Shundal/Chickpea salad

Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer/Spinach Paneer

Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer/Spinach Paneer

This is basically soft paneer or cottage cheese cubes cooked in a smooth spinach curry. It's super easy to make and also very healthy. Sometimes, I also use tofu or mixed veggies and beans instead of the cheese. 

This recipe has been a long time coming; I promised MC and ST this recipe months ago!
Here you go, ladies!

Ingredients

- for the spinach puree:

• 1-2 bunches spinach OR one 32 oz box of baby spinach (I havent tried this recipe with frozen spinach)
• 1 or 2 (or more if you're daring or need more heat in your food) green chilies or any kind of chili peppers, roughly chopped
• 3-4 pods of garlic, roughly chopped (optional)
• 1 inch ginger, roughly chopped
• Water for blanching spinach
• Ice and water for ice bath

- for the base curry; all in order of appearance

• OIl - 1-2 tbs. You can use any oil you like
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1 leaf
• Cloves - 4-5
• Cardamom - 4-5
• Cinnamon - 1 inch stickNote: These are basically most of the ingredients of garam masala, so if you have them, use them WITH the garam masala. If you don't have any of these spices, then use just the garam masala, but add it with the turmeric and chilli powder.
• Onion - 1 large or two medium sized, finely chopped
• Tomato - 1 large or two medium sized, finely chopped
• Garlic - 4-5 pods (I use a whole bulb, so you can add this to your taste), finely choppedNote: You can also roughly cube these if you're going to puree the base curry too
• Garam Masala - 1-2 tsp. Note: If you don't have any raw spices, then double this amount.
• Turmeric powder - Half tsp
• Red chili powder - One tsp (optional; you can add more if you like spicy food)

Other ingredients:

• Tofu/paneer/veggies and beans - 1 lb
  Note: The paneer or tofu cubes can also be lightly fried/pan fried and then added to the curry; you don't need to cook the fried paneer or tofu in the gravy because it will already be cooked. But if you're going for healthy, or if you just like the tofu/cheese slightly squishy and springy, then add it to the curry to cook.  
• Cream/yogurt/sour cream - 1-2 tbsp  (optional) 
• Oil/Ghee (clarified butter)/Unsalted butter - 2 tbs 
• Kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves - 1 tsp (optional) 

Here's how you make it:

Spinach puree:

• Rinse the spinach leaves well. Remove any stringy stems.
• Boil water in deep pot and add some salt to it.
• Once the water had come to a rolling boil, add the spinach leaves. Close the lid and let the leaves sit in the water for 2-5 minutes
• Strain the leaves and immediately put them in an ice bath (10 cubes of ice in a bowl of water). Note: Shocking the spinach stops it from cooking further and also preserves the green colour of the spinach. 
• Strain the water and add the spinach to a blender with chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies.
• Make a smooth puree. Note: Don't add water while making the puree. 

Making the base curry:

• Heat oil/ghee/unsalted butter in a pan.
• Add the cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf till the cumin splutters. 
• Add the finely chopped/cubed onions and garlic, and sauté till the onions caramelize.
• Then add finely chopped/cubed tomatoes and sauté till they soften and you see the cooking fat along the sides of the pan. 
• Now add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, and stir.Note: At this point, you will have to blend the base curry if you haven't finely chopped the onions, garlic, or tomato.
• Fold in the spinach puree and add more water if you want more gravy.
• Simmer for 6-7 minutes or more till the spinach is cooked. Add the cubed paneer/tofu/veggies if they haven't been fried.
• If the paneer/tofu/veggies have been fried, then add them now, after the base curry and spinach puree have simmered together. Reduce the flame to low for 1-2 minutes.
• Lastly, switch off the flame and add cream/yogurt/sour cream, and the kasuri methi/fenugreek leaves. Stir gently so that the cream gets incorporated in the gravy uniformly. 

Serve this hot with some rotis, naan or rice. You can also top the dish with some lemon juice, butter or cream while serving. I like the lemon because it brings out the flavour of the spinach and also cuts the fat a little.

Tomato thokku

This recipe is super easy. I swear. This is something I make when I have almost nothing in the pantry or if I'm making pongal. You can eat this with chapattis, naan (bread), rice, bread, or even tortillas! This was a life saver during the grad school era.


What you need:
Tomatoes - Approximately 10 big ones or 4 cans
Turmeric - 2tbsp
Sugar/Jaggery/Brown sugar -  2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp


OPTIONAL ingredients
Onion - One large, finely diced
Chillies - Depends on your spice needs. I use  4 Thai chillies
Garlic - Optional. As many as you like. I like a lot of garlic in mine.
Ginger - Optional. About 4 tbsp.
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Hing/Asofoetida - 1/4 tsp
Methi seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cilantro/Coriander - 4 tbsp
Tomato paste - 8 oz can

Notes:
1. Use squishy tomatoes for this recipe. It's not a must, but it works better.
2. There is no wrong way you can make this.

What you need to do:
1. Heat the oil in a sauce pot on medium heat
2. Once the oil has heated, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves
3. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the onion, chillies, garlic, ginger, hing, and methi seeds and saute on high heat till the onions turn translucent
4. Add the diced tomatoes, turmeric, chilli powder (if you still need more of a kick or omitted the green chillies), tomato paste, and sugar and bring the heat back to medium
5. When you have half the amount of what you started with, add the cilantro and you're done!

Channa (chick peas/garbanzo beans) masala

So apparently I've slacked off so much, that instead of posting regularly, I have resorted to putting up recipes that have been requested by friends and family. :) This one is for Lee and Jonathan L.You can also use this recipe with any other kind of beans like pinto beans, kidney beans, and even black eyed peas!

I hate doing dishes. A lot. So I have a deal with V to do the dishes while I cook and clean the counter tops. Yeah, we're egalitarian like that. But sometimes, all he wants to do is play his guitar while Rome (or my kitchen) burns. So I try to make sure I have one pot to clean!

This dish is very forgiving and you CANNOT go wrong. You also don't necessarily need 'Indian' spices to attempt making this recipe. You will surely have almost everything on this list in your spice rack. And if you don't, its still okay. One thing I have learned after coming to the US is that when you make do without a lot of the Indian spices (most of which are hard to get or exorbitantly expensive), you learn to taste the ingredients in the dish - which is not necessarily a bad thing! :)

So here is what you need:

1. Garbanzo beans/Chick peas - 2 cans
Note: If the beans are uncooked/not from a can, then soak them overnight or for 8-10 hours.

2. Garam masala/Curry powder - 3 tbsp
Note: If you don't have either, then use: 3-4 cloves/ 1/2 tsp clove powder, 2 bay leaves, 4-5 cardamom seeds/ 1/2 tsp cardamom powder, 2 inches of cinnamon bark/ 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder. You can just use 2 tbsp of garam masala powder or curry powder. But if you're using curry powder, add 1/2 tsps of cinnamon and coriander powders - it gives the curry powder a little kick!

3. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Note: If you don't have this, you can just use fresh ginger (1 inch chopped fine or grated) and 5 pods of garlic (again chopped finely or grated).

4.  Onions - 2 (medium sized; red or yellow. I prefer red.)
Note: Cut the onions finely. If you're going to grind the onions and tomato (next ingredient) into a paste, then you can cut it up into cube-sized chunks.

5. Thai green peppers/serrano peppers - 2 or 3 depending on how much heat you like in your food
Note: You can just use pepper corns instead. It doesn't pack too much heat. If you're not going to grind the onions and tomatoes, use ground pepper instead.

6. Tomatoes - 2 large
Note: Same as with the onions. Cut finely if you're not going to grind it and into large chunks if you're going to use your amazing blender! :)

7. Coriander leaves/cilantro - half a cup (chopped)

Optional ingredients

8. Sour cream - 2 tbsps

9. Lime - Juice of 1 lime

10. Turmeric - 1 tsp

There are two ways you can make this recipe: pressure cook it, or make it in a pot. I like to pressure cook it because I don't have to grind the onions and tomatoes (I avoid cleaning my immersion blender) - they just disintegrate in the pressure cooker!! :) The only way you can mess up this recipe is if the beans don't cook. So if you don't have a pressure cooker and have uncooked beans, then make sure that you keep adding more water till the beans are thoroughly cooked. 

So here is how you make it if you're using a pressure cooker (in case you're using uncooked beans)
1. Saute the onions, peppers, and the ginger-garlic paste.
2. Once the onions get transparent, add the tomatoes.
3. If you're grinding the onions and tomato, now is the time! Grind everything together and then put the beans into the mixture. Add the sour cream, all the spices or curry powder/garam masala, and salt.
4. Add water till the beans are covered. Close the lid, and wait for three or four whistles.
5. Once the pressure is out, add the lime juice and cilantro/coriander leaves. You're done!
Note:  If it gets too watery, mix corn starch or rice powder in cold water and add it to the pot. Wait for the mixture to boil. Then add the lime juice and cilantro/coriander leaves.


If you're not using a pressure cooker, then here's how you make it:

1. Saute the onions, peppers, and the ginger-garlic paste.
2. Once the onions get transparent, add the tomatoes.
3. Put the beans into the mixture. Add the sour cream, all the spices or curry powder/garam masala, and salt.
4. Add water till the beans are covered. Keep it on medium heat for 10 minutes.
5. Add the lime juice and cilantro/coriander leaves. You're done!
Note:  If it gets too watery, mix corn starch or rice powder in cold water and add it to the pot. Wait for the mixture to come to a boil. Then add the lime juice and cilantro/coriander leaves.

You can eat this with bread, chapattis (Indian bread), and rice. 

Cabbage Curry

I love cabbage curry. I really do. Its a very forgiving dish and does not need much from your pantry. I know some of you are looking for a cabbage dish with gravy, but I refuse to stop calling it a curry since I was raised South Indian. :) This is a 'dry' curry that you can eat with rotis, rice & rasam, or just plain rice.

Like I said, cabbage is very forgiving, but it is also very versatile. You can make this any number of ways depending on what it is going to accompany and what style you want to make it in.

What you need:
Cabbage
Onion**
Carrot**
Peas**
Cilantro/coriander**
Garlic**
Turmeric**
Curry powder**

For the garnish:
Oil
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves**
Red Chillies**

How you make it:
1. Start the garnish
2. Add Garlic** and Onion**. Saute this till the onions caramelize or get transparent. Add the cabbage, carrot** and peas**.
3. Add turmeric**, curry powder** and salt
4. Once you're happy with how much its cooked, add cilantro/coriander** and take it off the heat.

You're done! :)

Iyer child's kootu recipe

V loves any kind of kootu and will probably make a deal with the devil or the chef for it. Maybe that's how he plays the guitar so well? I'm not accusing! Just saying!

Ok, so this recipe needs some back story. My grandmother (paati) was the best chef. Yeah, my mom can cook - but its not my paati's food - you know? So anyway, I was my paatis sous chef while growing up. I cut all the vegetables (and i was really good at it and owe her my killer knife skills) and was literally her right hand - no really - she would make me stir (for hours on end for those tough-to-make sweets). So I got front row seats to her awesomeness. I watched her every move in the kitchen and I try to replicate it in vain - from her ergonomic movements, prep work, and even use of ingredients. She KNEW how to cook! So here is an imitation of her kootu.

A kootu is a lot like a stew and is very easy to make. Here's what you need to make a kootu:

1. Vegetables - any kind (but use reasonable judgement) - eyeball it
Note: I must admit that I have not tried it with any squash vegetables (except the white pumpkin, which is technically a squash veggie. I was talking more on the lines of zucchini, summer squash, etc). You can't use ladies finger (okra), brinjal (eggplant/aubergine), bitter gourd, or sweet pumpkin. Strike that. I meant to say that I have not used it and hence I will not vouch for its taste. I'm a prude like that. You can also use stems of vegetables (yeah, including cauliflower, broccoli - stuff that you may otherwise just throw away) or veggies that are threatening to cross over to the other side. You can also use potato to give it a nice starchy taste or absorb extra salt (there's no shame in admitting it - we've all been there!), or just bulk up the kootu in case you need to increase quantity.
2. Salt - to taste
3. Chilli powder OR paprika - 1/2 tsp
4. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
5. Ground paste (can be loose) of serrano peppers or thai green peppers (one or two depending on how much heat you can take), cumin seeds (jeera; 2 tbsp), coconut (half cup or 1 cup coconut milk)
6. One or two cups of cooked split pigeon peas and mung beans - depending on how thick you like it.
7. Sambar powder/curry powder - 1 tbsp
8. garnish: black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves - 1/2 tsp of each
9. Coriander/cilantro leaves - a sprig or two

Here's how you make the kootu:
1. Boil veggies in water - enough to just cover the veggies. Add the turmeric and chilli powder and let it boil.
2. Once the water reduces to half the quantity and the veggies are al dente, add the ground paste. If the veggies are not al dente, add more water and let it cook.
3. Once you add the paste, add the sambar/curry powder. Once this starts to boil, add the cooked split pigeon peas and mung beans.
4. Turn off heat once it all starts to boil. Add the garnish and the coriander leaves.

And you're done! You can eat it with white/brown/wild rice, chappatis, and even tortillas!