Prawn Dopiaza

Dopiaza means two onions. Finely chopped for the initial masala, and thickly sliced for extra flavour.


Seen here served with yellow lime, ginger and chilli pickle and Carrots with gur (jaggery) pickle. Recipes of pickles to come when we get a summer here in England!

Ingredients
1 tbspn oil
2 large onions, 1/2 chopped finely; rest sliced lengthways into thick slices.
4 large tomatoes; blanched, and chopped finely
2 tblspn yogurt
4 cloves garlic; minced
2 inch ginger; grated
2 green chillies; minced
1/2spn tumeric
2 heaped tspns coriander/cumin powder
2 lb prawns
1/4 tspn garam masala
1/3 cup chopped coriander



Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the finely chopped onions and fry until golden brown,
2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chillies. Stir and fry for 5 minutes, add the yogurt, mix and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the tumeric and coriander/cumin mixture fry for another 5-7 minutes, until it is homogeneous.
4. Add rest of the onions, mix and cook for a further 10 minutes
5. Add prawns and salt, stir until they are coated with the tomato mix. cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the garam masala and the coriander.
Mix and serve with chapatti or roti

Roasted Yellow Pepper and Tomato Tart

This was my entry for Nupur's One Hot Stove's A-Z of Indian Vegetables, alas I was too late submiting. But hey I cooked it, photographed and ate it, isn't that the main thing!
This recipe is adapted from Delia Smith's webpage. and Waitrose
I was going to make Stir-fried Yard-long beans, but none of the 3 Indian stores in Finchley had them in stock today.


Ingredients
10 oz puff pastry, defrosted
2 tbsp walnut coriander and chilli chutney / pesto (recipe shown here)
6 oz feta cheese
1 tbspn olive oli
3 large tomatoes
1 yellow pepper



Method
1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C
2. Roll out the pastry to a 10inX10in square
3. Place on a greesed baking sheet, score a line about 1/2 inch for the edge of the pastry
4. Crumble the cheese and mix with the chutney and olive oil
5. Spread evenly over the pastry, leaving the edges empty.
7. Place thick slice of tomatoes, and slices of pepper on top of the cheese
8. Spray with olive oil
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
10. Serve with a green salad

Mayai Dungri jo shak / Anda Bhurji / Spicy Scrambled Eggs

Mayai is eggs in swahilli, dungri is onions in Kutchi, this is a traditional family recipe. We usually have it as a light supper or lunch. Not breakfast, but hey anything goes!

Ingredients
1 medium potato; diced
1 medium onion; chopped finely
2 tomatoes; blanched, peeled and chopped finely
1/2 cup chopped chives
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 inch ginger; grated
2 chillies; chopped finely
1 tspn coriander / cumin powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
3 eggs; beaten
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste
2 Tablespoon olive oil

Method
1. Heat the oil, and saute the potatoes until cook, remove and set aside
2. Fry the onions until golden brown, add the garlic, ginger and tomatoes fry for a few minutes.
3. Add the cumin/coriander and tumeric powders, stir and fry for 2 minutes
4. Add the potatoes, salt, chives and stir and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the eggs, stir until cooked.
6. Add the coriander, mix and serve hot with chapatti or on toast.

serves 2

Chana Palak / Spinach with Chickpeas

1 400ml can Chickpeas; drained and washed
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion; chopped finely
3 tomatoes; blanched, peeled and chopped
4 cups chopped spinach
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 inch ginger; grated
2 green chillis; minced
1/2 tspn tumeric powder
2 tspns coriander/cumin powder
1/2 tspn garam masala
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves



Methods
1 Fry the onions in the heated oil, until golden brown, add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chillis, cook for about 5-8 minutes until it is blended together.
2. Add the tumeric, coriander and cumin powders, stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Add the spinach, stir and cook for a further 8 minutes, until it is limp
4. Add the chickpeas, mix and cook for a further 10 minutes
5. Add the garam masala and the coriander leaves; mix. Serve with chapatis.

Dahi Wada

Ingredients
1/2 cup urad dal; washed and soaked overnight
1/2 cup mung dal; washed and soaked overnight
1 medium onion
2/3 green chillies
2 cloves garlic
2 inches ginger
1 small bunch coriander
salt to taste
oil for frying
2 cups yogurt
2 tspn chat masala
salt to taste


Method
1. Drain the dal, grind using a food processer , place the thick paste in a bowl
2 Grind the onion, coriander, chillis, garlic and ginger in the food processer, add to the ground dal and mix.
3 Add the salt and beat the mixture to get as much air into it as possible, add a little water is neccesary, the mixture should be fairly thick. (not runny)
4. Heat the oil and add 1 table spn to the mixture, beat it in.
5. take 1 tablespn of the mixture and gently place in the medium hot oil, using a tspn to push the mixture off. Flip the vada over so both sides are golden brown.
6. Remove and place in cold water, let them soak for 2-3 minutes, remove, squeeze excess water out and place in a bowl
.
7. Whisk the yogurt, add the chat masala and salt, pour over the vada.
8. Let the vada soak for a couple of hours, serve with tamarind chutney

Bhajia wari Kadhi or Yogurt Soup with Dumplings

For the Bhajia / Pakore or Dumplings

2 cups chickpea flour
1/4 tspn ajwain
water; enough to make a thick batter
¼ tspn sodium bicarbonate
1/2 cup chopped methi / fenugrek leaves
salt to taste
oil for frying

For the kadhi

2 cups yogurt
4 cups water
3 tbspn chickpea flour
1 tbs. cooking oil
1 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn cumin seeds
4-5 curry leaves
2 green chillies slit horizontally
1 tomato; blanched, peeled and chopped
½ tspn tumeric
1 tspn red chillli
salt to taste
2 tbspn chopped coriander

Method -

1. Mix all the bhajia / dumpling ingredients in enough water to make a thick paste.
2. Heat the oil in a karai or deep saucepan.
3. Place the spoonful of the mixture in hot oil to fry until brown.

For the kadhi

1. Mix the yogurt, chickpea flour salt and water, whisk until all the flour is dispersed.
2 Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard and cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, stir and cook for 2 minutes, add the tumeric and chilli powders, mix and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the yogurt mixture, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes
5. Add the bhajia / pakore or dumplings and coriander, mix and simmer for a further 5 minutes. serve with chapattis or rice

Vegetarian Mousaka

• 1/2 cup puy lentils
• 1/2 cup frozen soya beans
  
• 3 largish potatoes
• 2 aubergines
• 2 red romana peppers (chopped)
  
• 1 large onions, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 2 green chilies, chopped finely
• 1 can of tomatoes, homogenised
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 2 oz butter
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 pint milk
• 1 oz grated parmasan cheese
  

Boil the lentils for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/4 inch slices. Cover with salted water, and bring to the boil. Boil for about 10 minutes.

Cut the aubergine into thin slices, spare with oil and grill until brown

Heat the oil and add the chopped onions. Cook until transparent. Add the chopped romano peppers, saute for a few minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, chillies, tomatoes and cinnamon. Add the boiled puy lentils and the soya beans, cook for about 20 minutes. Add the chopped coriander.

to make the white sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, fry for a until a roux forms, then add in the milk a little at a time. Keep stirring as the sauce thickens.

To assemble the moussaka.

Place the tomato lentil mixture in an lightly oiled oven dish. Cover the mixture with the sliced eggplant, and then with the sliced potatoes; repeat until all these items are used up. Top it with the white sauce, and some parmasan cheese.

bake for 45 minutes at 180 degree C

Edamame in Spicy Chat Masala

This is my entry for Nurpur's One Hot Stove's A-Z of Indian Vegetables. This week it is X=a vegetable which you have not cooked before.

Although I have cooked with soya beans before, I have never cooked them in their pods. Edemame is often served as a starter in Japanese restaurants. Usually just with salt. The addition of chat masala give it an extra bite, which makes them absolutely addictive. And they are much healther than munching on crisps / chips or tortilla chips.

Edamame are another superfood, they are full of protein, low in fat and the richest source of isoflavones




1 lb pack of fresh or frozen edemame
2 tspn chat masala
salt to taste

Method
Boil or steam the edemame for 10 minutes (or according to instructions on pack), they should be crisp on the outside and tender inside. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop cooking and sprinkle with chat masala, mix and serve as an apppetiser with white wine such as New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, or dry Riesling from Australia, Alsace or Germany.

Eat the beans out of the pods directly into your mouth, the flavour from the chat masala and salt will combine with the taste of the beans. Yum!

Tandoori Chicken

This is a healthy recipe, I have used skinned chicken, low fat yogurt, and paprika and tomato puree instead of food colouring. Some of the bought tandoori spices contain lots of colour and MSG.

l
1 large chicken, skinned and cut into 12 pieces
1 onion; finely cut
3 garlic cloves; minced
2 inch piece of ginger; grated
green chillies; minced
1 tspn tomato puree
2 tblspn paprika powder
2 tblspn coriander powder
1 tbl cumin powder
1/2 tspn garam masala
salt to taste
1 cup yogurt
1 lemon; juiced
2 tablespoons of olive oil





Method
1. Mix the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, tomato pureee, salt, all the spices, olive oil, lemon juice and yogurt in a large bowl
2. Marinate the chicken in this mix ovenight
3. Heat the oven to 220 or 400, place the chicken (just the chicken coated with the marinade, don't be tempted to pour in the left over marinade; or you will not get nice crispy chicken)* into a greased dish. OR you can bbq the chicken
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until brown.

Serve with a mango salsa, red leaf lettuce, orange and almon salad, smashed potatoes and spicy sweet corn curry

*You can use the leftover marinade to coat some vegetable / potatoes and bake in the oven

Spicy Sweetcorn Curry

In this version of sweet corn curry, instead of adding milk or cream, I have added chickpea / besan flour which makes the sauce creamy. Healthy is the word today!

Ingredients
2 tbspn oil
1/2 tspn mustard seeds
1 whole dry red chilli
2-3 curry leaves
2 tbspn chickpea / gram flour
2 tspn grated ginger
3 tspnn minced garlic
2-3 green chillies; mince

4 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and chopped OR 1 tin peeled plum tomatoes; liquidised
1 tspn cumin powder
2 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
1 lb frozen sweetcorn
1 cup water
2 limes; juiced
Salt to taste

1/2 cup chopped coriander

Method
1.Heat the oil in a pan, add the whole red chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves, let the seed pop.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and stir
3. Add the chickpea flour and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook for about five minutes; add the green chillies
4. Add the tumeric,cumin and coriander, mix and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add the sweet corn, water and lime juice, and let it cook for 10 minutes. Add Salt to taste
6. Add the coriander, mix well and serve
Goes well with tandoori chicken

Watercress, tomato and Walnut Chutney / Pesto Tagliatelle

This is my entry for One Hot Stove's A-Z of Indian Vegetables

W is for Walnuts and Watercress both of which are power foods
Although pasta is not Indian, the walnut chutney is.




Walnuts
Walnuts are a power food, they are a very good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, a handful a day provides enough of these essential fats.
Watercress
Watercress is also considered a power food, it is full of beta carotenes.


1. Walnut and Coriander Chutney / Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups coriander leaves
8 green chillies; seeds removed (or to taste)
4 -6 cloves garlic; peeled
1 cup walnut pieces
2 limes; juiced
salt to taste
Method
Place all the ingredients in a food processer and grind to a paste.

2. Pasta and Sauce
16oz pack of fresh tagliatelle
2 cups of cherry tomatoes; quartered
1 cup of mozzarella cheese; grated
2 cups of watercress; washed and drained
1 tablespoon of olive oil
walnut chutney from above (about 1 cup)

Method
1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions; drain
2. In the same pan, heat the olive oil and fry the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes
3. Add the walnut chutney, stir the in pasta and the mozzarella cheese and the watercress, cook until the watercress begins to wilt
4. Serve immediately

Chilli and Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

This was cooked by Karim, recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen.
This is another entry for JFI for August is Chillies, Hosted by Nandita of Saffron Trail

Smashed potatoes are a rustic version of mashed potatoes, you smash them with their skins on.
In this recipe; we have left them whole, but they can be creamed just like mash potatoes.
See the defination here



Ingredients
6 Medium-sized potatoes
1/2 cup oilive oil
6 clove garlic; minced
1 tablespoon (or to taste) chilli flakes
2 tablespoons rosemary; chopped
salt to taste

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins, drain and set them aside to dry.
2. Mix the olive oil, garlic, salt, chilli flakes and rosemary
3. Place the potatoes on a greased tray or on parchment paper
4. Push down each potato with a potato masher until the skin splits, and the potato is squashed.
5. Spoon on the oil / chilli mixture onto all the potatoes
6. Bake in an hot oven 220 deg centigrade for 2o minutes or until brown and crispy

Mango Salsa

This is Joanne's recipe, great accompaniment for spicy dishes like tandoori chicken.

Ingredients
2 large Mangos; diced
1/2 red onion; chopped fine
1/2 cup coriander / cilantro; chopped fine
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Method

Mix and let stand overnight for optimum flavour.

Poached Eggs in a Spicy Tomato and Chilli Sauce

Uova in Camicia Rossa e Peperoncini Piccante

This is what Maria cooked on our last day in Toronto, it was so delicious; I could not wait to try it and share it. This is my entry for JFI for August is Chillies
Hosted by Nandita of Saffron Trail
Ingredients
2 to 3 spring onions; chopped
2 cloves garlic; roughly chopped
1 to 2 hot green chillies; chopped lengthways
1 mild green chilli; chopped into rings
1/2 Red Pepper; cut into strips
8 cherries tomatoes; quartered
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1 tablespoon olive oil





Method
1. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan
2. Fry the onions and the garlic for two mins
3. Add the green chillies
3. Add the red peppers; fry for about two minutes
4. Add the tomatoes, fry until soft.
5. Add the coriander, mix and break two eggs on top of the mixture.
6. Cover and cook until whites are cooked and the yolk is runny.
7. Serve on toasted chiabata bread.

Luncheon Party in Toronto

Menu
Pani puri (Saju)
Bread rolls stuffed with Spinach and cheese (Maria)
Smashed Potatoes (Karim)
Stuffed Kerala / Bitter Gourd (Chachi)
Tandoori Chicken (Joanne)
Sweet Corn Shaak (Chachi)
Blueberry and Almond Salad (Joanne)
Mango salsa (Joanne)

Recipes to follow

Tomato, red onion and coriander salad

6 plum / roma tomatoes; sliced into round slices
1 small or 1/2 medium or 1/3 large red onion, sliced
1/2 cup chopped coriander
1 lime juiced
1 table spoon olive oil
salt to taste.

1. Mix the sliced tomoatoes, onions and coriander
2. add dressing made with lime juice, olive oil and salt (put in a small bottle and shake)

this is a really refreshing salad, I make it all the time, but when I made it in Edmonton, everyone was asking for the recipe - so here it is people!
Sometimes I leave out the dressing and just add a little salt.

Red Leaf Lettuce, Orange and Almond Salad

This is Shemin's favourite recipe.

Caramelized Almonds
1 teaspoon water
¼ cup sugar
½ cup silvered almonds (I have used more than ½ cup and it still works ok)
Melt sugar with water until this mixture starts to turn brown. Add almonds and stir until golden brown. Remove to foil and spread out to cool. Once cool break up into smaller pieces. (Suggest serving almonds separately but can be added to salad mixture before serving).
Salad dressing
1 cup oil (your choice – olive, vegetable)
1 cup raspberry wine vinegar (red wine vinegar is ok)
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons black poppy seeds
1 teaspoon minced onion
Pinch black pepper
3 or 4 drops of Worcestershire sauce (optional – I don’t use it all the time)
Mix all ingredients and let chill. This makes lots of dressing so use to your taste. It should keep for a few days.

Lettuce
Red leaf lettuce.
Pre-washed spring mix worked well.

1 can manderin sections. Drain then add to salad before serving.
I have also used blueberries and pomegranate. (I found that the tangerine sections work better.)