Split Green Lentil with skin in Spinach sauce

                           
                          

Lentils are largest consumed food in Northern India. Excellent for any age group and easy to digest. It helps in lowering cholesterol and increasing energy. They come in different shapes, colors and sizes. I have cooked with all the lentils, however today I cook with "Split Green Lentil with Skin". This lentil is full of fiber and protein.  

I am a parent of a growing child and I am always looking to cook with tons of nutrients as well as flavors for her. Today I tried to cook these lentils in Spinach sauce which will be easy to digest and give her lots of energy. By adding spinach sauce, I added tons of Iron, Vitamin and other nutrients to the dish, making it a super power.

It came out amazing and I added cubes of Paneer to it for added taste and texture.

The end product of these ingredients together with added condiments is the most scrumptious entree eaten with Rice, Naan or Roti. Steps are given below.

Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:
1 cup Split Green Lentil with Skin - soaked in 2 cups water for 30 minutes
3 cups Spinach - blanched in 5 cups boiling water and grounded into paste
handful of slivered almonds - soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
Puree of 5-6 tomatoes - boil tomatoes in enough water, remove the skin and grind. Makes 3 cups.
1 onion - finely chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
1 1/2 or 2 inch of ginger - finely chopped
1 tbsp oil
1-2 green chilies - finely chopped (adjust to taste)
1 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1 black cardamom pod
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin powder
7-8 cubes of Paneer to garnish
salt to taste (I used black salt/Himalayan salt)

Steps:

1. Pressure cook lentils in the soaked water, 1 cup of tomato puree, turmeric powder, salt to taste and red chilly powder. Turn off the heat after 2-3 whistles and set aside.
2. In a large skillet on medium heat, dry roast black cardamom pod, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Grind all the dry ingredients into a powder. 
3. Add 1 tsp of oil  and on medium heat add the powdered spices and hing/asafoetida. Stir the dry spices for 10 seconds and added chopped onions. Cook the onions till translucent and add finely chopped ginger, green chilies and garlic to it. Cook for 2 -3 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer onion/garlic/green chilly/ginger mix to a grinder. Grind the mix to a smooth paste.
4. In the same skillet on high heat add the remaining oil. Now turn the heat to medium and add cumin powder. Now add the remaining tomato puree and cook till the water almost dries out. Now add the onion paste to the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute..
5. Add the almond paste to the mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the spinach to the mix with coriander powder and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Now add the cooked lentils to the mix and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat or till the water dries out (this is when you can adjust the salt, if needed). Mix it all and cook for 5 more minutes. 
6. Once done add the paneer cubes. Cook for 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat. 
7. Sprinkle black pepper on the top and serve hot.

You can serve it with Rice, Naan or Roti. Squeeze few drops of lemon for added flavors and enjoy.

Tandoori Chicken Masala - Restaurant Style

I love to eat Chicken with lots of taste and aroma. However enjoying it at a restaurant means feeling full after 3-4 bites and eating lots of calories. So I decided to try something new on my own (something that is guilt free), something that is home made and tastes as well as smells just like in a restaurant. After several failed attempts and no where close to what we eat in a restaurant, I finally came up with this amazing recipe.

Ever since we bought our very first grill (which was about 6-7 months ago), grilling has been a weekly affair for us. Our weekends are spent trying our hands in grilling on fish, chicken, and veggies as well as few other meats. Creating this recipe was no piece of cake as the grilled / tandoori chicken requires the right texture and taste along with the sauce.

After coming up with this recipe, my house smells amazing and its quiet enticing due to its eye catchy colors and the lovely aroma from different spices.

So here is the Tandoori Chicken Masala recipe - Restaurant Style...Enjoy it with a naan or zeera rice.

Prep: Marinate chicken overnight in the ingredients below
Cook time: 45 minutes to an hour
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients for marination:
1 pound chicken - cut in small pieces (thigh meat - skinless and boneless)
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder (or more to taste)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 1/2 cups hung yogurt (with no water) or greek yogurt
Juice of 2 lemons
salt to taste

Ingredients for sauce:
1 tbsp oil
handful of cashews - soaked in 2-3 tbsp of milk for 1 hours
1 tbsp sesame seeds
4 tomatoes crushed/pureed
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp water
4 cloves of garlic
1-2 whole red chilly (to taste - I used one)
2 tbsp dried kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - hand crushed
3-4 black peppercorn - Kali Mirch
3-4 cloves - laung
2 bay leaves
4 green cardamon (hari elaichi)
2 inch cinnamon stick (dal chini)

Steps:

1. Grill the overnight marinated chicken till 3/4th way done. Turning after every 3-4 minutes for about 20 minutes or so. Take off the grill and set it aside. 
2. In a heavy bottom pan, on medium heat,  add 1 tbsp oil and add ground spices (grind peppercorn, cloves, bay leaves, green cardamon and cinnamon stick). Cook the spices in the oil for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add pureed/crushed tomatoes to the spices and let it cook through for 3-4 minutes or till tomatoes loose all the water. Add salt to taste. (you can add 1 tsp sugar now. I didn't use it)
4. At this time you can add paste of garlic and whole red chilies by grinding them together in a tbsp of water. Cook for 2-3 minutes by stirring constantly.
5. Grind the cashew nuts and sesame seeds in the milk cashews were soaked. Add the paste to the tomatoes and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
6. Now add the remaining spices to the sauce and cook for 2-3 additional minutes. 
7. At this time you can add the 3-4 tbsp of water (if needed and depending on the consistency you like) to get the gravy/sauce like texture. 
8. Add chicken to the sauce and cook covered for 10 minutes on medium heat and stir it after every 5 minutes. Cook the chicken till done.
9. Once chicken is cooked, sprinkle kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves on the top. (You can add 1 tbsp of heavy cream at this time as well. I didn't use it)
10. Serve hot with Naan or Zeera (cumin seeds) Rice.

Enjoy the taste and let me know how it turned out for you. My daughter had a finger licking moment and she requested me to make it quiet often. 

Mexican inspired build your own - Tapioca (Sabudana) and potato crepes

Here is another addition to my special Navratri special menu.
So far all of my recipes have been far from being traditional. I have tried creating menu's with a twist and here is another one from my kitchen to yours.
I love Mexican food and guacamole is my favorite dip with chips. Today I decided to try a recipe with Mexican flavors without loosing the essence of our festival.

The only prep needed is to boil 2 medium potatoes ahead of time (refrigerate them for some added texture) and wash/soak 1 cup sabudana (Tapioca) overnight.....
A treat to your eye; mouth watering, colorful and full of flavors delicacy. I enjoyed making and eating it, I hope you do too.

Cook time - 30 minutes
Servings - 4
Ingredients:
1 cup overnight washed and soaked Tapioca / Sabudana (Sago)
2 boiled and refrigerated potatoes (this will give texture to your potatoes)
1 avocado
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 green chillies (or to your taste)
handful of finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp Sendha namak (rock salt)
1 tbsp Feta Cheese to sprinkle on the top
1/4 cup of lengthwise thinly chopped bell peppers (orange, yellow and red - to add colors)
1/4 cup fresh spinach
a pinch of crushed black pepper

For Guacamole:
Mash avocado with potato masher. Add cilantro, 2 finely chopped green chillies, rock salt to taste, pinch of crushed black pepper and 2 tsp lemon juice to the mash avocado. Give it a stir and mash it one more time to mix all the flavors. Set aside in the refrigerator. (you can also blend it in a blender for smoother paste).

Steps:

1. Finely grate potatoes and mix them with sabudana/Tapioca. Add rock salt to taste, red chilly powder, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1 finely chopped green chilly, cilantro and pinch of crushed black pepper. Mash it one more time with the potato masher to evenly mix the flavors and ingredients.
2. Make 4 balls of the mix and form circle shaped crepes using hands. This mixture will make 4 small crepes.
3. In a skillet on medium heat spray some olive oil and cook the vegetables (bell peppers and spinach) with a pinch of salt and crushed black pepper. Take them off the heat once the veggies are cooked. (Cook them till 3/4 way done. Keep them crunchy as in Fajita's)
4. In the same skillet on medium heat spray some olive oil and cook the crepes, one at a time. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes or till crispy and golden brown. Make sure to constantly check the crepe to avoid them from burning. Cook the crepes on medium heat however you can increase the heat to high if needed. Once cooked, its time to decorate and plate. 
5. Fun way to do it is by spreading the table with all the main ingredients (this is what I did). In different bowls lay down guacamole, cooked vegetables, feta cheese and finely chopped cilantro on the table. You can now add toppings of your choice to your crepes and enjoy....

Enjoy the colorful and full of flavors dinner with fruits (I had it with Watermelon) and a cup of tea or coffee...This was fun for me and my daughter. I hope you enjoy it too.

Flavorful Sama ke Chawal (barnyard millet) and Tofu mix

Sama ke Chawal (Barnyard Millet) is one of my favorite foods during Navratri season. Following series of my additions to navratri food on my blog, here is another dish from my kitchen to yours. Simple, easy and healthy way to enjoy this navrati with lots of flavors, colors and aroma to all the traditional vrat food from my childhood. Enjoy the delectable delicacy and get creative with me.

Cook time - 35 minutes

Servings - 2 

Ingredients:

1 cup sama ke chawal (barnyard millet) - washed and cleaned

1 cup tofu - mashed

handful of finely chopped cilantro

2-3 green chillies - finely chopped

handful of cashew nuts - dry roasted and loosely crushed 

Sendha namak - to taste

1 tsp red chilly powder or crushed black pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin powder - dry roasted and grounded

1 -2 tsp lemon juice

Steps:

1. In a pot, boil 2-3 cups of water on high heat. Stir the rice/millet in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Check the rice for soft consistency. Once done turn the heat off and strain the rice/millet in a strainer or use cheesecloth. Set the chawal aside for 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix tofu with rest of the ingredients except red chilly powder in a large bowl. Add sama ke chawal / millet and mix well.
3. Take a skillet add 1 tsp oil on medium heat and add red chilly powder to the oil. Add the sama chawal and tofu mixture to it. Stir in for a 1-2 minutes and serve it warm/hot with Coconut chutney.

You can also make a patty out of the same mixture (follow steps from above) by adding a medium boiled potato to it. Mash the potato with the mixture and make patties out of it. Cook in a skillet on medium heat while cooking for 2-3 minutes each side or till golden brown. 

Healthy and easy way to enjoy navratri food.

Spicy and Tangy - Oil free Matara (dried green peas)

Cook time - 20 minutes
Serves - 3
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Matara - soaked in 2 cups of water overnight(dried green peas)
1 cup of water for cooking
salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp dry roasted and grounded cumin seeds powder
1 tbsp ground coriander powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
3-4 green chillies - finely chopped
1 large onion - finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes - finely chopped
1 1/2 inch ginger - julienned and soaked in juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp chaat masala
juice of 3 lemons
handful of fresh cilantro leaves - finely chopped

Steps:

1. Mix Matara (dried green peas), salt, red chilly powder and turmeric powder in a pressure cook on high heat (Use the water matara was soaked in + 1 additional cup of water) for approx 8 minutes or 1 whistle. Turn off the heat and set the pressure cooker aside.
2. On medium heat add the cooked matara in a large skillet and let it come to a boil. While stirring it continuously, add finely chopped onions and tomatoes to it. Cook for 10 minutes. 
3. Add green chillies, chaat masala, cumin powder and coriander powder. Cook for 10 more minutes or till the water almost dries out.
4. Turn off the heat mix in freshly chopped cilantro, half of the julienned ginger and lemon juice.
5. Serve hot with kulcha. Decorate with finely chopped tomatoes, cilantro and remaining julienned ginger before serving. 

Enjoy spicy and tangy oil free Matara recipe. Give feedback on how it turns out. 

Oil Free - Daal Makhani

Ingredients:
3 tbsp red kidney beans (rajma)
1/2 cup whole black lentil (sabut urad dal)
4 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
6-7 cloves of garlic - grated
2 tbsp fat free milk
3 cups of water
2 tsp ground cumin
1 onion grated
2 green chillies - finely chopped
handful of fresh cilantro - finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp kasuri methi
salt to taste

Steps:

1. Wash, clean and pressure cook on high heat red kidney beans, whole black lentil, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, 3 tbsp tomato puree, salt to taste, 3 cups of water and grated garlic for 15-20 minutes. (no overnight soaking of lentil and beans required with this recipe). Now open lid of pressure cooker to check the softness of red kidney beans. Add 2-3 tbsp of cold water as well as ground cumin powder. Gently mash the red kidney beans with a potato masher (don't mash it too much) and pressure cook again on medium heat for 15-20 minutes (or low heat for 25-30 minutes) or till full cooked. Once done turn off the heat and set the pressure cooker aside.
2. In a wok or large skillet spray calorie free olive oil (I use PAM-brand) and add grated onions to it. Saute' onion for 2 minutes or till they turn golden brown. Now add remaining 1 tbsp of tomato puree and green chillies. Stir for another 2-3 minutes and add pressure cooked lentils/beans to the onions and mix well.
3. Add fat free milk, crushed kasuri methi and ground coriander powder. Stir on low heat for additional 20-25 minutes or till the Dal has a thick texture (mash the Dal with potato masher, if required for consistency).
4. Now add garam masala and finely chopped fresh cilantro to the Dal.
5. Serve hot/warm with freshly baked Naan or Rice.

Note: Do make adjustments to the quantity of water used to cook beans/lentils depending on the consistency of Dal you like. Measurements above are for thick consistency. 

This is my daughter's all time favorite. Trust me the end results are worth the time.

Bhuna Gosht

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound medium cut goat pieces
4 medium onion - chopped in small pieces
2 tomatoes pureed
2-3 pods of green cardamom
1-2 pods of black cardamom
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1-2 green chillies - finely chopped
6-7 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 inch of ginger - julienned
handful of fresh cilantro - finely chopped
1 tsp of red chilly powder
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp of dried coriander powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp water
handful of cashews soaked in 1 tbsp hot water (optional)

Steps:

1. In a large skillet dry roast green & black cardamom pods along with cinnamon stick and bay leaves on medium heat for 1 1/2 minutes or until you smell distinct aroma.  (Optional: you can roast them in a teaspoon of oil as well). In case of dry roast grind all the roasted spices and set aside.
2. On medium heat now spray some olive oil spray and add onions to it. Saute' onions till translucent and add ginger and garlic to it. Stir for 2 minutes or till onion turn golden brown. 
3. Add all the spices including salt to the onion mix and stir for about 1 1/2 minute. Now add tomato puree as well as green chillies and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Now add pieces of goat and coat it well by stirring it for a minute or so. Cook for about 15 minutes. Mix in pureed mixture of cashews with water (optional) along with 2 tbsp of water. Stir everything thoroughly. Cover and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes or till the meat is tender. Remove the cover and sprinkle dried coriander powder as well as finely chopped fresh cilantro. Increase the heat and cook for 5 more minutes or till the water dries out, stirring continuously to avoid the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
5. Serve with  Lachha Parantha/Roti or Naan.

Well liked by my family. Hope you enjoy it as well.

Blackened Grilled Salmon - Indian Style

Ingredients:
3 Salmon fillet
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Ajwain (Carom) Seeds
turmeric powder
red chilly powder (to taste)
Kala Namak (Himalayan Black Salt) to taste
5-6 cloves of garlic, and juice of 3 lemons

Steps:

1. Clean and pat dry salmon with paper towel. 
2. In a large bowl marinate salmon in juice of the lemons for 15 minutes. 
3. Dry roast Cumin seeds and Carom (Ajwain) seeds for 1 minutes or so on high flame. Once done crush it into powder.  
4. Add all the ingredients after 15 minutes to the salmon and marinate in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
5. Turn on your grill (I have gas grill, you can do the same on any indoor or outdoor grills) and cook salmon for 8-10 minutes on each side or until done. I like my fillet well done, you can alter time based on your liking.
6. Once done plate it and eat it with grilled vegetables (my preference) or Zeera rice (rice cooked with cumin seeds). 
7. You can squeeze lemon on the top of the salmon to you taste. 

Quick Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients:
5-6 broccoli florets
1/2 orange bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1 small onion
3-4 crimini mushrooms
2-3 asparagus
3-4 baby corn
1 large tomato
2-3 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil Spray
salt to taste (if needed)
crushed black pepper (to taste)
low sodium soya sauce

Steps:

1. Wash, rinse and cut all vegetables except baby corn in large pieces. 
2. In a  large non stick pan, spray oil olive and saute roughly chopped garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add soya sauce and cook for another minute. Keep stirring.
3. Now add all the vegetables except tomatoes to the pan and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Keep stirring.
4. Now add tomatoes along with salt to taste, if needed. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Keep Stirring.
5. Turn the heat off and enjoy the Oil Free Stir Fry with a cup of hot green tea.

Tip: I love to add drops of lemon on the top. Something you can try to add additional flavor to it.

Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients for Chicken Meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
1-2 cloves garlic - crushed (to taste)
1/2 inch ginger - crushed
salt to taste
black pepper
small bunch of fresh coriander leaves - finely chopped
1/2 cup of bread crumbs

Ingredients for Sauce:
5-6 tomatoes boiled and crushed
1 tsp olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic - crushed
salt to taste
black pepper
1 small onion (optional)
dried basil
dried oregano
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves (optional)

Method:
For Meatballs: Use olive oil spray to cook crushed ginger / garlic in a non stick pan for about 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and place cooked ginger/garlic in a medium bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients. Make 1 inch meatballs. Place the meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

For Sauce: In a non stick pan spray some olive oil and cook crushed garlic in it for 2-3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes to it along with rest of the ingredients and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough. Turn off the heat once cooked.

Steps to the final product:

1. Cook Spaghetti pasta with little salt and olive oil in a big pot. Once boiled 3/4 way through scoop out the pasta or use a strainer. Reserve pasta water to be used to balance the consistency of the sauce.
2. In a large pan add the pasta sauce and meatballs. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes and add boiled pasta to it. Cook for another 5-6 minutes or till the pasta is full coated/cooked. 
3. Plate it and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. 

Note: I didn't use cheese through the process, however you can add grated Parmesan cheese on the top before serving. 

Enjoy!!