Dum Aaloo (Potato Curry)

I try to avoid potatoes in my everyday meals but that doesn't mean we don't love it. I found this recipe that is a great hit when you have people over. It goes well with pulao or rotis.

For the Masala:

1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander seeds (it has more flavour than the powder)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 green cardamom, whole
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cloves
1/4 cup cashew nuts

Grind these together and keep aside.

You'll also need:
8 medium-sized potatoes boiled and peeled
1 onion, chopped

Paste of 1/4 inch ginger and 4 garlic pods

3/4 cup yoghurt
1 bay leaf
1 pinch asafoetida
1/4 cup cooking oil

Salt to taste

1/2 cup water

1/2 tbsp kasturi methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Coriander leaves, chopped to garnish

Halve the potatoes if they are too big, and shallow fry them in a pan till lightly browned. Add some salt and keep aside.

In a large pan or wok, heat the oil and temper with the bay leaf and asafoetida. 

Then add the onions and stir fry. Once they start turning translucent, add the ginger and garlic.

Add the dry masala and cook for about a minute.

Add the yoghurt and mix well, stirring at all times.

Finally add the cooked potatoes, salt to taste, and the kasturi methi.

Add water and let it cook till the gravy is reduced to a desired consistency.

Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

Prawn Dill Masala

This is a quick and easy recipe for when you want to get out of the kitchen quick. It is not spicy as it looks - just adjust the levels of chilli powder to taste. It's a good summer eat.

You'll need:
1 large onion
250 gms prawns
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
1 large tomato
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp chilli powder
Juice of 1 lemon
Few sprigs of dill finely chopped
Oil

To temper:
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
A sprig of curry leaves
2 green chillies, split


In some oil, fry the onions and keep aside.
In the same pan, add some garlic to 1 tsp oil and stir fry the prawns for a minute. Add salt and turmeric. Keep aside.
Using the same pan again, add 2 tbsp oil and starting with cumin, add the tempering ingredients.
Once they start to splutter, add the tomatoes, chilli powder, and lime juice.
Stir fry for about a minute then add the prawns and onion. Add 2-3 tbsp water to let the prawn cook, and add salt to taste.
Garnish with chopped dill.
Serve hot with parathas or steamed rice.

Chickpea Curry with Fries

This was a very easy and very quick dinner option for a day when I just didn't have the time or patience to cook. I used canned chickpeas, but if you've had the foresight to soak the some overnight, it doesn't take long to boil in the pressure cooker either.

For the potatoes:
2-3 small potatoes, sliced length ways (no need to peel the skin off)
1 tsp whole cumin 
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp dry mango powder 
1 tsp chilli powder (adjust to taste)
2-3 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
3-4 tbsp oil

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the cumin and let it cook till it sizzles. Add the potatoes and coat with the oil. Add the rest of the spices and cook on medium to high heat till potatoes are cooked. It takes about 10 minutes. Make sure they don't burn. Turn the heat down if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.

For the chickpeas:
1 can chickpeas, drained (or a handful of chickpeas soaked overnight, then boiled till soft)
1 red onion
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (or use 1tsp each of chopped fresh ginger and garlic)
2 tomatoes
2 green chilies, chopped
1 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
Coriander to garnish

In a hand-held chopper, blitz the onion and tomatoes separately. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan on medium to high heat. Add the cumin. Once it starts to sizzle, add the chilies and the ginger-garlic paste. Stir for about 30 seconds then add the onions. Once they start to turn golden, add the tomatoes and cook till the water evaporates. Add the dry spices and salt, and cook for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the chickpeas and mix till they're coated well in the curry.

To serve, place the chickpea curry in a bowl, top with the fries, and garnish with coriander. You can even add a splash of lemon juice. Serve with flat bread or rice.

Veg Stew - Kerala Style

I had never had Kerala stew till my sister had ordered some the other day. I was hooked. It felt especially good since I was coming down with a cold. It is also very easy to make.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or coconut oil if you can handle it) in a pan

When hot, add the following:
4-5 black-peppercorns
3 cloves
1 brown cardamom (badi elaichi)
A few curry leaves
2 green chillies, slit

Then add
1 cup chopped mix veg (carrots, green beans, cauliflower, peas) - I used some frozen mix veg

When the vegetables are tender, add
2 cups of coconut milk
1 stick of cinnamon
Salt to taste

Bring to boil. If you want the stew to be lighter in consistency, then add some water. To make it thicker, add some cashew paste.

Garnish with chopped coriander, and serve with appams (or steamed dosas).

Mummy's Mustard Macchi

This is a fish curry dedicated to mustard lovers. Inspired by Bengali cuisine, this is Mummy's favourite fish recipe, loved by the entire family.

Ingredients

Any fresh water fish like Kingfish or Rohu - sliced 250 g

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Mustard Seed black - 1 Tbs

Mustard Seed yellow - 2 Tbs

Tomato - 1 Large

Tempering

Red chilli - 1

Onion seed - 1/2 tsp

Bay Leaf - 1

Chilli Garlic Paste

Grind both in a mixer grinder:

Dry red chilli - 2

Garlic - 5 small cloves

Oil (preferably mustard oil)

Salt to taste

Green chilli - 1 slit in half

Coriander for garnish

Method

1. Wash the fish slices. Rub into the fish 1/2 tsp each of salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and 1 Tbs oil. Put in the fridge for 15 min to marinate.

2. Dry grind the mustard into a fine powder. Mix the powder with one cup warm water. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Put aside.

3. Grate the tomato.

4. Heat 8-10 Tbs of oil in a non-stick wok. When oil is smoking hot, fry the fish in batches. This should be on high heat. Cover the wok while frying. Be careful not to brown it too much, it should be a yellowish golden colour.

5. In the same oil on low-medium heat add the tempering ingredients and then the grated tomato. Add the garlic chilli paste. Keep stirring, don't burn the tomato. Also add 1 tsp Chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Keep stirring until oil starts to separate.

6. Add the previously ground mustard powder mix. Check salt. Add roughly one glass water according to how you like your gravy. Don't make it too runny. Bring to boil and add the fried fish and the slit green chilli. Cook for 3-5 min.

7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

Prawn Coconut Curry

This is a very easy and very delicious recipe that I make when I run out of ideas.


200 gms Prawns (de-veined and cleaned)
4-5 curry leaves
1tbsp cumin seeds
3 large tomatoes
5 cloves garlic
An inch of ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1tbsp chilli powder (optional)
200 mls coconut milk
1tbsp tamarind paste

Salt/pepper to taste
Oil to cook (approximately 1/4th cup)

Note: If you are using frozen prawns, soak them in boiling water till the pieces separate, then rinse out the water and use the prawns.

Puree the tomato with the ginger and garlic.

In a pan, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and wait till they sputter. Add the curry leaves.

After 30 seconds add the tomato puree and saute for about 3-4 minutes making sure it doesn't burn. Add the turmeric and chilli powders (if using) now and cook for another minute or 2.

Now add the coconut milk, tamarind paste, salt and pepper. Once it heats up, add the prawns. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve with rice and garnish with some coriander leaves.

Kokum Juice

 I picked up some kokum last summer. Truth be told, I didn't know what they were. I had never seen fresh kokum before.

Dried kokum is used as a souring agent in curries in the Konkan coast in India, and is also made into a juice that is perfect to beat the summer heat.

If you are a brave soul, you can try eating them raw with some salt (the flesh has some pits like Mangosteen that you can remove).

Another option is to collect all the flesh in a bowl. Mash it with your hands and soak it in a bowl of water for an hour. Then boil it adding some sugar till slightly stick. Put this through a strainer and discard the lumps. The resulting juice can be had with some salt and roasted cumin seeds.

The skin is also used for making juice and dried up, it can be used in curries as well.
Store the peels in a container with twice as much sugar. Keep the container in strong sunlight for a week. Make sure to shake the jar 2-3 times everyday. The resulting juice is a concentrate that can be mixed with some water, salt and roasted cumin seeds for a refreshing drink.

The peels can be dried further on a piece of paper where it will get direct sunlight. Once it is thouroughly dry, you can use it in fish curries or other Konkan delicacies. There are many recipes available online.

Fish in Coconut Curry

I love simple curries with rice. It's a no nonsense meal that is easy to make and tastes great on its own without diluting the taste with accompaniments which is so common with Indian meals.

Here's what you need:
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-10 curry leaves
2-3 green chillies, slit
Some ginger & garlic (I prefer using them fresh instead of the packaged pastes) 
2 finely chopped onions
2 large tomatoes chopped (or pureed if you are fussy like me about bits of tomato in curries)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp tamarind paste or juice of 1 lemon
Chilli powder according to tolerance
Approx 300ml coconut milk
1/2 kg fish, sliced (I use Rawas - Indian Salmon or Surmai - King fish)
Salt/pepper to taste


Garnish
Chopped coriander 

Heat adequate oil in a pan and fry the mustard seeds with the curry leaves till they pop. Add the green chillies, onion and ginger/garlic. Cook till the onions are translucent. Add the turmeric and chilli powder and stir for about a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients all together and simmer for about 15-20 minutes till the fish is cooked

Serve with plain rice or naan