Made from black chickpeas, also called Bengal gram, this curry was always made by my mom as an accompaniment to light-as-air chapatis or puris. Rich in protein and iron, it has a lovely earthy flavour that goes well with potatoes.
Ingredients
Black chick peas 1 cup soaked overnight, cooked in a pressure cooker till done
Two medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
Green chillies 2-3, slit
Tomato 1 large, chopped
Ginger 1” piece, finely sliced
Curry leaves
Onion 1 large
Coriander powder 3 tbsp
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Turmeric 1 tsp
Pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Cinnamon 1/2” stick
Cloves 3
Oil 2 tbsp, preferably coconut oil
Method
Add the oil to a hot wok and add the sliced onion. Fry till it changes colour to a golden brown. Add the coriander powder and red chilli powder. Fry till the raw smell of coriander disappears.
Add the steamed black chickpeas.
Add turmeric powder, salt and pepper powder.
Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves.
Add the chopped potatoes and enough water to cover it.
Add the cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce the heat. Cook till the potatoes are cooked.
Increasingly we are being asked to introduce millets into our diet for health reasons. This is an easy way to do that.
Ingredients
For the dough:
Millet flour 1 cup
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Ajwain seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Oil 2 tbsps
Water 1/2 cup, hot to touch
For the stuffing:
Paneer or cottage cheese 1/2 cup, crumbled
Green chillies 2, chopped fine
Salt to taste
For the gravy:
Oil 1 tbsp
Bay leaf 1
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Onions 2 large, finely chopped
Tomato 1 large, finely chopped
Cashew nuts 10
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi 2 tbsps
Yoghurt 1/2 cup, whipped
Mint leaves for garnish
Method
Make a dough of the millet flour and all ingredients except for 1 tablespoon of oil. Knead into a soft dough. Add the remaining oil and work it in. Make small balls.
Add salt and green chillies to the crumbled paneer.
Flatten each dough ball and stuff with some the paneer. Bring the edges together and make into a sealed ball.
Heat 3 cups of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the stuffed koftas and boil covered on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Keep checking and add water if needed.
Take the koftas out with a slotted spoon and keep them on a plate to cool.
For the gravy, add oil to a wok and add cumin seeds. Add the bay leaf.
Add the chopped onions and green chillies. Add the cashew nuts and fry on low heat till the onions are brown. Add the tomatoes. Add the spices and cook till the oil separates.
Take the wok off the heat and add the yoghurt. Stir well.
Return the wok to the heat and cook on medium heat till the gravy thickens.
Switch off the heat and cool the gravy. Grind it with a hand blender or in a mixer blender.
Return the gravy to the wok and add the kasoori methi. Add salt. Add 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and add the steamed koftas. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Garnish with mint leaves and serve with roti, naan or rice.
I am not a big meat eater and I like curries that are mild and not very meaty tasting. This curry I developed according to my taste and it is creamy and smooth and quite mild. It has a great flavour thanks to the onions and cashew nuts.
Ingredients
Boneless chicken 500 g
Yoghurt 1 cup
Pepper 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves a few sprigs
Cream 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts 10-15
Onions 2 large plus 1 small
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Green chillies 2, sliced plus 2
Ginger 1” piece plus a smaller piece
Garlic 5 cloves
Coconut oil 2 tbsps
Method
Marinate the chicken pieces in yoghurt with salt and pepper.
Add 1 tbsp of oil to a heavy-bottomed pan and fry two large onions, roughly chopped. When the onions turn translucent, add the smaller piece of ginger and cashew nuts.
Switch off the heat when the cashew nuts turn golden and wait for the mixture to cool. Grind to a fine paste.
Add 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and add the cumin seeds.
When the cumin seeds stop sputtering, add one small onion finely sliced.
Crush the ginger, garlic and two green chillies roughly.
Add it to the onions with curry leaves.
Add the marinated chicken and mix well.
Add a cup of water and mix well.
Add the ground paste and mix.
Reduce the heat and cover and cook till the chicken pieces are cooked. Add the cream and stir it in. Do not cook too long after addding the cream. This makes the gravy very smooth.
Serve hot, garnished with sliced green chillies. it can be had with rice or naan bread.
Cooking can sometimes feel like a chore at the end of a busy day. It’s often tempting to throw a ready meal in the oven or call for take out. And now with doctors and nutritionists asking us to incorporate healthy alternatives such as millets into our meals, it can seem even more daunting. But preparing a simple and healthy family meal doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming. Here’s how to make millet dosa using bajra or pearl millets.
Ingredients
Bajra or pearl millet 1 1/2 cups
Mung dal whole 1/2 cup
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Idli rice 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil to apply on griddle
Method
Soak the bajra or pearl millets for 8-10 hours. I usually soak this around 11 am and then soak the other ingredients at the end of the day around 10 pm.
The next morning, grind all the ingredients. Start with the bajra or pearl millets first.then add the dals. Lastly add the rice. Grind to a smooth batter, adding as much water as needed. Add salt according to taste.
Leave to ferment till the evening.
Heat an iron griddle and oil it. Make thin and round dosas.
This is an adaptation of my friend’s recipe that I first tasted when I was in my 20s. She served it with fried chicken. I sometimes serve it with potato wedges or baked chicken tenders.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
Basmati rice 2 cups
Tomatoes 6 medium
Garlic 7 cloves, crushed
Coconut oil 2 tbsps
Salt to taste
Method
Soak the rice for 10 minutes. Drain.
Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, skin them and purée in a blender.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the crushed garlic. Fry but don’t let the garlic burn.
Add the drained rice and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the tomato purée and mix well.
Add 2 cups of water and salt to taste.
Cover and cook on low heat till the water is totally absorbed and the rice is cooked.
Aloo paranthas or wheat pancakes stuffed with potatoes are a favourite with most people. I have found that my friends all enjoy hot potato paranthas, irrespective of race, nationality or gender.
This aloo parantha can be made even if you don’t have the traditional implements — chakla or marble rolling tile, belan or rolling pin, and tawa or concave griddle. The potato stuffing is mixed into a batter of whole wheat flour and water and then made into pancakes.
Ingredients
Potato 1 large, boiled, peeled and grated
Onion 1 medium, finely chopped
Green chilli 2, finely chopped
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, a bunch, chopped
Atta or whole wheat flour 1 cup
Water for batter
Oil 1 tbsp
Method
Mix the boiled potato with the onions, green chillies, salt, coriander leaves and red chilli powder and mix well. Add the oil and mash it all together.
Add water to the atta and make a smooth better. Add half a teaspoon of salt.
Add the potato mix to the batter and whisk well. Add more water if needed.
Heat a nonstick griddle and pour a ladle full of batter. Spread to make a thick pancake. Cook for a minute and flip it over. Apply some ghee and cook.
Transfer to a plate. Make similar pancakes with the rest of the batter.
The best palak paneer I have had is from a restaurant called Moti Mahal, not far from where we grew up in Delhi. I had to try a few times before I developed this version that is quite close to the taste I remember from my childhood.
Ingredients
Spinach leaves 1/2 kg, washed, steamed and puréed
Onion 1 medium, sliced fine
Garlic 6 cloves, sliced in half
Ginger 1” piece, julienned
Tomato 1 medium, sliced fine
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water 3 cups
Paneer or cottage cheese 200 g, cut into cubes
Oil 4 tbsp
Method
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the paneer cubes till they turn a light crispy brown. Take them out with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
Add onion slices to the same oil and fry till they turn golden and translucent. Scrape the paneer bits as you fry the onions.
Add the puréed spinach and stir well.
Add the water, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder.
Add the garlic. Use the smaller Indian garlic instead of the plumper Chinese ones. They have more flavour.
Add the tomato slices.
Reduce the heat and cook covered for 20 minutes.
Add the fried paneer cubes and continue to cook till the gravy thickens.
Garnish with the julienned ginger and serve hot with rice, naan, puris or paranthas.
These biscuits are very similar to those that I had as a child. My dad would take ghee or clarified butter, atta or whole wheat flour, and sugar to the local bakery and they would turn the ingredients into the most delicious biscuits. Through these biscuits nostalgia meets taste.
Ingredients
Atta or whole wheat flour 1 cup
Ghee or clarified butter 1/2 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
Milk 3 tbsps
Method
Mix the atta, ghee and sugar till they resemble bread crumbs.
Add the milk a tablespoon at a time and make a soft dough.
Flatten it using the heel of your palm to a 1/4” thickness disc and using a cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits. I used a cake scraper to make a light pattern on the biscuits.
Arrange them on a greased baking tray. Bake in a 170 degree C oven for 20 minutes.
The fresh light-as-air buns go very well with a mixed vegetable curry that is slow cooked and mashed. A street food from the western part of India, this dish is great for any meal— breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is a lovely snack as well.
Ingredients
For the pav (buns):
Milk 1 1/4 cup
Yeast 2 tsps
Sugar 2 tsps
All-purpose flour (maida) 2 cups
Whole wheat flour (atta) 1 cup
Salt 1 tsp
Butter 2 tbsps + 1 tbsp
For the bhaji (vegetable curry):
Potatoes 2 large, peeled and diced
Peas 3 cups
Cauliflower 1 small, cut into florets
Tomatoes 3 medium, chopped
Green chillies 3, minced
Capsicum 1 medium, diced
Onions 2 medium, sliced and 1 small, minced
Ginger 1” piece
Garlic 5 cloves
Coriander leaves, a big bunch, minced
Oil 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter 1 tbsp
Coriander powder 2 tsps
Red chilli powder 2 tsps
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Amchoor powder (dry mango powder) 1 tsp
Method
For the pav:
Take one cup of warm milk in a bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Mix and let it prove for 5 minutes.
Sieve the flours and salt together and add to the yeast mixture. Mix to form a dough. Add 1/4 cup of milk to the dough and work it on a lightly floured surface for 10-12 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of softened butter and knead the dough till it is soft.
Put it into a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. It should double in volume by now.
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 balls.
Arrange them on a greased baking tray and brush with melted butter.
Cover and let it rise again for 20 minutes.
Bake in a 180 degree C oven for 20 minutes. Brush the hot buns with melted butter. Let them cool in the tray.
Pull the buns apart when ready to serve.
For the bhaji:
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the cumin seeds.
When the seeds stop sputtering, add the sliced onions.
Sauté till the onions turn a light brown. Crush the ginger and garlic in a pestle and add to the onions. Sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the diced potatoes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower florets, peas, capsicum and tomatoes.
Add the salt, coriander powder, red chilli powder, amchoor powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and cumin powder.
Mix well. Add 3 cups of water and cook on high flame till the water boils. Reduce the flame, cover the pan and cook till the vegetables are cooked.
Mash the the vegetables with a potato masher but don’t make it completely mushy.
Cook till the vegetable medley is thick. Garnish with butter, minced onions, green chillies and coriander leaves.
This combination of fried Indian bread made from all-purpose flour and chickpea or garbanzo bean curry is a favourite across the country. It is easy to make as well. I have broken down the recipe into workable bytes.
Ingredients
For the chole (chickpea curry)
Kabuli chana (dry chickpea or garbanzo beans) 1 cup
Onions 1 large, sliced
Tomatoes 2 medium, sliced
Green chillies 2, slit
Potatoes 2 medium, cubed
Coriander powder 2 tbsps
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Amchoor powder or dry mango powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Ginger 1” piece
Garlic 5 cloves
Oil 2 tbsps
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
For the Bhature (fried bread):
All-purpose flour 3 cups
Yoghurt 5 tbsps
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tbsp
Oil for frying
Method
Soak the chickpeas or garbanzo beans overnight. Wash and drain the chickpeas and steam along with the baking soda in a pressure cooker. Let it cook for four whistles on high flame and one on low flame. Switch off the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Pound the ginger and garlic in a pestle to make a crushed paste.
Heat oil on a heavy bottomed pan and sauté the onions till they become transparent.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell disappears.
Add the steamed chickpeas with 2 cups of water.
Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, amchoor and salt.
Add the tomatoes, potatoes and green chillies.
Cover and cook on medium heat till the potatoes are cooked. Add water if needed.
When the potatoes are done, add the garam masala and cook for two minutes more.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Sift the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
Add the yoghurt and make into a soft dough. Add water if needed.
Add 1 tbsp of oil and knead the dough for two minutes.
Cover and let rest for an hour.
Make into small lemon-sized balls.
Roll out on a lightly floured surface into circles and deep fry in hot oil. Ensure the oil is hot, but not smoking. Test with a small piece of dough and it should immediately rise to the surface. This will ensure that the Bhature are not oily.
Serve hot bhaturas with the choley and sliced raw onions.
Chills & Chillies 