Palak Paneer (Curried Spinach & Cottage Cheese)

Palak Paneer is probably one dish that is on ALL Indian restaurant menu cards around the world. Restaurant can be South Indian, North Indian or any Indian cuisine at all, I'm sure all of them have Saag Paneer or Palak Paneer on their menu. It is that famous and if you are an Indian food aficionado, you probably tasted it at least once. 

There are quite a few recipes on the internet for palak paneer. Each one using different spice blends and some blend the spinach to a paste and some use it just as is. I like my palak paneer creamy and smooth. 

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Black eyed Peas Curry for New Years

In Southern United States, eating Black eyed peas on New Years day is considered to bring luck & prosperity. I knew this bit of information for years but come New Years day I would some how forget it. So this year I made sure to follow it through by eating black eyed peas on new years day. Though the dish is made in Indian style, I'm sure it's going to bring us luck & prosperity because it's healthy and health beats wealth in my book.
I love black eyed peas because they don't need pre-soaking and cook really fast. I always make sure that I have a bag of these in my pantry for quick meal solutions. They can be used to make curries or rice dishes and make great addition to salads and burgers as well.

As I was looking for recipes to make with black eyed peas, I found this flavorful curry recipe in 660 Curries cookbook by Raghavan Iyer. Here black eyed peas are flavored with ground coconut, onions and green chilies. Very simple preparation, yet very delicious.

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Bagara Baingan (Hyderabadi Baby Eggplants in Peanut-Coconut Gravy)

Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter B

Theme: A-Z Vegetarian Dishes from Andhra Pradesh
Dish: B for Bagara Baingan (Baghare Baingan)

Letter B stands for veggies like Beerakaya (ridgegourd), Bendakaya (lady's finger/ okra) and one of my favorite greens Bachalikura. B is also for Bellam or jaggery, a unrefined sweetener that is used widely in both savory and sweet dishes in A.P. 

With so many B's to choose from, I ended up choosing a dish that is very close to my heart (and tummy) and the city I'm from, Hyderabad. Hyderabadi cuisine is very famous for its Biryanis and other rich and delicious Mughal & Nizam influenced dishes. So being an eggplant lover, I couldn't think of anything else other than Bagara Baingan for the letter B. 

This dish used to be a part of almost all of the wedding menus and other functions. But there seems to be a change of trend these days and my beloved bagara baingan is hardly ever made. Which means it is time to make it right at home. I already posted my mom's recipe here. Today's recipe is adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer.

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Rajma Mutter (Kidney Beans & Green Peas with Yogurt & Cream)

Blogging Marathon# 30: Week 1/ Day 3
Theme: Cooking with Curd
Dish: Rajma Mutter (Kidney Beans & Green Peas with Yogurt & Cream)

As I was looking through 660 Curries for dishes to make with yogurt/ curd, I found a recipe that used Lotus root and I wanted to make because I've never cooked lotus root before. I remember seeing it in my local Korean store and went there this morning, but I was totally disappointed seeing dried out and almost rotten lotus roots.

Came home and went back to 660 Curries. I love beans and I found Rajma and Mutter curry with yogurt and cream. I was skeptical on how the combination of yogurt and cream would take like, but I trusted Raghavan Iyer enough to give the dish a try. I'm glad I did, it turned out to be a spicy and creamy dish that is unlike I've ever tasted. The textural difference between the nutty bite of kidney beans and the soft squishy green peas was very appealing especially with the creamy-tart yogurt base.

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Patli Dal (Yellow Split Peas & Kale in a Yogurt-Peanut Sauce)

Blogging Marathon# 30: Week 1/ Day 1
Theme: Cooking with Curd/ Yogurt
Dish: Patli Dal

I seem to be saying the same thing again and again, but I still can't believe that it's July already and today we begin 30th edition of Blogging Marathon. My theme for this week is 'Cooking with Curd/ Yogurt'. I wanted to do this theme because I rarely use curd/ yogurt in cooking because of my husband's aversion towards it. He's been travelling which gave me yet another reason to take this theme :-)

Since I'm the only one eating yogurt in the house, I used to buy yogurt from the store. But when my mom visited us last year, she couldn't get over the stickiness of the store bought yogurt. I never realized that until she mentioned it, I guess after all these years I forgot how yogurt felt or tasted back home. Anyway, long story short -- we got hold of some good yogurt culture and started making our own yogurt at home. Even after my mom left, I kept making it and recently I started feeding my daughter home made yogurt, hoping to have someone to share my yogurt based dishes in the future.

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Potato Paneer Methi Curry (Alu Paneer Methi Curry)

Blogging Marathon# 29: Week 2/ Day 1
Theme: Pick 2 Ingredients & Cook from a Book
Ingredients/ Book: Paneer & Greens/ 660 Curries
Dish: Potato Paneer Methi Curry (Alu Paneer Methi Curry)

My theme for this week's BM is 'Cook from a Book'. But to make the theme a little more challenging Valli asked us to pick 2 ingredients from a list and then find a recipe from a cookbook. I got lucky and found the recipes quite easily this time (unlike the last time). 

The ingredients I picked for the first day are 'Paneer & Greens". I found a very simple and delicious recipe in 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. 660 Curries is usually the first cookbook I refer to when I'm looking for an Indian dish. As the name suggests there are 660 recipes to choose from and it is always tough to pick just one dish.

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Navratan Kurma

Blogging Marathon # 24: Day 2
Theme: Cooking from Restaurant Menu
Dish: Navratna Kurma (Navratan Kurma)

For Day 2 of BM# 24 from Indian House Restaurant menu, I chose to make the famous Navratan Kurma. To be honest, Navratan kurma is not something I would order at a restaurant because of a dreadful experience I had with this dish in the past. I don't even remember how long ago this happened, but when I think about Navratan kurma, all I can think of is this really sweet curry with wimpy vegetables and ton of oil floating on top. What really got me was the sweetness that didn't really wasn't supposed to be there, so for years I avoided ordering it in the restaurants. I think I was too emotionally moved to even try at home.

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Onion Kulcha made with Sourdough

The minute I read Valli's description of "Bread Baking" on BM# 15 announcement, I knew I have to make an Indian bread for the marathon. So after 2 days of Western breads I have this very Indian Kulcha that is baked in the oven. 

Recipe is adapted from Raghavan Iyer's "660 Curries" cookbook. I actually made a lot of changes to the original recipe -- I used some sourdough starter as I was feeding my starter that day and used the cast off to make these kulchas. I added chapati flour (atta) along with all-purpose flour (original recipe used only all-purpose flour). Also original recipe used buttermilk, but since my starter is one a slightly watery side,  I used thick greek yogurt instead. 

The key to soft and pliable kulchas is to roll them slightly thick and bake them for just 3-4 minutes.

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Creamy Mixed Vegetable Curry with Nutty Rice Pilaf

This holiday season has been extremely busy for us with parties everywhere, at home and at work. The theme for one of the office parties was organic & vegetarian. I jumped up with excitement and decided to make this curry and rice dish. 

I thought of adding paneer, but wasn't sure if my co-workers would like the texture, so kept it simple with mixed vegetables. For the rice dish, I wanted to make something that wasn't too spicy and I found this nutty pilaf recipe in Raghavan Iyer's "660 Curries". This rice is a keeper and goes well with any spicy side dish. Both the dishes were a hot at the office holiday party.

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Sprouted Cowpeas Stew (Chawli Kokum Chi Dal)

When I started buying cookbooks (with my money), I didn't think too much about the content. It didn't even matter if the book had only 3 vegetarian recipes and once I was done making those, I was practically done using that book. But soon I realized that it's not just buying books, I should also use them to make them worth the buy. Since then almost all the books I bought are vegetarian oriented except for "660 Curries" by Raghavan Iyer.

I borrowed this book from the library and after seeing the vast selection of recipes, I bought my own copy from Amazon. I made a ton of recipes and except for one disastrous recipe with broccoli, everything turned out excellent. So for Day 6 of our BM#7, I made Sprouted cow peas (chawli) stewed in coconut milk and kokum. Recipe turned out to be another keeper, slightly sweet from the coconut milk and tangy from the kokum. 

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Spicy Cauliflower curry (Masaaledar Phool gobhi)

I can't believe it is the last day of BM# 5 and I can't believe that I posted everyday for 2 weeks. Big thanks to Valli for organizing this marathon and choosing interesting themes. So for day 7 of the marathon, I thought I'll make something from "660 Curries" cookbook by Raghavan Iyer.

This is a simple curry with cauliflower and tomatoes and can be cooked within 30 minutes. Goes great with rice or roti.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 medium head, cut into 1" florets

Red onion - 1 small, thinly sliced

Tomatoes - 4, medium or 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

Garlic - 3-4 cloves, cut into thin lengthwise slivers

Ginger - 2" piece, julienned

Ground cumin (jeera) - 2tsp

Ground coriander (dhaniya) - 2tsp

Red chili powder (Cayenne pepper) - 1tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Chickpea flour - 2tbsp

Salt - t0 taste

Cilantro - for garnish

Method:

• Heat 2tbsp oil in a sauté pan over medium heat; add onions, ginger and garlic and sauté until onions start to caramelize, about 8-10 minutes.
• Add cumin, coriander, chili powder, turmeric and salt. Cook for about 30 seconds.
• Then add the tomatoes, cauliflower and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 12-15 minutes.
• Sprinkle in the chickpea flour and quickly stir into the sauce to thicken it slightly. Allow the sauce to simmer, uncovered, for another 1-2 minutes to thicken further.
• Stir in chopped cilantro and serve.

Lets see what my fellow marathoners have been cooking up on the final day of the marathon.
Curry in a hurry under 30 min: Aarthi, Divya, Jayashree, Kaveri, Pavani,
Seven Days of Indian Sweets:Gayathri, Priya Suresh,
Seven Days of Microwave Meals: Monika,
Seven Days of Regional Specials:Harini, Vaishali, Suma, PJ
Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid's Special: Kalyani
Summer Coolers: Jayasree, Kamalika, Srivalli

Arbi Curry (My favorite curry) & an Upcoming Review

After doing 2 reviews for CSN stores, the CSN Promo team selected me as a Preferred Blogger which means I get to review another product. As a new home buyer who shopped around for months looking for the right bedroom furniture, I know how important it is to find stuff at the right price. CSN has wide variety of cheap bedroom furniture and it is a One Stop Shop for everything you need for your bedroom. So watch out for the upcoming review.
We have a library right on our street, about 10 houses away and even though their timings are not very convenient during the week, I try to take some time out on Saturdays to take a walk and grab a book. Also one cool feature our county has is we can borrow books from any of the 75 libraries in the county and I’ve always managed to get various books from different libraries within 3-4 days.

My first book from our new library is Raghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries. It’s a big book with so many delicious dishes to try, but when I read this Arbi curry in peanut-garlic sauce, my mouth started watering right away. I know fried food is always yummy, but this dish just takes it another level.

Boiled arbi (colocassia) is dusted with besan (chickpea flour) and deep fried. Oh.. my.. these arbi pakodas are sooooo yummy. You can’t pay me enough to deep fry anything, but I can make any number of exceptions for this dish AND I deep fry on a weekday, now that is unheard of in our household. Also the peanut-garlic sauce is to DIE for, this dish is totally addictive—I promise. So people please get some arbi and start deep frying and make this incredibly delicious dish right away.

Ingredients:
Arbi (colocassia) – 10-12 small
Besan – ¼ cup
Chili powder – 1tsp
Roasted Peanuts – 2tbsp
Garlic – 4 cloves
Coriander leaves – ¼ cup, chopped
Green chilies – 4
Salt – to taste

Method:

• Pressure cook arbi until tender. When cool enough to peel and chop into 2” pieces. Alternately follow Raghavan’s method: Thoroughly wash arbi and peel and chop them into 2” pieces. Boil in water for about 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.
  
• Mix chickpea flour, chili powder & salt, then add the arbi and toss around to coat them with the flour mixture. Deep fry until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
  
• Grind peanuts, coriander leaves, chilies & garlic cloves into a coarse paste. Raghavan suggests using a mortar & pestle to do this, I used my mini food processor instead.
  
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a sauté pan; add the peanut mixture and sauté till lightly browned and garlic bits start sticking to the bottom.
  
• Add 1 cup water and de-glaze the pan; next add the fried arbi and mix well to coat arbi with the thin gravy. Bring this to a boil; lower the heat and cook uncovered for 6-7 minutes or until the gravy sticks to the pieces.
  

Serve hot with steamed rice and sambar. (don’t forget to mix in some ghee—makes the meal heavenly).

Grilled Naans with Tamatar Malai Rajma (Curried Kidney Beans)

Next up on my series of grilling dishes is Naans. Believe it or not grilled naans turned out to be quicker to make and extremely soft & delicious. When I tried making them on the stove or even in the oven, it takes the dough longer to cook through because of lower temperatures and the end result is usually a tougher naan. But as grill can get to a slightly higher temperatures than the regular oven and since the heat source is much more direct, naans cook faster and stay softer longer. I added 1 cup white whole wheat flour to make them slightly healthier.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour – 2cups
Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
Yeast – 1tbsp
Yogurt – ½ cup
Baking Powder – 1tbsp
Sugar – 1tbsp
Salt – 2tsp
Oil – 2tbsp
Method:

• Whisk flours, salt, baking powder, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  
• Add 1 cup luke warm water (around 110ºF—a few degrees up or down is completely OK), oil and yogurt. Mix until the ingredients come together into a ball (add more water or flour as needed).
  
• Remove on to a floured surface and knead lightly until the dough is soft and smooth, about 5 minutes.
  
• Lightly oil the bowl and slide the dough back; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1-2 hours or until the dough doubles in volume.
  
• Punch down and divide the dough into small balls depending on how big you want your naans. Place them on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 mins to 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
  
• Next roll them out into a circle and slightly stretch or pull on the ends to form an oval shaped naan. Brush them lightly with oil and stack them until ready to grill.
  
• Now to the easy part; grilling. Have the grill preheated and ready to roll: Place the oiled side down on the grill and let cook for about 1 minute. To get those beautiful grill marks, turn the naan at 45 degrees and grill again for 45 seconds. Oil the top side, turn it over, cover and grill for another 1-2 minutes. Remove and enjoy hot with your favorite curry.
  

We had our naans with Rajma/ Kidney Beans curry that I made from Raghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries. It’s a very simple recipe with few ingredients but the way in which the tomatoes are cooked or “bhunao”(ed) makes the dish taste very complex-flavored and absolutely delicious. I realized I’m a rather restless cook and for some of the Indian dishes you really need to take time to get the flavors out of the ingredients.. Lesson learnt!! Coming to the recipe:

Recipe from 660 Curries.
Ingredients:
Red Kidney Beans - 3 cups, cooked
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Ginger - 2" long, finely chopped
Cardamom pods - 2
Cinnamon sticks - 2 (3" long)
Bay leaves - 2
Tomato Paste - 3tbsp
Red chili powder - 1tsp (or more to taste)
Sweet paprika - 1tbsp
Ground coriander seeds - 2tsp
Ground cumin seeds - 1tsp
Turmeric - 1/4tsp
Fried Onion Paste - 1/4 cup**
Heavy (Whipping) Cream - 1/2cup
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - for garnish
Method:

• Heat 2tbsp ghee or oil in a medium sauce pan on medium-high heat. Add the cardamom pods (elaichi), cinnamon and bay leaves and cook until they sizzle and are aromatic, 5 to 10 seconds.
  
• Add ginger and garlic and fry to a golden-brown color, about 1 minute.
• Add 1/2 cup water and the tomato paste, red chili powder, paprika, salt, coriander, cumin and turmeric. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer until the water evaporated and a thin film of oil starts to form on the surface of the sauce, about 5 minutes.
• Add another 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer the sauce, covered, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the oil film reappears on the surface, about 5 minutes.
  
• Repeat the addition and evaporation of water twice more to create a rich tasting, lush-red sauce.
  
• Stir in the onion paste and simmer, covered for another 5 minutes.
• Add kidney beans and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce starts to thicken, 13-15 minutes.
• Pour in the cream and add the garam masala. Cook until the cream is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve.

** Fried Onion Paste (makes 3 cups):

Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a large saute pan. Add 2 pounds of thinly sliced red onions and cook them, stirring occasionally until they are caramel-brown with a deep purple hue, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Grind into a smooth paste once cool enough to handle. Stored in a tightly sealed container, this paste will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator or can be frozen into smaller batches for 2 months.