Posts Tagged ‘indian food’

Palak (Saag) Paneer

September 26th, 2009 shyam 2 comments

This recipe was originally inspired by the VahRehVah website, and the corresponding Youtube video. There are some great recipes there, but I think some of them are slightly more complicated (and spicy!) than they need to be. I have made some modifications to the original recipe, and posted my version below. Notable differences include the omission of green chili, some whole spices (I prefer powders, in general), and the inclusion of yogurt.

Recipe: Palak (Saag) Paneer


Picture:

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions (diced)
  • 1 medium tomato (diced)
  • paneer cheese cubes – (usually comes frozen; may or may not be fried – either is fine)
  • fresh spinach
  • canola oil
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala (too much will be overpowering)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 4-5 curry leaves (optional)
  • plain yogurt (optional)
  • cream (optional)

Instructions

  1. Rinse spinach and blanch in boiling water for ~2 minutes. Put spinach in a blender and liquify – retain some of the water to help purée the spinach better. It is also full of vitamins !
  2. Put oil in pot.
  3. Add cumin seeds (you could also add mustard seeds if desired)
  4. Add onions and some salt to help cook the onions faster. Fry till nice and brown.
  5. Add the ginger garlic paste. Cook for a minute or two.
  6. Add in tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes or so until the tomatoes are very soft.
  7. Add spices (turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, coriander powder).
  8. Add a little water so everything mixes well (1/4 cup or less). You can add more/less at the end to get the desired consistency. Bring to a slight boil.
  9. Add in the liquefied spinach. Cook till nice and bubbly.
  10. Add in cubed paneer. Heat on low for a few minutes to get the paneer warm, especially if it was previously frozen.
  11. Finish off with a splash of cream and a few tablespoons of yogurt.

Cooking time (duration): 40 minutes

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 3

Categories: Recipes Tags: ,

Chickpea Curry

September 25th, 2009 shyam 1 comment

My mom’s recipe, slightly modified.

Recipe: Chickpea Curry


Picture:

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions (diced)
  • 2 medium tomato (diced)
  • 1 can chickpeas – (aka garbanzo beans)
  • canola oil
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala (too much will be overpowering)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • coriander leaves (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil.
  2. Add mustard seeds. Heat for a minute.
  3. Add cumin seeds.
  4. Wait till mustard seeds start to pop. The cumin seeds are added slightly after the mustard seeds, because the cumin will burn if added too early, and you need to wait for the mustard seeds to pop before proceeding.
  5. Add onions and salt to help cook the onions faster. Cook till slightly brown.
  6. Add ginger garlic paste. Cook for a minute or two.
  7. Add tomatoes. Cook them well.
  8. Add spices (turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, coriander powder).
  9. Add 1/2 cup of water or so to help mix the spices together. Bring to simmer.
  10. Add the chickpeas from the can. You can also use some of the water from the can to add natural salt. I don’t use all of it, because it is too salty.
  11. Bring to simmer.
  12. Top with coriander leaves (optional).

Cooking time (duration): 40

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 3

Recipe by on.

Categories: Recipes Tags: ,

Mattar Paneer

September 24th, 2009 shyam 2 comments

This recipe originally came from VahRehVah, but I have heavily modified and simplified it for my own tastes.

Recipe: Mattar Paneer


Picture:

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions (diced)
  • 2 medium tomato (diced)
  • paneer cheese cubes – (usually comes frozen; may or may not be fried – either is fine)
  • frozen peas
  • 1/4 handful of cashews
  • canola oil
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala (too much will be overpowering)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • cream
  • coriander leaves (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil. Fry cashews till light brown.
  2. Add onions and salt to help cook the onions faster. Cook till slightly brown.
  3. Add ginger garlic paste. Cook for a minute or two.
  4. Add tomatoes. Cook them well.
  5. Put entire mixture into blender. Blend until completely liquefied.
  6. Clean out the previously used pot completely (or get a new pot!).
  7. Put some oil in the empty pot and heat up.
  8. Add the cumin seeds.
  9. Add the mixture from the blender.
  10. Add spices (turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, coriander powder).
  11. Add 1/2 cup of water or so to help mix the spices together. Bring to simmer.
  12. Add frozen peas. Cover and bring to boil (~5 minutes).
  13. Add paneer cubes. Simmer 5-10 more minutes.
  14. Add a splash of cream.
  15. Top with coriander leaves (optional).

Cooking time (duration): 40

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 3

Categories: Recipes Tags: ,