[VeganMoFo 2014 Recipe] Moongachi Bhaaji | Whole Green Gram and Potato Curry with Koli Masala

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Sometimes it makes me sad, how our Indian cuisine is stereotyped for a handful of popular curries. There is a world of truly unique and diverse food culture spanning across the country that each one of us should make an attempt to atleast know and if possible, learn. Today's post is about a quick and scrumptious curry made with whole green gram, potato and spiced with a unique spice blend of 18 spices called Koli Masala. It was initially a gift to Lataji from Anjali, the maker of the spice mix. I was quite chuffed when Lataji generously shared some with me during our stay together at IFBM. Since then I have been meaning to make a recipe, to try the spice mix.  Isn't VeganMoFo a perfect platform to talk and feature some lesser known cuisines & traditions? - To let the world know how distinct and extraordinary our Indian cuisine is! 

Simplicity at its Best - {Recipe} Roasted Cauliflower with Whole Cumin Seeds

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Each one of us has a favorite vegetable. Ofcourse they change over time and as we get introduced to new textures & flavors. But, for me it was always - Cauliflower, my first love which am sure will be likewise in future as well. I usually make a tomato + cauliflower dry curry with minimal spices at every opportunity. Since we had some sporadic gloomy days some time ago, I wanted to a pretext to turn on my oven so that its heat can cheer me up a bit.

Other recipes using Cauliflower - Vegetarian Rogan Josh (with Cauliflower & Tofu), Cauliflower (Gobi) Paratha, Vegan Christmas Tree Pie, Fried Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower with Whole Cumin Seeds

I also was not in a mood to whip, cream and bake something elaborate like cookies or cakes. A sudden whim and I remembered reading about this recipe on Melissa Clark's blog (one of my favorite food writers). A simple toss with olive oil and cumin seeds, roast until crispy and there you have a delicious bowl of roasted cauliflower which is so darn addictive that it took exactly 3 minutes, literally for me and my sister to finish it off in entirety. :-)

{Recipe} Roasted Cauliflower with Whole Cumin Seeds

Recipe idea from Melissa Clark

It is versatile enough to be great as a side dish or just as a snack with an unbeatable combo of flavor and texture. Add whatever you have in hand.  I am planning to add herbs and nuts next time around. For an indianized version, sprinkle some chat masala once out of the oven. For some cheesy goodness, one can also sprinkle grated cheese in last few minutes of roasting.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets
olive oil (about 1/2 cup)
generous pinch of cumin seeds (jeera)
salt & pepper


Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425F or 220 C.

2. In a mixing bowl, add lots of olive oil with cumin seeds. Toss the cauliflower florets until evenly coated. Sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Spread the florets on a baking sheet evenly and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice for even toasting and caramelization.

Cauliflower florets

Just out of the oven..

Serve with hot sauce like I did or toss/sprinkle cool yogurt/curd with herbs on the top.

I could just manage to save this little bunch for the picture. Rest was all gone by then! :-)

For more such simple yet delicious recipes, Check out the Recipe Index featuring more than 200 posts .

until next time,

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{Recipe} Kerala style Arhar (Toor) Dal | Yellow Lentil Dal

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I have a special relationship with dal. When I absolutely run out of ideas for our supper or when I am depressed/sad, I automatically go for a bowl of dal (preferably yellow) and rice. It makes me happy from deep within, soothes my soul. and puts back the smile of my face. :-)

But there are only so many I can make dal. Isn't it..and this is one such delicious way - kerala-style with coconut..

Enjoy!

Cooking lentils is one of the quickest way to pep up a dull, morose day!

Ready to be ground..

the paste that makes all the difference..

Ready and Served.

{Recipe} Kerala Style Arhar (Toor) Dal

Recipe source: Chef R. Chenthil Kumar of Zambar, Gurgaon

Ingredients:

1 cup toor/arhar dal (kandipappu), cleaned and washed
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp oil (for authentic kerala taste, use coconut oil)
salt - to taste

For the paste:

1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 green chillies
10-15 fresh curry leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

For tadka:

4 dried red chillies, whole
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp clarified butter/ghee
few curry leaves


Preparation:

1. Pressure cook or boil toor dal with turmeric and salt until mushy.

2. Make a fine paste of coconut, garlic, green chillies, fresh curry leaves and cumin. Keep aside.

3. In a pan heat oil. Make tempering with red chillies, mustard seeds and fresh curry leaves. Add the boiled dal to this and simmer for 2 minutes. Add a little water. Add the previously ground coconut paste and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Allow it to simmer for some time for the flavours to blend. Check for seasoning and consistency. Top up with clarified butter.

Serve as a side dish for idli, dosa, steamed rice, roti or paratha.

For more recipe ideas cooking with legumes - Click here.

Sending this as entry to My Legume Love Affair # 49 guest hosted by Simona, original concept by Susan.

Kerala style Arhar (Toor) Dal

until next time,

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Summer is here: Instant Mango Pickle | Mamidikaya Mukkala Pachadi | #IndianFoodPalooza

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Amma's recipes is a column on this blog, which is very close to my heart. These are the recipes which my mother perfected over many many years and reflects how awesome a cook she is. It is also fun to just photograph once in a while, without thinking about what and how to make a recipe, worrying whether it would turn out well or not. She Cooks, I Photograph. That is the deal. :-) If you guys have any question, do drop in a line or comment on this post. My mom will be more than happy to answer all of them.

With much less effort, one can make this version of mango pickle, in a giffy!

I read it in an article recently - "Food is part of a continuum, changing yet connected to the past." So true. Isn't it? Pickles and chutneys likewise form an integral part of Indian cuisine, especially for us, who live in the southern part of India. These make a amazing accompaniment making our day-to-day meals memorable with their spicy, tangy flavors. Each one may have his/her absolute favorites and I bet for most of them its "Mango pickle".

Our first produce - home grown mangoes. Nothing tastes better than these!

Today's recipe "Instant Mango Pickle" - is a dish that is old made new, history scrubbed of nostalgia. Known as "aam ka achaar" in hindi, no indian meal is complete without a dash of this pickle. This recipe is special as its made with mangoes grown in our back yard. :-)

"This is like a taste explosion." ~ George, tasting his first mango, in "The Mango" (Seinfield)

The original Mango pickle is a tad bit laborious, but this version is quick and easy. All you need is raw mangoes and spices such as mustard powder, chilli powder, fenugreek-cumin powder, turmeric, salt and oil. Give it a try and am sure you will love it too, as much as we did!

Raw mango cubes, ready to be dressed up into the spices!

Use the best chilli powder available as its a key ingredient which lends a vibrant red color to the pickle.

freshly ground mustard powder. (No need to roast the mustard seeds before grinding)

Mix them all....

Spicy, tangy Instant Mango Pickle ready! tastes best after 2-3 days.

..couldn't wait for that long, so quickly mixed with some white rice and devoured till my hearts content! Darn! my mouth is still watering.

  {Recipe} Instant Mango Pickle | Mamidikaya Mukkala Pachadi

Ingredients:

4 cups of cubed raw mangoes (choose firm ones)
2 cups of chilli powder
1.5 cups of mustard powder (grind black mustard seeds into a coarse powder)
1.25 cups of salt
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp fenugreek-cumin powder (dry roast cumin seeds and fenugreek [methi] seeds separately. grind them together into powder)
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 cups of sesame/gingelly oil or vegetable oil. ( 2 cups of oil on Day One; 1 cup of oil for Day Two)

Tadka - 1 tsp each of urad dal, mustard seeds and cumins seeds + 5-6 whole red chillies

Preparation:

1. In a pan, warm 2 cups of oil.

2. In a large bowl (make sure it is bone dry) mix with (dry) hand or a spatula - raw mangoes, chilli powder, mustard powder, turmeric, salt, methi-cumin powder and warm oil. 

3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok and add the tadka ingredients one by one. Let them splutter. Turn off the heat and then add ginger-garlic paste. Add to the mango pickle mixture. Mix well.

4. Next day, Mix the contents once. Warm another cup of oil and add to the mango pickle mixture. Mix again.

Notes:

1. Don't refrigerate the pickle immediately. Water is released out of mangoes for next 3-4 days and the color will change to a shade of bright red.. Keep mixing the pickle atleast twice a day during this time. Store in an air tight container on Day Five and then refrigerate.

2. When refrigerated, this pickle will stay fresh for 1 month.

My dear friend Prerna of Indian Simmer along with Kathy and Barbara are celebrating #IndianFoodPalooza all month long. Sharing today's recipe with them and for all those who love Indian food. You will find this recipe quite simple to make at home. :-)

until next time,

Amma's Recipes: Eggplants Stuffed with a Spice Paste

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"Sweater, n.:  garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly".  ~ Ambrose Bierce.

...and there is such profound truth in this quote. Isn't it? This is one of my favourite ones and I remember reading it in an article couple of years ago. It just stuck to me since then.

Today's Recipe: Eggplants Stuffed with a Spice Paste (scroll below for the recipe)

My mother is an inspiration in my life who has a great influence on me. Though, I  look more like my dad, my thoughts & my mind are just constituted like her. We are very emotional by nature and We see the world as black-and-white, no grey shades in between which is the case most of the times..:-)

It was because of her that I happened to visit the Vaidehi Ashram, quite coincidentally I must say. It was first week of January, during one of my usual visits to Hyderabad my mom casually asked me if I was free to visit the place with her. I said "Yes", frankly expecting nothing in return.

Happy are those children who have a mother to whom they can pour out their hearts and always count on her understanding, and a father in whose strength and loyalty they are so confident that they seek his advice and help all their lives. Many people long to be such parents to their children, and could be, if only they possessed enough wisdom and love. ~ Eberhard Arnold

... that one visit did change my life for good. I visited them again, this time with a pretext of my dad's birthday to spend some time with the girls. Fast forward few days..I took up this ambitious Fund Drive for the Vaidehi Ashram. Words cannot express how happy and humble I feel with the unprecedented response I received until now. More than 2 Lakh Rupees 2.84 Lakh Rupees have been raised with the help of 115 generous souls from all across the world.

Just to give you an idea what this money can do - It costs about 4,000 Rupees to feed all 108 children for 1 day. That means, with the money raised until now, the girls can eat their stomach full 3 times a day for 50 71 days! :-)

You can still participate. The Fund Drive is open till Feb 25th 2012, mid night. Click on the Chipin button above. More details here.

Now that we are talking about my mom, it is only befitting to share one of her signature recipes. Isn't it? - Eggplants/Brinjals stuffed with a spice paste made of ginger, salt, cumin seeds and red chilli powder. Simple as it sounds, it tastes just divine when served with hot rice and a dollop of ghee on the top!. My mouth is already watering.. :-)

Eggplant slit, ready to be stuffed

a simple spice paste of - ginger, cumin seeds, salt, turmeric and red chilli powder

 {Recipe} Eggplants Stuffed with a Spice Paste

Ingredients:

10 long green eggplants (small, round ones or long, purple ones can also be used), chopped into pieces and slit (see pic above)
2 tbsp oil

For Spice paste: Grind the following into a coarse paste (see pic above)

2 inches or 25 grams of ginger, washed, peeled, roughly chopped
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp red chilli powder (or more, if you can handle the hear ;-))
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt - to taste

Preparation:

1. Stuff a little spice paste (not too much) into each of the slit eggplant. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan (which has a cover) and add the stuffed eggplant pieces. Pour about 1/2 to 1 cup water. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 mins, until fork tender. Toss them around carefully for every 5 mins.

3. Serve with rice or roti. 

tastes best with rice and roti..

For Dinner tonight - Fresh Cilantro/Coriander ready to be dunked into a pulao..

Some more recipes featuring cilantro/coriander -

Hara Bhara Paneer Pulao
Rosemary Cheese Biscuits (substitute rosemary with cilantro and add some garam masala for an indian twist)
Paneer Methi Chaman
Roundup of Herb Mania: Coriander (for many ideas from fellow bloggers)

Cilantro, though devoid of its vibrant green color, still looks beautiful. Isn't it?

Posted the above pic for Susan's Black & White Wednesdays.

Bon Appetit everybody..

until next time,

Sabudana (Sago/Tapioca) Khichdi | Navratri Vrat | Dussehra Fasting Recipes

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After Jeera Aloo, one other quintessential Navratri fasting recipe is "Sabudana Khichdi". Truth to be told, I have had a bitter-sweet relationship with this dish for past many years. I attempted to make it once, but it was a disaster. So, I gave up. But, I loved this dish so much that I used to pester my friend Prachi, to get an extra serving for me, whenever she made some. And she did. :-).

..then I read Jaya's Sabudana Khichdi 101 post some time ago and got to know the nitty-gritty of making this dish. Little did I know that not just me, but many home-cooks fail to get it right. The trick is to not to over-mix or over-work on this khicdi.

Today, I made some just to post on the blog and happy to say, it turned absolutely delicious. Yay! I am sure from now on, me & sabudana khichdi will be together, happily ever after. ;-)

Sabudana (Sago/Tapioca) Khichdi

Ingredients:

1 cup sabudana/sago/tapioca (250gms)
1 meduim sized potato
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup peanuts, dry roasted and ground into coarse powder
2 finely chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of each - coriander powder & cumin powder (or) 1 tsp of coriander-cumin powder
few sprigs of curry leaves and cilantro
1 tbsp oil (or ghee)
rock salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash Sabudana and soak in filtered water for atleast 6-7 hours. Once soaked, drain the water in a colander and let it stand for another 1 hour so that the excess water, if any is drained.

2. Peel and chop potato into small pieces.

3. Gently mix in - salt, sugar, little turmeric, peanut powder and coriander-cumin powder into the sabudana. Keep aside.

4. Heat oil and add cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Once aromatic, add potatoes. Cover and cook until little tender. Make sure they are not too soft, or else when mixed with sago, it will become lumpy.

5. Add sabudana mixture and toss the ingredients well. Don't over mix. Just toss. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 8-10 mins, untouched.

6. Turn off the heat and add coriander and lemon juice if desired. Serve.

Refer to Jaya's Sabudana  Khichdi 101, for her tips & tricks.

  until next time,

Mom's Spice Powder for Dry Curries

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It is divinity that shapes, not only your ends, but also your acts, your words and thoughts.

~ Swami Sivananda

...and I truly believe in that. For me, God is just one force which is out there some where acting as a beacon, guiding us through the right path.

Many women hailing from the southern states of India - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu perform a pooja called "Vara Lakshmi Vratham" for good health, wealth and prosperity. Every festival in Hindu mythology is associated with a story and here is how it goes for this Vrata -

You can see my mom's decorating skills here...

....In the kingdom of Magadha of yore, there lived a brahmin woman called Charumathi in a town named Kundina. The prosperous town was the home of Charumathi and her husband. Impressed by her devotion to her family, Goddess Mahalakshmi appeared in her dream and asked her to worship Vara-Lakshmi (Vara = boon, Lakshmi = goddess of wealth) and seek to fulfill her wishes. Varalakshmi is yet another form of Lord Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The prayer/worship was prescribed to be offered on the Friday of Sravana month preceding the night of full moon... Source: wikipedia

My mom, dad and little sister came to Bangalore to visit us. It felt so great to have them around and celebrate my first Vratam after moving back to India.

May Goddess Lakshmi bring loads of prosperity, good health, joy and happiness to each one of us. :-)

I must have mentioned umpteen number of times, how awesome-a-cook is my mom. She is the queen of express cooking as being a working mom and two children to manage, she always had little time on hand & 4 hungry tummies to feed.

Today, I am sharing one of her podi recipes - a spice powder when sprinkled on any cooked vegetable taste so great that you would want for more.

Mom's Spice Powder for Dry Curries

This is a must-have in every kitchen and comes handy when you are feeling lazy or short-of-time. Just sprinkle this at the very end on any cooked vegetable like - eggplant/brinjal, potato, bell pepper, okra etc and it transforms into something else. and the recipe is one of the easiest them of all. Try it for yourself! 

Psst Psst - I also used this as a stuffing for eggplant and it tastes amazing!

Ingredients:

2 cups dry, shredded coconut powder (or dry coconut, cut into small pieces)
Salt - to taste
3 tsp red chilli powder
10 garlic pods, with skin
2 tsp cumin seeds

Preparation:

Put everything in a grinder and grind until everything is blended together. Adjust salt if needed.

Note: If you are using dry coconut pieces, grind in small bursts and mixing in the middle so that oil doesn't ooze out.

Sending this as an entry to Back to Basics: Spice Powders hosted by Jaya, the Desi Soccer Mom and also to Valli's Condiment Mela.

With utmost happiness and joy, I want to let you all know that this blog has started its 5th year of existence. It wouldn't have been possible without your immense love and constant support. I hope you would continue to encourage me in future as well. :-)

until next time,
Siri

Mom's Ven Pongal (Khara Pongal or Ghee Pongal) with Madras Tomato Chutney

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We will be in a whole new yet our own world - in less than 15 days. Many many exciting  things and lots of last-minute traveling happening at our end, hence this short, unintentional break from blogging.

So friends, after a lot of contemplation, after staying in US for 6 long years, we are finally relocating back to India. On one side, I am butterflies-in-my-stomach-excited, but I also feel sad at the very thought that we might not come back here. :-(. But, did you know what Mr.JB says - Never Say Never. So, I am hopeful that someday we will get to visit here yet again and meet all my lovely friends I have made over the past few years. :-).

That said, it has been months ago that we planned our 10-day trip to Hawaii and finally, we did go there in the first week of April, for our first anniversary.

I am falling short of adjectives to describe to you guys - about how beautiful and mesmerizing the islands of Hawaii are. Everybody likes the beach the most, I suppose but for me, Kaui was the best. It is called the"Garden Island" because of its lush, green, mostly untouched & uninhabited surroundings. I felt a weird sense of peace within myself by just looking at the majestic canynos, sugarcane/coffee fields and the weather itself is so cool. :-). But, the TH loved Maui the most as it is mostly sunny with lovely blue skies.

Well, each of the islands have something new and unique to offer and it is a place to be visited atleast once in a life time.

Waikiki Beach, Honululu

Hula dancer, performing for a Japan fundraiser at Honululu.

Our 10 days of Hawaii trip included a 7 day cruise on the "Pride Of America" cruise ship. Never before, we went on a cruise. This was our first one. We were a bit apprehensive at first to spend 7 days & nights on sea but then the excitement won over the fear. I am so glad we did this as it will be one of the memorable experiences for sure. :-)

If you are like us who wish to visit 4 main islands of Hawaii (Oahu, Maui, Big Island and Kaui) all in just one week, then I would strongly recommend to island hop via a cruise. No hassle of flying and booking hotels in every island. From whale watching to witnessing Kilauea Volcano or for some dramatic views of the Napali Coastline, all can be done during the day time and as the night falls, you can return back to the ship, ready for sail to the next one.

More Hawaii pics - on my photo blog.

Being a foodie and a vegetarian, I suspected we would have limited choice when it comes to food on the ship. I would say I was partially right. Having said that, we were quite impressed at the variety of options available to us. There was a special booth called "Curry Kitchen" and there they were - fried pappadams, to pieces of naan with sometimes aloo-gobhi curry or palak-tofu curry or rajma & basmati rice of course. For breakfast, we had hashbrowns, made-to-order omlettes, oatmeal with lots & lots of fresh fruits (hey! we are in Hawaii, remember ;-)).

An extra special mention about the dessert section - Oh my my, they had brownies, lemon mousse, white chocolate mousse, apricot bread & many many more which I can't remember right now. & they all tasted so delicious. I must have put on some extra pounds just because of these desserts.

But, by the end of our vacation, my hands were itching to cook a warm south-indian meal and devour on it. We wanted stuffed eggplant, mirchi ka salan, keerai masial or the very best my mama's vegetable biryani with aloo kurma. We wanted them all. But We couldn't until we came back home on last Saturday at 12 in the midnight. We were so hungry that I had to make a proper meal for ourselves at that odd hour and made some simple cauliflower poriyal, rasam and rice. Yes, at 1 AM. :-)

The very next day, as our Sunday morning breakfast I made this very popular Ven Pongal (or Khara Pongal) with Madras Tomato Chutney.

I am sure our tummies thanked us for this simple yet delicious meal. :-)

Mom's Ven Pongal (or) Khara Pongal

Recipe Source - My Mom

Ingredients -

1 cup rice (I used sona masoori variety)
1 cup split moong dal
1 tsp black pepper corns
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tsp of ghee
2 green chillies, split lengthwise
1 tbsp of cashew nuts & few curry leaves(optional - I have not used these in this recipe)
Salt -to taste

For tempering -

1 tsp each of - urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds,\
2 red chillies

Preparation -

1. Pressure cook (1 cup of rice +1 cup of split mung dal ) with 5 cups of water until 3 whistles. Let the pressure release and cool down a bit.

2. Grind (I use a coffee grinder for spice powders - best 9$ ever spent) - the black peppercorns and cumin seeds into a fine powder.

3. Heat ghee in a pan on a low-medium heat, add urad dal, mustard seeds, red chilli (broken at the end tail), cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add slit green chillies, cashew nuts & curry leaves (optional)and fry for couple of seconds. Add in a tsp (or more as per your taste) of the (blackpepper + cumin) powder & little salt. Stir in the dal-rice mixture and Mix well. Add a tiny amount of water if desired.

4. Adjust seasoning one last time, put 1 more tsp of ghee on the top and close the pan with a lid.

5. After the ghee melts into the warm pongal, mix and serve immediately. that is when it tastes best.

The best accompaniment for this Ven Pongal is a spicy chutney. Don't you all agree? Here is a version of tomato chutney which I often make at home.

Madras Tomato Chutney, Take 2 with a better picture

I am sending this as entry to MLLA 34, this month guest hosted by Jaya (a.k.a Desi Soccer Mom), orginally conceptualized by Susan.

Hope to see you all back real soon. Not sure when as there is a lot of packing, cleaning and moving to do. and I might not cook for a while as I will be hogging all of my mom's food.

There are some exciting and fun times ahead (I hope) and we both are looking forward for all of them :-).

P.S - I will be updating my photo blog (365 days of Siri) on a regular basis, please do stop by there and say a hello for me, Will ya. :-)

until next time,
Siri

Iron Rich Foods: Paneer Methi Chaman

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Iron deficiency is one of the common problems that we, women deal with and iron rich diet is often highly recommended. Why do we exactly need Iron? - its main use is to transport oxygen to the body, ensure that our immunity system is strong and to produce energy in the body. Some of the main sources of iron are - beet root, spinach, broccoli, spinach, lentils, almonds, dates etc.

Today let us talk about our beloved Spinach. Shall we - Its not just meant for Popeye, but for all his fans too :). Me and my husband are ardent fans of both popeye and spinach. I sometimes jokingly say that my husband might be an avatar of Popeye as he can eat spinach all through the week!!

Spinach, the generously green plant is one of the popular iron foods. In a serving of 180g (3/4 cup) of spinach, body gets 6.43mg of iron.

Paneer Methi Chaman

When we are talking about *Iron-rich* recipes, the first thing that comes to our mind is -"Greens". This dish has loads of them and combined with Paneer, it tastes even better. The addition of both fresh fenugreek leaves and kasuri methi gives it an unbeatable flavor quotient.

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves 4

Adapted from Tarla Dalal's Know Your Green Leafy Vegetables

Ingredients -

4 cups spinach, roughly chopped

1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

2 cups fenugreek leaves, roughly chopped

1 cup paneer (indian cottage cheese), cubed

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1/2 cup onions, chopped

1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)

a pinch of turmeric

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp dhania powder (coriander powder)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

some fresh coriander - for garnishing

Preparation -

Step 1: Heat a small pan on medium heat and roast the dried fenugreek leaves till crisp for 1-2 mins. Keep aside.

Step 2: Boil water in a vessel and blanch the spinach and fenugreek leaves for 2-3 mins. To retain the bright green color, place the greens under cold water immediately.

Step 3: Drain the greens and blend in a mixer till smooth, adding little water at a time. Keep aside.

Step 4: Heat oil in a wide pan and add cumin seeds and onions. Saute until light golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Mix and cook for 1-2 mins until the raw taste disappears. Season with asafoetida, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and dried fenugreek leaves (crushed between both the palms). Saute everything for 3-4 mins on medium-low flame.

Step 5: Add salt, paneer cubes (which can be added as-is or lightly fried in 1/2 tsp of oil, like I did) and garam masala. Depending on the consistency you want, add about 1/4 cup of water if desired. Cook on a medium-low flame for 4-5 mins, stirring once or twice in between.

Step 6: Garnish and Serve.

Note: If you want a rich, creamy taste, add in cream, milk or half-and-half.

Nitin bhayya - this post is for you. I hope - aap ye bhabhiji ke liye banauge and khilaoge bhi ;-)

Have a gorgeous weekend - for people on the west coast and for east coast - Stay warm, have hot soups and enjoy the snow :)

until next time,
Siri