Cabbage Mishmash

Today was one of the rare days when my refrigerator vege section was nearly empty .. I mean I almost always suffer from the other extreme of having too many vegetables but not today. All I had was half a bell pepper, half an onion, one measly carrot, almost a third of a head of cabbage and that was by far the biggest portion, a couple of tomatoes, one small potato. So I decided to make something with this mishmash and since cabbage was the highest in quantity I have decided to call it a Cabbage Mishmash. This time I would say that the "whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts". The flavor of this vegetable mishmash was so yummy that I decided to post the recipe so I can make it again.

Ingredients
1/3 Cabbage sliced thinly
1/2 Capsicum cubed
1/2 Onion cubed
1 Small Potato cubed fine
1 Carrot diced
2 Tomatoes diced
Handful of Frozen Peas
1 Pod Garlic
1 Small piece ginger
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt
1 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
Small piece Jaggery (optional)

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger and garlic sauté for a minute, then add onions sauté for a couple of minutes then add carrots, potato keep stirring. Add cabbage, mix well and continue sauteing. Then add capsicum and  peas continue to sauté.
2. Add salt, and all dry spices. Mix well.
3. Add tomatoes and continue till cooked. Add jaggery mix well cook till jaggery is dissolved switch off the gas. Adjust salt and seasoning as needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro, serve with phulkas.

Notes: This mishmash reminded me of the vegetable filling in the vegetable puffs available in farsan shops and local railway platform shops in Mumbai.
2. This will make a beautiful filling for vegetable wraps or grilled sandwiches, inside pita bread or frozen puff pastry dough ...one mishmash endless possibilities .. Enjoy !!!

A hot and spicy bowl of Vegetable Jalfrezi

I have been MIA from my blog. Last year was a momentous one for me I became a mother and well another great thing that happened was I got to spent a good five months with my own ma learning the tricks of being one from the best one. This was the longest time I have spent with my mother after I moved to Bombay for my studies and it has been the most wonderful time of my life. I have written earlier also that my mummy is a terrific cook, I got to savor my favourite foods when she was here and found out that over the years she too has been experimenting a lot with food. I am sharing one of her recent recipes which she has reverse engineered from her favourite take-out place menu - Vegetable Jalfrezi. I have no idea why it is called "Jalfrezi" but I love the flavor of this vegetable and the fact that it is simple and quick can be paired with Roti, Bread or Rice or eaten plain straight from the bowl. Another good thing about this one is that you can add / subtract and or substitute vegetables of your choice. I am giving you the version I enjoy.

P.S: I forgot to thank my good friend Subha for patiently clicking the pics ...

Ingredients:

14 Oz Paneer

2 Medium Onions
1 Green Bell Pepper

10-15 Green Beans (less or more is upto you)

1 or 2 Carrots 

1 Tbsp Ginger / Garlic Paste (More ginger less garlic, can also add green chillies if you like it hot)
2 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1-2 Tbsp White Vinegar
2 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Pdr
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder (More if you like it spicy)
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp Oil

1. Chop the onions in big cubes, similarly cut bell peppers in big chunks, peel and chop carrots into rounds or if they are really big in half moon shape. String the beans and cut them in 2 inch pieces.
2. Cut Paneer into cubes. I like big chunks for this recipe. Also, here in the US I use Nanak brand Paneer and I like to wash the Paneer cubes with cold water and microwave them for 2 minutes before adding them to the wok as I think it yields softer paneer.
3. In a wok heat the oil, add onions and sauté for a couple of mins till slightly translucent but not mushy. They should still have a crunch in them.
4. Add ginger and garlic paste saute, add carrots, beans, paneer and mix. Add salt and seasoning sauté till vegetables and paneer are coated with spices. Add bell pepper and mix. Now add the ketchup and vinegar, mix it all together. Let cook for a couple of minutes. All the veges should still have a bite more like chinese stir-fry veges take care not to overcook else you will end up with a regular mixed vegetable.
5. Adjust salt, spices and sweet and tart balance by adding more ketchup and / or vinegar as needed. You can also add a couple of spoons of water if you want it a little bit on the wet side.
6. Put it in a bowl and enjoy. Even my non-Paneer loving husband enjoys this one ...

NOTE: I will be honest, I usually eyeball and add my ingredients so most of my recipes are approximations rather than exact quantities. You can adjust the quantities to suit your taste buds.

Spring Greens Salad with Sweet & Tangy Dressing

It's summer time and one of the most satisfying meals for me is a huge bowl of salad with loads of fresh vegetables and of course cheese ;). I just love the Organic Spring Greens Mix from Sams Club which contains a mix of red and green romaine, red and green oak leaf, lollo rosa and tango lettuces get a little kick from mizuna, arugula and radicchio. It comes in a one pound box and stays nice for a week. 

Ingredients

Spring Greens Mix

1 Small red onion, chopped fine

Handful of grape tomatoes - chopped in quarters

Handful of red grapes ( I love the contrast in flavor this brings)

Feta Cheese Crumbled ( Any other shredded / crumbled cheese of your choice)

Croutons ( love the ones with Sea Salt and Pepper)

Jalapenos (Optional - Hubby's topping)

Cucumbers (Optional - My topping)

For the Salad Dressing

1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 of 1/4 cup Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar 

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1/2 Lime Juiced

1 Tbsp Honey

Salt & Pepper

Crushed Red Chilli flakes (as per taste)

Italian Herb Seasoning (as per taste)

1 Garlic Clove minced

1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (Strictly optional)

Method

1. In a salad mixing bowl combine all ingredients for the salad and toss lightly to mix.

2. In a glass bottle or mason jar, measure out all ingredients for the salad dressing, close the lid and give it a vigorous shake, till the dressing appears to be homogeneous.

3. Add the dressing to your salad mix well and adjust seasoning to taste. Add more cheese if you like or are like me ;)

4. Enjoy with a chilled glass of wine.

Hubby's Aloo Matar / Potatoes and Peas

My dear hubby is a good cook. He is not a fancy schmancy chef but he certainly has a few signature dishes which in his words "..are a repeatable process". You can see he has been in the IT industry for far too long ..sigh!! On days when I feel rather bored to cook something or when I am not in a mood for eating my own food(oh how I wish mom would be here on such days) my sweet hubby offers to make something for us. This time he made his signature aloo matar which is very very different from what I make but it is mighty simple and finger licking good.

Ingredients
4 Small - Medium Boiled Potatoes
3/4 C Peas / Matar
1 Tbsp Hunts Tomato Paste
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Corriander Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder / Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
Method
1. Peel the potatoes and cut them lengthwise.
2. In a saute pan, heat oil, add cumin and let the seeds sizzle and give out a good aroma. Add the potatoes and stir till well coated with the oil cumin mixture.
3. Now add peas, salt, turmeric, corriander powder, red chilli powder and mix well. Stir well and cook for a few minutes till the peas are nearly done.
4. Now add a tablespoon of the hunts tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes till tomato paste is well mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5.Serve hot and gloat ;)

Baingan Bharta / Ringan No Oro / Smoked Eggplant with Onions, Tomatoes and Fresh Garlic

Ages ago when we were children growing up in an India when cable television and cartoon network were not so prolific and Doordarshan channel was our only source of entertainment there was a children's program called "Baingan Raja" where the eggplant being the king's favourite veggie was elected as the king of the vegetable kingdom. I have much forgotten the story but what lingers on in my memory is that how as a child I could not relate to Eggplant being the king of any kingdom as it along with bitter gourd was one of the least of my favorites. Now the roles are reversed and if not baingan then karela surely should be treated as a king of vegetables ;). My hubby is already grinding his teeth ...grr...he dislikes both these veggies, but this is my blog and sometimes it is about my favorites. So yes today I am going to share one of my favorite eggplant recipe and one that is common to western as well as northern parts of India and is known by various names - Baingan Bharta, Ringan No Oro which translates in English as Smoked Eggplant with Onions, Tomatoes and Fresh Garlic.

Ingredients
1 Big Eggplant
1 Big Red Onion, finely chopped
1 Bunch Scallions / Spring Onions, white and green parts separated and finely chopped
2 Tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Green Chilli, Ginger and Fresh Green Garlic paste
1/2 Cup Green Peas boiled, if using frozen thawed and microwaved for 3-4 mins
1/8 tsp Hing / Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Amchur Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1-2 tsp Corriander Powder
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder * Adjust to taste
1/4 tsp Turmeric
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Sprig Curry Leaves
Method
1. Wash and wipe the eggplant. Now coat it with some oil, place it in a baking tray and broil till the skin turns black and starts to peel. Time to remove the eggplant from the oven and switch of the oven. I prefer doing this on a gas flame but since I have an electric stove I have to use the oven.
2. Place an inverted baking tray, remove the eggplant with tongs and place it on this. Now place a baking tray on top of the eggplant and press it down with some heavy weight object. This will remove the juices from the eggplant. As per traditional Indian cuisine, the juices of the eggplant are supposed to be heat intensive and by removing the juices and seeds the supposed heat is removed from the eggplant. Peel the eggplant and separate the pulp.
3. In a heavy bottomed pan, add a Tbsp of oil, let it heat then add mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Now add the onions and white part of spring onion saute till they change color to pinkish brown, Now add the pounded green chilli, ginger and garlic paste, saute for a couple of minutes before adding the eggplant pulp. Saute for additional 3-4 minutes till nicely mixed.
4. Add all the spices and then add tomatoes. Allow to cook till tomatoes are cooked through and the whole looks like a homogenous mass.
5. Now add green peas and cook for additional 3-4 minutes. By now the bharta should start leaving the sides of the kadhai. Garnish with the green parts of spring onions. Optionally add a little lemon juice and serve with Bajri No Rotlo or phulkas.

Collard Greens with Mung Beans

My world view of the greens was limited to Spinach, Fenugreek and Mustard leaves (sarson) and may be a couple of others. All of which I happen to love. The greens here in the grocery store always caught my eye and beckoned to me but I was always reluctant or hesitant as to what will I make with them? This time the collard greens looked so fresh that I just couldn't stop myself from reaching out and plonking them in my shopping cart much to the consternation of my hubby whose mute question was "What in the world are you going to do with that?" I ignored it and brought these home. Next began a war for space in my usually packed refrigerator. The bunch of collard greens was occupying a third of my veggie drawer and after a couple of days of jostling for space with other veggies, my husband finally asked me "What are you going to make with that broom?" Broom did I just hear you say broom to such beautiful greens, well it is blasphemy and so went the war of words. Finally I got to thinking of what I would make with these, the internet search was not too helpful as most of these were relegating the greens to a secondary side dish whereas wanted them to be a star. Finally I decided to try and use collard greens instead of spinach in the traditional manner in which our very famous Sindhi Sai Bhaji is made. Well this seemed like a win-win since hubby likes Sai Bhaji ok not just likes "loves". Trust me this turned out to be so beautiful. The only thing I changed from the traditional recipe was instead of chana dal (split chickpeas) I used mung dal since it is quicker cooking. For more on lentils see Food Subs. Do not be daunted by the list of ingredients, this dish has just a unique flavor and surprisingly with not as many spices as one expects from an Indian main course dish.

Ingredients
1 Bunch Collard Greens *It actually had 4 separate bunches so it was really a big one

1/4 Cup Yellow Mung Dal
1 Small Potato peeled and cubed
1 Small Onion peeled and diced small
1/2 Zucchini or any other squash, cubed same size as potatoes
1 Carrot peeled and cubed
4 Medium Tomatoes small diced
1 - 2" piece Ginger Root chopped fine
6-7 Thai Green Chillies * Adjust heat according to your own taste buds
a pinch of Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Turmeric
Salt to taste
2-3 Tbsp Kasuri Methi Dried or a handful if using fresh leaves
1 Tbsp Oil
Method
1. Wash and soak mung dal in water for 15-20 minutes till you finish all the prep work. Wash and chop the collard greens.
2. In a pressure cooker, add a tablespoon of oil let it heat then add the ginger, green chillies and asafoetida. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the onions, potato, squash and carrot. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Now add half of the collard greens, then add the mung dal follow with the rest of the collard greens.
4. Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and kasuri methi do NOT mix.
5. Close the pressure cooker and cook for 2-3 whistles.
6. Switch of the gas and allow to cool completely before opening the pressure cooker. If you are in a hurry you can use the cold water treatment but be very careful.
7. After you open the pressure cooker, take a whisk or a handheld immersion blender and mash the veges. At this point it is very very easy to mash them. Add salt and switch on the heat and reheat till it starts bubbling.
8. Enjoy with soft warm rotis or with Garlic Rice or Plain Rice.

Notes:
1. You can use Chana Dal instead of Mung Dal. It requires a longer soaking time than the mung dal
2. You can also use a small bunch of dill leaves, it takes the taste to the next level
3. Some people also enjoy adding a tempering of almost browned garlic on top of the cooked greens.

Sindhi Methi Machi / Fish in Fenugreek Gravy

Fenugreek leaves as a herb are not very popular in the US, however they are used a lot in Indian cooking. The slightly bitter flavor of the leaves enhances or brings out flavors in many different curries. The leaves in the dried form are often sold as Kasuri Methi at the Indian grocers. Fenugreek or Methi as we call it in Hindi is the predominant flavor used for this fish preparation. This is also one of the very popular fish dishes from Sindh, it is very versatile and can be prepared with any kind of fish.

Ingredients
1 bunch Fresh Fenugreek leaves, chopped fine
1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped fine
2 Med. Onions finely chopped
3 Tomatoes, finely diced
12 pods Garlic pounded to a paste or chopped fine
3 Catfish Fillets / Medium Promfret Sliced
Juice of one lime
1 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 -3 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
Method
1. Clean the fish, add salt, turmeric and lemon juice leave it cover with plastic wrap aside for 10-15 minutes.
2. Shallow fry the fish until done and keep aside.
3. For the gravy, heat a little oil, add cumin seeds and wait for them to splutter, add chopped onions and fry until they begin to brown.
4. Add the washed and chopped greens and cook till methi starts to brown.
5. Add garlic and all spices and cook for a minute or two. Then add all purpose flour, stir and cook for a couple of minutes, then add chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 10-12 minutes till tomatoes are cooked through.
6. Now add the fried fish and mix slowly. Add more water for the gravy as required. Let it simmer for a while and then switch off the heat.
7. Serve with Rotis or Rice :)

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a sinfully delicious street food famous in Bombay. I think I just love the concept so much that I have never met a Pav Bhaji I don't like. I have been making Pav Bhaji at home for all of dogs years ..I think it was one of the first foods that me and my sis took over making in the kitchen from the adults. So here goes my version of the famous Pav Bhaji

Ingredients
2-3 Cups Cabbage
1/2  Cup French Beans
3-4 Potatoes
2 Cups Cauliflower
1 Carrot
2 Capsicum / Green Pepper
3 Onions
4-5 Tomatoes
1 Cup Green Peas
2 inch piece Ginger
12 -14 Pods Garlic
3-4 Green Chillies * Optional
1tsp Cumin Seeds
A pinch of Asfoetida
2-3 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Amchur Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
2-3 Tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala * I use Badshah brand
2-3 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2-3 Tbsp Butter
Method
1. Chop Cabbage, cauliflower, peel and cut potatoes in big chunks, peel and cut carrot, string and cut french beans. Rinse in running cold water.
2. In a pressure cooker, cook cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, potatoes, french beans with water and let it whistle for 3-4 times
3. In the meantime, chop onions, capsicum, tomatoes. Grind together ginger, garlic and green chillies.
4. In a wok, add 1 Tbsp Butter, add cumin seeds after they sputter add onions and saute till translucent. Now add capsicum saute for another few minutes. Now add ginger, green chilli and garlic paste and stir. Add tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes have wilted.
5. Add salt, spices and now add all the pressure cooked vegetables. Mix together and let the whole mixture come to a boil. Add the defrosted green peas.
6. Using a potato masher, mash the vegetables till they are all blended together as one red gravy and only a few green peas are visible.
7. Adjust the spices adding more of anything, add a dollop of butter and garnish with cut onions, lemon wedges and cilantro.
8. Enjoy hot with warm Pav slathered with butter and coated with chaat masala.

Sindhi Seyal Machi / Fish in Garlic and Corriander Sauce

We Sindhis love our "Seyal" masala and what is not to love - fresh corriander leaves, green chillies, garlic, sukha dhaniya, haldi and salt that's pretty much all there is to it. We cook vegetables in this masala or sometimes apply a thicker version on our potatoes and pan roast them or make fish curry. I made pan roasted fish fillets coated with this masala.

 

Ingredients
6-8 Tilapia Fillets or any fish of your choice

First Marinade
1 Lemon juiced
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin Powder

Seyal Masala / Second Marinade
1 bunch Cilantro / Corrianer Leaves
6-8 Green Chillies
8-10 pods Garlic
1 Tbsp Sukha Dhaniya / Dry Corriander Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
Salt  * Adjust to taste as we have added salt to the first marinade also

Oil for pan frying

Method
1. Mix ingredients for first marinade in a small bowl. Lay Tilapia filets in a baking tray or any other wide plate.

2. Pour marinade on both sides of each filet. Cover with cling wrap and set aside for 15-20 minutes.

3. Make a coarse paste of the ingredients for the second marinade adding as little water as possible. Traditionally this was done in a mortar and pestle but we can use our mixer or food processor for this.

4. Apply the paste to the fish filets cover and set aside in the refrigerator  for an hour.

5. Take a non-stick pan add a little oil and set it on medium-high heat, then add filets and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side. To test doneness, insert a spoon if the fish flakes it is done.

6. Enjoy as main course with chapati or as an appetizer with your drinks .

Bisi Bele Huli Anna / Bisi Bele Baath

My tryst with Bisi Bhele Baath began pretty recently - a couple of years back. It was at my husband's mamas place, his mami had made BBB for lunch. Until before that, I had not ever tasted this but having had it once, I wanted to recreate the magic at home. Initially, mami had given me some powder which I used but it hardly lasted for 2-3 times. I decided to take matters in my hand and re-create the powder or as we software engineers like to call it "reverse engineered" from my recollection of mami's BBB. So here goes my version - purists beware that I am not making any claims to authenticity, I am only sharing my version of this amazing one pot wonder.
 

Ingredients

For the powder 
2 Tbsp Chana Dal

1 Tbsp Udad Dal

1 inch piece cinnamon
4 Green Cardamom

1 piece Star Anise

Bay leaves
6-8 Dried Red Chillies
Curry leaves
1 tbsp Jeera
4-6 peppercorns
4 Cloves

1 Tbsp Dried Corriander Seeds

Methi seeds

For the Rice

1 Cup Rice

1 Cup Tur Dal

1 small onion

1 Carrot Diced

1 Green Bell Pepper

Few French Beans

6-8 drumsticks

1 Tomato diced

2 Tbsp Green Peas

1 lemon sized ball Tamarind

1 Tbsp Ghee

Salt to taste

Asfoetida

Corriander leaves for garnish

Cashews for garnish

4.5 cups water

Method

1. Dice and prepare all veges, soak tamarind in water and soak rice and dal mix.

2. Dry Roast all the ingredients for the powder and grind fine.

3. In a pressure cooker, add some ghee and saute all veges, then add rice and dal, add tamarind water, hing, salt and the bisi bele powder. Add water I like my bisi bele baath a little soupy -adjust water to how you like it best. Put the lid on and let it whistle twice.
5. In the meanwhile, heat some ghee and fry cashew bits till nice and brown.

6. Once the pressure cooker is cool enough, transfer to a bowl, garnish with cashews and corriander leaves. Serve piping hot with papad.

Rajma

This post has been sitting in my drafts since June. I had not taken the pictures of Rajma then and did not want to post this recipe without the pics. So without much ado I will head straight to the recipe this time.

Ingredients
1 Cup Rajma /Kidney Beans rinsed and soaked overnight
1&1/2 Large Red Onion * These are easily equivalent to 3-4 Med. Indian Onions
3-4 Tomatoes Pureed
2" piece Ginger
5-6 Garlic Cloves
4-5 Green Chillies
2-3Tej Patta / Bay Leaves
1    Elaichi / Green Cardamom
1    Black Cardamom
1" piece Cinnamon
3-4 Black Peppercorns
1 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder * Optional
1 tsp Roasted Cumin and Pepper powder
1&1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
pinch of Turmeric
1 tsp Kasuri Methi
1 tsp Dried Mint * You can use 8 to 10 finely chopped fresh mint leaves instead
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method
1. Chop the onions very fine or grate them. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a paste.
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add bay leaves, cinnamon, green and black cardamom and peppercorns.
3. Now add onions and keep stirring occasionally till they start to turn brown and the raw onion smell has gone away.
4. Add the ginger, garlic, green chilli paste and cook for a couple of minutes, before adding tomato puree. Let this mixture cook till the tomato is cooked and the raw smell of tomatoes is not there.
5. Add salt, red chilli powder, cumin-pepper powder, corriander powder, turmeric and garam masala. Mix and let cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Now add Rajma and some water if required, close the lid and let it whistle atleast 4-5 times.
7. Open the cooker after the steam has escaped, add crushed kasuri methi and dried pudina. Also, mash some Rajma with the back of the spoon to thicken the gravy.

8. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish as desired and serve with Chawal (Rice) or Roti.

Enjoy !!!

Adrakwale Gobhi Matar / Gingery Cauliflower and Peas

Cauliflower is one of my husband's favourite vegetable. He will be more than happy if I make cauliflower for him daily and that too Tamatewari Gobhi ( Cauliflower in Tomato sauce). However, I am not posting that recipe. I am posting here instead a very simple and quick to put together subzi with very limited ingredients. The pre-dominant flavor in this subzi is that of Ginger.

This is the entry that I will be sending to Radhika's blog Tickling Palates for her event "Let's Cook Subzi's". This is the very first time I am participating in a blog event and I am excited. So read on and you will be tempted to recreate this one in your own kitchens.

Adrakwale Gobhi Matar
Ingredients
1 Medium Cauliflower cut into florets
1 Cup Green Peas * Frozen will do although fresh peas taste divine
2" piece Ginger cut into half and then into lengthwise strips
4-5 Green Chillies - slit in the middle
2 tsp Dhania Powder (Dried Corriander Powder)
1 tsp Jeera - Miri Powder(Roasted Cumin and Black Pepper Powder)
1 tsp Haldi (Turmeric)
1/2 tsp Sabut Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
pinch of hing
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice **Optional
Corriander / Cilantro leaves for the garnish

Implements
Kadhai
Thali (Plate with edges preferably same size as your kadhai)

Method
1. Wash and cut the cauliflower into big florets. I like to separate them by hand. Julienne the ginger, slit green chillies, defrost the green peas.

2. In a kadhai, heat oil add jeera after it sizzles add hing, then add adrak and green chillies. Give it a quick stir and add the cauliflower.
3. Now add salt and haldi and cover the kadhai with the plate filled with water. Leave this for 5-7 mins on medium heat. You will start getting the aroma of cooked cauliflower. Carefully remove the plate and test cauliflower for doneness. At this point, it should have reached the consistency for subzi with just a little bite.
4. Now add green peas, and dhania powder, jeera-miri powder and leave it for 5 minutes till peas get cooked but do not change color.
5. Switch of the heat. Add lemon juice if using. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with corriander leaves.

6. Enjoy with Chapati, Phulka or any bread.

Butter Chicken / Murgh Makhani

One of our friends wanted to have butter chicken. She asked me for the recipe and I invited them over for a butter chicken dinner. So tonight we will be having friends over for some yummy butter chicken. I will make some lachha paratha's and some rice having a toss between peas pulao and jeera rice. Both of them love fish so probably a Sindhi Methi Machi (Fish in Fenugreek Gravy) or Sindhi Seyal Machi (Fish in Corriander and Garlic Sauce) or to satisfy my non-fish eating hubby may make Mushroom, Corn and Capsicum  veggie. Yes I am still working on the menu but I can certainly share the recipe for Butter Chicken.

An interesting titbit about the origins of butter chicken is that butter chicken actually came about as an accidental recipe when the cooks at a famous New Delhi restaurant Moti Mahal wanted to use up the unused portions of the tandoori chicken. They deboned the tandoori pieces and cooked them in the tomato gravy with butter. Thus was born Butter Chicken or Chicken Makhanwala.

Butter Chicken 

Ingredients
500 gms Boneless Chicken
For the Marinade
2 inch piece of Ginger
10-15 cloves Garlic
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Salt or as per taste
1 tsp Oil
1.5 Cup Plain Yogurt / Dahi

For the Gravy
1/4 Cup Broken Cashews
a pinch of Saffron
2 Tbsp Milk
8-10 Tomatoes
1 inch piece Ginger julienned
1 Bay Leaf
2 Green Cardamom / Elaichi
1 tsp Jaifal & Javitri Powder / Mace & Nutmeg Powder
2-3 Tbsp Kasoori Methi / Dried Fenugreek
4 Tbsp Butter divided
1 Tbsp Honey
Fresh Cream for Garnish

Implements / Utensils
Mixing Bowls
Wok
Strainer
Baking Tray *Optional See Step 4 below

Method
1. Clean and cut chicken into small pieces.
2. Make ginger and garlic paste for the marinade.
3. In a bowl mix lime juice, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and oil. To this add the cleaned chicken pieces and set aside for 15-20 minutes
4. Soak the cashews in milk with a pinch of saffron and set aside.

3. In another bowl mix together yogurt, garam masala, ginger / garlic paste, garam masala and corriander powder. Add it to the chicken mixture, coat well and leave for 3-4 hours in the refrigerator. I often leave it overnight covered with cling wrap in the refrigerator.

4. In a skillet, heat some butter and fry the chicken pieces on both the sides until cooked. We could also do this in the oven - Heat the oven to 350 F and coat the baking tray with oil or butter, put the chicken pieces and cook for 15 mins or till chicken is cooked through, turning the sides halfway. I like to broil it on very high temperature just before removing the chicken to give it slightly blackened sides.

5. In a wok add some fresh butter, when slightly heated add bay leaf and cardamom pods, then add chopped tomatoes and cook them on medium till pulpy. To this add some salt and red chilli powder. Add garam masala, jaifal javitri powder. Let the mixture cool, then puree it in the blender and strain using a strainer.

  

6. In the wok, heat the remaining butter and add the pureed cashews cook till fragrant taking care not to burn the cashew mix.

7. Now add the pureed tomatoes to the wok, add the crushed fenugreek leaves, julienned ginger and chicken pieces. Set the heat to low and let the mixture cook on slow for 15 minutes, stirring in between.

8.  Add honey mix well. Turn the heat off.

9. Garnish with fresh cream just before serving.

10. Enjoy with Naan / Parathas or Rice :)

Grilled Chicken Flatbread with Feta, Olives and Roasted Peppers

Something exotic yet simple was what I wanted for dinner today. So while I was rummaging through my thoughts and trying to put a finger to what to put together for dinner to satisfy my craving, I remembered a recipe for Chicken Flatbread which I had put together on a spur of the moment standing in the aisle of a super market to convince K why I must absolutely buy that flatbread ;). It was an ode to the flatbread staring in my face and calling out to me "Pick me". So finally, Mr. K was convinced and we got the flatbread home. Ever since then the flatbread has become a frequent addition to our shopping cart.

Chicken Flatbread
Ingredients
3-4 loaves Southwestern Flatbread
1 Pkt Perdue Shortcuts Carved Chicken Breast (Roasted Garlic with White Wine) or any other flavor
Roasted Red, Yellow and Green Peppers (I used homemade ones)
Olives Green and Black sliced
1 Tomato diced
Salt, Pepper
Shredded Cheese
Feta Cheese
Few sprigs Rosemary (Mine was homegrown)

Utensils and Implements
Sheet Pan
Aluminium Foil

Method
1. Cook the chicken as per packet instructions. I prefer to make it in the skillet instead of the microwave.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare a sheet pan by covering it with foil
3. Lay the flatbread on the sheet pan. Drizzle some oil and vinegar mixture from the roasted peppers. Alternatively you can use olive oil and balsamic vinegar
4. Then add roasted pepper, sliced olives, diced tomatoes, season as per taste.

5. Add a few sprigs of rosemary.
5. Place the pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove add shredded cheese and return to oven for 4-5 minutes till cheese melts.

6. Remove from the oven, add Feta cheese if using.

7 Cut into slices and serve immediately.

Photographs Courtesy - Krishnan

Variations:
1. You can skip the chicken and add some more veges.
2. This can also be made with Naan (especially good for using leftover naan)