20120218 Tandoori-style chicken with buttered rice

(SOURCE: BBC GoodFood - Brian Turner's Tandoori-style chicken with buttered rice)

It has been a challenge to find the time (and energy) to try out new recipes since Olivia was born. My husband has been helping out loads and cooking simple meals. As we are getting more used to Olivia's needs and are learning to be flexible with our dinner time, I decided to cook something simple today. I prepared the ingredients during one of Olivia's afternoon naps, and then cooked the meal immediately after her feeding at 6pm. It was a miracle that our dinner was not interrupted. And of course, once we finished dinner, Olivia immediately asked for hugs - so our dessert had to wait. I can't wait till Olivia has developed more of a routine so we can better plan our meals around it. People say such a routine will be developed by the time babies are 6 weeks old...just 3 more weeks to go, fingers crossed!

INGREDIENTS
4 rounded tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 tsp tomato puree
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp medium curry powder
500g chicken fillets, cut into large cubes
2 tsp sunflower oil
For the buttered rice -
25g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
250g leftover cooked basmati rice
4 tbsp hot chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 180 degree C. In a bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients together and stir until the chicken is coated.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and quickly saute the chicken for 1 minute to seal. Cook the chicken on the top shelf of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until tender and lightly charred.
3. Meanwhile, make the buttered rice. Melt half the butter in a pan and saute the onion over a high heat until soft. Add the rice and allow to just warm through, and then sprinkle over the stock. Season.
4. Grease four ramekins with the rest of the butter. Divide the rice between them and arrange on a baking sheet, then cover each one tightly with foil. Place on the second shelf in the oven and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until all the stock has been absorbed.
5. Serve the buttered rice with the chicken.

20120125 Butter Chicken, v3

(SOURCE: TastyKitchen - Butter Chicken)

I craved something rich and flavorful, so decided to make butter chicken again. As my last attempt to modify the butter chicken recipe was a success, I decided to tweak the recipe a little more again to give the chicken more flavor and a little bit of a kick. Oh the butter chicken had such an intense flavor and it was just so good!

INGREDIENTS
500g boneless chicken, cubed
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tandoori masala spices
1 tsp salt
a dash of chilli powder
2 small onions, diced
30g butter
300g passata
300g chopped tomatoes (canned)
2 tsp dried coriander leaves
250ml cream, at room temperature

METHOD
1. Combine the first 5 ingredients and marinate for at least 2 hours.
2. Heat the butter in a pan and saute the onions until soft. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Add the passata, chopped tomatoes, and dried coriander. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on. Lastly, add the cream just before serving.

20120117 Sookhe Masale ka Murg (Dry Masala Chicken)

(SOURCE: Indian Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Sookhe Masale ka Murg)

I chose this recipe as it requires only a handful of ingredients, and it has an interesting way to cook the chicken - you have to parboil the chicken before frying. This article explained that parboiling chicken before frying will help to reduce the amount of oil used for frying and to cook the chicken faster. The original recipe still used 1 cup of ghee to fry the chicken, so I am not sure the author chose to parboil the chicken to use less oil for frying...But anyways, I have modified the recipe quite a bit by reducing the amount of chilli powder and oil used. The little drumsticks were finger-licking and super garlicky! I think they will be great for barbecue too. So next time I will just parboil the chicken and then pop them onto the barbecue for about 5 to 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric powder
6 garlic cloves, crushed
6 black peppercorns, crushed
600g little chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

METHOD
1. Marinate the chicken with the first 5 ingredients, then set aside in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2. Pour 1 cup of water into a large heavy-based pan and add 1 tsp of salt. Add the marinated chicken and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the drumsticks from the water and place them on a kitchen tissue to dry a bit.
3. Heat the oil in another pan over low heat, add the chicken and fry for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

20110418 Tamatar Chaaman (Paneer in Thick Tomato Sauce)

(SOURCE: Indian Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Tamatar Chaaman)

This dish is from Jammu and Kashmir. Last time when I fried the paneer for my palak paneer dish, it was quite a disaster as the paneer cubes were broken and they stuck a bit to the pan. So this time I used more oil and waited till the oil was piping hot before putting the paneer in. The paneer fried beautifully, but I think I fried them too long as they were a little too hard. Next time will be better!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup vegetable oil
250g paneer, cut into small cubes
2 cloves
1 tsp cardamom
1 cinnamon sticks
350g pureed tomatoes
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
salt
some coriander leaves,  for garnish

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the paneer and fry golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Add the whole spices to the pan and stir fry for about 1 minute.
2. Add the pureed tomatoes to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated. Pour in 1/2 cup hot water togehter with all the ground spices, except the garam masala, and season with salt. Bring to the boil and add the paneer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle over the garam masala and stir gently, then simmer for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

20110418 Chicken Tikka Masala

(SOURCE: BigOven.com - Chicken Tikka Masala recipe)

I am in love with the tandoori masala spices, so have replaced the spices in the original recipe with 3 rounded tablespoons of tandoori masala spices. I found the sauce a little too sour, so I seasoned it with some more sugar. Remember the sauce would taste so much richer after adding the chicken, so don't go too crazy on the seasoning. This is my favorite Indian dish so far, and second comes the Butter Chicken v2!

INGREDIENTS
For the chicken tikka -
800g chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 tsp salt
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
3 tbsp tandoori masala spices
dash of lemon juice
For the masala sauce -
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp garam masala
750g crushed tomatoes
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 cup heavy cream
roughly chopped coriander leaves

METHOD
1. In a Ziploc bag, combine all the ingredients for the chicken tikka and mix them well so chicken cubes are well coated. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until light golen. Add garlic, ginger, chilli, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook until fragrant. Add crushed tomates, sugar, turmeric, and salt. Bring to the boil, and reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with spices and salt and pepper.
3. In the meantime, cook the chicken cubes (they should be coated with thick layer of yoghurt) in a preheated oven of 230 degree C for 5 to 9 minutes. Flip them, and bake for another 5 to 9 minutes until the exterior is lightly charred in spots. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes.
4. While the chicken is resting, stir cream into the sauce and simmer over low heat. Stir the chicken into the sauce, and remove from heat. Stir in coriander leaves, and serve over rice.

20110403 Bohri Chicken (Mild-tasting Chicken)

(SOURCE: Indian: Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Bohri Chicken)

This was not good, especially when this was accompanied by the yummy palak paneer dish. When I cook Indian food, I expect the food to be so fragrant and flavorful - that's what all Indian food is like at local Indian restaurants or take-aways, right? This dish was just...different. When I read the recipe, I was a bit doubtful about the special cooking method. But hey, cooking is all about experimenting, right? The spice paste smelled so strong, but the chicken was disappointingly - as the recipe said - mild tasting. I guess, at least I tried.

INGREDIENTS
1kg chicken drumsticks, pricked all over with a fork
1 tbsp lime juice
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup double cream, lighly whipped
3 tbsp oil
salt
For the spice paste - 
3 onions, chopped
2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 galic clove, chopped
handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
2 tsp dried mint

METHOD
1. To make the spice paste, put all the ingredients in a blender and process. Add a little water if necessary to make a paste. In a bowl, mix half the spice paste with the lime juice. Set the remaining spice paste aside.
2. Rub the spice paste/lime juice mixture over the chicken, then cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
3. Place the marinated chicken pieces into a large pan, spread the remaining ground paste on top of the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Pour the cream over the top and add the oil around the sides of the chicken. Cover and seal with foil to make it tight fitting. Cook over low heat for about 40 to 60 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

20110403 Palak Paneer (Spinach with Paneer)

I love palak paneer. At our favorite Indian restaurant in The Hague, palak paneer comes with every menu and I always cleared the dish. So I thought I would give this a try myself. I found so many different palak paneer recipes. As I was feeling adventurous, I decided to modify them and make one of my own. Okay, the dish looked a bit more orange-y and tasted a little more tomato-y than the one from the restaurant. But who cares, because this tasted pretty darn good! Next time I may make a bigger portion and simply serve it with plain basmati rice.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp ginger paste
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, pureed
100g chopped tomatoes, pureed
100ml creme fraiche
salt
280g frozen pureed spinach, thawed
150g paneer, cubed

METHOD
1. Heat enough oil in a pan to slightly deep fry paneer for about half a minute. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds, turmeric, red chilli powder, ginger, and red chilli, and fry until fragrant. Add pureed onion and tomato, and cook until they become a soft paste.
3. Stir in the spinach puree. Add the creme fraiche, and season with salt. Simmer for about 7 minutes with lid on. Add paneer, and cook for a few minutes until heated through.

20110402 Aloo ke Gutake (Potatoes Tempered with Cumin)

(SOURCE: Indian Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Aloo kee Gutake)

This is from Uttarakhand, the Land of Gods. This dish didn't really taste very Indian to me because of the mild flavor. But it is very easy to make and is a perfect side dish for a pork chop or stuffed chicken.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of ground turmeric
500g potato wedges
salt

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat, then reduce the heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add the turmeric and immediately afterwards the potato wedges. Stir well and sprinkle over a very little amount of water just to make them damp.
2. Season with salt, then reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Garnish with chopped coriander.

20110324 Dhal, v2

(SOURCE: VegWeb.com - Delicious Pakistani Dhal)

I am not sure if it is politically correct to label this recipe "Indian" when the original recipe clearly said that this was a "Pakistani Dhal". But as many websites told me that Pakistani cuisine is a relatively small subset of Indian cuisine, I guess it is alright. I doubled the amount of chopped tomatoes by accident, and it made the dish a bit sweeter and it tasted good. I made this for a potluck party today, and my colleagues seemed to love it!

INGREDIENTS
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dry red lentils
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1.5 tbsp freshly grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp red chili pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
400g can chopped tomatoes

METHOD
1. In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add the lentils and boil for about a minute. Lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until it becomes a thick paste. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add onion, ginger, and garlic, and fry until soft. Add the spices and saute for about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and saute for another 5 minutes. Then add the cooked lentils, stir, and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.

20110323 Lentil Soup with Paprika and Pancetta

(SOURCE: Tasty Kitchen Blog - Lentil Soup with Smoked Paprika and Pancetta)

I used to get dahl soup for lunch from a catering lady called Kat. But since Kat disappeared off the face of the earth and never answered our email order, I haven't had dahl soup for a long time. As I bought 2kg of red lentils from that little Asian supermarket last time, I thought I would make dahl soup myself. I added a little too much water by accident, but the soup was still very tasty - the pancetta gave it a very intense flavor.

INGREDIENTS
90g pancetta slices, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 small carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
dash of chili pepper
1/2 cup white wine
2L chicken broth
450g lentils
salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD
1. Cook pancetta in a large soup pan over medium high heat until fat renders and it starts to brown. Add onions, carrots, and celery, saute until softened. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and saute until fragrant. Add wine, continue to cook another minute or so. Add broth and lentils and bring to a  boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until lentils are just tender, about 30 minutes. Add water if the soups becomes too thick. Puree the soup into a consistency you desire. Season with salt and pepper.

20110320 Murg Shahjehani (Imperial Chicken)

(SOURCE: Indian: Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Murg Shahjehani)

This is from Delhi. I found this interesting site about the cuisines of Delhi - they said if you feed Delhi people well, they will give you anything you want! This is a lightly colored curry with a very fragrant taste, thanks to the onion/garlic/ginger paste. My husband really liked the gravy and even asked for more rice with gravy!

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 large onions, sliced
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
8 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chilli powder
250ml plain yoghurt
1kg chicken drumsticks
salt

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onions and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then place in a food processor to make a paste (add a little water if necessary). Set aside.
2. Lightly stir fry the cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, coriander, and chilli powder in a dry frying pan for about a minute. Transfer to a blender, add salt and the yoghurt and process to make a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and add the chicken pieces. Mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
3. In a Dutch oven, add the onion/garlic/ginger paste and the drumsticks, and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

20110318 Dhal

(SOURCE: Simply Bill by Bill Granger - my dahl)

I always wanted to cook dahl but couldn't find lentils anywhere. Last time I found some red lentil from a little Asian supermarket, so I decided to give Bill Granger's dahl a try. Its color looked quite dull, so I was doubtful about its taste. We ate this dahl with our fingers with the help of some naan bread. This was really good! Such a simple dish with a rich and exotic flavor.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
one-inch piece of ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup red lentils
1 tbsp lime juice
small handful freshy coriander leaves

METHOD
1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, chilli, salt and cumin and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft. Add the lentils and 750ml of hot water and cook.for 20 minutes until the lentils have dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and stir through the lime juice. Top with the coriander leaves and serve.

20110313 Butter Chicken, v2

(SOURCE: Tasty Kitchen - Butter Chicken by lillieknits)

My second attempt at butter chicken. This was creamy and mild like the butter chicken from the Indian take away. We served this with garlic bread, naan, and plain white rice - anything you can use to absorb all the yummy sauce!

INGREDIENTS
1kg boneless chicken, cubed
8 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp tandoori masala spices
2 tsp salt
1 lime, juiced
2 medium onions, diced
1/4 cup butter
400g passata
400g chopped tomatoes
2 tsp dried coriander
450ml whipping cream, at room temperature
chopped coriander, for garnish

METHOD
1. Combine first 4 ingredients and marinate overnight.
2. Saute the onions in the butter until soft. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on. Add the whipping cream and coriander just before serving over basmati rice.

20110305 Butter Chicken

(SOURCE: WikiBooks - Cookbook: Butter Chicken)


We were expecting this dish to have a smooth and sweet flavor like the restaurant-style butter chicken. This was yummy but had a sharp flavor instead. I used only 1 teapoon of chilli powder instead of 3 recommended at the original recipe, but the dish was still very spicy. I wish I saved some creme fraiche or had some fresh cream for garnish, and the dairy products may help to lessen the hot flavor.


INGREDIENTS
30g butter
1 large onion, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp chilli powder
500g skinless, boneless chicken, cut into small cubes
200g tomato paste
100g creme fraiche
For marinade -
50g tandoori masala spices

1/2 cup plain yoghurt

juice of 1 small lemon

METHOD
1. In a Ziploc blag, make the marinade and mix well. Add the chicken and massage this well so all the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Heat the butter in a frying pan. Brown the onions, and stir in the garlic and ginger. Then add the turmeric, chilli, and coriander, and fry over a medium heat.
3. Add the chicken and stir constantly until chicken has turned color - this should take about 5 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste, and mix well. Add the creme fraiche and heat through. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and tandoori masala spices.

20110305 Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks

I got a big bag of tandoori masala spices from my husband's boss last week as I asked him where to find all the fragrant Indian spices. He said TRS is a good brand for Indian spices - I guess the Brits know their Indian food. I was eager to give the lovely spices a try all week, but was not sure what to make as I don't have any recipes that gives me specific instructions on how to substitute certain spices with the tandoori masala spices. I know tandoori masala is often used for barbecue and grill, and I have some chicken drumsticks in my fridge. So I looked up several recipes of tandoori chicken, and came up with the following. I am not really confident in creating recipes myself and was anxious to find out how the chicken taste. They were really tasty! I can't wait for summer to come so I could use the tandoori masala spices for barbecue - chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, tandoori fish...!


INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp plain yoghurt
2 tbsp tandoori masala spices
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 tsp grated ginger
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 chicken drumsticks

METHOD
1. Use a sharp knife, make shallow slashes in the chicken drumsticks to help the marinade to get inside the chicken.
2. In a ziploc bag, mix together the yoghurt, tandoori masala, turmeric, grated ginger, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Add the chicken to the ziploc bag and massage them to coat. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
3. Heat oven to 230 degree C. Remove the chicken drumsticks from the marinade, leave only a thin layer of marinade on them. Roast the chicken drumsticks on an oiled baking sheet for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway through. Transfer the chicken drumsticks to plates, and serve with lemon wedges.

20110225 Khumb Shabnam (Mushrooms in Yoghurt Sauce)

(SOURCE: Indian: Cookbook - Khumb Shabnam)

This is originated in Awadh. Kebabs are famous is Awadhi cuisine, because meat is tenderized with raw papaya paste and is ground many times. But this is a simply vegetable dish that takes less than 15 minutes to make. I didn't really like it because of the strong cumin smell, but my husband seemed to like it.

INGREDIENTS
200ml natural yoghurt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Garam Masala
pinch of ground turmeric
1 tbsp vegetable oil
250g white button mushrooms, sliced
salt


METHOD
1. In a bowl, mix the yoghurt with the ground spices and season with salt. Whisk well to combine.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat, add the mushrooms and stir fry until there is a small amount of moisture left - but do not let them dry up. Remove from the heat, and allow the mushrooms to cool.
3. Then pour in the spiced yoghurt and mix. Return to the heat and simmer for a few minutes until hot.

20110225 To Khan (Chicken Curry)

(SOURCE: Indian: The Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - To Khan)

This dish is originated in Tribal North East India. I really like this cookbook because it explained where each recipe is originated in, and the author described the various food regions of India in the first pages too. Together with Google search, I have learned a lot about Indian cuisine and culture too. This recipe led me to this excellent article about cuisine and culture of North East India.

This dish is not like the usual Indian dish, because of the short list of ingredients and the refreshing/minty sauce. I couldn't find green chilli, so simply used red chilli instead - I am actually not sure if there is a difference in their taste. I like the gingery/minty flavor, but the chicken tasted a bit dry so it may be best to use chicken with skin on it instead.

INGREDIENTS
1 kg chicken, cut into 5cm pieces
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
3 onions, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried mint
salt

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a wok over low heat, and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, and cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Pour in 1 pint of water and simmer for about 30 minutes. Mix some cornstarch with lukewarm water, and stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.

20110224 Thengakkai Kori (Chicken Curry)

(SOURCE: Indian: The Cookbook - Thengakkai Kori)

This recipe is originated in Tamil Nadu. Tamil cuisine is usually served on a banana leaf and eaten with the right hand. The author mentioned that it is best to eat Indian cuisine with the fingers, with the help of a variety of breads, in order to fully enjoy the temperature and texture of the food. So when I am more confident in throwing an Indian dinner, I should look for fresh banana leaves and ask my guests to eat with their fingers!

This was yummy but a little too spicy for us, so next time it is best to halve the chilli powder. The sauce is so colorful (thanks to the ground turmeric) and fragrant (thanks to the coconut milk). I served this with plain white rice and cauliflower masala, and ate way too much!

INGREDIENTS
150ml natural yoghurt
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric, plus 1 tsp for rubbing
8 chicken breasts
5 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cardamom
6 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, about 2.5cm long
2 onions, chopped
7 tsp garlic paste
3 tsp grated ginger
750ml chicken stock
250ml coconut milk
salt
cornstarch

METHOD
1. In a bowl, mix yoghurt, chilli powder, and turmeric together. Set aside.
2. Rub the chicken breasts with salt and the turmeric. Cover and let them sit for 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cloves and cinnamon, and fry for about 1 minute. Add the onions, and brown for about 4 minutes. Add the ground cardamom, garlic paste and grated ginger and fry for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the yoghurt mixture. Return to heat and stir fry for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, add the chicken, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the cloves and cinnamon from the pan. Add the coconut milk, and heat up without bringing it to the boil. Season with salt and ground cardamom.
5. Mix some cornstarch with water, and then stir it in to thicken the sauce.

20110224 Phool Gobi (Cauliflower Masala)

(SOURCE: Indian: The Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Phool Gobi)

This dish is originated in Punjab. I skipped the asafoetida (adding an onion-like smell after heating) and fenugreek seeds (a bittersweet spice) as I couldn't find them. I couldn't find Garam Masala either, so simply made my own using the recipe provided in the cookbook - but of course, I didn't have everything the recipe lists, so I modified the recipe a little with the limited ingredients I have. We like our cauliflower less crunchy, so I doubled the cooking time as suggested. A little improvisation was needed when cooking this dish, but it tasted pretty good.

I made four Indian dishes last night so we only had to heat them up after work today and tomorrow, and my husband could have some leftover for lunch. Our house is now smelling like curry - actually even my handbag smells like curry because I left it next to the kitchen counter, man! Now I just have to find a way to rid the smell. Any ideas?

INGREDIENTS
125ml vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground ginger
1 large cauliflower, cut into 5cm florets
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp Garam Masala *
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground tumeric
bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
salt

*Garam Masala can be made by simply grinding the below ingredients.
2 cups cumin seeds
1/2 cup ground coriander
3/4 cup cardamom pods
1/3 cup black peppercorns
40g ground ginger

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, and fry the cumin seeds and ginger for a few seconds. Add the cauliflower. Season with salt, chilli powder, garam masala, sugar, and tumeric. Stir and mix everything well. Add a splash of water, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Add coriander, toss well, and serve.

20110219 Samosa

(SOURCE: Indian: The Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Samosa)

This colorful cookbook, Indian: The Cookbook, packaged in a traditional Indian rice bag drew my husband and my attention at a local book store yesterday. We love Inidan food but there is no Indian takeaway here in Dordrecht (can you believe that?!). I always wanted to give a try at Indian cooking, but was always put off by the long list of exotic- and unfamiliar-sounding ingredients. This book helped me to overcome that as it has a rich glossary of Indian ingredients, which teaches me what the ingredients are and how they taste like - so if I can't find any of them, I could try to replace them with other spices of similar flavor.

So here's my first go! As I couldn't find any ghee, I used butter instead. The samosas were yummy, but they didn't look that pretty and were so spicy (!) - so I added quite some sugar to bring the heat down, and will definitely half the chilli powder and green chilli next time. Also the pastry was a bit dull and tough, so next time I will add 1 or 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and some salt to the dough. I hope I can find those rectangular samosa pads, so I could make beautiful triangular samosas next time. But overall, the first go at Indian cooking was fun, and I look forward to cooking more with this new cookbook!

INGREDIENTS
For the pastry -
500g plain flour, plus some more for dusting
180ml warm water
oil, for deep frying
For the filling -
100g potatoes
150g peas
1tsp cumin seed
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground turmeric
1tsp chilli powder
5cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
4 green chilli, finely chopped
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
salt
sugar

METHOD
1. Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain well, then mash.
2. Cook the peas in a pan of boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour with enough water to make a stiff dough. Make into 10 dough balls, and cover them with a damp cloth.
4. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Fry the cumin seeds for about 15 seconds. Add the ginger, green chilli, ground coriander, ground turmeric, and chilli powder, and fry for a minute. Add the mashed potato and peas, and cook for a minute. Then add the finely chopped coriander and fry for another minute. Season with salt and sugar. Remove pan from the heat.
5. On a floured surface, roll the dough balls into rounds of 12cm, and make 10. Brush the edge of the pastry with a little water, spoon the potato filling in the middle of the pastry, and then press the dampened edges to seal it.
6. Deep fry the samosas in batches in hot oil (180 degree C) for 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain well on a kitchen paper.