Palak paneer

A classic saag from the Punjab region of India.

Ingredients:
350 gram fresh spinach, each person
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced and chopped)
2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
paneer
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seed
4 cardamons
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
dried fenugreek leaves

Boil the spinach is some water for a couple of minutes in a open pot. Drain spinach a little and put in blender.

Heat oil or ghee and fry cinnamon stick, cardamon, cloves and cumin seeds until they pop. Count the cardamon and cloves.

Add minced garlic and a chopped onion. Add salt (cooks the onions faster). Fry until the onions are slightly brown and soft. Remove cinnamon stick, cardamon and cloves.

Add 1 tablespoon ginger paste (freshly grated ginger). Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and chopped tomato (one or two, skinned and chopped). Cook on medium flame until the tomato's and onions are dissolved. You want a smooth sauce. Add 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder. Add crumbled dried fenugreek leaves, chili powder and/or fresh green chili (chopped). Add spinach and simmer for a short time until you see oil drops forming on top.

Add paneer and simmer for a few minutes until the paneer has soaked up the flavour. I have seen people fry the paneer before adding it to the kadai, so I might try that one time.

Serve with chapati or rice.

Kerala Fish Curry

What? No fish curry on my blog? I have some left over coconut milk in the fridge and I want to make it a policy not to throw food away.

Ingredients
Onion, chopped -- 1
Garlic, peeled -- 4 to 6 cloves
Gingerroot, peeled and thinly sliced -- 1 (1-inch) piece
Chile peppers, chopped -- 1 to 6
Tamarind pulp -- 2 or 3 tablespoons
Warm water -- 1 1/2 cups
Oil -- 3 or 4 tablespoons
Mustard seeds -- 1 tablespoon
Ground coriander -- 1 tablespoon
Turmeric --2 teaspoons
Fenugreek -- 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves (optional) -- 4 to 6
Salt and pepper -- to taste
White fish, cut into bite-sized pieces -- 2 pounds
Coconut milk -- 1 1/2 cups

Method
Place the onion, garlic, gingerroot and chilies in a blender or food processor and process until pureed but still a little chunky. You may have to add a little water and work in batches if using a blender.



Mix the tamarind pulp with the water and break it up with a fork or your hands to dissolve. Strain the tamarind water and discard the pulp.

Heat the oil in a large pot, kadhai or wok over medium-high flame. Add the mustard seeds and sauté until they start to pop. Add the dry spices quickly and stir just until they are absorbed by the oil. Do not allow the spices to burn.



Quickly add the onion puree and curry leaves. Reduce heat to low and cook until the liquid is reduced and the onions have lost their raw flavor, about 10 to 15 minutes.



Add the tamarind water, season with salt and pepper and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes to meld the flavors and reduce the liquid a little.



Stir in the fish ...



... and coconut milk and simmer slowly another 5 to 10 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Adjust seasoning and serve with basmati rice.



Variations
Fish curries in Kerala commonly use kudam puli (also known as kodampuli, kodum puli, kukum star or black tamarind) as a souring agent. This recipe uses regular tamarind as a substitute.
Kerala curry is good with a wide variety of fish. Use whatever is available to you.
Add 1/4 cup grated coconut with the tamarind water.
Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes if you like.
The dish is normally served quite spicy. Vary the number of chilies according to your taste.
Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of paprika along with the other spices.



I love my new De Buyer "Country Fry Pan" (24 cm). It's called a 'hapjes pan' in Dutch and has the same shape as a chef's pan (I think) but more importantly it has the same shape as an Indian/Pakistani "karahi". I used to own two original karahi's but they were made out of thin aluminum: completely useless. This country fry pan is made of heavy 99% iron - it weighs 1,5 kilo! It's perfect for curry's.

Cumin rice

An easy way to spice up your plain rice.

1 cup Basmati rice
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
0.5 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
2 cups water
salt and a dash of lime juice to taste. add some turmeric for color.

Heat ghee in a large heavy-bottomed vessel for about 2 minutes.
Add the cumin seeds and fry for 2 minutes till the seeds splutter.
Add the rice, lime juice, water, turmeric and salt. Mix well. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and cook covered on low level for 15 minutes till all water evaporates.

Serve with dahl.

Garjarela (sweet carrot dessert)

I haven't cooked much in the previous months but during the Sikh Vaisakhi festival in Amsterdam I stumbled upon a great tasting desert. It turns out to be garjarela and it's really easy to make. I haven't tried it yet, but will soon.

Ingredients
10 large carrots, peeled and grated
7 tbsp butter
5 cloves
green cardamom, crushed
a small piece of cinnamon sticks
75 ml milk
115 g granulated sugar


Method
1. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Add in the grated carrots and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain into a colander.

2. Melt the butter in a pan with the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon on a very low heat.

3. Add the milk and stir well.

4. When you can smell the cardamom, add the sugar.

5. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then add in the drained carrots.

6. Cook gently, stirring, until the liquid has cooked off, around 5 minutes.

7. Cover and cook on a very low heat for 15 minutes.

Aloo Palak

Aloo Palak simply means: potato spinach.

Start making a spicy spinach mixture. Cook spinach with 2 cloves garlic, ginger, onion and green chilies for 5 - 10 minutes (everything grated). Blend the spinach mixture to a fine puree.

Boil potatoes with salt and turmeric for 10 minutes.



Heet ghee in pan and fry cumin seeds, add 1 teaspoon garam masala, half a teaspoon of coriander powder and half a teaspoon of cumin powder. Add the spinach paste and fry for a few minutes.



Add potatoes and simmer to let the potatoes absorb the flavor.

Dry Masala Okra

Time for another Indian vegetable dish. You'll need okra and fresh spices.

You start by mixing a number of spices:



1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried coconut
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaf.



Trim 500 gram okra.



Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds. Fry 2 minutes until the seeds begin to pop.



Add the spice mixture and fry for 2 minutes.



Add the okra, cover and cook for 10 minutes on a low fire. It is a dry masala, so the greatest risk is burning the spices. Add a little water if needed and keep the fire low.



Mix with chopped tomato and serve with poppadums, or anything you like (chapati, rice).

Paneer Tikka Masala

Marinate cubed paneer in thick yoghurt with spices and vegetables.

1) Take some thick yoghurt, add: chili powder, kasturi methi (=dried leaves of fenugreek), salt, lime or lemon juice, oil and mix. Add cut tomato, red onion and bell pepper (bite sized) and marinate with the paneer.

2) The sauce:
Heat oil in pan, add cumin seeds, finely chopped onion, salt, add pinch of turmeric, garlic-ginger paste and flower (maïzena). Add one cup of pureed tomato's, coriander powder, cumin powder and chili powder. Add water when the mixture becomes dry.

3) In another pan cook the paneer-yoghurt mixture. Make sure the tomato's don't become overcooked.

4) Boil sauce (add water if needed) and add the well cooked paneer-yoghurt mixture. Add garam masala powder and finish with adding cream.

Indian pumpkin lentil soup

A great soup for all year around. For best results use Hokkaido pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima var. hubbaridianna). This pumpkin has its origins in Japan, but is widely available in Europa.

Hokkaido pumpkin has a great sweet taste. The Hokkaido pumpkin is a result of Japanese farmers cross breading the American giant pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), which was first brought to Japan in 1878.

The basic ingredients:

2 tomatoes
1 potato
1 onion
fresh ginger (shredded)
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
1 liter water
100 gram red lentils
Tamarind (according to taste, start with 2 tablespoons ), use tamarind pulp.
1 Hokkaido pumpkin

Before firing up the stove, make sure these ingredients are ready:



Fry the onion and ginger in 2 tablespoons of oil until brown.



Add tomatoes and potato and fry for 5 minutes:



Add spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili, coconut) and fry for 3 minutes:



Add 1 liter of water and 100 gram red lentils. Bring to a boil:



Prepare pumpkin:



Add pumpkin to soup and simmer until soft. Add water if needed:



Puree the soup with a strong mixer:



Add tamarind juice according taste. This functions as a souring agent, much like lemon or lime. At this stage also add salt. Taste for the best result.



Mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander or mint leaves.

Alu gobi आलू गोभी (potatoes cauliflower)

Gobi:



Aloo / alu:



Ingredients:
1/2 tsp amchoor powder
1  cauliflower, cut into florets
1 bunch chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (shred garlic and ginger to a paste).
2 green chill's.
1/4 cup oil
1 small onion
4  potatoes, cubed
1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
3  tomatoes, chopped
3/4 tsp turmeric powder

Directions:
• Heat oil in a pan, saute cumin seeds, and ginger-garlic paste for a minute.

• Add crushed tomato,onion and green chilli and add turmeric cook till oil ozzes out.

 • Add rest of spices mixed in water (2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp amchoor powder).

• Add poatoes. and cauliflower and salt. Fry for few minutes. 

• Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

• Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with naan, chapati or roti.

Dal: Vegetable Chaunk version

For my own reference:

Chaunk:
2 tablespoons ghee
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (and/or fresh chili)
2 bay leaves
Pinch of hing (asafetida)
1 medium size chopped tomato
1 small courgette chopped into cubes
6 string beans chopped (optional)
1 carrot (optional)

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add hing, cumin seeds, mustard seeds. After seeds crack add bay leaves and chili powder, stir for few seconds and add the vegetables. Stir the vegetables and cook for 4 to 5 minutes till the vegetables are tender, add chaunk to dal and mix well.

I used yellow moong dal, which is split and dehusked mung beans. Simply boil the dal with some salt and a tsp of turmeric.