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.

Punjab Chicken is a dish that will go over well with your kids. I’m giving you a mild version of this dish, so if you’re trying to introduce your kids to Indian cooking, they will take to it better. If you start out with anything too hot, your children may be turned off to Indian cuisine altogether, so it is best to start them out with milder dishes. However, if you want to prepare a spicier Punjab Chicken, feel free to increase the quantity of spices. But I do not recommend you increase the turmeric too much, as it is quite bitter, so it will overpower the dish.

This dish calls for drumsticks, which is a much moister part of the chicken than the breast. Some people use the whole chicken leg—that is, the drumstick and the thigh. That is fine, but I prefer meat just from the drumstick for this recipe.

In this recipe, you may substitute ghee with cooking oils such as vegetable oil or sunflower oil. Some might say that punjab chicken is similar to chicken fricassee because it uses chicken drumsticks in a thickened sauce. Of course, I prefer my dish because of the wonderful mix of Indian spices!

You may add in more than 700ml of water if you want. This will give you more sauce at the end, but the thickness is really up to you.

This Mild Lentil and Tomato Stew is a vegetarian stew that is very substantial and filling, without being fattening at all. It is perfect for a cold or rainy day and is similar to this red lentil and potato bake, except a bit spicier.

Cardamom is a zesty Indian spice that you can buy at your local Indian grocery store. Since cardamom tastes slightly like lemon, it goes very well with the lemon juice. Both the cardamom and lemon juice are added at the very end as a final touch.

Ingredients:

• 800g Lentils
• 2 litres Water
• 1/4tsp Cumin seeds
• 1/4tsp Coriander seeds
• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
• ½tbsp Turmeric
• 1/2tbsp Ginger powder
• 5 large Tomatoes
• 1/2tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1tbs Paprika
• 1 clove Cardamom, ground
• 3tbs Lemon Juice
• 5tbs Olive Oil

Preparation Method:

1. Wash the lentils thoroughly and put them in a bowl. Cover the lentils and leave them to soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
2. Drain the lentils and put them in a pot with 2 litres of water. Heat them until they come to the boil, then lower the flame and leave them to simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Heat up the olive oil in a pan. Once small bubbles start to form in the oil, it is hot enough to begin frying the spices.
4. Now add the cumin seeds and coriander seeds. You should not grind them beforehand. Careful! They will start to pop and crackle. You should not be wearing short sleeves when you do this, as you will get burnt.
5. Chop the onion and garlic very finely.
6. Add the onion and garlic to the pan. With the flame on low, stir briskly. Fry these ingredients for about 4 minutes.
7. Add in the turmeric and ginger powder and stir briskly.
8. Mince the 5 large tomatoes very finely.
9. Add the minced tomatoes to the pan and stir them well.
10. Add the cayenne pepper and paprika and stir.
11. Gently put this mixture into the pot where the lentils are and stir thoroughly. Let the lentils and the tomato mixture simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
12. Grind 1 clove of cardamom with a pestle and mortar. Slowly sprinkle the ground cardamom in.
13. Stir in the lemon juice.
14. Let simmer for 5 more minutes.
15. Serve hot.

Makes: Enough for 10 servings
Takes: 1 hour (plus 8 hours soaking time)

Chutneys are a clever and delectable way to consume your daily intake of fruits and veggies. You can use them in all sorts of dishes to jazz them up or create an interesting twist on the flavours, or simply enjoy on top of  a hunk of bread with a side of cheese.

I suggest you try my recipe for tomato chutney, as it is a very versatile chutney that goes well with rice and with tandoori chicken kebabs. This is a great recipe for the summer when tomatoes are in season.

Ingredients:

• ¼ teaspoons mustard seeds
• 2 red chilli peppers, whole
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Channa Dal nuts
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons ginger powder
• 2 green chilli peppers, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cashew nuts, chopped
• 10 large, fresh tomatoes, chopped into 2 cm by 2 cm cubes
• 4 curry leaves
• Pinch of salt
• Vegetable oil

Preparation Method:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan.
2. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Be careful because they pop, and you don’t  want to get burned.
3. Add the red chillies and fry them for 20 seconds. Since they are whole, the seeds won’t come out of the pepper, and so the chutney won’t be too hot.
4. Fry the cumin seeds.
5. Now add the Channa Dal and fry for 30 seconds.
6. Slowly add the onion and garlic. Add a pinch of salt so that the onion “sweats” a little. Cook this for about 4 minutes until the garlic and onions are softer.
7. Add the ginger powder. It should sizzle in the pan.
8. Add the green chilli peppers.
9. Chop the cashew nuts (but not too small as we’re going to put this all in the blender anyway) and put them in the pan.
10. Add in the tomatoes and curry leaves. You do not need to chop the curry leaves.
11. Cover the pot and let it simmer for an hour on a very low heat. You should check it every so often and slowly stir it. You can actually let this simmer for up to 2 hours, and it will be even tastier.
12. When finished, pour everything into the blender for 30 seconds. You do not want to blend for much longer as you want there to be some chunks of whole tomato left.
13. Return to the pot and stir slowly. Add salt to taste.
14. Serve on bread with cheese or as part of a meat dish. You could also store it in glass jars for future use.

Takes: 2 hours
Makes: Enough for 10 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!

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

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)

When I was younger, my friends would complain that their mums always cooked the same things. One schoolmate ate a roast sandwich for lunch every day. Another girlfriend of mine confided in me that in her house, each day had an assigned dish: Mondays were for fish and chips, Tuesdays were bangers and mash, etc.

In my family, we ate a lot of Daal, the Indian word for lentils, but I never complained! There are four different types of lentils, and each can be prepared in many ways with a variety of flavours. This was useful for my Mum who tried to vary our menu.

I like my Daal spicy, but I tend to tone it down a bit when cooking for friends. Out of the many lentil recipes that I enjoy, I want to share this Tangy Red Daal with you. It isn’t quite as soupy as this hearty lentil and herb soup, but it is nice served with a bit of rice. I call it tangy because it has a bit of a kick, but it doesn’t sting your tastebuds, as other recipes might.

Ingredients:

• 200g red lentils
• 10g ginger
• 5g mustard seeds
• 10g fresh coriander, chopped
• 3 tomatoes
• 3 onions
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 5g ground cumin
• 5g cayenne pepper
• 6 cloves garlic
• 30ml olive oil
• 250ml water
• salt and pepper

1. Sort the red lentils on a white counter or table cloth to pick out any rocks or small pieces of dirt mixed in.
2. When finished, rinse in cold water. Bring water to the boil and add lentils. Semi-cover and let cook for 35 minutes or so until the lentils are soft.
3. Meanwhile, chop the onions, jalapeño pepper, garlic, ginger, bell pepper and tomatoes.
4. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the onion, garlic, ginger and peppers. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until onions are translucent and garlic is soft.
5. Add the cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir.
6. Add the tomatoes and keep stirring for another 6 minutes or so until the tomatoes are fairly well-cooked.
7. Transfer the vegetables into a big pot and add just enough hot water to cover the contents of the pot. Let boil for 6 minutes and then add the cooked lentils, stirring well.
8. Add salt and coriander to taste.
9. Pour into a bowl and garnish with coriander. Serve warm.

Serves: 6

Time: 75 minutes