Penne With Basil Cream Sauce

Last weekend, we were baby sitting one of our friend's little daughter who likes princesses, creamy pastas, and all things pink and sweet! So, I made pasta with pesto/ground basil in bechamel sauce.  I was warned that she would pick out every bit of vegetable on her plate, and true to that, she picked out all the grape tomatoes I added, but finished the pasta. Good thing I refrained from adding broccoli and asparagus... the presence of such veggies would have upset her appetite ;). It's a whole new creative process to incorporate veggies while cooking for kids!

There was also a pinkish strawberry cake (post coming up) and we had a good time eating comforting pasta, cake, and watching Little Mermaid and Turbo. I was so happy to have a little girl at home enjoying Little Mermaid as much as I do!

Aloo Mattar / Potaoes & Peas Gravy

Aloo Mattar is a simple and common Indian gravy/curry. Potatoes and peas are cooked in a standard onion-tomato gravy and flavored with the usual Indian spice blends. 

In the spirit of recording all kinds of foods and recipes - simple, common, unique, different and otherwise - I'm putting this recipe up as well.

Apple Pear and Almond Clafoutis

While browsing for dessert recipes in this book, my eye locked onto this dish. I love fruit based desserts because it makes me feel less guilty while baking! I also love cardamom flavored desserts to the point of obsession. I add cardamom to almost any dessert or dish. So when I saw "cardamom" in this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I am shockingly predictable in many ways!

But, I did adapt and change a few things from the recipe. I did borrow the basic structure, because I'd never baked clafoutis or even eaten one. So, I started by using pears and apples instead of peaches. I think the natural sweetness of both apples and pears complement each other and enhance the taste quotient of any dessert. I also added more almond flour and reduced the quantity of all-purpose flour, used low fat milk, and yes, I increased the quantity of ground cardamom :). The original recipe calls for 4 pods of cardamom seeds... and I laughed to myself! The seeds of 4 cardamom pods are what I add for one cup of tea for myself. It's not enough for an entire dessert! ;)

Anyway, here's my tweaked recipe. The clafoutis was awesome! It was mild, fragrant, and so flavorful. The dish didn't brown as much as the pictures in the book, and the texture was different, but I went for three helpings - unheard of when it comes to desserts!

I am really enjoying The French Market Cookbook!

Savory Swiss Chard Pie

How could I pass on this? I'd always wanted to try a savory pie, and last week seemed the perfect opportunity. I adapted the recipe of this delectable dish from the awesome book - The French Market Cookbook. 

The original recipe calls for baking swiss chard, prunes and pine nuts in a spelt flour dough. Definitely a healthy and hardy flour! But since I didn't have any on hand, I tried it with puff pastry and it turned out lovely. Anything stuffed inside puff pastry turns out beautifully! But in the spirit of being more healthy, I should definitely try baking with spelt flour - a gluten-free flour I have never used.

I also added sun-dried tomatoes (tart tomatoes with sweet prunes is a wonderful pairing), and walnuts and almond flour for crunch. Finally, I generously increased the quantities of chard leaves (I love them), shallots and prunes for a stronger flavor. Subtle flavors are not an Indian thing :). I strongly recommend using red swiss chard. They are so much more flavorful than regular ones. 

So here is how to put together this extremely easy dish. No cooking involved! Just assemble and bake!

Avocado & Radish Mini Tartines

Our friends TK and Sindhu gave me this wonderful book by Clotilde Dusoulier as a gift. Right after the book was published, it was on my Amazon wishlist. So it was a delightful coincidence when I received it as a gift! Thanks to them for knowing me so well :). 

I've been trying out the recipes in the book, and they are all fantastic. The recipes defy the common notions and misunderstandings surrounding French cuisine. None of the recipes are high-brow or daunting. The book is a collection of healthy recipes based on fresh seasonal produce, and they are all accessible and easy to prepare. It's yet another testament to how simple ingredients and tasteful, minimalistic seasonings pair together to make amazingly delicious dishes. Although there are some ingredients that are perhaps a little hard to find in common stores, Clotilde makes sure to suggest substitutions and alternatives. 

Anyway, when my friends visited last week, I decided to make a three course simple meal from the book.

Starting with this appetizer, I adapted the recipe from the book, and thanks to TK's feedback and suggestions, it was improvised further for an addictive and incredibly easy finger food! 

Panneer Soda / Carbonated Rosewater / Goli Soda

Pan-neer, pronounced as "pun-neer", translates to Rosewater in Tamil. It is not to be confused with paneer - the popular Indian cottage cheese! This is definitely not a fizzy drink made with cheese of any kind!

Panneer Soda is a popular roadside drink in Southern India, specifically in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a refreshing, cooling drink - the perfect antidote to the head-throbbing, sweltering summer heat. The soda comes in a green tinged codd-neck glass bottle, inside which is a smooth marble (called as "goli" in Tamil) that pushes against a washer and seals the mouth of the bottle due to the pressure of the carbonated drink. So, there's no cap or cork, just a goli that has to be tactfully released from the washer.

Our childhood was filled with an inexplicable fascination for goli soda! The bottle was enticing by itself. One would see the curvy green bottles lined neatly in every road-side shop. Of course, our parents would never let us near the drink, unless absolutely necessary. I remember the first time I had goli soda. I was about  9 years old and we were vacationing during my summer break. The blazing heat was making all of us see spots & stars, so my mom relented and got some panneer soda that the family relished. I loved the flavor of rosewater, but having never tasted soda until then, the slight burning sensation from quickly gulping it down and the ensuing after-burps didn't sit well with me. What a finicky kid I was!

Anand has many more nostalgic memories surrounding his college days and goli soda. So, when I thought aloud if I could make panneer soda at home, he jumped at the suggestion and prodded me every single day for about ten days until I finally got around to working on the recipe. Our friends TK and Sindhu were visiting last weekend, so it seemed the perfect time to make some panneer soda.

Anand and TK helped me figure out the proportions for this drink.  The two guys take their panneer soda quite seriously :)). Thanks to TK in particular for patiently and meticulously giving his feedback until the perfect proportion of rose-concentrate to soda was reached!

Potato & Green Bean Soup

I made this soup last year during a collaborative cooking session with some of our friends that are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and passionate about fine dining and cooking. The theme for the dinner was French Cuisine. So, we put together a four-course meal (not including the addictive cheese platter!), and had a great time cooking and working together in the kitchen. 

The menu was:

• Peas, Mint & Parmesan Crostini - so delish! I need to record the recipe that was settled on before we forget. Well, I already have forgotten, so need to re-experiment with the ingredient measurements!
• Green Bean & Potato Soup (deceptively good and creamy!)
• Mushroom Bourguignon (So hardy and flavorful! Some day I should come up with a substitute for mushrooms...)
• Poached Pears (need to record this recipe too! I put in so many spices / flavorings - vanilla bean, saffron, lemon rinds, cloves, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon... well, everything except the kitchen sink :))

All in all, an evening well spent - good food, great company, awesome music, wonderful conversations :)

So, reminiscing on those good times, here's how the soup was prepared. This is a very simple dish with simple seasonings, but the result is a flavorful comforting bowl of soup.

Onion Wheat Dosa / Godhuma Dosai

Wheat dosa is an easy to prepare crispy Indian crepe. Wheat flour and some rice flour are mixed together with flavorful and spicy seasonings to form a thin batter. The batter is then gently poured in concentric circles (more or less) in an artful manner to form a paper thin crepe. My husband and I can live in a deserted island with just crispy dosas. And this is the easiest way to satisfy some craving for crispy dosas.

The addition of rice flour crisps the dosas, so try to not skimp on it. I have also started adding some ground oats for texture and nutrition. You can also add some quinoa flour to make thicker pancakes similar to this one.

Spinach Molagootal / Keerai Molagootal

Molagootal is a classic Palakkad dish. Palakkad (Palghat) is a stretch of town in the state of Kerala that lies very close to the Tamil Nadu border. So, as with towns and cities that closely nestle between two states, Palakkad has interesting confluences of Tamil and Malayalam culture and cuisine. This dish is one such a beautiful confluence that is commonly prepared by Palakkad Iyers.

This is an example of a dish that exceeds all the basic requirements of a standard pot of gravy. 

Is it nutritious? Yes! With, copious amounts of spinach and lentils!

Is it easy to make? Yes! Anybody, and I mean anybody can make a delicious pot of molagootal. 

Is it quick to prepare? Yes! If you own a pressure cooker, the total cooking time will be no more than 20 minutes - with 10 minutes of idle time to spare

Is it easy on the palate? Yes! More than easy on the palate. It is delicious! Coconuty and cuminy.

Yes, the dish looks all green and unappetizing in my pictures. Blame it on the photographer and the deviously deceptive ideas perpetrated on the harmless, good-for-you, chlorophyll!

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon-Infused Balsamic Reduction

Asparagus is one of our favorite vegetables. I remember reading a short story when I was 10 years old about a man with long white whiskers (a luscious mustache!) drinking asparagus soup. That was the first time I'd heard of asparagus, and the name fascinated me. The image of an old man slurping asparagus soup is the first thing I humorously associate with the vegetable!

Needless to say, because of the above association, I love asparagus soup and make it often. But, my husband and I both love roasted asparagus even more! It is our favorite evening snack. It's so easy to prepare, and is absolutely lovely with a flourish of lemon juice. The version below requires just a smidgeon of extra work, but the end result is so satisfying! This is the best way to incorporate a vegetable side when there isn't enough time to make anything elaborate. 

If you are not a fan of asparagus, use brussel sprouts. Roasted brussel sprouts are really really good! Or try roasting broccoli...or roast pretty much any vegetable of your choice!

Tomato Pappu / Tomato Dal

Tomato Pappu is a simple, comforting dal from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. My father and his siblings grew up in Andhra Pradesh, so they regard all things connected with the state with a lot of love. Not surprisingly, their cooking is influenced by Andhra cuisine as well. My paternal grandmother was a great cook, and so are my aunts. They make the most deliciously spicy food that's a hybrid of Tamil and Telugu cooking! It's a pity my grandmother passed away when I was really young. I unfortunately haven't tasted (or remember tasting) her food, and never got to learn any of her signature recipes directly from her. My aunts are, of course, carrying on the tradition. And I have so much to learn from them!

Anyway, this pappu is a darling favorite of everyone in my family. My father and my uncles need nothing else if there is a pot of tomato pappu! My mother and I love it too, so it's often made in our household. My earliest memories of having pappu are with my grandfather. He used to eat avakkai rice (avakkai is a spicy mango pickle from Andhra Pradesh) along with pappu. Everyone in my paternal family loves spicy food. So, all our meals started with a "pickle course" - i.e., rice mixed with spicy pickles. It was such a norm at our meals, that even a spice-intolerant person like me, fell in line to follow the tradition! To this day, I love pappu with avakkai or any mango pickle. It elevates the taste of pappu and brings back warm memories.

 

This is a deceptively simple dish that seems similar to any tomato dal. But, this has its own unique blend of favors.

Potato Vindaloo

Vindaloo refers to spicy curries of Goan origin. This is not exactly a Goan dish, but the spice blends in this curry are sort of like that of a Vindaloo. But to be frank, I didn't know what other name to bestow on this dish! :). And vindaloo, sort of sums up a curried version of potato, so I went with it. 

A few years back, at one of the Indian restaurants in our town, I ordered a popular Indian curry called "Dum Aloo". However, the dish that made its way to our table was most definitely not dum aloo, except that it had potatoes in a tomato-based sauce. But it tasted really good and really unique that I loved it! I tasted coconut and yogurt and hing, and other South-Indian spice blends that my palate is accustomed to identifying. So, ever since that evening, I have been recreating the dish at home and calling it Vindaloo!

This is a tart and spicy dish with a unique blend of flavors!

Mini Cumin Butter Cookies / Jeera Butter Biscuits

Jeera biscuits/cookies (we call cookies as biscuits in India) are one of my husband's favorite savory items. Every so often, he hankers for them, and requests that I make some. Last weekend was one of those days when he craved for them. Thankfully, they are very easy to make and takes just 30 minutes of total work. 

I use two basic methods to make these cookies. The most frequently used recipe is this one (with cumin seeds instead of oregano), and the other commonly used is this one (with lots of cumin!). This time I borrowed elements from both recipes and decided to add more butter (sinful!) for the buttery aroma reminiscent of the melt-in-your-mouth powdery soft butter biscuits we get in Indian bakeries!

Also, this time I used a 1" (I think it's 1", but could be slightly smaller or larger) fluted round cookie cutter to make cookies that look like clouds of puffed buttery, cumin-y, golden-brown crunchiness! Anything that is a mini/baby version of anything is cute by default, right?!

Milagai Podi / Idli & Dosa Podi / Chilli Spice Blend

Milagai podi (chilli spice powder) is used as an accompaniment to idlis, dosas, adais, and other South-Indian crepes. A teaspoon of milagai podi is mixed with some sesame oil to make a slightly thin paste. Pieces of idli/dosa are then dipped into it for a spicy, flavorful bite. It is freshly made at home, with each household having its own slightly unique twist to their recipe. But the basic ingredients are the same. For example, my grandma adds some jaggery to make it more flavorful and palatable for us kids (well, we were kids at least back then). I need to ask my mom for her recipe and record it here sometime.

This recipe is my mother-in-law's. Milagai podi is slightly coarse in texture. It gives a nice crunch, especially when it is had with idli.

Paruppu Podi / Lentil Spice Blend

Paruppu podi is a Tam-Brahm (Tamizh Brahmin) specialty. It defines minimalism by way of its humble ingredients and simple preparation. When mixed with fresh steaming rice and ghee or sesame oil, it offers a wonderfully comforting and delicious meal. It is what all of us resort to when a quick and flavorful meal needs to be conjured up without any cooking involved. But it is in no way a compromise to have paruppu podi rice. The smell of  spiced roasted lentils hitting warm rice and ghee is one of those unique scent-memories for us Tam-Brahms!

My mother-in-law had sent her recipe to me a few years ago, and I am finally digging it out from my pile of back-log. Here it is! 

Vegetable Dal Kichdi

Dal Chaaval (lentils and rice) is the ultimate Indian comfort food. Dal Kichdi is a version where rice and lentils are cooked together into a soft, mushy form. The type of lentils/pulses usually used are split green moong beans - rich in protein. I ran out of green moong beans, so I made some with regular yellow moong dal. This is similar to Venn Pongal, except I add some vegetables and some extra spices to make this into a one-pot nutritious meal.

Pineapple & Cherries Raita

I had some pineapples and cherries left over from making pineapple upside-down cake. So, I just put them together in yogurt and made a sweet and savory raita. I am a fan of sweet and savory dishes. This raita has elements of sweet, spice, salt, and tartness from the pineapple and chaat masala. Not everyone takes to these flavors. My husband was not really into it, but I really liked it. So, play with the flavors to suit a combination of your liking! Or, just toss the fruits in yogurt and enjoy as a creamy fruit salad :)

Broccoli Kadhi / Kaddi

Kadhi is a spicy besan (chickpea flour) based buttermilk gravy that's popular in the North-western regions of India. Having Gujarathi and Punjabi friends ever since my school days, I have always considered Kadhi to be the Northern (North Western) version of the Southern Mor Kuzhambu and Mor Rasam, both of which are buttermilk based spicy gravies, but without the addition of chickpea flour. 

One of our good friends and talented cook had made an awesome Kadhi a couple of weekends ago. The dish reminded all of us that it had been awhile since we'd made Kadhi. So, I made some recently - my adapted Punjabi version, with the addition of vegetables. Punjabis add vegetable or fenugreek-leaves based chickpea fritters (pakodas) in the Kadhi. Instead, I added broccoli (a vegetable that's never added in kadhi ;)) along with the usual suspects - onion and tomato. This is a simple and wholesome meal that is equally good with rice or rotis.
 

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Bisque

This is perhaps not a bisque in a traditional sense, but being incredibly creamy and luscious in a bisque-like way, this soup takes the monotony out of just plain old "soup"!

As much as vanilla gets teased for being plain and simple, it is an enduring, timeless, classic. No future generation will forget about vanilla.  Along those lines, plain old tomato soup will always remain a universal favorite. Nothing beats the snuggly flavor and ticklish tartness of a hearty bowl of tomato soup. If you decide to roast the tomatoes and make the soup creamy, you will be loved and blessed by all. 

My favorite brand of packaged soups is Pacific Foods. Their roasted red pepper & tomato soup is one of my most loved soups. For the longest time, they were known only in the Pacific North West, so my memories of this soup are associated with my years of living in that gorgeous, beautiful region. This soup used to be my comforting friend during sick days and bad days. The world just seems a better place when you have this soup and take a nap. So this is my version of trying to recreate the wonderful original. 

I didn't flavor this soup with any herbs or spices because the elegant taste of this soup comes from the roasted vegetables/fruits (tomato and peppers are fruits, didya know!). Simplicity should not be messed with, so I just seasoned with black pepper and salt.

Paneer Makhmali

I had this dish at an Indian restaurant in California many years ago, and fell in love with it. I remember being puzzled by the name, and was instantly intrigued and delighted with the flavor combinations described - buttered onions sauteed with paneer in a mint and coriander sauce. Wow! The dish didn't disappoint; it was one of the tastiest paneer dishes I have had. My friend later told me that this is a dish that has been popularized by Tarla Dalal. Since then, I have never seen this feature in any other restaurant (in the U.S). What a pity. Every time I make this dish, it's an instant crowd pleaser!

It's been a while since I made this, primarily because fresh mint leaves are such a rarity to find during the months of September to June. And I personally don't like this dish with just coriander leaves. However, thanks to the dried mint leaves that have been gracing the shelves of our Indian store recently, I have been indulging in quite a few "minty" dishes. And this was one of them. I still miss the taste of fresh mint leaves, and that's another reason why I am hoping every day to find daffodils sprout from the white, frigid earth and put an end to this miserable winter. Spring is almost here - I can hear the daffodil bulbs stretch and yawn and awaken from their slumber!

So, here is my take on the recipe. We personally love the combination of tomatoes and cilantro, and tomatoes and mint. (and of course, tomatoes and basil). We are so used to mixing mint chutney with marinara sauce on our homemade pizzas (and marinara sauce with mango pickle, courtesy of my uncle!) that I decided to add tomatoes/tomato paste to this gravy as well. The original recipe doesn't call for tomatoes, so skip them if you want just the unadulterated flavors of mint-coriander-onions and paneer! The addition of tomato paste also explains why my dish doesn't have it's characteristic bright green color.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 400 grams or 14 ounces of paneer, cubed (thawed, if required)
2. 2.5 cups packed coriander leaves / cilantro
3. 1.5 cups packed mint leaves OR 3 tablespoons dried mint leaves (the latter option works for those of us that don't get fresh mint in the winters)
4. 1 - 1.5 cups yogurt (1 cup if you use dried mint leaves, 1.5 cups if you use fresh mint leaves)
5. 2 green chillies
6. 4 pods of garlic
7. 2 inch-block of ginger
8. 1 medium red onion, chopped or sliced
9. 2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional, not usually added)
10. 2 teaspoons garam masala (of your choice)
11. 1 teaspoon salt
12. 1 teaspoon sugar
13. 2.5 tablespoons olive oil / vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Saute the coriander and mint leaves in 1/2 tablespoon oil for just a few minutes - maybe 5 minutes.
2. Grind together: mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger, and garlic using 1 or 1.5 cups yogurt (depending on whether you add dried or fresh mint leaves) to a smooth chutney. It's okay if it seems a little runny. The yogurt will thicken while marinating the paneer.
3. Marinate the cubed paneer in the marinade for 1 hour. Do not marinate for longer, because the paneer  might get too soft and disintegrate.
4. When the paneer has been marinated, heat oil in a sauce pan. When hot, add onion and saute on medium heat until it turns slightly brown at the edges.
5. Add tomato paste (optional) and salt and fry for 7 minutes or so until the tomato paste has cooked well.
6. Add the marinated mixture with the sauce and paneer and gently stir. Add garam masala, and some water if you want to thin down the consistency (I add a tablespoon of water). Cook for 5 minutes until the gravy doesn't smell raw. Then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2 minutes or until the gravy bubbles a little. Since there is yogurt, do not over cook.  Adjust for seasonings, add sugar, give a mix and remove from heat. 

Serve with freshly prepared rotis or as a side with basmati rice. 

Variation: Add salt, garam masala to the marinade. Marinate the paneer in it along with some quartered onions and bell peppers for 30 minutes. Then skewer them through bamboo skewers and either grill or broil for a really delicious paneer kabab/tikka! Serve with a drizzle of the remaining chutney. This is called Paneer Hariyali Tikka.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

We celebrated one of our friend's birthdays last weekend, and I was in charge of baking a cake. Since our friend likes pineapples and is a fan of pineapple upside down cake, I was requested to bake one. Pineapple upside-down cake is such a classic, and a favorite classic at that. Here's how I make it.

This recipe works well for me. I used Betty Crocker's classic recipe as a starting point. I then increased the volume of the batter to make a 9x13 inch cake, decided to use oil to keep the cake moist, and added buttermilk to make the yellow cake more fluffy and soft.

Ingredients (serves 12):

1. 1/2 stick unsalted butter
2. 1 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor)
3. 12 round pineapple slices
4. 12 marachino cherries, stems drained
5. 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
6. 1.5 cups sugar (I added 2 cups, but felt the cake was a tad too sweet, so I recommend cutting down the sugar, but people who have a sweet tooth thought the cake was good with 2 cups of sugar)
7. 1 cup vegetable oil
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
10. 2 teaspoons baking power
11. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
12. 3 eggs, at room temperature
13. 1.5 cups buttermilk, room temperature

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 by 13 inches cake pan (a metal pan). If using a glass pan, reduce the temperature to 325 F.
2. Mix dry ingredients together - flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. 
3. Add eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat/whisk until pale-yellow colored. Add oil and vanilla extract and beat to incorporate. 
4. Starting and ending with the dry ingredients, alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk in 3-4 batches (very important step for a light fluffy cake) and mix with a spatula or a mixer on low-speed until just mixed. (Just to make this very clear, add 1/4 of the flour mixture, mix. Add 1/3 rd of the buttermilk, mix. Repeat the process until buttermilk is over. Then add the remaining flour mixture and  mix).
5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the cake pan (takes about 7-10 minutes). Remove from the oven and evenly sprinkle brown sugar on top of the melted butter (else heat butter and brown sugar on the stove top until sugar melts, and pour this onto the baking pan). Arrange the pineapple slices on top of the sugar, and place marachino cherries in the center. Finally, pour the batter on top and even it out with a spatula
6. Bake for 50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. 

Rest/cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Gently loosen the sides and carefully flip onto a serving tray.

Serve with some whipped cream!

Gobi Paratha / Cauliflower Paratha

Gobi paratha is an Indian flat-bread made with a spiced cauliflower stuffing. It is a meal in itself, with the curried vegetable stuffed inside a hearty disc of flat-bread made with whole-wheat flour. The only painstaking part of this process is grating the cauliflower before it is fried/cooked with spices. If you have a food processor or a special automated gadget, then, please use it. Else, employ someone in the household :)

This is my favorite paratha! Simple, flavorful, and wholesome!

Ingredients (makes 10 medium-sized parathas):

The filling:

1. 2 cups worth grated cauliflower 
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil / vegetable oil
3. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds / jeera
4. 2 green chillies, finely chopped
5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
6. 1 teaspoon coriander powder / dhania
7. 1 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala of your choice
8. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
9. 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparing the filling:

1. Heat oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds. Wait for it to sizzle. Add turmeric powder and green chillies and fry for a minute. 
2. Add cauliflower and fry on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. The aim is not to cook the cauliflower, but to evaporate the moisture in it so that it is not soggy in the stuffing.
3. Add spices - coriander powder and garam masala and salt continue to fry for another 2 minutes until the cauliflower begins to roast and brown slightly and any moisture released from the addition of salt has evaporated. 
4. Remove from heat and mix cilantro. Let it cool. When cool, test if the filling is moist, if so squeeze out the moisture before stuffing.

The dough:

1. 2 cups whole-wheat flour / aata
2. 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil / sesame oil / vegetable oil / clarified butter (ghee)
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 3/4 cup (approximate) liquid at room temperature or slightly warm (use water/ yogurt / a mix of the two or whey - the liquid that drains from non-fermented cheeses like paneer or ricotta)

Preparation:

1. In a wide, flat-bottomed bowl/pan, mix flour, salt, and a tablespoon of oil. Slowly add the liquid and knead to form a soft dough with no dry cracks. If the dough looks wet, just keep kneading until the moisture is absorbed. If it continues to be sticky, sprinkle some flour. When the dough comes together, knead for 5 more minutes, and bring to a smooth ball. Smoothen the top with a teaspoon of oil, cover with a damp cloth/paper towel, close the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This allows the gluten to develop.
2. After 20 minutes, knead the soft dough for an additional 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some water if the dough looks dry. Make even sized lime-sized balls of dough.

Making the parathas:

1. Take a ball of the dough and roll it into a circle of 4 inches diameter (approximately). Lightly dust the board and the rolled out dough with some wheat flour to avoid sticking. Do not sprinkle too much flour - it will burn and make the parathas dry while cooking them.
2. Place up to 2 tablespoons of stuffing in the center of the rolled out dough and close it by bringing up the sides and twisting them together to make a pouch. Gently pat it to flatten into a thick disc and roll it into a circle of 5-6 inches of diameter or up to 1/4 inch thickness (parathass will be thicker than rotis). Sprinkle some wheat flour to aid the rolling. If the paratha tears a little and the stuffing pokes out, that's good! The crisped stuffing will taste better. But be gentle while rolling because you don't want huge tears that cause the filling to fall out and the paratha to lose shape.
3. Heat a cast-iron skillet (preferably) on medium heat. When it is hot, transfer the paratha onto it and cook on either sides by applying 1/4 teaspoon of oil (or more on each side) and pressing down gently on the paratha to help it cook evenly. Cook the paratha on both sides until there are golden brown spots. Transfer to a hot-pack or insulating container, or serve immediately.

Serve with pickle, spiced yogurt/raita, or plain yogurt. 

Chole / Channa Masala

Chole (Punjabi style curried chickpeas/garbanzo beans) is perhaps the most popular Indian dish (second only to paneer gravies), especially in the West. It is a sacred dish to me, because I grew up loving chole (or channa masala, as we used to call it) and have ardently wished to learn the proper way of making it. Similar to the ubiquitous sambar, almost everyone makes chole, but only a few can prepare the authentic version. I didn't post this recipe for so long, because it felt sacrilegious for a lowly South-Indian to talk about a treasured recipe that has been honed and fiercely guarded by legions and generations of Punjabi women. When I had a Punjabi roommate, I was excited simply because I thought I could finally learn the authentic version of chole from her. She did graciously share her recipe with me (which was surprisingly similar to what I had been doing), but added with a disclaimer - "But it will not taste like my mom's, and I don't know what goes into the masala that my mom gave me". I was crestfallen. The secret is in the masala and the unique blend of spices that go into it!! Try asking a Punjabi if they would mind sharing their recipe for garam masala/chole masala spice-blend. You won't get anywhere with that request :). A quick flip through an Indian cook book or a google search will yield hundreds of sources that teach you how to make chole by making a standard onion-tomato-ginger-garlic gravy and stewing the beans with some store bought masalas, but there are perhaps just a handful of recipes that are close to the original, while still not the original. Unless I visit Punjab and befriend some Punjabi grandmas, I don't think I will ever learn the authentic-authentic version. But in the meanwhile, after much experimentation and discussions with many many different people, I prepare three different versions of chole. One is a quick fix, and an insult to the original. I just grind tomato, onion, ginger, garlic and whole spices together, and cook the beans with some masala powders - one homemade, and another store bought. The second version is this one (chickpeas instead of black-eyed beans), and the third, slightly more careful version is this one below.

Thank to Anita from A Mad Tea Party, I have been using her recipe to make Punjabi garam masala. I have never been a fan of black cardamom, but what an eye-opener when it is ground with cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves! It is an extremely potent masala, that just inhaling it would leave the back of your throat suffused with flavor. I am so grateful to Anita for helping me understand which blend of spices makes chole taste the way it does.  I personally think cloves and bay leaves (or tej patha) make the difference. Her Punjabi Chole recipe is also highly popular online and is rated as the most authentic version! But I lack the patience to roast and blacken whole spices every time I make this dish, so the below version is my middle-ground!

I try to make a small, fresh batch of the above Punjabi garam masala every time I make chole. Home made masalas taste manifold times better than store bought ones. And the freshly made ones taste even better than masalas that were prepared a few weeks before. Plus, there are no words to describe the way freshly ground spices perfume the house.

Ingredients (serves 6):

1. 1 2/3 cups uncooked chickpeas / garbanzo beans (I don't know why I withheld that last 1/3 cup and didn't round it to an even 2 cups)
2. 6 cloves
3. 2 bay leaves
4. 6 green cardamom pods
5. 2 inches cinnamon
6. 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
7. 1 tomato, chopped
8. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
9. 4 garlic pods + 2 inch block of ginger (The authentic version doesn't contain garlic, a shocker)
10. 1 teaspoon fennel seeds / saumph / sombu
11. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
12. 1 teaspoon jeera powder / cumin powder
13. 1 teaspoon coriander powder 
14. 1/2 teaspoon anardhana powder (pomegranate seed powder)
15. 1/2 teaspoon amchur powder / dry mango powder
16. 2 teaspoons Punjabi garam masala / chole masala powder / garam masala powder
17. 1 teaspoon chilli powder or 2-3 green chillies (add both chilli powder and green chillies if you are a fan of spice)
18. 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves / cilantro leaves
19. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
20. 1.5 teaspoons salt or as needed
21. 1/4 teaspoon kala namak / Indian black salt (but the salt is usually pink colored)
22. A squeeze of lemon juice (optional because the addition of amchur and anardhana powder make the chole a little tart, and lemon juice might make it more tart.  But I think just a small hit of an acid at the end ties all the flavors together)

Preparation:

1. Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight. Drain the water, and add chickpeas to a pressure cooker along with whole spices (cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon) and water that comes up to 1.5 inches above the chickpeas. Pressure cook for 5 whistles (on medium heat). Let the pressure settle down. If not using a pressure cooker, cook on stove top until you can mash the chickpeas between your fingers. When cooked, fish out the whole spices (as much as you can) from the water.  Do not discard the water. (Punjabis cook the chickpeas with a couple of tea bags and dried gooseberries to infuse color and a tart flavor. Since I prefer the addition of whole spices, I don't add tea or gooseberry)
2. Heat oil in a sauce pan. When hot, add fennel seeds and wait for it to sizzle slightly. Add onions and (and green chillies, if adding) and fry on medium heat until onions brown slightly.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for  30 seconds until it is not pungent. 
4. Add spices - turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, jeera powder, coriander powder, amchur powder, anardhana powder, and punjabi masala powder. Fry (with a little extra oil if needed) for a minute.
5. Add tomato and tomato paste and fry for 10-15 minutes or so until the tomato paste leaves the sides of the pan and the tomato is mushy. 
6. Add the cooked chickpeas along with the water in which it was cooked (the water has all the flavors of the whole spices). Add more water if needed to bring the gravy to desired consistency. Simmer the gravy on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
7. Add kala namak and mix well. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve hot with rotis or pooris. Or sandwich between two slices of bread, and press in a panini press/sandwich maker for "bread channa" a quick breakfast and all-round meal.

Bhindi Masala / Curried Okra

Okra has a bad reputation in the West for being a slimy vegetable. But in the Eastern part of the world, when cooked/fried right, okra is a wonderful, delicious vegetable! Vendakkai curry, as we call it in Tamizh, was my most favorite vegetable side-dish when I was young. Every young kid in Tamil Nadu grew up believing that eating okra would make their brains stronger and make them better in Mathematics. I really hoped that would be true, but that hope didn't come to fruition in my case. 

This version of okra curry is a North-Indian version. It is spicy and finger-licking good. The "secret" to making this dish the right way is to fry the okra and the masala mixture separately, and then mix the two together. Lip smacking good!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 4.5 cups chopped okra (cut the okra into 1.5-2" pieces) (wash the okra, dry them well, and then cut, else they will be mushy and won't fry)
2. 1 medium - large onion, sliced or finely chopped
3. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
4. 3 garlic pods + 1" block of ginger crushed together
5. 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 1 teaspoon coriander powder
8. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (add more for a spicier version)
9. 2 teaspoons kitchen king masala / tava fry masala, or 1 teaspoon garam masala
10. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
11. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed

Preparation:

Do in parallel (1 and 2):

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. When hot, fry/cook the okra (without closing the skillet or sprinkling water or adding any salt). Add a little more oil, if needed. Let the okra fry and cook until almost fully done. 
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in another skillet/pan on medium heat. When hot, add jeera and wait for it to sizzle. Add onion and fry until slightly brown.  Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds to a minute. 
1. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, and coriander powder. Fry for a few seconds. Add masala powder of your choice and fry for a few more seconds.
2. Add tomato paste and fry for about 10 minutes until the paste leaves the sides of the pan. If it is too dry, sprinkle a little water and mix.
3. When the okra is done, add it to the onion-tomato masala and gently stir to combine. Cook for 2-5 minutes on low heat to let the okra absorb the flavors.

Remove from heat and serve as a side-dish with rotis or rice.

Dill Dal

When I first came to this country as a wide-eyed student, every trip to the grocery store with my good friend (and then flat mate) was a small expedition all by itself. We used to walk to the store - about 3 miles from our place with our empty backpacks ready to carry all the weekly produce. And then we used to walk all the way back, our backpacks stuffed and our back and shoulders straining under the load. My friend used to rightly remark that we looked like turtles with a heavy shell, walking upright. I remember one time, while crossing the road, the plastic bag I was carrying in my hand gave away and the contents spilled onto the middle of the road. I couldn't even bend down to pick up everything because of my heavy backpack crushing me. But thanks to the friendly people of the laid-back University town that I love dearly, people around helped me, while I was red with embarrassment. But despite all the physical exhaustion, I still think of those walks with fondness. I loved the bright green around me, the colorful flowers, the cool breeze, and our talks together!

Anyway, during each trip, I also learned something new at the grocery store. Such as the difference between lettuce and cabbage. And one day, Dill. I saw my friend stuffing a bag full of dill, and I was ever so curious as to how it would taste and what she would do with it. She made a sambar like dish with cooked toor dal and tamarind juice simmered with dill. And that was one of her specialty dishes! Although dill is a herb that's commonly used to just flavor or season a dish, her dal is not in the least bit overpowering. It tastes unique and very good. 

So this dal is inspired from her dish! This is for you Aparna :)

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

1. 2.25 cups dill, stems removed, and leaves finely chopped (substitute dill with any other green)
2. 1 cup uncooked toor dal / tuvaram paruppu / yellow lentils
3. 1 medium-sized onion, chopped finely
4. 2 tablespoons tomato paste (or 1 tomato)
5. 1 " ball of tamarind soaked in 1.5 cups hot water for 15 minutes
6. 2 teaspoons sambar powder (or 1 teaspoon chilli powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder)
7. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
8. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
9. 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
10. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Cook toor dal until well cooked and mushy. If using pressure cooker, cook for 4 whistles.
2. Heat oil in a sauce pan. When hot, add jeera and wait for it to sizzle. Add onion and cook until translucent. 
3. Add sambar powder and fry for a minute. Add tomato paste/tomato, turmeric powder and salt and cook until the tomato paste/tomato leaves the sides of the pan. Takes about 7-10 minutes.
4. Add the dill leaves and fry/cook until the dill wilts and cooks - about 5 minutes.
5. Extract the juice from the tamarind pulp and add it. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook for 10 minutes or until the tamarind doesn't smell raw. 
6. Add the cooked toor dal and mix well. Add more water, if needed, to get the dal to desired consistency. Reduce the heat to low and cook the dal for 10 minutes until it incorporates the spices. 

Remove from heat and serve as a side dish with rice or rotis.

Green Bean & Rosemary Soup

I recently made a french green bean soup with potatoes and sage. When people politely ladled out the dirty green soup, I could tell no one was hoping to like it. But, surprisingly, they did. Maybe the potatoes saved the soup because of its comforting starchy, creamy flavor. Anyway, since green beans in soup didn't disappoint, I made another version of the soup with beans, onion, tomatoes, and a strong dash of rosemary. It turned out to be quite flavorful!

Ingredients (serves 3-4 as a main dish):

1. 2.5 cups, cut green beans
2. 2 tomatoes, chopped
3. 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
4. 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary (or use 3-4 fresh sprigs) (dried herbs are quite potent in flavor, so a little goes a long way)
5. 2 tablespoons olive oil
6. 4 cups vegetable stock / broth
7. 1/2 cup half & half /milk
8. 1 teaspoon salt (or as needed)
9. 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a sauce pan / soup pot on medium heat. When hot, add onion and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes and cook until soft. 
2. Add green beans and salt and cook for 5 minutes. Add rosemary (if using dried rosemary, rub the rosemary between your palms and add. This brings out the essential oils. Or grind the rosemary and add). Cook beans for another 5 minutes.
3. Add vegetable broth and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the soup for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add half & half or milk. Blend the soup to desired consistency.

Serve with a sprinkling of black pepper.  

Banana-Orange Bread with Chocolate Chips

At any given point in time, my freezer would have at least 2 frozen over-ripened bananas that my husband would have tossed in upon spotting any banana with more than 5 brown-black spots. He is finicky about having only pristine looking flawless yellow bananas. I, on the other hand, love ripe bananas. But before I can get to them, they are thrown into the freezer and replaced with a fresh batch. So, I usually thaw the bananas and add them to smoothies along with orange and strawberries. I also frequently bake banana bread with those mushy bananas. Since it had been a really long time since I made a batch of banana bread, I thought (against my better judgment) of just baking.

Coming fresh out of making orange-chocolate chip ice-cream, the smell of oranges was still lingering in the kitchen and in my mind. And since I love oranges and bananas together, in lieu of adding those two fruits together in a smoothie, I decided to mix them together in the bread. And chocolate chips never hurt anyone or anything, right? Flecked with orange zest, moist with juice, and dotted with gooey chocolate chips, this is a flavorful, robust bread.

So, here it is - a small twist to my unfailing trusty recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups self-rising flour (I had to clear this out from the pantry; self rising flour is mixed with baking powder, so if using all-purpose flour, separately add a leavening agent - such as 2 teaspoons baking soda)
2. 1.25 - 1.5 cups sugar (I added 1.25 cups)
3. 4 over ripe bananas (thaw, if frozen)
4. The juice and zest of two whole oranges (about 3/4 cup of juice)
5. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
6. 1.5 sticks unsalted butter, melted
7. 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Butter and flour a 9 inches by 5 inches loaf pan and wrap the sides of the pan (not the bottom) with aluminum foil so that the edges don't burn (this bread bakes for a long time, so you don't want the edges to bake faster and burn)
3. Beat or blend the bananas to a fine pulp (don't add any water). Add melted butter and sugar mix well until smooth.
4. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix well. Add orange juice and zest and mix well.
5. Add the flour and mix gently until well incorporated. Finally sprinkle in the chocolate chips and gently fold into the batter
6. Transfer batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean
7. Cool on a cooling-rack for 15 minutes and then loosen the edges and flip onto a plate. 

Serve with some whipped cream or chocolate drizzle.