Tag Archives: indian

Sweet Potato Samosa Pops

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It seems like pops (food on sticks) are every where. Starbucks recently came out with cake pops. And the amazingly talented Bakerella has made cake pops into an art form . I’m jumping on the pop band wagon with this savory sweet potato samosa pops recipe! Yay! for samosa on a stick!

Im modernizing the Indian samosa by using sweet potato, making it mini sized, and putting on a lollipop stick.

You could also use this recipe for making regular potato samosas, green pea samosa, or pumpkin samosa. Whatever samosa filling you use, make sure you dont over stuff the puff pastry. Also make sure your lollipop sticks are oven-safe before baking! 

I use puff pastry because it’s so delicious and easy (and its vegan). You could ofcourse use your favorite samosa shell recipe if you have one.

An egg wash will make the surface of the samosa pops beautifully golden. Vegans can leave out this step and still get great tasting samosas.

I serve samosa pops with the same sauces one would use for regular samosas – tamarind chutney and mint chutney. This recipe goes to the Chez Cayenne’s House Favorites: Vegan event.

Sweet Potato Samosa Pops Recipe

Makes 20 pops

1 large Sweet potato (substitute with regular potato or ¾ cup peeled, cooked butternut squash or pumpkin)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
½ tablespoon minced ginger
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon, or to taste red chile powder
¼ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon garam masala
1/8 teaspoon aam choor or mango powder (substitute with 1/2 teaspoon lime juice)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Salt
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed for about 30 minutes.
1 egg (vegans leave this out)
1 tablespoon milk (vegans leave this out)

20 six inch lollipop sticks (I used ‘Candymaker’ brand; it is oven-safe)

Pre heat oven to 400f

Wrap the sweet potato in a paper towel and microwave on high for about 4 minutes or till the sweet potato is cooked through. When it is cool enough to handle, peel the skin and lightly mash.This is the easiest way to cook and prepare a sweet potato for this recipe. Alternatively, you could peel, cube, and boil the sweet potato in water till tender. You need about 3/4th cup of cooked and peeled sweet potato.

While the sweet potato is cooking, heat the oil in a medium sauce pan. Add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add the chooped onion and cook on medium heat till onions are lightly browned. Then add the ginger and garlic and cook for about a minute. Add turmeric, chilli, coriander powders, garam masala, and aam choor. Stir for about 30 seconds, taking care not to burn the spice powders. Turn off heat. Add the mashed sweet potato, cilantro and salt. Mix well. Taste and adjust salt and seasonings.

Lay out the thawed puff pastry on a clean work top. Measure out 2 inch squares. Using a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry sheets into 2 inch squares. You should have about 40 squares.

(If you have any odd sized bits of puff pastry left over after cutting, simply bake the scraps without filling, along with the rest of the samosas. You can snack on these!)

Press a lollipop stick onto the center of 20 of the squares. Mound 1 teaspoon of the sweet potato filling on top of the squares with the lollipop sticks. Don’t over fill.

Cover these with the other 20 squares of puff pastry. Gently stretch them a little so they fit over the filling mound. Using the tines of a small fork, press down and seal all the edges. Make sure they are sealed well. (Look at photos above).

(If you wish to freeze the samosa pops, you can do so at this point. Lay out the samosa pops on a single layer and place in the freezer. Once they are frozen hard, remove the samosa pops and put them in a zip lock bag, and return to the freezer for future use.)

Lay the samosa pops on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl. Brush this egg wash over the samosas.

Bake in a 400f oven, for 15 minutes or till puff pastry is golden.

Serve with store bought tamarind chutney.

The Perfect Dosa Recipe (Rice and Lentil Crepes)

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Perfecting my dosa recipe and method hasn’t been easy. It took a lot of experimentation, but finally I have the best dosa batter recipe and method for you. Read on to learn hot to make the perfect dosa-idli batter recipe, a dosa grinder giveaway, and your questions about dosa and idli batter answered by the experts!

Dosa, Idli Dos and Don’ts

Do use a hot griddle for dosas
Do use your hands to mix the ground batter
Do use whole urad dal (urad gota)
Do use a wet grinder or other similar heavy duty grinder/blender for the batter
Do place the batter in 80-90 degrees F for fermentation
Do experiment with various types of rice and urad dal to find what suits you best
Don’t pour dosas using cold batter
Don’t make dosas on an unseasoned pan (see recipe below for the onion trick)
Don’t use poor quality rice and dal
Don’t use an air tight lid when batter is fermenting

 

Your Dosa and Idli Batter Questions Answered by the Experts

Ive talked to several people about the art and science that is dosa-idli making.  For this post, we have two of the most knowledgeable people on this topic to answer your idli, dosa questions.

Chef KN Vinod, is an award winning restaurateur who runs three of Washington DC’s favorite Indian restaurants Indique, Indique Heights and Bombay Bistro. At his restaurants, Chef Vinod regularly hosts celebrities and politicians including (KR Narayan and Hillary Clinton!). Chef Vinod blogs at http://chefvinod.typepad.com/. You can also find him on twitter and facebook. For today’s Q&A, Chef Vinod has elicited the help of his friend, and food scientist Dr. Danny Chawan.

Ms. Andal Balu is the owner of Atlanta based Inno Concepts, a company which sells kitchen appliance for Indian cooking.  Mrs Balu is a successful business woman, gourmand, and America’s expert on dosa/idli making. Inno Concepts is the generous sponsor of today’s grinder giveaway.

My idli and dosa batter doesn’t fermentation properly. I let the batter sit in the oven with the light on overnight and it is completely unchanged even 10 hours later. Ive tried everything. Help!

 Andal Balu: Use the soaking water to grind the rice and dal for proper fermentation. You have to mix the batter with your hand. If you mix it with ladle, it may not ferment right (body heat from your hands helps kickstart fermentation). Also cover the batter with a lid that fits loosely - do not use an airtight lid.

 Chef Vinod: Fermentation is always a problem in colder places. Our modern living with air filters etc. also inhibits the capture of wild yeast from the air. Sometimes indoor air, particularly in winter with all the doors and windows shut will be low in air borne yeast cells. When all else fails, I would recommend using some yeast. Use half teaspoon in half cup water and a teaspoon of sugar to kick start yeast growth. Add to a gallon of batter.

 Sala’s note: If you’ve tried everything, you might want to change your brand of rice and dal and see if that does the trick. Poor quality ingredients = poor quality fermentation.

In cold climates, place batter in an oven with the light on for warmth. Leave a note so no one turns off the oven!

What proportion of rice and ural dal do you personally use?

Andal Balu: I use the same proportion for idlis and dosas. 5 cups parboiled (idli) rice, and 1 cup whole urad dal (gotta). I make idlis with this batter the first day, dosa on the second, and uthappams on the third day.  

Chef Vinod: At the restaurant we use 4 cups long grain rice, 1 cup parboiled (idli) rice, 1 cup urad dal, and a little methi seeds

Sala’s note: Everyones recipe will be different because quality of rice and dal used, quantity of batter made, and temperature all affect the ratio. Use these proportions as a guideline and then experiment.

Should I grind the rice and dal separately or together?

Andal Balu: Separately. Grinding dal separately will make it fluffy, resulting in excellent fermentation. It will also volumize the batter when fermenting which is important for fluffy, soft idlis.

What consistency and texture should my ground dosa and idli batter be?

Andal Balu: Grind dal till it is very soft and foamy. Also grind the rice till smooth. Add enough water to the batter so that it is thick, but when you scoop it in your hands, the batter falls through your fingers. This is what I do for both idli and dosa.

Does is matter if I use tap water or filter water for soaking and grinding? 

Chef Vinod: If your tap water is highly chlorinated, it could inhibit fermentation. In this case, use filtered water.

Why do we use fenugreek or methi seeds in dosa-idli batter making?

Chef Vinod: Methi seeds contain compounds high in beta-glucans.  They help hold carbon dioxide, which makes idlis fluffy and soft. Methi seeds also give viscosity to the batter.

If I rinse the dal, will it take away the necessary properties to ferment?  

Chef Vinod: Washing is done to remove any dust, and impurities from the dal and rice. Althought some old time cooks soak the dal and rice without rinsing and wash just before grinding.

How much salt should I add to my dosa and idli batter?

Andal Balu: About 1/2 teaspoon for one cup of dry ingredients (rice + dal) plus more according to taste. Adding enough salt is important for proper fermentation.

How can I get good textured idlis at high altitude? What are the adjustments for altitude?

Andal Balu: The rice needs to be ground finer so it can cook faster at higher altitudes. If the rice is coarse, it will take longer to cook and will feel gritty in the mouth. Make sure a warm temperature is maintained when batter is fermenting.

Chef Vinod: I turned to Dr. Chawan for this. He says changing the proportion of dal and rice for higher altitudes isnt necessary. Fermentation is done by yeast, and yeast grows in high altitudes as well, and produces carbon dioxide which is the key component of making fluffy, soft idlis. Pay attention to the fermentation temperature; make sure your batter is in a warm place. A little glucose or corn syrup will also make your batter rise better.

My dosas always turn out dry and brittle, what am I doing wrong?

Andal Balu: Check the consistency of the batter – is it too thick? Check the temperature of the batter – make sure it is at room temperature, and not straight out of the fridge. Make sure that the pan is hot enough when you pour the batter. Check it by splashing couple of droplets of water on the pan and it should sizzle.

Chef Vinod: Two scientific reasons. 1. Not enough dal in your batter. Protein in dal is responsible for the softness. Try increasing your dal proportion. 2. Amylopectin in rice. According to Dr. Chawan, there are two kinds of starches present in rice and grains – Amylopectin and Amylose. If the rice is low in Amylopectin and high in Amylose it can cause the dosa to be dry and brittle. Sala’s note: Try experimenting with different brands of rice.

Ok, but there is no way I can determine the chemical composition of a bag of rice at the store. Is there a quick fix for dry and brittle dosas?

Chef Vinod:  As a quick fix, if you have some tapioca flour handy, Dr. Chawan recommends trying to incorporate some into the batter as it is very high in Amylopectin. I have not personally  tried it.

My idlis are pale yellow. How do I get white idlis?

Andal Balu: If the ground batter does not ferment properly, the idlis will be yellowish (see the question and answer on fermentation). Also make sure the consistency of the batter is right – once the urad and rice batters are mixed, take the batter in your hand, it must fall freely back into the vessel.

Chef Vinod: If your batch of urad dal has been contaminated with immature urad beans or partially germinated beans, this will produce some enzymes which will cause idlis to become yellowish or pinkish. Sala’s note: Try a different brand of dal.

I would love some tips on how to make paper thin, crispy dosas

Andal Balu: Grind the rice fine. Don’t use extremely thick batter. Use an iron skillet for best results. Bring refigerated batter to room temperature before making dosas. You can take it out of the fridge ahead of time. Or you can heat some water in the microwave and add to the thick batter to make it thin and to bring it to the room temperature. Between dosas, grease the tawa or skillet lightly with oil and then pour the batter. Add extra oil after the batter is poured on the skillet.

Sala’s note: I add chana dal (soak 3 tablespoons of channa dal with every cup of urad) for super crispy, golden, restaurant style dosas.

How do you get the nice golden color you seen in restaurant dosas?

Chef Vinod: Add a little besan (gram flour) in very less quantities that you cannot make out that besan has been added. OR, add a little sooji (cream of wheat) to make the dosa really golden and crisp. This again is done in very less quantities that you cannot make out.

Andal Balu: You will get nice golden brown dosas if you bring the batter to room temperature. If you use the cold batter, the dosas will stay white.

Sala’s note: I add channa dal (soak 3 tablespoon for every cup of urad dal) for golden colored dosas.

Why are my idlis hard and rubbery? How do I make soft and fluffy idlis?

Andal Balu: Keep four thing in mind for soft, fluffy idlis.
1. proper fermentation (see earlier questions)
2.proper rice:dal proportion
3.don’t overcook idlis, this will make them hard. Steam idlis for about 12 minutes if using a conventional idli steamer, and 15 minutes for an electric one.
4.never pressure cook idlis

What is the proper way to eat a dosa, what are the accompaniments, what do you dip it with? Is there a dosa etiquette?

Andal Balu: There is no dosa etiquette. Enjoy it however you want. Side dishes recommended – idli chilly powder, coconut chutney, tomato chutney, coriander or cilantro chutney, yogurt, Chinese garlic pickle, potato masala, sambar…possibilities are endless! 

Chef Vinod: Dosa is made and served differently from region to region in India – so I would  not  say that a particular way is right or wrong. Most places in south India serve dosas with sambar and coconut chutney.

Sala’s note: Serve yourself a dosa on your plate. Pour sambar into cups, if they are available. Serve chutney, dosa or idli podi (also called gun powder) and potato masala on the plate. Tear off a piece of dosa and dip it into any combination of the sambar, chutney, podi and or potato. Lick your fingers, and enjoy :)

 

The Perfect Dosa Recipe

Serves about 8

1 cup sona masuri rice (or similar medium grained rice)
1 cup idli rice (parboiled rice)
½ cup whole urad dal (skinned black gram)
½ teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
Salt 1 teaspoon

Special equipemt: a wet grinder. This is a heavy duty grinder that is perfect for dosa and idli batter. You could use a blender instead, but the results wont be the same.

Place the rice in a large bowl. Place the dal and fenugreek seeds in another large bowl. Wash the rice with room temperature water. Drain out the water, and fill the bowl with more water, so that the water is about 2 inches above the rice.

Do the same with the dal and fenugreek – wash, rinse, and fill with water. Let rice and dal soak for about 6 hours.

The dal should now be swollen, and the rice will be easy to break with your fingers.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of the dal soaking liquid into a wet grinder. Turn the grinder on. Then, using your hands, scoop the soaked dal, allowing excess water to drain back into the bowl. Add dal to the grinder, hand fulls at a time. Grind till the dal is fluffy and silky smooth – about 15 minutes (grinding time will vary depending on the grinder and quantity of dal). You should have fluffy clouds of ground dal – think liquid marshmallows.

Sprinkle a little soaking water into the grinder as and when needed, to move the batter along. Turn off grinder, and scoop the ground dal using your hands and put it into a large (4 quart) bowl.

Now grind the rice (no need to wash the grinder). Add 1 cup of the rice soaking liquid into the grinder and turn it on. Add the rice to the grinder. The rice should be ground to a smooth, but ever so slightly gritty batter – about 20 minutes (will vary depending on the grinder and rice). Sprinkle water in the grinder as and when needed.

Using your hands, scoop the rice batter into the bowl with the dal. Add salt, and stir gently using your hands. You should now have approximately 2 quarts of batter.

Cover the bowl loosely, either with a large tea towel, or a lid. The lid should not be air tight.

If you live in a warm climate leave the batter over night in a warm place (about 8 hours) to ferment. Ideal dosa idli batter fermentation temperature is around 90f or 32c.

If you live in a cold climate, turn on the pilot light of your oven. (do not turn on your oven!). Place the batter bowl on the lowest rack, farthest away from the light. The light will give the batter enough warmth to ferment. Leave the bowl in the oven for about 10 hours for dosa batter to ferment. Sometimes, the batter may take up to 18 hours to ferment in colder climates.

The fermented batter should be frothy, and almost doubled in volume. For this recipe, you should land up with at least 3 quarts of fermented batter.

If the fermented batter is too thick, add a little water. For dosas, the batter must be of pouring consistency, but not runny.

Heat a 9 inch nonstick skillet on high heat. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the skillet. The water should sizzle and evaporate away on the count of 4. This means the pan is hot enough to make dosas.

Cut a small wedge from an onion. Stick a fork into the onion (See photos above). Add a drop of vegetable oil to the hot pan, and spread the oil around, using the onion. (Just a drop of oil will do for a non-stick pan.)

Now pour a ladle (1/4 cup) of batter onto the hot pan. Using very little pressure, swirl the ladle in concentric circles, to spread out the batter (see photos).

When the batter is fully spread, spray or drizzle a few drops of vegetable oil all over the dosa.

Cook on medium-high heat till the bottom side of the dosa becomes lightly brown.

At this point, you can fold the dosa over in half, or roll it into rolls like ive done, and serve. (For extra crispy dosas, flip the dosa over, and lightly brown the other side).

Taste your first dosa, and adjust salt in the batter if needed.

Serve with sambar and tomato chutney.

———————————————————————————————————————–

This giveaway had ended. We have a winner!

Please contact me to claim your prize! veggiebelly@gmail.com


Win an Ultra Pride Plus Wet Grinder!

1.25l capacity
Voltage 110V AC 60Hz
Sleek design, easy to clean
Kneader attatchment for dough
Perfect for grinding dosa, idli, vada batters
More features here

Ive had mine for 6 years and love it :)

** When you entered the giveaway if you checked the ‘send me a coupon’ option, iNNo Concepts Inc will send you a coupon for $10 off Ultra Pride Plus grinder plus a free gift worth $20 or $20 off all other larger sized Ultra grinders plus a free gift worth $20. You can use this coupon between April 9th and April 15th. US & Canada shipping only. No cash redemption.

Indian Spiced Potato Chip Sticks. Baked, not Fried!

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I love how simple this oven/microwave baked potato chips recipe is. All you do is cut a russet potato into think sticks, toss it in oil, salt, cayenne or chilli powder, and turmeric. Add a fer curry leaves for aroma. Bake or microwave. Yes, I said microwave! So much easier and healthier than deep fried potato chips!

You could spice up the potato chip sticks in many ways; I love the turmeric, chilli powder or cayenne powder, curry leaf combination. The curry leaves get crispy and so fragrant. 

Serve Indian spiced potato chips as a side or a snack, in a newspaper cone. They go well with my brown rice and black bean  burgers.

Cut the potato sticks really thin, this way they bake very quickly in the oven. Use either a mandoline or a large sharp chef’s knife to cut the potatoes into 1/8th inch slices. Stack up the slices and cut them into thin sticks. The sticks should be thinner than a pen or french fry.

More oven baked or microwaved potato chip recipes
Martha Stewart’s baked potato chips recipe
Oven fried potato chips recipe  on Simply Recipes
Spicy baked potato chips recipe on Chow vegan
5-spice potato chips recipe on the Hungry Mouse
Uncle Bill’s microwave potato chip recipe  on Food.com
Microwave potato chips recipe  on Eating well
Homemade microwave potato chips recipe  on Sweet Savory Life

Indian Spiced Baked Potato Chip Sticks Recipe

serves about 2

1 large russet potato (about 10 oz)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon or to taste chili powder pr cayenne powder
10 curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash and dry the potato. Peel the potato if you like. I leave the skin on because I like the texture of potato skin in my chips.

Slice the potato into 1/8th inch thick slices lengthwise using a mandoline or a large, sharp knife. Stack up the slices, and cut them lengthwise to form thin sticks, about 1/4th the thickness of a French fry.

Place the potato sticks on a kitchen towel, and gently pat dry.

In a bowl, whisk together the ghee or melted butter or oil, turmeric, chili powder, curry leaves and salt. Add the potato sticks to the bowl and toss well. Now follow one of the below methods.

Oven method – pre-heat oven to 400f. Place the seasoned potato sticks on a non-stick baking sheet or a regular baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone non-stick mat. Spread the potato sticks so that they are in a single layer and don’t overlap. You may need to do this in batches. Make sure they are in a single layer, this is what makes them crisp! Bake for 10 minutes or till the chips are golden and crisp. Halfway through baking, check on the chips, and remove any pieces that are already crispy and golden. Rotate the baking sheet and continue baking.

Microwave method – take a microwaveable plate and coat with a few drops of oil. Place the potato chips that have been coated in the turmeric chili ghee/oil. Spead them out into a single layer. You may need to do this in batches. Microwave on high for 2-4 minutes or until the chips are golden and crisp. Cooking time will vary depending on the microwave, so check on the chips periodically.

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Are you a fan of Chef Sanjeev Kapoor?

Join me at his book signing event in Washington DC!

Tickets and details are here – http://sanjeevkapoor-indiqueheights.eventbrite.com/

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Creamy Ven Pongal (Rice and Lentil ‘Risotto’)

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Tamil people of South India celebrate Pongal in January. During this harvest festival we combine two of south India’s staples, rice and lentils, into a luscious, comforting and creamy risotto like dish. The day of Pongal is one of worship and thanksgiving  where we make offerings to the Sun god and thank him for the year’s harvest. The day after pongal is maattu pongal, literally ‘cow pongal’, honoring cows and other working animals.

A Pongal Tradition

When I was a child, pongal was always a much anticipated festival day. We woke early, dressed up and headed downstairs to a smokey open wood fire. Two decorated brass pots of pongal would already be bubbling away – one sweet (with coconut, cardamom and jaggery), and one savory (recipe below).  My grandmother the matriarch, was in charge of making the pongal. My father would always scold her for using too much ghee in pongal, and the second he turned away, shed add another dollop!

Pongal in India – sweet and savory pongals in brass pots on an open fire in my grandmother’s house

The trick to a creamy pongal is to cook it in whole milk, rather than water. If you’d rather keep the dish light, substitute the milk with water. Remember that the amount of water you’ll need in this recipe will vary depending on the rice you are using.


 

More pongal recipes..

Chef in you’s pressure cooker pongal recipe

Ven pongal recipe by Archanas kitchen

Another ven pongal recipe on a life time of cooking blog

Kara pongal or khara pongal recipe using chillies and coconut on Aayi’s recipes

Creamy Ven Pongal Recipe

serves about 4

1 cup short grain rice (substitute with basmati)
½ cup split moong dal (mung beans)
½ teaspoon oil
4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or butter
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon peppercorns
6oz fresh ginger, peeled
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
4 curry leaves
3 cups whole milk
2 cups water
Salt
2 tablespoons cashewnuts, lightly roasted in a few drops of oil or ghee

Rinse and drain the rice and dal and set aside.

You will need to use a large, deep pot or saucepan for this recipe. If you use a small pot, the milk will boil over and make a mess.

Heat oil and ghee in the pot . Add mustard seeds to oil & ghee. When they splutter, add cumin and peppercorns, and stir 30 seconds. Cut the peeled ginger into 2 or 3 chunks. Add ginger chunks, asafetida, and curry leaves to the oil and stir about 30 seconds or till the ginger and curry leaves are fragrant.

Add the rinsed rice and dal, and stir well. Pour in the milk, water and salt and bring to a boil. If the milk begins to froth and boil over, stir it till it settles down.

Once the milk boils, reduce heat to low, cover the pot with a lid and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally so that the milk doesn’t boil over and make a mess.

Pongal is done when the rice is very soft and creamy. Depending on the rice you are using, cooking times may vary. You may also need to use more water, depending the rice you are using.

If most the liquid gets absorbed, but the rice still isn’t cooked, just add more water and continue cooking till rice is soft.

Serve hot, topped with roasted cashews and sambar on the side.

Happy Pongal!

Paella Style Spiced Tomato Rice

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If you’ve been reading my blog for sometime, or you have been following me on twitter, or facebook, you know I have a great love for traveling.  Travel opens up the mind, gives me different perspectives and squashes prejudice. I learn so much through the things I see and the people I meet my travels.

One such person was Monika, whom I met in Melbourne. (More about my Australia, New Zealand, Fiji trip in later posts!). Both Monika and I were staying with a host family for the weekend. Our lovely hosts were Hungarian, lived in New Zealand, and then moved to Australia. Monika is Polish, grew up in Germany, and studied in Spain. Then there was me – grew up in India, studied in the UK and now live in the US. We were all representing at least 3 countries each, and combined, have traveled to over a 100. So you can imagine all the international conversations we had!

Monika and I were roommates for the weekend. We chatted through the night, lying on our bunk beds, discussing life, love, marriage and men in our respective countries. We both learnt so much from each other that weekend.

I decided to cook an Indian meal for Monika and our hosts. I was more than thrilled to find out that our amazing Hungarian hosts had a pantry full of Indian ingredients, including asafoetida and curry leaves!

When I finished making tomato rice (which Monika loved!) and pumpkin curry, the aroma of curry leaves, turmeric and fragrant basmati filled the kitchen. I was nearly transported back home. Only, I was in Australia, happily finding curry leaves in a Hungarian fridge!  

This is for you Monika ♥

A good paella always has a crusty bottom called socarrat. To me, thats the best part of the dish. I’m always scraping up the delicious crusty rice! This dish is tomato rice, not paella, so we wont call its crust soccarat. But in any case, the bottom layer of caramelized basmati rice is just wonderful.

First, cook onions, garlic, and tomatoes, along with a little turmeric and paprika.

The tomatoes will break down, and the sauce will thicken and reduce to about half its original volume. Now add rice.

Stir the rice and let it toast a little. Then add water, cover, and simmer.

caramelized bottom layer – the best part!

How to get a paella style crust (socarrat) – when the rice is done, crank up the heat to high just for about a minute. This will make the rice in the bottom toasted and crispy. Thats it! Be careful not to burn the rice, you just want it browned a little.

You must use a wide skillet, preferably non stick, to achieve the crispy bottom layer. If you dont plan on creating the crust, a saucepan will do.

Tomato Rice with a Paella Style Crust: Recipe

serves 2-3

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
6 curry leaves
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 medium tomatoes (1 lb) chopped fine (about 2 cups when chopped)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika or chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional
1 cup bastmati rice
1 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt (adjust according to taste)

Use a 10 inch non-stick skillet thats about 1 1/2 inches deep and has a lid. Heat oil in the skillet, and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds and let sizzle for a few seconds. Then add curry leaves and chopped onion. Cook on medium heat till the onion is lightly brown. Add garlic cloves to the oil, and stir for about a minute. Dont let the garlic brown.

Now add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and chili powders to the skillet. Add sugar if using (I like to use a little sugar if the tomatoes are too sour).

Cook on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, till most the liquid is gone, the tomatoes have broken down, and the sauce reduces to about half its original volume. This will take 10-15 minutes. You will land up with just over one cup of tomato-onion sauce.

To the reduced sauce, add rice, and salt. Stir on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Add water to the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, cover the skillet and simmer for about 15 minutes, or till the rice is cooked and fluffy. Start checking the rice after 12 minutes to ensure it doesnt over cook.

When the rice is done, increase the heat to high. Let the rice sit on high heat for about one minute. This will form a tasty rice crust on the bottom, much like in a paella.

Serve tomato rice with my grandmother’s multi coloredvegetable raita.

Optional garnishes for tomato rice - roasted cashews, roasted peanuts, crispy fried onions, or chopped cilantro

Creamy Spinach Dal (Lentil Spinach Curry)

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This wonderful bowl of palak dal or spinach dal curry is one of my favorite comfort food recipes for the winter. Just the smell of sizzling cumin, onion and garlic wafting through the house is enough to awaken anyone’s appetite. Serve this easy, filling dish with rice, rotis or bread.

Red choy or red spinach tastes great in this recipe

Any kind of dal or lentils will work here. You can use red lentils (masoor dal) in this dish as well. I like yellow lentils or mung or moong dal. I often use red spinach (Asian red choy or choi) in this recipe. Red spinach tastes a lot like spinach, but has red colored veins, and takes just a bit longer to cook than baby spinach leaves.

Some more delicious spinach dal recipes..
Palak dal or spinach dal recipe from vahrehvah.com
Spinach dal recipe on Mahanandi
Spinach dal recipe using toor dal on Chow and Chatter
Spinach dal curry recipe on Spicy Tasty

Creamy Spinach Dal or Spinach Lentils or Palak Dal Recipe

Serves about 4

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1-2 green chilies, slit (optional)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 plum tomato, chopped
1 cup yellow lentils (moong dal)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon heavy cream
1 cup fresh, washed, baby spinach leaves or red choy leaves, packed tightly

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the green chilly if using, and stir 30 seconds. Then add onion, garlic, and tomato. Stir on medium heat till they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils and turmeric and stir 2 more minutes.

Pour 3 cups water and add salt to the lentils. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer. Place a lid on the saucepan and cook till lentils are done, about 15 minutes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, lightly mash the dal, so that the tomatoes and onion pieces are mashed into the lentils. Add the heavy cream and spinach leaves. Stir the spinach leaves into the dal till they wilt, about 1 minutes. Add more water to the dal, if needed.

Serve hot with rice, rotis or bread.

Paneer and Tomato Curry

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What an amazing weekend it was! Three childhood friends visited me, and we spent the weekend chatting, catching up and having a great time (N, I am still thinking of your amazing  lychee martinis!).

When my dear friend Santha wrote to me requesting this paneer tomato curry recipe, I was flooded with memories of school lunch times and all the wonderful food we used to share from our little tiffin carriers. I was somewhat famous for this curry back in school. I’d take this dish and rotis for lunch every Friday. And I always had to take extra because it was so popular with my classmates. So I decided to make this curry for my friends for our ‘reuinion’ weekend. 

Santha, this is for you ♥

Make sure you use ripe, juicy tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are ok, but you will get the best results if you use high quality canned tomatoes like Muir Glen or San Marzano.

Paneer is an Indian cottage cheese, easily available at Indian stores. For this recipe, you can buy raw paneer and shallow fry it yourself, or you can buy pre-fried packaged paneer (which what I use). Nanak brand paneer is quite good.  Store bought paneer can be quite compacted and hard, so you need to soak it in hot water to soften it a bit.

Daily meals has a tomato paneer curry recipe using garam masala. Mahanandi blog has a paneer tomato recipe as well. Be sure to checkout Local eater blog’s delicious tomato paneer curry recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s world vegetarian cookbook.

Paneer Tomato Curry Recipe

Serves about 10

For the tomato gravy
6 large, ripe, juicy tomatoes
1 tablespoon oil
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds, optional
1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 medium onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon or to taste, chili powder
Salt
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup. Use less if you want a less sweet gravy.

For the fried paneer
2 cups cubed paneer*
A large bowl filled with very hot, salted water

Make the gravy
Remove the core of the tomatoes. Quarter the cored tomatoes and place in a blender, along with 2 cups of water. Puree until the tomatoes have become a very smooth sauce. You should have about 8 cups of puree. Set this aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard starts to splutter, add the chopped onion. Cook on medium-low heat till the onion is soft. Add turmeric, cumin and chili powders. Stir for a few seconds.

Then carefully pour in the pureed tomatoes. Bring the gravy to a boil. Then reduce heat and let the curry simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes or till the curry has reduced a little and you can no longer smell raw tomatoes. Add more water if needed.

Fry the paneer
While the tomato gravy is simmering, work on the paneer.

Fill a large bowl with very hot water. Add salt to the water, and set the bowl near you.

Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the paneer cubes in batches.Flip the the paneer around so that all sides are lightly golden. Remove paneer cubes from the oil using a slotted spoon and place the fried paneer in the hot salted water. Be careful when doing this, the oil in the paneer will splutter when it hits the water.  Repeat this with all the paneer cubes. Let the fried paneer sit in the hot water for about 15 minutes.

*Use the above method if you are frying your own paneer. Alternatively, you could use store bought, pre-fried paneer. Simply open up the package and dunk it in the bowl with hot salted water. Let it sit for 20 minutes; then proceed with the recipe.

If you are using homemade paneer, soak it in the hot water after frying for only 10 minutes. (Store-bought paneer is harder and needs to soak longer).

When the tomato gravy is ready, drain the paneer cubes from the water, and add to the gravy.  Add salt to taste. Increase heat to medium, and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

Then stir in ketchup and turn off heat. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve paneer and tomato curry with rotis or chapatis.

Pumpkin Halwa with Saffron

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Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. We celebrate by wearing new clothes, lighting fire crackers and exchanging sweets. With Diwali around the corner, here is a recipe that celebrates both the Indian festival and the beautiful fall season here in America.

Halwa, also called halva, halveh, helwa, or  halvah is a sweet usually made with semolina or wheat in south Asia and using nuts in the middle east. Carrot halwa is also common in India. In this recipe, I use butternut squash instead of the carrots. You can use either rose water or saffron in this recipe for flavoring. I chose saffron.

Traditional halwa uses khoa or khoya or mawa (milk that is cooked down so most the moisture is evaporated). This adds texture and richness to halwa. I use almond meal instead of khoya. Almond meal adds great flavor and helps thicken the halwa.

Be sure to take a look at Mahanandi’s pumpkin halwa using butternut squash. En Samayal Arai blog has a pumpkin halwa recipe using yellow pumpkin. Manta’s Kitchen has a pumpkin halwa or kaddu ka halwa recipe. BBC Food’s recipe for pumpkin halwa can also be used with carrots, zucchini or any gourds.

Vegans can try this recipe with coconut milk or almond milk. Earth vegan blog has a vegan carrot halwa recipe using almond milk.

For a great video on halwa making technique, watch Vah Chef’s carrot halwa video.

Pumpkin Halwa Recipe

serves 6-8

1 small butternut squash or any winter squash or pumpkin (weighing about 1.5 lb or 4 cups when grated)
4 tablespoons butter or ghee
2 tablespoons cashew nuts
2 tablespoons raisins
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cup low fat milk
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons almond meal or ground almonds
A pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon saffron

Peel the butternut squash or pumpkin using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. Halve it and scoop out the seeds and membrane. Cut it into large chunks. Using the coarse side of a box grater, grate the chunks. (A food processor will make the grating easier). You should have about 4 cups of grated squash.

Heat the butter or ghee in a large, wide, non-stick skillet. Add cashews, raisins, and cardamom. When the cashews get golden, add the grated butternut squash or pumpkin. Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes on medium heat.

Add the milk and condensed milk. Cook uncovered on medium heat for 15 minutes or till the squash is cooked, but still holding its shape. Stir the halwa occasionally so that it doesn’t burn or stick to the pan.

Add almond meal and cook another 4 minutes. The halwa is done when it has thickened and the liquid is no longer runny. The halwa will get firmer when cool. Add the salt and saffron at the end of cooking.

Cool the halwa a little, then shape into balls (optional). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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