflower is cooked to your liking

> Turn the heat to low, add red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and stir to combine the spices well with the cauliflower and garbanzo

> Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro

> Serve hot with rice or naan or chapathis!

My Thoughts..

> If you don't have the Cumin powder or the Coriander powder on hand, don't worry! The dish will taste wonderful even without those two

> Skip the serrano peppers (or alternately the red chilli powder) to reduce the spice level

If you make the cauliflower this interesting, who wouldn't want to eat it!

Green Bell Pepper with Onions and Chickpea Flour

Green Bell Pepper is one of my most favourite vegetables if not THE most favourite one! Why? There's so much you can do with it, it's easy to chop/slice, cooks fast and has such great flavor, not to mention it's packed with vitamins and antioxidants. What's not to like about it?

This recipe comes from my mom. She makes it pretty often and so do I. It involves few ingredients and it's very easy to make. So here goes...

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: Green Bell Pepper(4 - large ones), Onions(2 - medium), Chickpea flour(Besan - 3/4 cup), salt to taste,turmeric (a pinch or two), Red chilli powder (1 tsp)

Ingredients for tempering: Olive Oil (2 tsp), mustard seeds (1 tsp), cumin seeds(1 tsp), black gram dhal(2 tsp), dried red chilli (2 - whole)

Cook away...

> Heat a non-stick pan on medium high and add the chickpea flour

> Dry roast it for a couple of minutes, constantly stirring it, until it just starts to get golden brown. Turn off heat and transfer to a separate bowl

>Dice the Onions into long thin slices and the bell pepper into half inch slices

>Put the pan back on medium heat and add the Olive oil and the rest of the ingredients for tempering

>Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the onions and the turmeric and let it cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring, until the onions are cooked

> Now add the bell pepper slices and the salt and cook on medium heat covered with a lid for 5-7 minutes until the bell pepper is almost cooked

>Add the chilli powder and cook for an additional minute or so

> Now add the dry roasted chickpea flour and stir so it combines well with the onions and the bell pepper

> Cook the entire mixture for another couple of minutes

>Turn off the heat and transfer into a serving bowl

>Tastes great with Rice or Chapathis or just by itself!

My Thoughts..

>You could skip the dry roasting of the chickpea flour and just go ahead and add it to the bell pepper and onion mixture but I've found that dry roasting it enhances it's flavor that much more and just makes the dish extra yummy

>In the past, I've also added a little bit of tamarind juice (extract) while cooking the onions and bell peppers. It adds that little tangy taste to the dish

>You can skip the onions if you don't have them on hand, it will still taste good!

Until next time, add some bell pepper to your day :)

Lentils with Spinach and Edamame

(We cleaned up the serving dish even before I could take a picture...:))
This is a high protein, high fiber,overall a really healthy dish. A good one for vegetarians(like me!) especially, since we try so hard to make sure we get enough protein into our daily meals. Plus it's so flavorful you'll want to eat more than one serving of this and you could too, with no guilt whatsoever :)

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: Lentils(raw - 1 cup), Spinach( 1 bunch or about 3 cups - washed and drained), Edamame (fresh or frozen- 1 cup), serrano pepper(1 - sliced), Salt to taste, Red chilli powder(2 tsp), Turmeric (a couple of pinches)

Ingredients for Tempering: Olive oil(2 tsp), Mustard seeds (1tsp), Cumin seeds(2 tsp), Black gram dhal(2 tsp),dried red chillies(2- whole), asafoetida(a small pinch)

Cook away..

>Cook the lentils on stove top with about 3/4 the usual quantity of water (typically it's 2 parts of water, but for this dish you want the lentils not cooked to a paste. You still want them cooked but you want to see each grain separate. I usually start by adding 1 cup of water to 1 cup of raw lentils and add any extra water as needed while it's cooking)

> Add a little bit of salt (half a tsp or so) while cooking the lentils

>Roughly chop the spinach

>If you are using frozen edamame, thaw them in the microwave for a couple of minutes

>Heat a pan on medium high and add the olive oil and the ingredients for tempering

>Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the serrano peppers, spinach and the edamame and stir

>Add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder and cook until the spinach wilts down

>Once the lentils are cooked (like in step 1), add the spinach and edamame mixture to it and let them all cook for a minute or two on low heat

> Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with rice or chapathis!

My Thoughts..

>I've made this in the past with spinach and some frozen shredded coconut. Tastes awesome..

>You can substitute the spinach with pretty much any green leafy vegetable (Kale, Methi leaves)

>Great way to get those leafy greens into your diet!

Try this...am sure you'll make it again and again...

Bell Pepper Masala

This is my most favourite Green Bell Pepper recipe ever! It's heavily inspired by my mom's recipe, just a few minor changes. It is packed with so much flavor, don't be surprised if you want to eat it all! This involves making a quick blended masala (mixture of several spices) which you'd add to the bell pepper and cook them together.


Prep time: 30 minutes


Serves : 4-6


Ingredients for Masala: Coriander seeds (1 Tbsp), Cumin seeds (2 tsp), Dried Red chillies whole (3), Sesame seeds (2 tsp), Mustard seeds ( 1 Tbsp), Black gram dhal (1 Tbsp), Peanuts (1 Tbsp), sugar (2 tsp), Tamarind extract(half a cup), Olive oil (3 tsp)


Ingredients: Green Bell Pepper (Medium - 5), Olive oil (2 tsp), salt to taste, turmeric ( a small pinch), mustard seeds (2 tsp), Dried red chilli halves (4), cumin seeds ( 2 tsp)


Cook away..
>To make the Masala paste, heat a pan on medium high and add the oil.
> Add all the ingredients for the Masala (except the tamarind extract) and roast on medium heat until the coriander seeds turn golden brown
> Let the mixture cool a little then add to the blender and add the tamarind extract
> Blend to a fine paste, add a little water and some salt (half a tsp or so)
> The masala paste looks like the second picture above
> Now put the pan on medium high heat again and add Olive oil
> Slice the Bell peppers into half-inch pieces
> Add the mustard seeds, red chilli halves and cumin seeds to the hot oil
> Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the sliced bell peppers and cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring
> Add the salt and turmeric and cook for another couple of minutes
> Now add the masala paste to the bell peppers and cook the whole thing for a few more minutes, until the masala combines well with the bell peppers and the bell peppers are cooked
> Transfer the bell pepper mixture into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro
> Serve with hot rice or chapathis!

My thoughts...
> You can skip adding the sugar to the masala paste, I add a little bit so it gives that little sweetness to balance the slight tanginess of the tamarind
> You can also add some cilantro to the masala before blending it
> You can cook indian eggplants with the same masala paste, yummy!

Quick-n-easy Zucchini

I've found that Zucchini is one versatile vegetable. Although not commonly used in Indian cooking, I've seen it works nicely whether you make a curry with it or throw it in along with all the other vegetables when you make sambhar (i.e. lentil soup). Another dish that I love to add Zucchini to is Pasta (see recipe for Spaghetti with Chilli Garlic Vegetables, adding zucchini to it makes it even better!). This recipe is a perfect side dish whether you serve it with rice (white or brown) or Chapatis (bread)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients: Zucchini (3), Onions (medium - 2), serrano peppers(1), Cilantro, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric (a pinch), Olive oil (2 tsp)
Ingredients for tempering: Mustard seeds (2 tsp), Black gram dhal (2 tsp), Cumin seeds (1 tsp)

Cook away....
> Heat a pan on medium high and add olive oil
> Add all the ingredients for tempering
> Dice the onions and serrano pepper
> Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the onions and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the serrano pepper, turmeric and saute for another 3-4 minutes
> Dice the Zucchini and add to the onions
> Add salt (to taste, about 1.5 tsp) and red chilli powder and cover with a lid and cook for another 5-7 minutes till the zucchini cooks
> Add the cilantro for garnish and serve while hot!

 My thoughts...
> None, really. Enjoy the yummy Zucchini :)

Mint Pulao with Cucumber Raitha (Mint flavored rice with Yogurt chutney)

This one is a Mint lover's delight. Packed with so much flavor and such a feast for all senses.

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 1 cup white basmati rice, 1 cup brown basmati rice, 1 cup fresh mint leaves, 1 cup cilantro, Juice of half a lime, serrano pepper (1), whole cloves(4-5), cinnamon stick (half), cardamom powder (1/2 tsp), cumin (1 tsp), Onion (1 large), Olive oil (3 tsp), butter(2 tsp), Salt, cashew halves (10-12)

Ingredients for Raitha: 1 cup Yogurt, 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk, seedless cucumber(1), shredded carrot(1 cup), cilantro (1/2 cup), salt

Cook away...

> Wash the rice and set aside

> Blend the Mint leaves with the cilantro, serrano pepper and lime juice to a paste

> Heat a pan on medium high and add olive oil and 1 tsp of butter

> Add the Cumin seeds, cloves and cinnamon stick to the pan and saute

> Add the Onion slices and the cardamom powder and saute for a couple of minutes

> Add the Mint paste to the onions and cook for 5 minutes

> Now add some salt and the washed rice and saute so the paste and spices combine with rice.

(The aroma emanating in your kitchen at this point is out of this world!)

> Add the entire mixture to a rice cooker and add 4 cups of water and cook until the rice is done

> In a pan, add the remaining 1 tsp butter and add the cashews and fry till they turn golden brown

> Once the rice is cooked, garnish with the cashews and serve with cucumber raitha on the side

Raitha Preparation:

> Dice the cucumber into small pieces

> Combine the cucumber, carrots, cilantro, yogurt and buttermilk in a bowl and mix thoroughly

> Add salt to taste

My Thoughts...

> You can make this dish entirely with white rice. I combine the white and brown so we don't lose on the good the brown rice has to offer :)

> You can skip the serrano pepper in the mint paste if you want this dish mild. Adding the serrano pepper only makes it medium spicy

> You can skip the cinnamon stick or the cloves if you don't have them on hand. It will still taste delicious

Until next post... Happy Eating!

Spicy Aloo with mint (Potato curry packed with heat!)

This is a quick-n-easy Potato recipe that's bursting with flavor. If you like your potatoes, you will definitely like this one. And it's flexible enough so you can make it less spicy and it will still taste great.

Prep Time: 30 minutes (most of it for peeling and dicing potatoes!)
Serves: 4
Ingredients: Medium sized Idaho potatoes(6), Roma tomatoes(2), medium Onion (1), serrano peppers(2), fresh mint leaves (a couple of sprigs), Cilantro (half a cup), Salt, Red chilli powder (2 tsp), turmeric (a couple of pinches), Olive oil for cooking, cashew halves (about 10)
Ingredients for Tempering: Mustard seeds (1 tsp), Cumin seeds (1 tsp), Black gram dhal(i.e. lentils - 2 tsp), dried red chilli ( 1 whole, halved)
(Here's a little info on "tempering" for my non-indian friends. It's essentially adding either ground or whole spices to oil to bring out the flavours of the spices and enhance the dish. it is an integral part of Indian cooking, added at the beginning of cooking a dish or towards the end. Depending on which region of India the dish you are cooking belongs to, the ingredients of tempering vary. No matter what your ingredients are, notice how the kitchen fills with the aroma of the spices once you add them to the oil!)
Cook away...
> Peel and dice the potatoes into half-inch pieces. Put in a microwave-safe dish and add some water and cook in the microwave for 6-7 minutes
> Dice the tomatoes and slice the onions and serrano peppers and chop mint leaves and cilantro
> Heat a saucepan on medium high and add about 2 tsp of Extra virgin Olive Oil
> Add all the ingredients for tempering and wait until the mustard seeds splutter.
> Now add the onion and cook until golden brown. Add the serrano peppers and tomatoes and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
> Add the turmeric and mint leaves and saute
> Add the cooked potatoes and salt and red chilli powder and cover with a lid and let it cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes
> Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped cilantro and cashews (roasted lightly in a tsp of oil or butter)
> Serve with Naan, Chapathi, White rice or Brown rice
> Dig in!

My thoughts..
> To cut down the heat, limit to one serrano pepper or don't add the red chilli powder or both
> Still spicy? Eat it with half a cup of chilled plain yogurt on the side
> You could serve this with a little salad on the side: Some sliced onions, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, chopped cilantro squeezed with some lime juice and some salt

Do try this and let me know how you like it!