Tag Archives: indian

Uzhunnappam – Gluten Free Dal Patties

Lunch and Light Meals, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Indian Dal rice flour patties

These south indian patties are a great little bread to eat with a curry, or even to top with baba ganoush for a tasty snack or light lunch.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup urad dal
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 1/4 cup rice flour (or gluten free flour)
  • 2/3 cup desiccated coconut
  • oil for frying
  • salt

Directions

  1. Place the urad dal in a frying pan and dry fry over a medium heat until the dal turns golden brown.
  2. Transfer the dal to a grinder (blender) and grind to a fine powder. Place the powder into a large bowl and set aside
  3. Finely chop the onion, and garlic. Add the onion, garlic and cumin powder to the dal powder in the bowl.
  4. Add the rice (GF) flour and coconut to the bowl as well. Slowly stir in 2 cups of water, or just enough to give a thick batter
  5. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a frying pan at a medium heat (induction 6). Spoon in a large spoon size amount of the batter into the pan, and spread it out to make a round about 10cm across. Cook until crisp and golden underneath (4-5 minutes). Turn over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve hot. Repeat for the rest of the batter.

Sweet Potato Curry with Coconut Milk from Karnataka

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When we lived in India I needed to go to Cochin in Kerala for work. The market research session I was attending didn’t start until the afternoon, so I had the morning to explore Fort Cochin. There amoungst the alleyways I found a tiny little bookshop piled high with books. A wonderful little treasure trove. From that store I bought a South Indian Vegetarian cookbook which I love exploring. This recipe is based on that for Urulaikizhangu Saagu which is a Potato Curry from Karnataka. Using sweet potatoes to make a Sweet Potato Curry gives it a slightly richer flavor (and a few more vitamins), and I skipped the process of making homemade coconut milk, and stuck to a store bought can for convenience. It is truly delicious!

Ingredients

  • 3 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 270ml can coconut milk
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 2 green chilies, de-seeded and finely chopped
  • 2cm piece of ginger, peeled, grated
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Spice paste

  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 3 dried chillies
  • 1 Tbsp Bengal gram or Moong dal
  • 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Tempering

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1 tsp Bengal gram or Moong dal
  • 1 dried chilli
  • 1 sprig curry leaves

Directions

  1. Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut into 1-2cm cubes. Cook in salted, boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside
  2. Grind ingredients for spice paste in a mill accessory on a blender or food processor. Gradually add 2-3 Tbsp to make a paste
  3. Heat some oil in a large frying pan. Add all the Tempeeing ingredients and fry until the mustard seeds start to splutter
  4. Add the onions to the Tempered spices and fry until golden, around 3 minutes
  5. Add green chilies, ginger, tomatoes, turmeric, and salt. Fry for about 2 minutes
  6. Add 1 cup of water and turn up the heat (from 6 to 7 on an induction cooktop). Simmer for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally
  7. Turn down the heat (to 6 on an Induction cooktop). Mix in the spice paste and sweet potatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure all ingredient should are well mixed together and the mixture does not catch on the pan
  8. Pour in the can of Coconut Milk and stir to combine thoroughly. Simmer for a few minutes over a low heat.
  9. Serve with rice, idli, dosa, or roti

Indian Palak Chicken Curry

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Indian Palak Chicken
Having lived in India, our son’s absolute favorite dish is Palak Paneer – a spinach curry with Indian Paneer cheese. He demands it at least once a week! It is a great vegetarian curry and you can find Paneer in some specialty Indian stores, but it is not always easy to find. This is a variation on the same recipe, using a leg of chicken, but pieces of chicken breasts are also OK. If you are vegan you could substitute the chicken or Paneer for large chunks of white button mushrooms.
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken legs or breasts
  • 1kg spinach
  • 3 cm fresh ginger, sliced
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika powder (to add sweetness)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tomatoes, blended
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala
  • 4 tbsp coconut yoghurt (optional)
  • Coconut oil
Directions
  1. Wash the spinach and get rid of the thickest stalks.
  2. Cook the spinach with the ginger and some salt until wilted.
  3. Let it cool off a little, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
  4. Heat two tablespoons of coconut or olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the fenugreek seeds and bay leaves.Fry until the spices become fragrant.
  5. Add the onion and fry until soft.
  6. Add the garlic, ground spices, salt and pepper and fry for a minute more. Stir well so the spices won’t burn.
  7. Add the blended tomatoes and cook softly until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  8. Add the spinach mixture to the tomatoes and cook on a low heat for a few minutes.
  9. When using the coconut yoghurt, stir it it in a tablespoon at the time. When the yoghurt has been absorbed by the sauce, add another spoon.
  10. Add the chicken, bring to the boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
  11. Add a little water during the cooking process if the sauce starts to dry out
  12. Take the lid off and cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is done.
  13. Sprinkle with the Garam Masala and serve with a little extra coconut yoghurt, steamed rice or cauliflower rice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Blur – Lonesome street

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Salmon Coconut Curry

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Salmon Coconut Curry

We lived in India for two years and love Indian food. This curry is inspired by the food of Southern India, and is full of flavour, but not spicy. It uses chili only to create flavour rather than heat, and you remove the chilies after the dish is cooked. It is mild enough for children to eat, but extra chilli could be added if you prefer to add some spice.

Ingredients

Spice paste

  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 3 cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 100 ml coconut milk

Curry 

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 6 green cardamon pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 large onion, sliced
  • 3 whole green chilies, pricked all over, whole
  • 120 ml coconut milk
  • 150 ml water
  • 250 gr salmon fillets, cut into pieces (can also use salmon trimmings)
  • 15-20 curry leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp amchar (mango powder)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • fresh coriander to garnish

Directions

  1. Place all of the spice mix ingredients into a blender. Blend well to form a spice paste.
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a moderate heat pan, add the mustard seeds, cardamon pods, cloves and cinnamon stick and fry until fragrant.
  3. Add the onion, and fry gently until soft.
  4. Add the spice mix, salt and chillies to the pan and stir well. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add the coconut milk, water, salmon fillets, curry leaves, pepper, garam masala, and mango powder. Stir to combine and then let it simmer for around 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
  6. Stir in the lemon juice and garnish with some fresh coriander.
  7. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Anoushka Shankar – Traces of You

Shakarkandi Gobi – Indian sweet potato and cauliflower

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Aloo Shakarkandi

During our time living in India we became really big fans of Indian food. One of the greatest parts of traveling there was tasting all the different types of food around the country. In India this is normally made with potatoes, but we have substituted them for sweet potatoes in this dish for the extra nutrition.

Ingredients

  • 400g cauliflower, cut into portions / florets
  • 300g sweet potato, peeled and cu into 3cm chips
  • coconut oil
  • pinch of asafoetida
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1/2 large green chilli, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp tumeric
  • 1/4 tsp chilli powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp amchur (mango powder)
  • handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 120ml water

Directions

  1. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, ginger, chilli and turmeric. Mix and fry for a few seconds.
  2. Add cauliflower, sweet potato, water, and salt, cover and cook on a medium high heat until the water is evaporated. This will take about 10 minutes. Stir once in a while to avoid it catching on the bottom of the pan.
  3. Check that the sweet potatoes are cooked through. If they are not you may need to cook them for a little while longer, and add a little more water to create the steam to cook them in.
  4. Add the garam masala, coriander and mango powder. Mix and serve.
  5. Can be served as a side dish with Chicken Cardamon Curry with Papaya or another curry dish.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream

 

 

Asafoetida

Glossary, , ,

Asafoetida

Asafoetida is the dried resin extracted from a particular species of herb. The species is native to the deserts of Iran, mountains of Afghanistan, and is mainly cultivated in  India. Asafoetida is a very smelly spice, but in cooked dishes it delivers a flavor similar to leeks.

Asafoetida is used as a digestive aid, in food as a condiment, and in pickle. It typically works as a flavor enhancer and, used along with turmeric, is a standard component of Indian cuisine. When making a lentil curry (dal) and many other vegetable dishes, the flavour is often enhanced with a tempering (quick fry) of asafoetida together with other spices.

It is especially widely used in South Indian and Maharashtrian (Mumbai) cuisine, which is mainly vegetarian. It is often used to harmonize sweet, sour, salty and spicy components in food.

Cauliflower Rice with Indian Spices

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Cauliflower rice with Indian Spices

We lived in India for 2 years and fell in love with the food. Indian cooking has been a regular feature of our table, and counts amoung the favorite foods of our son. This isn’t a traditional Indian dish, but is inspired by the spices of South India to create a rice substitute dish that combines beautifully with South Indian curries such as South Indian Prawn Mango Curry, or Coconut Spinach Curry with Meatballs.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Blend the cauliflower in a blender or food process until it has a rice like consistency.
  2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, cardamon pods and dried chillies. Fry off the spices until the spices are fragrant and the mustard seeds begin to splutter.
  3. Add the dried coconut and fry for another couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
  4. Add the cauliflower to the pan and fry for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked through, stirring constantly to avoid it sticking.
  5. Serve with any Indian curry such as South Indian prawn mango curry, or Coconut spinach curry with meatballs.

About cardamon:
Cardamon (also known as cardamom) is a spice native to India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan. They are recognised by their small seed pods, triangular in cross-section, with a thin outer shell and filled with small black seeds. Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic fragrance. Black cardamom has a distinctly more smokey, though not bitter, aroma. Cardamon is used in both sweet and savoury dishes, and can also be added to tea as is commonly done in India when making Masala Chai (tea).

Curry leaves:
The curry tree is a tropical to sub-tropical tree, which is native to India and Sri Lanka. Its leaves are used in many dishes in India and neighbouring countries. Often used in curries, the leaves are generally called by the name ‘curry leaves,’ although they are also literally ‘sweet neem leaves’ in most Indian languages. Small and green, they are best bought fresh rather than dried, and do not last particularly long. You can find them in specialist Indian or Asian stores in many cities around the world.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Anirudh Ravichander – Best of Anirudh