Masala Dosa

I had to share this awesome masala dosa recipe. This the first time I have ever made dosa from scratch (god bless instants dosa mixes!). The taste is awesome and really very simple to make. The recipe is from my mommie group friend (thanks, Harshala!). The recipe will make about 10 medium sized dosas.

Masala Dosa

Ingredients

1 cup Rice
1/4 cup Urad daal
1 tsp Methi seed
1 tbsp Toor Daal
1 tbsp Channa Daal
1 tbsp Moong Daal
1 tbsp Poha or Murmura
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Wash and soak all the rice and daals in the morning. Grind everything in the evening. Let the mix ferment overnight. Make the dosas in the morning.

Green Karahi Chicken

This is my simplest ever chicken recipe. This one step recipe is hot and spicy.

Green Karahi Chicken

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh coriander, washed and cleaned
4 green chillies
2 medium onions, sliced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp grated garlic
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1/4 cup oil
2 cups water

Puree the coriander leaves and green chillies in a blender. Heat a pot and add all the ingredients. Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Simmer on low-to-medium heat for one to two hours till the chicken is almost dry. Green karahi chicken can be eaten with roti or rice.

Gajar Halwa

Eaten warm or cold (I love it cold) this Indian dessert is easy to make and a no-brainer dessert.

Gajar (carrots) Halwa

Ingredients

1 lb carrots, shredded
1 14 oz can of nestle's condensed milk
1 2" cinnamon stick
6 cardamons, finely crushed
1/2 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter

It is easiest to grate the carrots in a food processor. I like to use baby carrots for the color. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the carrots and the cinnamon stick. Stir often for about 15 minutes. Add the milk and cover the pan. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Add the condensed milk. Keep simmering over low heat. When the mix is almost dry, add the crushed cardamon.

Mock Iromba

This is my modified and tweaked version of iromba. I call it mock because it lacks a key ingredient – fermented fish! Iromba is eaten almost daily in Manipur. It does need fermented fish called ngari (which I have unfortunately not found in Chicago), chives and red chillies to be authentic. The other ingredients can be varied. Best of all, it is super healthy!

Mock Iromba

Ingredients

1 medium potato, boiled and mashed
½ lb shrimps
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 red chillies
1 tilapia fillet (or any other white fish fillet), marinated with a little salt, tumeric powder and red chilli powder
1 bunch chives (or spring onions), finely chopped
1 tomato, steamed and mashed
1 cup warm water
Salt

In a pan, add 1 tbsp oil and the red chillies. Remove the red chillies when they turn dark red. Add the chives and shrimps and saute till the shrimps are light brown. Remove and keep aside. Fry the tilapia in the same pan. Remove when it turns brown.

In mixing bowl, crumble the red chillies. Mix in rest of the ingredients. Iromba is eaten with rice.

Malai Palak Paneer (Cheese cubes in creamy spinach gravy)

Spinach (palak) with paneer (homemade cheese) is easy to make and tastes great.

Malai Palak Paneer

Ingredients

2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chili powder
2 cloves
2 whole cardamoms
2" long cinnamon stick
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp garam masala
16 oz spinach, cooked and pureed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
16 oz paneer, diced and lightly fried
2 red chillies
Salt

Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the cloves, cardamon, cinnamon, red chillies and onions. When the onion are light brown, add the garlic and tomatoes and all the spices. Cover and simmer till the tomatoes are cooked. Add the spinach and heavy cream. Simmer for couple of minutes before adding the paneer cubes. Serve with roti or over rice.

Beans, veggies and pasta soup

August and September are tomato months in our house. Tomatoes, tomatoes and tomatoes everywhere. Those of you who have tomato plants in your vegetable garden probably know what I mean. I was searching for a recipe where I could use tomatoes from our vegetable garden. This recipe is from my mommie group friend (thanks, Tripti!).

Beans, veggies and pasta soup

Ingredients

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and washed (or any other beans)
1 cup zucchini, diced (zucchini in the soup is from our veggie garden)
1 small potato, diced
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup rotini pasta (use your favorite)
2 large tomatoes, chopped (tomatoes in the soup are from our veggie garden)
2 tsps olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, crushed or grated
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp black pepper
Salt
2 cups water or broth

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil and black pepper. Cook till tomatoes are tender. Add rest of the ingredients and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium heat for an hour or so.

I still have tons of tomatoes on my counter top. Please email/post your tomato recipes here!

Chicken Kebabs

Chicken kebabs are an all time favorite in our family. My toddler calls them chicken cookies. This yummy kebab can be eaten with a dipping sauce or stuffed inside a pita bread.

Chicken Kebabs

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp grated garlic
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
4 cloves, crushed
2 whole cardamoms, crushed
2 cups water
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp yogurt
1 boiled potato (optional)

Grind together
1 small onion
1 cup fresh coriander, chopped
1 or 2 green chillies


In a large sauce pan add water, chicken, ginger, garlic, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, crushed cloves, crushed cardamoms and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer till the chicken is cooked and all the water has evaporated. The mix should be very dry. Grind in a food processor. Add the ground onion mix, yogurt and the egg to the ground chicken. Mix well. Refrigerate for 2-4 hrs. Make small balls. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the kebabs over low to medium heat. Add mashed potatoes to the kebabs mix if the kebabs break apart while frying.


Dipping Sauce

Mix together 1 cup yogurt, 1 tsp cummin powder, 1/2 cup grated cucumber, 1 tsp red chili powder and salt.

Fall harvest - Acorn Squash

This year we planted some acorn squash plants in our garden. So far we have had a bumper crop! For an Indian meal, I painstakingly peel the skin and chop it up (I will post the recipe later). But here is an easy and yummy recipe that my neighbor shared with me.

Baked Acorn Squash

Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. For each half mix 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon powder. Sprinkle the halves with salt and brush them with brown sugar-butter mix. Add hot water to a baking pan and place the acorn halves in it. Bake at 400 F for 1 hour or till soft.