The Recipe Room

Shahi Paneer is a traditional dish that consists of cubes of paneer cheese in a thick, spicy gravy. There are many varieties, but my mother makes it with almonds, which I also have begun to do recently. Of course, I must warn you that this is not a dish that is low in calories. Creamy gravies are never light, and much less so with nuts added in! (Also try my palak paneer recipe.)

Cardamom is an essential spice that contributes to the exotic flavour of this tasty dish. This intense spice comes from the black or green veins of a plant in the ginger family. Because of its intense flavour and aroma, cardamom is one of the most frequently used spices in Indian cuisine

This recipe also calls for garam masala. There are many varieties of garam masala, which is a mix of spices that can contain up to 15 different ingredients. It is sold in speciality Indian food shops.

As I have mentioned before, if you are unable to find paneer cheese, you can substitute it with cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. Likewise, you may substitute ghee with regular butter.

Serve hot over basmati rice or with Naan bread.

Dum Aloo is a delicious vegetarian potato dish. It consists of fried potatoes in a thick yoghurt gravy. Since Dum Aloo is a lot like a potato stew,  (try this red lentil and potato bake recipe), it is rather substantial and filling, so it makes for a great veggie meal.

This potato dish goes well with naan bread or even with rice. When preparing this recipe, be careful not to add too much ginger, or it will overpower the entire dish.

The potatoes and yoghurt gravy can be garnished with chopped coriander leaves. This will give the dish a lovely refreshing touch.

Ingredients:

• 10 small potatoes
• 4 onions
• 3tbsp ghee
• 4 curry leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1tsp ginger powder
• 1/2tsp red chilli powder
• 2tsp coriander powder
• 1tsp cumin powder
• 250ml yoghurt
• Pinch of salt to taste
• 1/2tsp garam masala powder
• vegetable oil to deep fry the potatoes
• 10g fresh coriander

Preparation Method:

1. Boil the potatoes. (This will cut down on the amount of time you need to fry them later, so it will be less fattening.) Drain them and wait for them to cool before  peeling and cutting them in half.
2. Fill a pot with vegetable oil and warm it up on high heat.
3. Once the oil is hot enough, slowly add in the potatoes. Deep fry them until they turn light brown.
4. Remove the potatoes and set them aside.
5. Chop the onions very finely. They should be almost minced.
6. In a pot, heat up the ghee.
7. Now add the onions and fry them until they are light brown.
8. Lower the flame. Add the curry leaves and bay leaves to the pan and continue frying.
9. Now add the ginger powder to the pan and continue frying on a low flame while stirring slowly. Be careful not to let anything get burnt.
10. Stir in the red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.
11. Slowly stir in the yoghurt.
12. Add the salt.
13. Now slowly add in the fried potatoes.
14. Stir in the garam masala powder.
15. Cover the pot and let this simmer for about 15 minutes on a low flame, stirring occasionally. You will see the gravy get thicker.
16. Serve hot and garnish the Dum Aloo with chopped cilantro leaves.

Takes: 1 hour
Makes: Enough for 4 servings

Chicken Biryani is a tasty Indian dish made with a layer of marinated chicken and a layer of basmati rice. Some people alternate and do four or even six different layers, but in my house we always prepared it with just one layer of chicken and one layer of rice.

I have always made this with ghee, which is Indian butter. Ghee can be bought at many speciality Indian grocery stores, or you can try my ghee recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Chicken
• 100ml Yoghurt
• 1 Green Chilli Pepper
• 8 Cloves Garlic
• 5tsp Ginger Powder
• 1/2tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/2tsp Turmeric Powder
• 500g Basmati Rice
• 1l Water
• 300g Ghee
• 2tbsp Whole Garam Masala
• 2 Large Onions
• 4 Medium Tomatoes, Chopped
• 30ml Milk
• 1/2tsp Saffron
• Pinch of Salt to taste

Preparation Method:

1. Chop the raw chicken into medium-sized cubes.
2. Mix the yoghurt, finely chopped green chilli pepper, ginger powder, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, red chilli powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder in a big bowl.
3. Add the chopped chicken.
4. Let this mixture marinate in the fridge for 4-6 hours, or overnight.
5. In a bowl, cover the basmati rice with water. Let it soak for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the rice from this water and rinse it in a strainer.
7. Fill a pot with 1 litre of water. Add the rice. Bring it to the boil. Once it is boiling, let it cook for 2-3 minutes. You should only cook the rice halfway at this point. You are going to finish cooking it later. Take it off the stove and set it aside.
8. Melt the ghee in a pot.
9. Add the garam masala and gently roast it. It will pop in the pot, so be careful not to get burnt.
10. Chop the onion and 4 cloves of garlic finely and add them to the pot. Fry the onions until they are golden brown.
11. Add the finely chopped tomatoes to the pot and cook for 3 more minutes.
12. Add the marinated chicken to the pot and stir all these ingredients.
13. Make sure all the ingredients in the pot are level and flat by patting them with a wooden spoon. Now add the layer of basmati rice by putting all the half-cooked rice on top.
14. In a separate pan, heat up the milk and add the saffron. Let them cook together for one minute.
15. Sprinkle this milk and saffron mixture on top of the rice.
16. Cover the pot with a very tight lid. Let this simmer on a low flame for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.

Makes: Enough for 8 servings

Takes: 2 hours (plus 4-6 hours to marinate the chicken)

Note: Although not Indian, I recommend this hot and spicy chicken with almonds recipe. It´s another tasty chicken and rice option!

Lamb Biryani is a dish consisting of a layer of marinated lamb and a layer of basmati rice. It is quite tricky to cook both the marinated lamb and the rice to perfection. When you first cook the rice, it must only be half-cooked. When you add it to the pot later with the marinated lamb, it will finish cooking. If you want to get the flavour just right, you must use basmati rice.

Once you get the hang of making sure the lamb and the rice are both cooked perfectly, you might want to try my Chicken Biryani recipe. But just love lamb? Give this lamb roast with garlic and rosemary a go.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Lamb
• 100ml Yoghurt
• 2 Red Chilli Peppers, 1 chopped and 1 left whole
• 1/4tsp Garam Masala
• 2tsp Ginger Paste
• 2tsp Garlic Paste
• 1tsp Chopped Mint
• 1/4tsp Turmeric Powder
• 3 Large Onions
• 500g Basmati Rice
• 1l Water
• 1/2tsp Lemon Juice
• Pinch of Salt to taste
• 200g Ghee

Preparation Method:

1. Chop the raw lamb into medium-sized cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the yoghurt, red chilli peppers, garam masala, ginger paste, garlic paste and mint.
3. Now slowly stir in the cubes of raw lamb.
4. Add the turmeric powder and stir.
5. Peel and chop the onions.
6. Heat the ghee in a pan on a medium flame and add the chopped onions. Fry the onions until they are crispy and light brown. Do not fry them for so long that they get caramelised.
7. Remove the onions and place them on a plate with a kitchen towel or paper towel below them. You want the ghee to drain away so that the onions are crispy.
8. Let the crispy onions cool. Then, add them to the marinade.
9. Put the bowl in the fridge and let the lamb marinate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
10. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in cold water.
11. Wash the rice and put it in a pot with 1 litre of water. Bring the water to the boil, then lower the flame and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and set it aside.
12. Heat the ghee in the pot on a medium flame.
13. Add the marinated lamb—with all the marinade—to the pot.
14. Add the basmati rice on top of this.
15. Squeeze a little lemon juice onto the rice.
16. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
17. Cover the pot. Allow it to cook on a high flame for about 15 minutes. Then lower the flame and let is simmer for about 1 to 2 hours, or until the lamb is tender and fully cooked.

Makes: Enough for 6 servings
Takes: 2 hours (plus 6 hours to marinate the lamb)

I just love bringing samosas to my friends’ parties. Everyone’s faces light up when they see me walk in the door with this tasty finger food. Like my Vegetable Samosas, Chickpea Samosas are completely vegetarian, so everyone can enjoy them.

They also make the perfect accompaniment for any dish, such as this Mussel Rassam Curry.

Ingredients:

• 400g chickpeas
• 100g peas
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 140g of wholemeal flour
• 175ml water
• Vegetable oil
• Pinch of salt

Preparation Method:

To make the pastry:

1. Put the wholemeal flour in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the water.
2. Knead the dough. This can be quite tiring, but remember, the more you knead it, the better the results will be. Think of it as good exercise!
3. When the dough is elastic, mould it into a ball shape and set it aside for 15 minutes.

To make the samosa filling:

1. Clean the chickpeas and soak them overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours.
2. Boil the chickpeas in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes.
3. Remove them and set them aside.
4. In a frying pan, fry the onions for 4 minutes until they turn a golden brown.
5. Add the peas and stir.
6. Add the chickpeas and the chopped tomatoes to the pan and stir. The tomatoes should become very soft.
7. Now it is ready for the spices. Add the garam masala, cumin powder and coriander. Add a pinch of salt to taste. Stir slowly for 2 more minutes before taking them off the hot stove.
8. Take the dough and divide it into 4 portions.
9. Roll these 4 portions into flat circles.
10. Gently add the chickpea samosa stuffing to each circle using a small teaspoon. Be careful not to overstuff.
11. Fold the top flap over and gently press the sides together.
12. Fill a heavy-based pan halfway with vegetable oil and heat on high. Slowly lower the samosa into the hot oil. Be careful not to do this too fast or the oil will splatter and you’ll get burned. Deep fry for 5 minutes
13. Remove the samosa and leave them on a kitchen roll to drain some of the excess oil off.

Note: Hot oil can be dangerous and should never be left unattended.

Takes: 10 hours
Makes: 8 large chickpea samosas

Some people may feel intimidated when entering the realm of Indian cooking. The words are difficult to pronounce at first, and the menus in restaurants can’t describe in great detail every ingredient or step in the cooking process.

In this post I want to share a recipe for the classic Chicken Tikka Masala. Tikka is a piece of meat that is marinated and cooked on a skewer in a clay oven called a tandoor. Masala is the name of a mixture of spices all mixed together that forms a paste. Putting those two words together means that in this recipe, I am going to marinate the chicken in a Masala sauce, cook it in the oven, and mix it with a tomato cream sauce over rice. You can also try a similiar process in with lamb in Masala Nu Roast Gos.

That’s not too difficult, right? Let’s go step-by-step.

Ingredients:

• 900g of chicken, cut into 3 cm cubes

For the marinade:

• 245g yoghurt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger

For the sauce:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small can of diced tomatoes
• 1 onion, diced and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• Salt and pepper
• 240ml double cream
• 20g fresh coriander

Preparation Method:

1. Mix together the ingredients for the marinade.
2. Cut the chicken into cubes and put on skewers, coating them with the marinade and setting them in the fridge overnight.
3. The next day, take out the chicken, discarding the marinade. Place the skewers to cook in the oven for around 8 minutes until cooked throughout.
4. As they are cooking, you can start the tomato cream sauce. Using a bit of olive oil, sauté the garlic, onion and spices for 2 minutes.
5. Add the contents of the tomato can, including the extra juices.
6. Partially cover and stir every once in a while for 15-20 minutes.
7. Add the double cream and stir for another 5 minutes.
8. Remove the chicken from the skewers and place them in the tomato sauce, letting them gently simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Mix in the coriander and a bit on top for garnish. Serve with rice.

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 20 minutes for the marinade, 1 night to soak, and 90 minutes for cooking

There is nothing better on a chilly, rainy day than a warm bowl of soup. And the best soups for drizzly afternoons are definitely the creamy ones! My mum used to make this Cream of Tomato Soup for me when skies were grey. It’s comforting and gives you lots of energy.

Another feel-good creamy soup option is this Creamy potato and leek soup.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2tbsp Chopped Ginger
• 1/2tbsp Whole Garam Masala
• 1 Green Chilli Pepper
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 3 Curry Leaves
• 100g Ghee
• 120ml Water
• 150ml Cream
• 1/2l Whole Milk
• 2tsp Coriander Powder
• 1tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/2tsp Lemon Juice
• Pinch of ground Black Pepper to taste
• Pinch of Salt to taste
• 2tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves, for garnishing

Preparation Method:

1. Clean the tomatoes and chop them very finely.
2. Meanwhile, heat up the ghee in a pot on a medium flame.
3. Add the chopped garlic cloves and ginger to the pot.
4. Cut the green chilli pepper into 2 pieces.
5. Add the chilli pepper, garam masala and tomatoes to the pot and stir.
6. Lower the flame and slowly stir these ingredients for about 3 minutes.
7. Add the water, bay leaves and curry leaves to the pot. Raise the heat and bring this to the boil.
8. As soon as it comes to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 25 minutes. The tomatoes should become very soft.
9. Remove the soup and blend it in a liquidiser.
10. Place a strainer over the pot. Strain the chunky tomato bits by running the soup through this strainer.
11. Raise the stove to a medium heat and heat up the tomato again.
12. Mix in the cream, whole milk, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir it all together.
13. Add the black pepper and salt to taste, along with the lemon juice.
14. Let the soup simmer on a low flame for 15 minutes.
15. Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves. It is now ready to serve!

Makes: Enough for 4 servings
Takes: 30 minutes

Pumpkins are great winter food. Healthy, meaty and cheap, they are very versatile and can be boiled, baked, steamed, or roasted when ripe. They also make fantastic desserts such as pumpkin tea bread.

In the U.S.A., they are big fans of pumpkin. In addition to Thanksgiving and Halloween, several pumpkin festivals are held with competitions for the heaviest pumpkin. Did you know that they can also be used to flavour both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks?

During the Winter season, pumpkins are perfect for soups and stews on cold nights. Here is a pumpkin recipe with an Indian twist: pumpkin soup with curry and Garam Masala. This dish will keep you warm, as Garam masala means literally “hot blend.” It certainly is hot as it uses a blend of ground spices common in North Indian cuisine. It contains many micronutrients such as calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc. With these ingredients, you will make yourself a healthy, cheap and above all, tasty soup! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
• 1.5kg pumpkin, around 800g of pumpkin meat
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 garlic
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 pinch of white pepper
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala
• 5dl of water
• 1dl of crème fraîche

Preparation method:
1. Cut the pumpkin into slices and cut away the peel and pips.
2. Chop it into small chunks.
3. Peel and chop the garlic and onion into pieces.
4. Fry the onion in the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, salt, curry, garam masala, white pepper and pumpkin.
5. Let it all fry together for a few minutes.
6. Add the water and let it all boil for around 40 minutes. The pumpkin should be soft and easy to mash when ready.
7. Mix the soup with a blender or by hand with a whisk.
8. Add the crème fraîche.
9. Reheat and add the white pepper and salt to taste.
10. Serve with some coriander on top and with some nice bread.

Takes: 60 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Level: Easy

This is a delicious recipe that goes great with the deep-fried puffy breads known as Bhatura. Channa Masala is a chickpea stew that my mum taught me to make when I was a teenager. It is a very filling vegetarian dish, and because of the chickpeas, it has plenty of protein. But the best part is that it is not very fattening at all! (For more chickpea goodness, try this Moroccan hummus.)

Ingredients:

• 400g Chickpeas
• 5 Tea Leaves
• 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 2 tsp. Garam Masala
• ½ tsp. Cardamom
• ½ tsp. Cinnamon
• 2 tsp. Ginger Powder
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large Onion
• 2 medium Tomatoes
• 250ml Water
• 2 tbsp. Amchur Powder (dried mango powder)
• Juice of 2 Lemons
• 1 tbsp. chopped Coriander
• Vegetable Oil
• Pinch of Salt

Preparation Method:

1. Rinse the chickpeas. Put them in a bowl, cover them with water, add the tea leaves, and soak them overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours. Soaking the chickpeas with tea leaves will give it a distinctive flavour.
2. The next morning, remove the tea leaves, drain the chickpeas and cook them in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the chickpeas and set them aside.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan.
5. Add cumin seeds and fry. Careful! They will crackle a bit.
6. Add garam masala, cardamom and cinnamon. Fry on medium heat.
7. Add the ginger and garlic and fry.
8. Chop the onion very finely.
9. Put the chopped onion in the pan and fry while quickly mixing. It helps to add a bit of salt at this point, as the salt will make the onion “sweat,” and it will cook faster.
10. Chop the tomatoes very finely.
11. Add the tomatoes to the pan. Stir slowly. Give the tomatoes time to get soft and mushy.
12. Add the cooked chickpeas.
13. Add the water.
14. Stir slowly on a low heat. You will see it start to form a thick gravy. This will take about 8-9 minutes.
15. Stir in the amchur and coriander slowly.
16. Add a bit more salt to taste. The gravy should be getting quite thick.
17. Drizzle a bit of lemon juice and stir for 30 seconds more.
18. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Makes: Enough for 4 servings.
Takes: 40 minutes (plus 8 hours to soak the chickpeas)

Pulses are a regular part of my diet. I am especially fond of chickpeas; they are used for many different types of foods such as stews, curries or salads (try this Carrot and Chickpea Salad). They can also be mashed up to make hummus or falafel. In this Spicy Chickpeas with Masala recipe, I take this otherwise bland pulse, mix it with red pepper and spinach, and create a feisty plate for all Indian-food lovers to enjoy! Although it might be a tad spicy, serving it with rice provides a nice balance.

Chickpeas are very high in protein and fibre. However, they are much easier to digest than other pulses. I appreciate that fact, and I keep it in mind to avoid any embarrassing situations regarding my digestive system.

These tiny seeds are an important part of Indian industry as India is the top producer of chickpeas in the world. Did you know there are actually two types of chickpeas? The common English variety is actually called kabuli. It is lighter and larger than the Indian chickpea, desi. The native desi is smaller, darker, and a bit healthier than the Kabuli. Regardless, either one will work perfectly in my spicy chickpea recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of cooked chickpeas, about 800 grams.
• 200g fresh spinach leaves
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1 small red onion
• 1 small tomato, diced into cubes
• 5 cloves garlic
• 5g fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1 teaspoon curry
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation Method:

1. In a large frying pan, heat up a few teaspoons of olive oil.
2. When hot, sauté the onion, pepper, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and soft.
3. Clean the chickpeas by rinsing them in a colander and draining. Pick out any empty shells.
4. Add the chickpeas to the frying pan, then the vegetables, and mix well.
5. Add all the spices and the tomato to the mix, stirring well.
6. Next place just enough hot water in the pan so as to cover the vegetables. This is to create a sauce-like texture when finished.
7. Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
8. Reduce heat and add spinach. Cover again and allow the spinach to simmer for 2 more minutes with the rest of the vegetables.
9. Take off the stove and serve on top of rice.

Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 45 minutes