North Indian

Dum Aloo

Ingredients

• Baby potatoes - 10-12
• Onion - 2 medium size
• Cashews - 10-12, soaked for 5-10 minutes in warm water
• Tomato - 4 medium size
• Yogurt - 1 cup, whipped
• Green chilli - 1
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - pinch
• Cloves - 2-3
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 tbsp

Preparation method

1. Wash the baby potatoes and pressure cook for whistle.
2. Wash the tomatoes and blanch them. When it cools down, peel the skin and keep the tomatoes aside.
3. Chop the onions, green chilli. Blend the onions, chilli and soaked cashews to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
4. Blend the blanched tomatoes to a fine paste.
5. When the potatoes are cooled, peel them and shallow fry them in oil until they turn golden brown. Prick them lightly with a fork.
6. In the same pan, add oil (if required). When hot, add cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaf and stir.
7. Add the onion-cashew paste and little salt and saute until this mixture is cooked.
8. Add the tomato puree and cook on a low flame.
9. Add turmeric, salt (as required), coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder to the whipped yogurt and mix well.
10. When the tomato is cooked well, add this yogurt mixture and cook for a few minutes on a low flame.
11. Add the shallow fried baby potatoes and cook for some more time.
12. Finally, add some crushed kasuri methi and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis or jeera rice.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients

• Palak (Spinach), washed and blanched - about 500 gms
• Onion - 2 medium size
• Tomato - 3 medium size
• Green chilli - 3, chopped
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Paneer (Cottage cheese) - 200 gms, diced into equal cubes
• Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 tbsp

Preparation method

1. Wash and blanch the spinach and keep aside.
2. Wash the tomatoes and blanch them. When it cools down, peel the skin and keep the tomatoes aside.
3. Chop the onions, green chillies. Blend the onions and chillies to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
4. Blend the blanched tomatoes and spinach to a fine paste.
5. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the paneer until golden brown, keep them aside.
6. In the same pan, add oil (if required). When hot, add the onion-cashew paste and little salt and saute until this mixture is cooked.
7. Add the spinach- tomato puree and cook on a low flame.
8. Add turmeric, salt (as required), kasuri methi and mix well.
9. When this mixture is cooked well, add the paneer and cook for a few minutes on a low flame.

Serve hot with rotis or naans.

Methi mutter malai

Ingredients

• Fresh Methi leaves - about 300 gms, nicely chopped
• Onion (ground to a smooth paste) - 1 big
• Green peas - 1/2 cup
• Cardamom - 1
• Cinnamon - 1/2"
• Cloves - 1 -2
• Green chilli - 1/2 or 1 (preferably low spice)
• Ginger-garlic paste - as per taste
• Besan - 2 tsps
• Curd - 1 tsp
• Fresh cream - 1/4 cup
• Cashew nuts - 4-5 soaked in warm water
• Salt - to taste

Preparation method

1. Wash and clean the methi leaves,drain the water and chop it nicely.
2. Pressure cook the peas by adding very little salt.
3. Add oil to a pan. When hot, add the cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste and saute for a few secons. Next, add the methi leaves and a pinch of salt and cook it well.
4. Grind the onions, cashews and green chillies to a smooth paste.
5. When the methi is cooked, add the peas and cook for a few more seconds.
6. Add the paste and mix well and further cook for a few seconds..
7. While it cooks, add about 10 tsps of water to the besan and mix it without any lumps.
Add this to the pan and stir well, consistently until it blends well.
8. Add water, if required.

Tastes awesome when served hot with rotis.