Mushroom Mutter Masala

Mushroom Peas Curry

This delicious dish is not often found in restaurants, but one that is definitely worth trying. The ingredients are so simple and you'll be surprised to see the end result which will make you keep licking your fingers. You can just halve, quarter, or thickly slice the mushrooms according to their size.



Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

350 g button mushrooms
225 g frozen peas
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
200 ml or 1 US Cup Curry sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons chopped green coriander

Directions

Rinse and thickly slice the mushrooms. Rinse the frozen peas well in hot water and drain.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. When hot. add the mushrooms and green peas and fry on a gentle heat for 4 - 5 minutes till the mushrooms look soft.

Now add the curry sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in the salt, turmeric, ground cumin, and chilli powder. Simmer stirring occasionally. for about 15 minutes.

Add the dried fenugreek and the garam masala and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Allow the oil to settle and skim off the excess. Stir in the green coriander and serve.

Basic Curry Sauce

This is the most closely guarded of all the secrets of restaurant cooking.
Once prepared, it has a very smooth texture and a pale golden color. Taste it and it is pleasant with a subtle curry flavor. Every good restaurant has a large pan of the sauce always at hand, with the recipe varying only slightly from chef to chef. It forms the base of all the restaurant curries from the very mild to very hot and spicy. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, although the best restaurants will prepare no more than 3 day' requirement in one go. Together with your spices, the prior preparation of the curry sauce and whatever vegetable you propose to use, a selection of dishes can be made in a matter of minutes.

You will see that the making of the curry sauce is in fact simple with no special equipment required other than a blender. It is essential, though, that you follow strictly the instructions for blending and skimming as these are two procedures that can make the difference between a good curry and a poor one.

The quantities given here are enough for 3 to 4 people. If you do not require so much, you may halve the quantity of each ingredient, or alternatively freeze the remainder of the finished sauce.

Adapted from "The Curry Secret" from Kris Dhillon

For approximately 4 main course dishes.
Preparation and cooking time : About 1 1/2 hours

Ingrdeints:

450 g onions
25 g ginger
25 g garlic
750 ml water
3/4th teaspoon salt
1 small tin(110 g )tomatoes OR can use 2 fresh ripe tomatoes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika (can substitute chilli powder)

Peel and rinse the onions. ginger, and garlic. Slice the onions and roughly chop the ginger and garlic.

Put the chopped ginger and garlic into a small blender with about 1/2 cup of water and blend until smooth.

Take a large saucepan and put into it the onions, the blended garlic and ginger, and the remainder of the water. Add the salt and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to very low and simmer, with the lid on, for 40 to 45 minutes. You'll see that the water turns green. Don't worry.
Leave to cool.

Once cooled pour half of the boiled onion mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Absolute smoothness is essential. To be certain, blend for at least 2 minutes. Pour the blended onion mixture into a clean pan or bowl and repeat with the other half of the boiled onions.[ To make this more easier, just drain the boiled onions and reserve the water. Simply blend the onions until smooth and combine it with the reserved water.]

Open the can of tomatoes. Pour into the rinsed blender jug, and blend. If using fresh tomatoes, blanch them first by boiling whole tomatoes in a pan of hot water for few minutes and take the skin off, let cool and then blend. Again, it is important that they are perfectly smooth, so blend for about 2 minutes.

Into a clean saucepan, put the oil, turmeric, and paprika/chilli powder. Add the blended tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Now add the onion mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil again. Turn down the heat enough to keep the sauce at a simmer.

You will notice at this stage that a froth rises to the surface of the sauce. This needs to be skimmed off. Keep simmering and skimming for 20 -25 minutes, stirring now and again to prevent the surface sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

Use immediately or cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Mutter Paneer

Pan-Fried Cheese with Green Peas

There is no one north Indian restaurant menu, or any special occasion meal from that region, that does not include mutter paneer. This dish is rich, creamy and with some homemade freshly ground perfumed spices, they taste delicious. You can have this along with any store bought or homemade naan, and the meal is complete. The garam masala in this recipe is added in the beginning itself to let the lovely spices blend together with the creamy sauce.


If you don't find paneer or you don't have it handy, then you can easily substitute it with boiled and cubed potatoes and you can rename the dish as "Aloo matar". Even potatoes go very well with this sauce.

Recipe adapted from 660 curries

Ingredients:

1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
3 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 1 1/2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/2 inch thick)
3 large cloves garlic
1 or 2 fresh green chillies
2 tablespoons canola oil (or vegetable/ sunflower)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
1 cup tomato sauce , canned or homemade
2 teaspoons bin bhuna hua garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (no need to thaw)
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
8 ounces Paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes and pan-fried with few teaspoons of oil till golden brown
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions:

Combine the onion, ginger, garlic, and green chiles in a food processor and pulse until they are minced.

Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the cumin seeds and bay leaf, and cook until cumin seeds sizzles, turns reddish brown, and smells nutty, 5 to 10 seconds. Immediately add the minced onion blend and stir fry until it is light reddish brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in tomato sauce, bin bhuna hua garam masala and salt. The sauce will quickly start to bubble up and splatter, so lower the heat to medium. Simmer the sauce partially covered, stirring occasionally, until some oil starts to appear on the surface and around the edges, providing a glistening sheen , 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour in 1/4 cup water and the peas. Cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender and olive green in color, 8 to 10 minutes.

Fold in the cream, paneer and cilantro. Cover the pan and simmer, occasionally stirring gently, until the cream and cheese have warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Paneer Jalfrezie (Creamy Cheese with Red Onion and Bell Peppers)

The word Jalfrezie, a coined term that originated in Indian restaurents catering to the English, has come to mean many things. Some associate it with "chiles-hot," while to others it indicates the inclusion of bell peppers and onions as key ingredient that contribute to the curry's gusto. So this recipe is an old English favorite curry.


Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 tbsps oil
1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium-size green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup tomato sauce, canned or homemade
1 tbsp Balti Masala
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
8 ounce Paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions:

Heat the oil in a wok, or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger, and stir fry until the onion is light brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce, balti masala, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until a bit of oil starts to form on the surface and sround the edges, 5 to 8 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup of water and the cilantro. (The water thins the curry to accommodate the cheese.)

Gently fold in the paneer, raise the heat to medium-high, and simmer, uncovered, stirring every so often, until the sauce starts to thicken, 10-12 minutes. Then serve.

Bharlele Masala Bhindi (Cashew and Coriander Stuffed Okra)

This one has to be the best Okra recipe i have ever had. I used to avoid using this vegetable as i could not get rid of the sticky thing in it while cooking. But then i found this recipe in the book 660 curries written by Raghavan Iyer. I got this book as a gift from my hubby on my birthday and i've never looked back. I've been trying out all the recipes one by one and not one recipe has disappointed me. So look forward for more curry recipes from this book on this blog. The curries are finger licking and i'm glad i'm able to cook such wonderful curries for my family. I recommend all the Indian curries lovers to buy this book.
This curry Bharlele masala bhindi has got the perfect blend of spices and goes wonderfully with Indian flat breads as its little dry. Its got a little more amount of oil but this is what gives the curry a wonderful texture. But you can try reducing the amount of oil a little bit. The red onions give a lovely sweetness and the tomato which is added at the end of the process gives a tiny tang to the curry. So here goes the recipe..


Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pound (454 gms) Fresh Okra, rinsed and thoroughly dried
1/2 cup raw (unroasted) Cashew nuts , ground (powdered)
2 tsps Degi mirch red chilli powder
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 cup canola oil (or vegetable/ sunflower will do)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 small red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
12-15 curry leaves
1 large tomato, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions:
Trim the caps off the Okra without cutting into the pods. Then form a small cavity in each okra by cutting a slit down three quarters of the length, making the slit about 1/4 inch deep. Be careful not to cut all the way through the pod. This cavity will hold the stuffing.

Combine the cashews, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt in a small bowl, and mix well.

Using your fingers, stuff each okra pod with approximately 1/2 teaspoon of this spice blend. (You can safely stuff the okra a day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.) There shouldn't be any blend left over, but if there is, either sprinkle it over the stuffed okra or save it, stored in a jar or a self-seal plastic bag, on a cool pantry shelf for future use; it will keep for up to 2 months.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover the skillet, and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (not unlike popcorn), about 30 seconds. Stir in the onion, and add the okra along with the curry leaves. Lower the heat to medium, and roast the mixture, uncovered, occasionally stirring gently, until the onion softens and the now olive-green okra is partially tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the tomato, cover the skillet, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the okra is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Then serve.

Tips:

* To grind the cashews powder-fine, use a spice grinder or a blender. If some kernels refuse to pulverize, empty some of the ground nuts into a bowl, freeing up space for the blades to do their thing.

* When you rely on the juiciness of a tomato to provide essential moisture to a curry, it had better be perfectly ripe, bursting with sweet succulence- none of those waxy, pale pink specimens that remain firm even after squatting on the kitchen counter for days. If you cant find that just-right tomato, use 1 can(14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, juice and all, instead.

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry)

Indian food incorporates very innovative cooking methods, be it the use of the tandoor or the concept of cooking vegetables directly over the flame thus endowing the vegetable with a great smoky flavor. This particular dish Baingan Bharta has many fans all over the world. It goes wonderfully with any Indian flat bread or simply plain steamed rice.


Baingan or Brinjals are cooked directly over the flame till the skin is charred and can be peeled off combined with a fine blend of spices and some ghee makes up this brilliant creation. While selecting the brinjals for this recipe, be sure to choose one's that are large and with a shiny smooth surface as these are likely to have lower number of seeds. All in all this scrumptious dish is worth all the time and mess it may create!!



Ingredients required:

1 large (750gms) Brinjal (baingan / eggplant)
1/2 tsp for greasing
1 tbsp Ghee or oil(neutral)
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 onion(medium sized), chopped
1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
1 tsp finely chopped green chilli + 1/2 tsp chilli powder(if you prefer more hot)
2 tomatoes(medium sized), chopped

1/2 cup peas , i used frozen (no need to thaw)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish

Directions:

Grease the brinjal with oil and roast it over an open low flame till it is cooked. Keep turning the brinjal frequently so that all the sides are equally roasted(skin gets charred) and the inner flesh looks soft. OR you can use an oven which is a much easier option, as you wont have any mess around and you wont have to keep an eye on the brinjal. Just preheat the oven to 200 deg C and line a baking sheet or any other pan with aluminium foil and keep the greased brinjals as it is and bake for 1 hour. Take it out of the oven and let it cool completely. For this you'll need to plan ahead and start off.

Once the brinjals have cooled, peel the skin off and discard the skin. And chop the inner flesh or just roughly mash it. It need not have to be completely mashed. Keep aside.

Heat the ghee/oil in a pan and add asafoetida (hing) and cumin seeds.

When the seeds crackle add the onions and saute till they turn golden brown or translucent.

Add ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute for a few more seconds.

Add the tomatoes, peas, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and cook covered till the tomatoes turn soft.

Add the mashed brinjal, garam masala powder and salt, mix well and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

I'm sending this post for the event called "side dish for chapathi". An event hosted by Viki;s Kitchen.

Kadai Paneer

The kadai is one of the most commonly used cooking utensil in Indian kitchen. It is mainly used for deep-frying and may be called India's version of the chinese wok. Delicious subzis can be prepared in a kadai and this gives the dish a distinct feel. As a result subzis that are prepared in this manner adopt the word kadai in their name. Thus originates the dish kadai paneer. Its a semi-dry dish that makes use of whole red chillies making it a treat for all your senses. Capsicum adds just the right amount of crunch while kasuri methi bestows its wonderful fragnance upon this creation. Serve this dish in a miniature kadai with some hot coal underneath to give it the authentic kadai-fresh look!


Here are the ingredients..
2 Capsicum, cut into chunks
2 Onions, Chopped
1 Tomato Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2" Ginger, chopped
3 Clove
1" Cinnamon
2 whole red chillies, broken
1/4 tsp Turmaric
Handful of coriander leaves
3 tbsp Cream(optional)
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

For the marinade:
100 gms Paneer, cut into long cubes
3 Tbsp yogurt, beaten
1/2 tsp Kasuri mthi(dry fenugreek leaves)
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 Tbsp Oil

Method
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the marinade and keep aside.

In a pan, take 2 Tbsp of oil and fry the capsicum uncovered till tender. Keep aside.

Take 1 Tbsp of oil in another pan. Fry the cloves and cinnamon. Add the chopped onions, Ginger, garlic and whole red chilli and fry till the onion becomes soft.

Add tomato and turmaric. Close the lid and let it cook for another 7-8 minutes. Keep stirring in between. Add the coriander leaves in the end and blend this entire cooked mixture.

Take the pan with the fried capsicum and add the blended mixture. Also add the entire mixture used for the marinade. Add salt to taste, sugar and the cream. Cook covered for 2 minutes.

Delicious Kadhai paneer is ready.

Nawabhi paneer

This dish is another curry dish which goes wonderfully with any Indian flat bread or rice. Kesar or saffron a highly revered spice that is also very expensive. North Indians use ample use of kesar in their cooking. Most commonly used in sweets and mithai, a small amount of keasr can change the entire flavour of a dish. Kesar is also used to flavour hot milk topped with malai or cream.
Here this much adored spice has been used to flavour a curry to which soft, melt in your mouth paneer have been added. Dissolving the kesar in little warm milk or water before adding to a dish greatly enhances its flavour and colour.
This curry tastes awesome, just like the one you get in the restaurants and goes lovely with any Indian flat bread or rice. My husband loves this dish! Do try and let me know..


Ingredients:
200 gm paneer, cut into chunks
3 Onions, chopped
2 Tbsp Ginger and garlic paste
2 Green chillies, chopped
2 tomatoes OR 1/2 cup Tomato puree
25 gm Cashew nuts
3 Tbsp Dry coconut powder or dessicated coconut powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/4tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 cup curd
A few strands of saffron(kesar) dissolved in 2 tbsp milk OR 1/4 tsp kesar color
1 tsp Kasuri methi
1 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

Initial Preparation

Fry cashew nuts for 1 minute and grind it along with dry coconut with little milk.

Fry the onions in little oil till they are soft and done. And then grind it.

Fry the paneer in little oil or ghee for a minute or till they turn golden brown. Add curd to it(entire paneer should be coated well).

Blanch the tomatoes and puree them.

Method:In a non stick pan, take some oil. Add the onion paste and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the ginger -garlic paste, green chillies and tomato puree. let it boil.

Add the red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, jeera powder, turmaric and garam masala powder and mix it well.

Then add the cashew and coconut paste. Finally add kesar color, salt, sugar, kasuri methi and the paneer mixture.

Add 1 cup of water and let boil.

Yummy Nawabhi Paneer is ready!!


Enjoy and have a great week!

Black eye beans and Red cow peas Curry

Ingredients:

Black eye beans - 1/2 cup





Red cow peas - 1/2 cup



Onion - 2(small,chopped)
Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
Ginger and garlic - 2tbsp(chopped)
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Coriander powder - 2tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery - 2tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak Black eye beans and Red cow peas overnight and pressure cook the lentils with the turmeric powder.

In a small pan,fry the onions with little oil. Add ginger and garlic and fry till the onions look transparent. Take it off the heat, cool and grind it with very less water.

Take some oil in another pan,add the grinded onions, tomato puree and fry till the raw smell disappears(say about 5 mins).

After 5 minutes, add all the masala powders and fry for another two minutes.

Now add the lentils ,jaggery and salt and let it come to a boil.

Garnish with little butter and coriander leaves.

Channa masala

Ingredients:
Chickpeas - 500gms( Soaked overnight and pressure cooked with salt)
Onion - 2 + 1 (2 roughly chopped for grinding and 1 finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 + 1 ( " )
Ginger and garlic - 2tbsp(chopped)
Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp
Dates(karjoor) - 2(seeded and soaked in little water)
channa masala powder - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Amchur powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind juice - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves - To garnish
Butter - 2tbsp
Salt to taste


Method:

In a pan,take half of the butter and fry the roughly chopped onion with a pinch of salt till slightly transparent.

Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears. Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes turn soft. Take the pan off the flame and let cool.

Now grind the onion-tomato mixture along with Poppy seeds, Soaked dates and 1/2 cup of the cooked channa.

In the same pan, take another half of the butter and fry finely chopped onion with green chilli. Once the onion is done,add the chopped tomato. Cook for some time.
You can now add the grinded mixture along with the masala powders. Add salt and tamarind juice.

Add the remaining cooked channa and little water to get the required consistency and bring it to boil.

Garnish your channa masala with coriander leaves and onion rings.

Serve hot with Batura.

Palak Paneer

Many of the best loved Indian dishes are the ones where paneer(Indian Cream Cheese) is combined with a vegetable. Paneer is widely used and very popular in India, especially in North due to abundance of milk and milk products in the area.
This combination of spinach with paneer is not only highly nutritious, but is a splendid blend of taste, texture and flavor. Even before you taste it, the look tempts you. The paneer in this recipe has been fried to add some extra flavor. You can however add the paneer pieces without frying if required. Cream is added to give the richness to the dish but its optional.

Here are the Ingredients..

Serves 2

Spinach(frozen or fresh) - 4000gms
Paneer(cottage cheese) - 150gms(cut into 1" cubes)
Onion(chopped) - 1
Tomato (chopped) - 1
Ginger,garlic paste - 1tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Turmaric powder - 1/4tsp
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Garam masala powder - 1tsp
Whipped cream - 1/4 cup(Optional)
Kasuri methi - 1tsp
Hing - a pinch
Jeera - 1tsp
Butter - 2tbsp
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat Butter in a pan. Add jeera and hing. When the jeera splutters,add onion and ginger-garlic paste with a pinch of salt. Salt helps cook the onions faster by releasing moisture from the onions. Fry till the onions are done and the raw smell of ginger and garlic disappears.

Now add turmeric and red chilli powder and tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are soft and done, add the remaining masala powders and spinach. Cook for about 5 -10 minutes. Take the pan off the flame, cool and grind.

Mean while take a pan with little butter and fry the paneer cubes. Fry them till they turn golden brown. Keep a vessel with some water and ice cubes in it ready. Once the paneer is done,take it out of the pan and immerse the pieces in the ice cold water. This lets the paneer stay soft.

Take the grinded mixture in the same pan. Squeeze out the water from the paneer cubes using both your hands and add it to the grinded spinach. Add salt and sugar to taste,kasuri methi and cream. Let it come to a boil.

Palak paneer is ready to eat. It can be taken with chapathi or Simple Jeera Rice.