Category: indian

Pahari Gahat ki dal (Horse gram dal)

Pahari Gahat ki dal (Horse gram dal)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

On my visit to the Garhwal Himalayas in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, my friend’s cook introduced me to a local lentil, a variety of horse gram. The local residents make this using a herb that grows in the region, jambu, and a native spice called gandherni.

I could not get it where we were staying, however, as it was remote with only a tiny shop selling essentials at the foot of the mountain. So I decided to try to cook it with the ingredients available in my friend’s kitchen. It turned out delicious with a lovely, earthy taste.

Ingredients

Gahat ki dal 1 cup, soaked for two hours

Turmeric 1 tsp

Garlic 10 cloves, chopped

Ginger 1” piece, chopped

Onion 1 large, sliced

Tomato 1 large, chopped

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tbsp

Garam masala 1 tsp

Green chillies 3, sliced

Coriander leaves 1 bunch, chopped

Tomato 1 small, sliced

Salt to taste

Mustard oil 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Method

Wash and steam the dal with the turmeric in a pressure cooker.

Heat the mustard oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the garlic. Sauté for two minutes.

Add the ginger and sauté for 1 minute.

Add the sliced onion and sauté till they turn translucent.

Add the tomatoes and cook till they become soft.

Add the cooked dal.

Add the coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt.

Add 1/2 cup water and cook covered for 10 minutes on a low flame.

Add the garam masala and cook for another five minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with green chillies, coriander leaves and tomatoes.

Methi Parantha (Fenugreek Bread)

Methi Parantha (Fenugreek Bread)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This recipe for a traditional parantha, the typical Indian fried bread, is smoother and delicious and goes well with dal or pickle.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

Whole wheat flour or atta 3 cups

Methi or fenugreek leaves 2 cups

Salt to taste

Green chillies 3, minced

Ajwain or caraway seeds 1 tbsp

Water as needed

Ghee or clarified butter 1/2 cup

Method

Add the first five ingredients to the food processor and add 1/4 cup of water. Mix, using short pulses.

Make a soft dough in the food processor and transfer to a bowl.

Make into lemon-sized balls.

Dust the surface with flour and roll out each ball into a pancake.

Toast on a hot tawa or griddle, applying ghee on both sides.

Serve hot with Pahari Hagar ki dal, Moong dal, Lauki chana dal or lemon pickle or raita.

Khaman Dhokla

Khaman Dhokla

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is actually known as just khaman in Gujarat, but as a pan-Indian dish it is known as dhokla. Filled with protein, this is a light snack that is good any time of the day.

Ingredients

(Serves 5)

Chickpea flour or besan 1 cup (136 g)

Semolina or suji 1 tbsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Water 3/4 cup

Sugar 1 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp

Lemon juice 1 tbsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Baking soda 1 tsp

Ginger 1” piece

Green chillies 3

Grated coconut 1 tbsp

For tempering:

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp

Sugar 1 tsp

Curry leaves few sprigs

Coriander leaves for garnish

Asafoetida 1/2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Green chillies 5

Method

Mix the chickpea flour, suji, baking soda and turmeric together in a bowl.

In another bowl mix the water, oil, sugar, salt and lemon juice. Stir well till the sugar dissolves.

Add to the dry ingredients and whisk well to form a batter.

Pour into a greased tray and steam for 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the asafoetida and salt and add three tablespoons of water. Stir till the sugar dissolves. Add the green chillies and cool for two minutes.

Pour over the cooked dhokla. Garnish with scraped coconut and coriander leaves.

Slice and serve.

Easy Chicken Biryani

Easy Chicken Biryani

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Biryani began life among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, say some. Others say it was developed in the royal kitchens of the Mughals. Some historians say that the Arab traders brought it to Kerala. Whatever be the origin of the dish, today it is loved across the world, not only by the Indian diaspora but by all races and nationalities.

While some recipes take hours to prepare, this chicken biryani is a quick and easy recipe that I developed as a busy working mother. It is tasty but you can serve this one-pot dish in less than an hour.

Ingredients

Chicken 1/2 kg, with bones

Basmati rice 2 cups

Onion 1 large, sliced

Tomatoes 2 large, chopped

Yoghurt 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Biryani masala 1 tsp

Cinnamon 1” stick

Cloves 2

Bay leaf 1

Raisins 1 tbsp

Roasted cashews 2 tbsps

Oil 3 tbsps

Ghee 1 tsp

Curry leaves

Coriander leaves for garnish

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken with red chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and yoghurt and leave it for 15 minutes.

Soak the rice in water for 10 minutes, drain.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil.

Add the sliced onions and fry till they turn translucent.

Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds.

Add the marinated chicken and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and curry leaves. Add 1 cup of water and cook covered for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed.

Add the rice, raisins and biryani masala and mix well. Cover and cook on a slow fire for about 30 minutes.

By now the rice will be cooked and the chicken will be tender and juicy.

Add the ghee and garnish with cashew nuts and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with raita and garden salad. Or a serving of banana chips.

Kerala Lemon Pickle

Kerala Lemon Pickle

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

It is lemon season and this year has been a bumper crop. A great way to preserve lemons for the rest of the year is to pickle them. This is a spicy pickle that goes well with rice and yoghurt.

Ingredients

Lemons 8

Salt 1 tbsp

Til oil or sesame oil 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds 1 tsp

Ginger 1” piece, finely chopped

Garlic 5 cloves, finely chopped

Green chillies 2, finely chopped

Curry leaves 5-6 sprigs

Red chilli powder 1 tbsp

Asafoetida powder 1/2 tsp

White vinegar 1 tbsp

Method

Wash and dry the lemons.

Take 2 tablespoons of til oil in a wok and fry the lemons in it. Use til oil from the Indian grocery shops. You can’t use sesame oil that you use for salads or for Asian cooking.

Fry the lemons for 2 minutes, stirring all the while. See that the lemons don’t break.

Cool the lemons and chop each lemon into four pieces.

Add salt and turmeric and toss it well.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and heat it on medium flame. If the wok becomes too hot, remove from the flame and once it cools a bit, return it to the stove.

Add the mustard seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the fenugreek seeds.

Add the chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies. Separate the curry leaves and add to the wok.

Add the red chilli powder and asafoetida powder. Sauté for a few seconds.

Add the lemons and toss well. Add the vinegar and switch off the heat.

When the pickle has cooled down completely, transfer to sterilised bottles.

Add the rest of the til oil and close tight.

Let it rest for two days. Once you open the bottle, refrigerate it.

Vegetable Pulao

Vegetable Pulao

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I could never understand how much time my aunt would spend on making Vegetable Pulao, ensuring each piece was of the same size, blanching and frying each kind of vegetable separately and then bringing it all together to make the final dish. Till the Covid-19 pandemic locked us in our homes. I found myself enjoying the care in cooking and the precision of each step in the making of a dish. I learnt to enjoy the magic of botany and chemistry in the process of cooking.

Ingredients

Basmati rice 2 cups

Cauliflower 1 cup of florets, each 1” thick

Carrots 1 cup of 1” cubes

Frozen peas 1 cup

Potatoes 2 medium, cut into 1” cubes

Onion 1 medium, sliced

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Cinnamon 1” piece

Ginger 2” piece, crushed

Bay leaf 1

Peppercorns 1 tbsp

Cloves 4

Oil 5 tbsps

Method

Soak the rice for 20 minutes and drain.

Boil a pan of water with 2 tablespoons of salt and blanch the vegetables separately. Don’t blanch the peas.

Heat the oil in a iron pot — I use Le Creuset — and fry the onion slices till they are brown and keep aside.

Fry the blanched vegetables separately and keep aside. Don’t fry the peas.

Add the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and peppercorns.

Add the crushed ginger and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the peas and the drained rice. Add the fried vegetables and salt to taste.

Mix well and add enough water to cover the rice and 1” above.

Bring to a boil, reduce the flame, cover and cook till the rice is cooked and the water is completely absorbed.

Garnish with fried onions and serve hot.

Soya Chaap (Soya Chops in Tomato Gravy)

Soya Chaap (Soya Chops in Tomato Gravy)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

Ingredients

Soya chops, frozen or freshly made 200 g

Tomatoes 3 large

Onion 1 large

Garlic 5 cloves

Ginger 1” piece

Green chillies 2, sliced on a slant

Coriander leaves for garnish

Turmeric 1 tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Vegetable oil 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

Method

If using frozen, boil in water for 10 minutes. Drain. If using fresh, follow this recipe.

Grind the tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic in a blender.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the ground paste.

Fry till oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Add the chilli powder and turmeric.

Add the drained chops. Add salt to taste.

Add 2 cups of water. Cover and cook till the gravy thickens.

Garnish with green chillies and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice or bread.

Saag Gosht (Spinach with Mutton)

Saag Gosht (Spinach with Mutton)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

Spinach with mutton is a combo that few can say no to. Winter is a season when spinach is available in plenty and this is something that tastes delicious as temperatures plunge.

Ingredients

(Serves 5)

Mutton 500 g

Spinach 500 g

Yoghurt 1 cup

Red chilli powder 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

Turmeric 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Ginger 2” piece

Garlic 6 cloves

Onion 1 large, chopped

Tomato 1 large, chopped

Bay leaf 1

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Cinnamon stick 1” piece

Cloves 3

Vegetable oil 2 tbsps

Method

Divide the ginger into two and crush one half with three cloves of garlic. Slice the other half into slivers. Slice the rest of the garlic cloves.

Marinate the mutton with the crushed ginger-garlic paste, yoghurt, chilli powder, salt, coriander powder and pepper powder. Rest in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Boil the spinach and purée in a blender.

Pour oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves.

Add the onions and sauté till they turn translucent.

Add the garlic slices and fry for a few seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic or the curry will turn bitter.

Add the marinated mutton and fry for five minutes. Add the tomatoes.

Add about half a cup of water and cook on high for one whistle. Reduce the heat and cook for three whistles. Let the cooker cool.

Add the puréed spinach and cook till the gravy thickens.

Garnish with the ginger slices and serve hot with rice, paranthas or whole wheat bread.

Ajwain puri (Fried bread with caraway seeds)

Ajwain puri (Fried bread with caraway seeds)

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

A version of the Indian puri or fried bread that has the nutty flavour of caraway seeds. It is easy to make using the recipe given here by adding caraway seeds when making the dough.

Ingredients

(Serves 5)
Wheat flour (atta) 3 cups (400 g)
Caraway seeds 3 tsp
Salt to taste
Water as needed
Oil for frying

Method

Follow the method given to make puris.

Peas Pulao

Peas Pulao

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I started making this as a young mother when trying to feed a fussy baby. He was such a nightmare to feed that I had to take him to the terrace with his tricycle and he would deign to take a bite after a round of the terrace garden. Or I would stand him before the window and while he watched the children pour out of the school opposite, I would shovel food into his mouth. Peas Pulao was a dish that he liked and it was easier to feed him. This was a way for me to get him to eat rice and vegetables.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)
Basmati rice 1 cup (200 g)
Peas 1 cup, frozen or fresh
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Bay leaf 1
Black pepper whole 1 tbsp
Cloves 3
Ginger 1″ piece, crushed
Salt to taste
Water as needed
Vegetable oil 2 tbsps

Method

Wash and drain the rice.

Heat the pressure cooker and add the oil.

Add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves and pepper. Add the crushed ginger and saute for a few minutes.

Add the peas and rice and mix well. Add salt.

Add enough water to cover the rice and 1″ above.

Close the lid and cook on high heat for one whistle. Reduce the heat and cook for another ten minutes. Switch off the heat and let the cooker stand till the pressure falls. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot with cucumber or tomato raita.