Sunday, September 22, 2019

Aloo Methi Paneer

1 lb russet or yukon gold potatoes, in 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp coriander, ground
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp asafetida
1 cup fresh/frozen fenugreek, or 1/2 cup dried fenugreek soaked in water
8oz paneer, fried in 1 inch cubes

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, then cumin seeds after popping. Remove from heat; add coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, asafetida. Add potatoes, 2 cups water, and fenugreek. Return to heat, boil, then simmer until almost tender, about 30 min. Add paneer, simmer until cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

Source: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Okra with onion-tamarind sauce

1/4 cup canola oil
1 lb okra, rinsed and dried (important!), tops cut off but not cut into pods
1 tsp cumin
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp tamarind paste/concentrate, whisked into 1/2 cup water in a small bowl to dissolve the paste
2 tbsp cilantro

Fry the okra in oil, about 5 minutes, in batches. Heat cumin seeds, then onion, stir fry until light brown. Add coriander, salt, cayenne, turmeric, 1-2 minutes. Add tamarind water. Lower to medium, simmer about 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed into the okra and it's fork-tender. Add cilantro.

Source: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Mustard Greens and Spinach

8 cloves garlic
4 fresh chilies
2 slices ginger (2"x1" each)
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin
1 lb mustard greens
1 lb spinach
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala

Puree the garlic, chilies, and ginger.
Heat the ghee, add cumin seeds, then pureed mix, about a minute. Then add the greens (bit by bit as necessary as they wilt), then the tomatoes, salt, and garam masala. Cook for 5 minutes. Cool and blend to whatever texture you want.

Source: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Bengali potatoes and spinach and coconut milk

1 lb potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp panch phoron
3 dried red Thai or cayenne chilies
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
8oz spinach leaves, rinsed and chopped

Heat oil, add panch phoron, cook 15 seconds. Add chilies, cook 15 seconds. Add potatoes, cover briefly, stir once or twice, cover again, cook at medium for 5 minutes. Add salt, turmeric, and coconut milk and stir. Simmer on medium low for 12-15 minutes. Add spinach, cover, cook 2 minutes.

Source: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Okra with coconut and chilies

1 lb okra, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup dried coconut, reconstituted in 1/2 cup boiling water for 15 minutes
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
3-4 green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chilies, de-stemmed
2 tbsp sesame or canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad dal
12-15 curry leaves
1 tsp salt

Trim the caps off the okra, cut into 1/2 inch rounds. Combine coconut, cilantro, and chiles in food processor, mince but don't totally puree.
Heat oil on medium-high, add mustard seeds, pop 30 seconds, add urad dal for 15 seconds, add okra and curry leaves, fry 15-20 minutes or until they blister in spots and get light brown. Stir the coconut mixture into the okra, add salt, simmer 2-3 minutes.

Source: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Bitter Melon with onion and tomato

1 lb bitter melons
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tsp Punjabi garam masala
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup cilantro

Trim both ends of the melon. Scrape all the scales off and peel the melons. Slice in half lengthwise, scoop out all the spongy seeds in the center. Add salt and let it sit 2-3 hours or overnight in the fridge. Rinse, squeeze out water, dry with paper towels.

Heat oil on medium high, stir fry melon until light brown and slightly crispy, 8-12 minutes. Remove.
Heat oil on medium low, cook onion until caramel brown, 15-20 minutes. Add tomato, garam masala, cayenne, sugar, and turmeric. Cook 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and the bitter melon, boil and simmer 5-10 minutes. Serve with cilantro.

Source: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Panch Phoron

2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds

Mix them together.
Source: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Chicha morada

1 bag (15 ounces each) purple corn
1 green apple
1/4 pineapple (peeled and cored)
1 pear
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
1 cup sugar, or to taste
1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice, or to taste

Add like 3 quarts of water, simmer everything but the sugar and lime for an hour or so. Add sugar and lime juice to taste. I think it's supposed to make 3 quarts but it ends up with more like 2, so you can dilute it more too. The original recipe was 8x this big.

Source: https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/chicha-morada

Sunday, June 2, 2019

Chatpatee Sem

Tangy green beans with ajwain and ginger

Salt
1 lb green beans, trimmed
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp ajwain seeds
1/2 onion, cut into thin half-rings
3/4-inch piece of ginger, minutely diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp amchoor powder

Boil green beans in salted water for 4-5 minutes, drain. Heat the oil in a wok on medium-high, add cumin and ajwain, cook 10 seconds, then add onion. ower to medium and let onion brown lightly. Add ginger, stir 20 seconds. Add green beans, toss, add cumin, coriander, and cayenne, and 3/4 tsp salt, toss again. Add amchoor and 2 tbsp water, serve.

Source: Madhur Jaffrey's Spice Kitchen

Malaidar Matar

1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground garam masala
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 fresh long hot green chili or 1/2 jalapeƱo, finely chopped
4 cups shelled fresh peas or 1 bag frozen, defrosted
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Mix the sugar, cumin, garam masala, salt, cayenne, tomato paste, cream, lemon juice, cilantro, and chili into a sauce and set aside. If the peas are fresh, boil them until just barely done. Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin and mustard seeds; when they start to pop, add the peas and saute for 30 seconds. Add the sauce and cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Source: Madhur Jaffrey's Spice Kitchen

Cabbage with fennel and onions

1 head cabbage, shredded
2 1/2 onions, peeled and sliced into half circles
1/2 cup oil
5 fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, ripe or canned, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 long hot green chili or 1/2 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp lemon juice

Heat half the oil, add seeds. As they sizzle and change color (~30 seconds), add 2 sliced onions. Fry over medium for about 3 minutes. Add cabbage, stir, cover, lower heat, cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend 1/2 onion, blend it with ginger, garlic, and tomato in a blender until pastelike.
Heat the other half of the oil, add blended paste, turmeric, and chili. Fry, stirring, for 8-10 minutes, adding a little water if necessary to prevent sticking. Add to the cabbage, with salt, garam masala, and lemon juice.

Source: Madhur Jaffrey's Spice Kitchen

Sambhara

Shredded cabbage and carrots (maybe Gujarati?)

2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp asafetida
1 small cabbage, thinly shredded
2 carrots, peeled and trimmed, shredded
6-8 thai, cayenne, or serrano chilies, thinly sliced lengthwise, with seeds still in
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, cover until they've stopped popping. Add fenugreek and asafetida, then add cabbage, carrots, chilies, turmeric, sugar, and salt. Stir fry, then cook 5-10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and cook 5-10 more minutes, until the cabbage is noodle-like but still crunchy. Add cilantro and lime juice and serve.

Source: 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Saag

(this saag has ginger, fennel, and black cumin)

1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black cumin seeds
1-2 onions, cut into thin fine half-rings
1 inch piece of ginger, cut into thin strips
1 lb spinach (or scale everything down; I've only made this with 1lb)
1 hot long green chili or 1/3 jalapeno
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat oil and butter on medium-high. Add seeds, stir. Add onions and ginger, stir fry until rich and brown. Add spinach, cover and let it wilt, then turn heat to medium. Add chili, salt, and cayenne, stir for 10-20 minutes, covered at first then uncovered to evaporate liquid.

Source: Madhur Jaffrey's Spice Kitchen

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Tasting Table amaro

350 milliliters 192-proof neutral grain spirit (such as Everclear; can substitute with high-proof vodka)
4 grams gentian root
5 grams bitter orange peel
2 grams dandelion root
3 grams licorice root
3 grams chamomile
3 grams cinchona bark
4 grams rhubarb root
Water and sugar

The measurements are approximate, as my 1 gram scale isn't really up to the task. I strained this one for a month, used 120 proof Everclear (lol california), and ended up with 325ml amaro, 150ml simple syrup, and 125ml water. I might use a little more water and less syrup next time, but it's close.

Also tried it with 75ml syrup and 250ml water and it was a bit too bitter.

Source: https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/recipes/how-to-make-amaro-recipe