Shahi Paneer - saying thanks to all the beautiful blessings in life with a royal dish

As I pass the empty room, I stop to look in and assess the damage of 4 days. To my surprise, there are no soiled clothes on the floor, bed is pretty much made and no used cups, plates on the bed side table either. My phone charger that didn't belong to me for the last 4 days has been put back in its rightful place in the study. It reminds me of the countless mom-daughter fights we have had, me telling her to be responsible, keep the room clean and her telling me to either not sweat (when she was in good mood) or telling me to stay off her room (if she was tired). I no longer have to do that nor engage in unnecessary battles with her. Sometimes the very changes you wished for end up being the things you wish had stayed just the way they were for longer :-(. She hugs me before heading out and says, "I will be fine amma!" as if she read my mind. The little girl that was here just a little while ago seems grown up, she no longer gives me a reason to tell her to pick up after her, or be the constant reminder nagging her to do things. I count this to be one of the greatest blessings in my life though I sure wish the baby phase continued on forever..or for a long time atleast :-)

Thanksgiving is behind us already which means there are only a few days left for the rest of the year to come to an end. Feels like I started 2016 only recently :-). The joy of going to the airport to pick her up is already replaced by the melancholy of the house when we return home after dropping her off. She will get busy with school, finals and friends and we will get busy with work and other activities and we both start counting the days until the next break when she would be home. Until then, I reminisce the time we had together this past weekend. The 4 days of holiday was good and all three enjoyed the much awaited time with each other and also get some good rest. Flora heartily joined us for the eats and the snoozes though if you ask me she doesn't need the snooze any more than she already has :-). And food, oh yes there has been plenty in the last days, I cooked more than I had in the past month or so and in the name of feeding the famished college student, the parents also enjoyed some yummy and great food :-), no complaints from anyone.

Thanksgiving is definitely a tradition for us, both interms of the food and what we do (or don't do :-)) during the 4 days. I don't have to plan, don't need to invent anything for the lunch as our menu is set. We do a brunch that lasts us for the entire day and as usual, we had our masala dose, roasted sweet potatoes and cranberry chutney. I made the cranberry chutney in a very typical Andhra pachadi way this time and it tasted delicious and very flavorful. I have a couple variations of the chutney on the blog but if you are interested in this particular version, let me know and I will be happy to post that as well. The masale dose with the potato stuffing and the various chutneys on the side and inside along with roasted sweet potatoes made us feel stuffed for the entire day without needing anything for the most part.

I had got a pie pumpkin with plans of making something with it but just didn't get there. The pumpkin still sits in the corner beckoning me to make something, so look for some new pumpkin recipe on the blog soon if I continue the cooking enthusiasm and feel adventurous than usual (or I might end up falling back on the tried and tested favorites that are already on the blog :-) and won't post anything new). So the morning after Thanksgiving, I wanted to keep it simple, easy and tasty and ended up making this shahi paneer with some of DD's favorite peas pulav. The richness of the shahi paneer complemented perfectly with the simple and toned down peas pulav I had made. We enjoyed it hot and fresh for lunch, warm and well marinated for dinner :-). Yep cook once and eat twice is the mantra especially when there is so many tiny, little, medium and big sized containers already in the refrigerator full of left overs.

Ever since DD grew up to be a college girl, it seems like the parents live for the days between the holiday breaks :-(. I usually ask DD what she wants to eat whenever she is heading home for holidays. She has a bunch of favorite amma made food and is game anyday if I make from that list, but I feel like I make the same dishes every time if I don't plan ahead. Having eaten the dorm food for weeks at length, she is happy to eat anything I make when she is home (a huge change from before she went away to school and used to nitpick every meal :-(). Paneer is one thing she has some access to at school as every time they head out to enjoy some Indian food outside the campus, paneer dishes are always ordered as they are everyone's favorites and also pretty decently made in the places they go to. She loves paneer in most forms and I wanted to make something with it this time since the last two breaks she was home, it never made it to the menu.

Paneer is probably one of the universally loved ingredients especially for people from the Indian sub continent. This humble ingredient finds its way to numerous north Indian dishes and always seems to take them a notch higher than if they were to be devoid of paneer. Personally I am not fond of paneer or any kind of other cheese (! I know, I have had a hard time explaining this to many people in the past), I spoon the gravy liberally when we order a paneer dish while eating at a restaurant leaving the paneer pieces to BH and DD who are happy to gorge on amma's share too. So we don't waste food and it works out for everyone. This is what I do at home as well when I make a paneer dish. If you are looking for some of the favorite recipes with paneer, my versions of the dishes are right here on the blog at palak paneer, paneer butter masala, paneer tikka masala and mutter paneer. A new addition to the paneer family on the blog couln't be anything less than royalty, could it? so here is shahi paneer today. I used help from store bought paneer this time since the days around Thanksgiving were hectic and I didn't have thee time to make it at home.

Shahi is royalty, kingly :-). This dish is made rich with cashews and cream (I cheated a little as usual since we don't need to be that 'shahi' anyways :-)). The texture of the gravy is smooth and silky, the ingredients are ground into a very fine paste before they are combined. This is an easy way out to putting together a resturant grade shahi paneer without toiling infront of a hot stove trying to saute raw onion and tomato paste for a long time until they are well roasted. If you are looking for a short cut without any compromise on the taste, this recipe is for you. I found it originally on a you tube channel by chef Vikas Khanna. Cooking them with spices until soft not only gives you a head start on cook time (you don't have to saute onion & tomato paste until fat oozes out from the side) but also ensures that the aroma from the spices are captured in the gravy and held secure there. Adding honey is the chef's touch, I would have added a spoon of sugar to cut the sourness of tomatoes but honey made perfect sense as it added the sweetness and also aided the silky smoothness of the gravy. This is a perfect accompaniment for a bland rice (such as jeera rice or plain steamed rice) and for roti/naan.

Paneer Trivia: 
Cottage cheese is an easy and understandable term when you are trying to explain paneer to a person whom you are trying to introduce to Indian cuisine. Though cottage cheese and paneer and used interchangeably, they are not the same. The process of paneer making ensures that all the whey is removed by keeping the curdled milk under weight for a couple of hours where as cottage cheese is hung up and retains some whey in it. Also usage of paneer is mostly in cooked dishes while cottage cheese is consumed in its raw form. Paneer is extremely easy to make at home and best consumed within a couple of days of preparation. So how do you explain paneer to a novice (that understands cheese ofcourse?) - it is curdled milk and similar to fresh farmer's cheese :-)

Cheese for vegetarians: 
I was reading a book recently and it had a description of how cheese was made in the pioneer days. I never had paid a lot of attention to the note that said 'no animal rennet' on the paneer packet before but now understand that cheese was made with animal rennet in the olden days and the practice continues today. There are plant based rennet available and if you are a vegan or a vegetarian who would like to avoid animal rennet, you just have to make the choice. A rennet is essentially an enzyme that curdles milk and helps separate into solid curds and liquid whey. Plant based sources of the enzyme include fig leaves, melon, safflower and ofcourse by the fermentation of the fungus.

What do you need to make Shahi Paneer? 
Recipe source: Chef Vikas Khanna
6 Oz paneer (roughly a cup & half of cubed paneer)
5 medium tomatoes (4 cups chopped)
3 medium onion (3 cups chopped)
1 inch piece cinnamon
2-4 cloves (adds to the heat)
1 black cardamom
2 green cardamom
2 byadagi/Kashmiri red chilies (this gives the authentic orange-red color)
10-12 cashews
1 inch piece ginger
2 cloves garlic (skip if you don't like garlic)
1 Tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 Tsp honey
1/2 Tsp red chili powder (use a mild, bright colored variety like Kashmiri)
1 Tsp kasoori methi
1/4 Tsp garam masala powder

How do you make Shahi paneer?

• Take a big cooking pot, add chopped tomatoes, onion, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, red chilies and cashews into it along with 1 cup of water and 1/2 tsp salt. 
• Let it cook down covered on medium heat for about 20 mins until tomatoes are mushy and onions are soft. 

• Switch off and let it cool. 
• In the meantime, wash, peel ginger and crush it into a fine paste along with garlic.
• Cut paneer into pieces of desired shape and size and keep aside until ready to use. 

• Remove the black cardamom (I feel the taste is very pronounced when ground into paste) and take the remaining contents of the pot to a blender and grind into a very smooth paste.
• Heat a kadai on medium heat, return the ground paste to it along with the ginger-garlic paste and let it start to get a few bubbles on top. 
• Reduce the heat to low and add milk while stirring the gravy continuously. 
• Let it cook for another 4-5 mins or until it starts to boil again. 
• Add the red chili powder, garam masala powder, crushed kasoori methi and salt and mix well. 

• Adjust the consistency if you desire with additional milk and taste test to adjust any dry powders to your liking. Let the gravy come to a gentle boil. 
• Add the paneer pieces and mix lightly, let it cook for a minute or so before adding the honey and switching it off. 

• Cover and let it rest for atleast 15mins before serving it. 

Notes: 

• Make sure you get the paneer out of the freezer a few hours before you need to use it in the recipe especially if it is store bought. The block needs to be soft enough to cut into pieces or you will end up fighting with it and breaking it into crumbs. 
• Bring milk to room temperature or warm it for a few seconds before adding to the gravy. The tomatoes in the gravy can curdle if you add refrigerated milk directly to the hot gravy. 
• This is a thick, creamy gravy, do not add a lot of water (one cup used while boiling the tomatoes and the milk provide sufficient quantity of liquid). 
• The flavor of cardamom is very pronounced when you first start the gravy (also the reason but mellows down after the addition of spice powders, milk etc. 

Paneer Tikka Masala - Vegetarian favorite from restaurants reconstructed at home

Disclaimer: Long chitchat and longer recipe :-), read at your convenience risk:-)

Claimer(Is that a word?): You really don't want to miss this recipe if you are a fan of paneer dishes :-))

I blink, it is the beginning of a new week, next time I blink I am already into the weekend, or so it seems. Memorial day came and went, the long weekend was filled with a flurry of activities. With 2 little girls grown up(almost) and heading out to a new phase of life at colleges of their choice, a little kid who has turned into a dashing young man on the threshold of entering married life, as a family we couldn't ask for more. Exciting, happy and busy times all around. I am looking forward to finishing up next work week and heading out for the short vacation to celebrate our nephew's wedding. India, here we come :-).

I don't know about you but I block all craving for home until I know for sure there is a trip close by but as I near the timeline, it gets tougher and tougher not to think, dream about home, family and everything else :-(. I am right now in that phase where every waking moment (and ofcourse the sleepy moments) is flooded with thoughts about meeting everyone back home in a week. Keeping in tune with the thoughts, I am feverishly cooking loads of Indian food, more than my usual and being light headed as I am now, all my caution for health(ier) food goes out the window :-). Indulgence is the mantra for now. Here is one such recipe, rich in flavor, taste, colors..

I have a friend at work who bakes delicious food and is a foodie like me. We sometimes bring dishes to work, exchange recipes and all that. She loves Indian food and recently went to a restaurant in town and was raving about the chicken tikka masala she had and wanted the recipe to try at home. Being a vegetarian, I told her that I would get her a good tikka masala recipe soon and she could replace the veggies with her choice of meat. Indian cuisine has crossed borders, broken barriers and reached remotest parts of the globe that would have been unimaginable a generation or so back. While major credit goes to enterprising Gujjus, Panjabis, Udupi chefs, there is something unmistakable in the cuisine itself that seems to give it the sustainability to stand unbroken in unfamiliar settings and the adaptability to morph while retaining its heart & soul.

Recently I read an article of a study by chemists from IIT, Jodhpur that put a mathematical formula on why Indian food is so delicious. Apparently Indian cuisine in stark contrast to most other cuisines in the world, combines ingredients that do not have any overlapping flavors. The recipes mix these ingredients, retain their individuality and hence produce a burst of flavor when tasted. You can read the article here if you are interested. Today's recipe is a proof of coming together of complex flavors, coexisting to make a tasty dish. There is the tang of yogurt, bitterness of roasted fenugreek leaves, smokeyness of the hot mustard oil - seemingly incompatible but work their magic in the pot.

When my search for a good great tikka masala recipe began I literally found thousands of them all over the blogosphere. Some looked authentic, some claimed authenticity. I was looking to get a delicious taste without the dish being laden with butter. I use my oven generously for many of the Indian dishes but I also completely understand it is not a replacement for a tandoor so most dishes cook to perfection sans the smokey flavor that the tandoor imparts. Though many of the recipes online looked appetizing I finally zeroed in on this from celebrity chef Harpal Singh Sokhi. This one is for you M and thank you for nudging me towards trying this recipe, it is a keeper.

The truth of it all is there is no one dish or recipe that can be termed 'Indian' and expect to see it being eaten all over India. The flavors, preparation, ingredients keep varying as you move from region to region within India. Granted there are similarities and the underlying principles (Ex: eat khichdi/pongal in the winter because it has black pepper that keeps the body warm) are same because of the age old wisdom, but you will not find an authentic paneer masala in a South Indian home as you will not find the variety of dosas in a Punjabi home. For me, this variety is what makes life and Indian food interesting :-). I cannot vouch for the authenticity of this recipe, I will leave it to my good Punjabi friends but I can definitely vouch for the 'can't have enough' taste of this dish.

What stands out in this recipe is the usage of mustard oil which really brings in the smokey flavor in this recipe. I did a major cut on the heavy ingredients (butter & cream) and a few other tweaks to suit our palates yet the dish turns out super mouth watering. I used the left over marinade in the sauce which made it more delicious and also added a little bit of roasted gram flour to the marinade which I think added to the nutty flavor overall. Mustard oil is not something I use regularly but had a little bit left over from the avakkaya amma made earlier in Spring. If you do not have mustard oil in your pantry, please head out to your nearest store that has mustard oil and buy a bottle of it. It is totally worth the effort and you will be glad you took the extra effort. Go ahead and use butter & cream if you'd like, this is a really yummy dish as is and doesn't need (according to me :-)) any further enhancements.

While paneer is the most favorite of things for DD & BH, I don't personally enjoy it so much, just a personal peeve with the texture. I know lot of my Indian and non Indian friends will look at me as if I was a weird species but when it comes to food, each to her (or his) own. Enjoy what you like.  I added whole lot of paneer in the recipe for the rest of the family at the same time added a bunch of veggies too so I could enjoy the flavors. The only problem with this deliciousness is that the family wasn't very thrilled to wait until the masala was done and we added the grilled veggies in it as they were eager to eat the paneer tikka (without the masala) as it was like appetizers. The marinated veggies and paneer taste absolutely yummy without the gravy too. So if you are looking for popular finger food for a party, here you go..

This recipe is a little time consuming unless you follow the pattern, get things ready in advance and cook simultaneously. I have tried to separate ingredients and the method so it is easier to consume and execute. Hope this helps.

What do you need to make Paneer Tikka Masala? 
For the Tikka: 
3 cups cubed fresh paneer (I used a 12oz packet)
1 cup cubed onions (I prefer red onions)
1 large tomato (use a fleshy variety)
1 green bell pepper (or use other colors if you like)
2-3 Tbsp oil to shallow fry

Marinade: 
1 cup yogurt
1/2 Tsp lemon/lime juice
2 Tbsp besan/gram flour
1 Tbsp oil (use butter for a heavier/calorie dense version)
1/4 Tsp ajwain
1 Tsp kasoori methi (dry fenigreek leaves)
1 Tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/2 Tsp garam masala powder
1 inch piece ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
3/4 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1/8 Tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp mustard oil ***

Tikka Masala: 
1 large onion
2 large tomatoes
1 inch piece ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
1-2 green chilies
8-10 cashews
1 Tsp kasoori methi
1 Tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/2 Tsp garam masala powder
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp milk (use cream for a heavier/calorie dense version)
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 Tsp salt

How do you make Paneer Tikka Masala? 
Preparing veggies & paneer for the Tikka: 

• Cut paneer into 1X1 inch pieces, keep aside
• Chop onion into cubes, separate the layers
• Cut tomato in quarters, reserve the seeds & pulp, cut into pieces.
• Deseed & cut green bell pepper into cubes
• Note: Keep the size of all the vegetables roughly the same and a tiny bit bigger than paneer. 

Preparing marinade: 

• Wash, peel and crush ginger & garlic into a coarse paste using a mortar & pestle or a blender. 
• Take a large bowl, add yogurt, salt, red chili powder, garam masala powder, kasoori methi crushed, lemon/lime juice, ginger & garlic paste 
• Whisk it with a spoon or fork until homogeneous. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add besan & crushed ajwain into it. Roast on medium heat until you get the nutty aroma of besan. DO NOT LET THIS BURN. 

• Add this to the yogurt mixture. 
• Heat mustard oil in a pan until it starts to smoke, switch off & add turmeric powder. 
• Pour this over the yogurt mixture and give a good mix until everything blends together. 

• Important: Taste the marinade at this stage and adjust any spices, salt etc. 
• First add the bell pepper pieces, and coat them with marinade. Add onions followed by tomatoes and give a swirl so everything is coated. 
• Finally add paneer pieces and gently mix into the marinade. 
• Make sure all the pieces have a chance to absorb the flavors from marinade. 

• Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and let it rest for atleast an hour. 
• Either shake the bowl or using a spoon, gently mix the ingredients a couple of times to ensure infusion of flavors. 

Grilling vegetables: 

• After an hour or so of marinade, veggies will be ready to be grilled. There are a couple of ways to grill them - you can do the stove top pan or a grill pan, use the oven or if you have a tandoor, go for it. 
• Pick a piece of paneer, push the center through a skewer, add a layer of onion, bell pepper and tomato. Keep alternating until the end of the skewer. 

• Heat your pan or grill pan until the surface is very hot, add a few drops of oil and place the skewer on top. (You should hear a sizzling sound as you place the wet vegetables, don't start with a cold griddle or pan)
• After a min, rotate the skewers and let the other side get a nice brown coating, repeat on all 4 sides. 
• If you do not have skewers, just lay the marinated veggies and paneer pieces on the surface of the hot tava and using a gentle hand, keep turning them over until they develop the grill marks and soften up a bit. 

• Remove skewers from the pan and keep aside. 
• If you are impatient (like my family was) or are looking for a snack/appetizer, you can start munching on the grilled paneer & veggies at this stage, they taste heavenly delicious.

Preparing Tikka Masala: 

• Soak cashews in water for 30-45 mins. 
• Blend cashews into a fine paste with 2 Tbsp milk. Reserve this paste until ready to use. 
• Finely chop onion and keep aside. 
• Roughly chop tomatoes and puree them, keep aside. 
• Crush & make a paste of ginger & garlic. 
• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. 
• Add cumin and let it sizzle. 
• Add chopped onion and salt. Let onions brown on medium heat. 
• Add ginger-garlic paste at this stage and let it cook for a couple of minutes. 
• Add pureed tomatoes and let it cook for 10-12 minutes on medium-low heat. This is an important step and take it patiently for the best flavor. 

• Once almost all the liquid has gone and tomatoes & onions look like a paste with oil glistening on the sides, add the cashew paste, increase heat and continuously stir until it gets absorbed into the paste (1-2 mins)
• Add the dry powders - red chili powder, crushed kasoori methi, garam masala. Mix them in, taste and adjust if needed. 

• Add any remaining marinade along with 1/2 cup of water to, let it come to a boil. 
• Add the grilled paneer and vegetables into the gravy, give a gentle stir. 

• Switch off, serve hot or warm with rotis or naan.

Notes: 

• Go slow with the onions & tomato cooking for the sauce. This needs to be done in medium heat and until the raw smell and flavors turn into delicious cooked taste. 
• Be liberal with the use of kasoori methi in the sauce. 
• Do not discard remaining marinade, its addition in sauce just takes the dish to the next level :-)
• Add all little charred bits of bell pepper, onion etc scraped off the pan and do not discard. 
• For the Tikka masala, the vegetables should be cooked just enough so they retain their crunch and not become mushy. 

Dal Makhni - I wont say it again but it is without makhan :-)

I won't even go about explaining my vanishing act this past week, just suffice to say life has been busy and wonderful. We watched a very unique and wonderful dance performance over the weekend of which DD was part of. Awesome choreography, beautiful music and flawless performances made the long, hard months of toil totally worth it. Anything more will be divulging personal details which I avoid meticulously on the blog, but wanted to share the happiness with you all :-).

On a different topic, I got hold of Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri's latest work. I have read all her work so far and admire her very visual prose that makes you feel the story and this novel was no different on that aspect. With the Mao inspired Naxalite movement as background, she explores her human interactions and relationships. I felt let down as it didn't get to the depths of any of its characters but seemed to just graze on the surface. It is a compelling story and is backed by her brilliant writing but for me personally, it fell a little short. I am still a great fan and will read her Interpreter of Maladies or Namesake all over again but this latest read was a little disappointing. Maybe, it will work if I read it again sometime in a different mood. I have a new writer (to me)'s book on my nightstand now which I haven't started yet, will tell you all what I discover next time.

Back to today's recipe, how do you like your Dal? In our home, we like it any which way it is made from the oh-so-regular saaru, huli/sambar to patholi & nuchinunde to ambode to various pachadis to uslis to payasa/kheer, I am sure I left out a bunch of other dishes there :-). Dal here is a very loose term I use to include all kinds of legumes, lentils, pulses etc. Being the key source of protein in a vegetarian kitchen, this ingredient is something that shows up in a different avatar every single day. A true blue Andhraite that my BH is when it comes to his pappu(dal), any cooked dal/lentils is heaven for him while tempered and seasoned Dal is pure nirvana. So, if he is around in the kitchen taste testing while I am cooking, I need to readjust my calculation of spices as the dal vanishes and reduces in quantity every time I turn around :-).

Don't worry, I removed all that butter from the top before eating :-)

I bring you a special kind of dal today, this should not be a stranger to you if you eat Indian food regularly, atleast you would have heard about it. A typical punjabi fare, you will find it on most restaurant menus. These are best eaten in road side dhabas, tear a piece of warm naan, use it as a mop to scoop up a spoon full of dal makhni and put it into the mouth along with a bite of green chili or raw onions... I will let you enjoy that morsel for a few seconds.

If it is such a common dish and easily available, why do I write about it? Just because my version is different :-), stripped off of its unnecessary ingredients yet retaining all the flavors and taste, this version will make your taste testers and hungry eaters drool with every bite. I have nothing against butter but just don't feel like using so much saturated fat on a daily basis. I spell it as T.a.s.t.y and not as B.U.T.T.E.R :-) Try this awesome dal makhni and you will never order the loaded, greasy stuff in restaurants that tends to make you queasy in the stomach soon after you have paid for it.

What do you need to make Dal Makhni?
1 cup whole black urad dal
1/3 cup red kidney beans (use 1/4 cup if you like them to show up sparsely)
1 Tblsp oil
1/2 Tsp ghee/clarified butter
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1.5 inch piece of raw ginger
2 green chilies
2 cloves garlic (increase if you are a garlic lover)
2 large tomatoes (makes 3.5 cups when chunked)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (grating or mincing works well too)
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp garam masala powder
1/2 - 3/4 Tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/2 Tsp kasoori methi
chopped cilantro to garnish

How do you make Dal makhni?

• Wash and soak both the beans in plenty of water over night.
• Next morning, drain all the water, pick any dirt and pressure cook it with 3 cups of water for 15 minutes after the first whistle. The beans should be cooked soft and almost mashed. This is what gives it the creamy consistency.

• Pound peeled ginger and green chilies to a coarse paste in a mortar & pestle. Peel and finely chop garlic.
• Make a puree of the raw tomato chunks and keep it ready.
• Heat oil+ghee in a heavy bottom pan, add the ginger & green chili paste, sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add the chopped garlic and sauté until it turns light brown, about 30-45 seconds.
• Add the finely chopped/minced/grated onion and fry for a couple of minutes until they sweat and turn soft. Do not brown the onions.
• Add the tomato puree and let it come to a boil.

• Add salt and red chili powder and continue to boil until the liquid evaporates and you see a nice, soft, goop in the pan - about 6-8 minutes on medium heat.
• Mash a spoon full of cooked lentils (you can run it in your blender to make it smooth), add it to the pan along with the rest of the cooked lentils.
• Once you see a couple of bubbles on top, add garam masala and mix it in.
• Add milk and bring it to a slow boil - about 4-5 minutes.

• Reduce heat further and cook for another 10 minutes until everything comes together into a creamy, sauce consistency.
• Crush the kasoori methi between palms and sprinkle on the top.
• Switch off and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with hot phulkas, naan or Makki ki roti.

Notes:

• If you are one of those young at heart AND young in body :-) enjoying excellent health and your diet regularly has butter, cream, ghee etc in it, go ahead and top this dal makhni with a dollop of butter while serving. But I can guarantee that the extra dose of saturated fat is not going to change this already yummy dish much further :-)

• Black urad dal takes longer to cook than usual lentils, so soaking overnight helps cut the time down.
• Homely Punjabi dal makhni adds 1/3 cup of chana dal to the above and also gives onion a skip. Try this variation if you like.
• The secret to a deliciously creamy dal makhni is well cooked lentils and keeping them on the stove on low heat for a long time as the spices and seasoning work their magic. This is a perfect recipe to make in a slow cooker if you are a fan of that mode of cooking. 

Alu-Gobi(Potato-Cauliflower) masala - Simple, yet very flavorful side dish

"Remember the five constant spices in every Punjabi dish - salt, turmeric, red chilies, coriander powder and garam masala" - Krish from 2 States (Chetan Bhagat)

I read books, lots of them. Sometimes I have more than one book going on and depending on the mood of the day when I sit down to read, I pick up the appropriate book :-). Some of my reads, I consider as classics, I go back to reading them multiple times and some I read once and move on. And then there are books I read purely from a 'time pass' perspective though that has become an anomoly lately but a very good example of such a reading is when I travel. I prefer reading to watching movies so I have some travel reads I take along. One such read I did was Chetan Bhagat's "5 point someone", but I read the book after we watched the movie '3 Idiots'. While the movie was hilarious, I thought the book didn't have the same charm.

If you are introduced to a story via a visual platform, flipping the pages may sound not so exciting or so I thought and wanted to try another book of the same author and read "2 states". Personally, I think it is an ok book with some good moments so it promptly fell into my 'travel read' category. In this literally exaggerated personal story of the author, the 2 main characters are from 2 different regions in India, how they fall in love and how they get married after convincing both sides of the family about their true love. Hard to believe in Today's India. Except for the fact that it is his personal story, there is nothing new that is not already talked about before. I will take DDLJ over this book any day if you are talking about a convinced parent. I will not go into the story but tell you something that piqued my foodie brain a little. Krish, the protagonist (or hero since these seem to be written mainly for movies) is from Punjab and while working in Chennai and trying to win his girl friend's family, constantly misses his buttery naan/roti and his mom's Alu-Gobi as he floats in Sambar along with the idli/dosa. On the other hand, when Ananya (female lead :-)) who lacks basic skills in cooking tries to cut Gobi for his favorite Alu-Gobi, Krish's mother sniggers at her lame attempt. Food forges an unmistakable identity every where.

Well, now you know why I blabbered about books in general and Chetan Bhagat in particular and his "2 states" - as always it leads to a recipe :-). I have had Alu-Gobi in many places before and have always liked the mild flavors that seem to magically come together along with the comforting texture of soft but not mushy Alu & Gobi. The dish is traditionally cooked by letting Alu & Gobi mingle with the masalas over low heat and long time. It takes effort to get them to cook to the right spot, so if you eat this dish in restaurants, you will find that they would have dunked the vegetables in hot oil partially to get the crispy texture but more importantly to speed up the cooking process. You can do that or follow the simple parboil method I will show you here. Great taste doesn't have to be high calories.

I tried my hands at posting Punjabi recipes here and here. Those have been our favorite at home and I make them often. When it comes to recipes that are not part of what I grew up eating, I hesitate a little since my sources may not always be the authentic sources and also I usually tailor them to suit my family's palates. Nonetheless, every recipe I post on my blog is made at home and something that we have enjoyed eating. So with a disclaimer on the authenticity, I present this very Punjabi Alu Gobi masala. It is a moist curry without flowy gravy, the spices used are minimal but impart a very delicious flavor to the curry. I served this flavorful Alu-Gobi with some roti and a very South Indian Majjige Huli, afterall it is a tale of 2 states isn't it? :-). Give this a shot in your kitchen and let me know how you liked it.

What do you need to make Alu-Gobi masala? 
2 medium potatoes
2 cups cauliflower florets
1/4 cup frozen or fresh peas (optional)
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup finely chopped tomato
1/2 Tsp grated ginger
1/2 Tsp crushed garlic (adjust to your liking)
1 Tsp cumin
1.5 Tblsp oil
1/8 Tsp turmeric powder
1/4 Tsp coriander powder
1/8 Tsp amchoor powder (adjust tangyness based on tomatoes)
1/4 Tsp garam masala
1/2 Tsp red chili powder
1.5 Tsp salt - divided use
chopped cilantro for garnish

How do you make Alu-Gobi masala?

• Peel and cut the potato into cubes. Add a little bit of water, sprinkle a dash of salt and microwave it for 3-4 minutes or until potato parboils. Remove and strain all the water, keep aside until ready to use.
• Wash cauliflower florets, sprinkle a dash of salt and microwave for 3-5 minutes, keep aside until ready to use.
• Heat oil in a wide pan, add cumin and let it sizzle. 
• Add minced onion, salt and cook until onion is soft. 
• Add ginger & garlic, mix it in and cook for a minute. 
• Add chopped tomatoes and continue to cover and cook on low heat until everything in the pan turns into a mush and comes together. 
• Add the dry powders and mix it in. 

• Add the half cooked potatoes, frozen peas and par boiled cauliflower into the pan, mix gently to coat the masala on all the pieces. 
• Cover, lower the heat to minimum and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but hold the shape. 

 

• Garnish with chopped cilantro and enjoy as a side dish with roti/phulka or naan. 

Notes:

• If you are using fresh green peas, cook them separately al dente before adding. Frozen peas do not need any extra cooking time and can be added directly. 
• Traditionally, potatoes and cauliflower are cooked in the sauce itself to make every bite flavorful, however this takes long time and given the different cooking times needed for the 2 vegetables, you need to be on guard to get the right consistency. 
• Par boiling the vegetables ahead of time with a sprinkle of salt prepares them well for the cooking process and helps absorb the sauce quickly. 

• If you do not own a microwave or do not want to use it, boil water in a sauce pan, add a sprinkle of salt, add the potato chunks, switch off and keep it covered for 3-4 minutes before draining off the water. 
• To par boil cauliflower, follow the same process but do them separately to get them out before they become too soft.
• Resturants kitchens usually dip the potatoes and cauliflower in oil (read deep fry) to get the crunch, extra taste and a whole load of extra calories. This is a time saver but I do not personally prefer it or recommend it to anyone unless you are on a diet that requires you to intake a few extra fatty calories. Go ahead and indulge :-)

Methi Mutter malai - Punjabi fare contd

So I left you all with a little teaser on my makki roti side dish in my previous post, as I promised it is not the usual suspect. I didn't make the sarson ka saag with my makki roti but made another very Punjabi side dish for the roti with my favorite greens. So why is this so special? Some fresh green methi leaves, a bowl of green peas, definitely some badam/almonds and a cup of malai. Well for now assume it is malai or cream and i will show you how to create the same creamy richness by making some tweaks.

Gather some fresh, tender methi/fenugreek leaves and a bowl of green peas, you are almost halfway done to making a delicious methi mutter malai. Almonds/Badam is so quintessentially Punjabi for me, to prove the point - remember the scene in DDLJ where Ma tells the cutesy younger chutki to eat her badam every day without fail so she is healthy, smart, brainy and beautiful. Though born & brought up in the Southern part of India and much removed from Punjab ki Mitti, I love almonds for the healthy nutrition and use them quite liberally in my cooking for adding thickness, for bringing creamy-ness, for taste & texture. So go ahead and soak a handful of almonds to lend the creamy texture to the gravy.

Now onto the third part in the name of the dish, Malai. Here is where I beg to differ from the traditional cooking. Malai or cream is nothing but boiled/thickened whole milk or in other words it is tightly packed milk fat. While there is nothing wrong in indulging in cream/malai once in a while, I do not belong to the school of cooking where everything starts with butter or cream. I do enjoy them in recipes where using something different would compromise the taste, so to cut my long rant short, I used 2% reduced milk in my gravy.

Last crop for the year in my backyard

Methi mutter malai is not a spicy dish, but its mild flavor and milky finish allows it to accompany any kind of rotis. I haven't actually seen this on resturant menus here though I have had it in the road side dhabhas in India.

Fresh picked methi leaves

What do you need to make Methi Mutter Malai?
Serves about 4 people
2 packed cups of fresh chopped methi leaves
1.5 cups green peas - fresh or frozen
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 Tblsp oil
1 Tsp cumin
1 Tsp finely grated ginger
To grind:
10-15 blanched almonds
2 Tblsp chopped onion
3 cloves
2 - 2 inches long cinnamon sticks
2 green chilies (adjust to taste)

How do you make Methi mutter malai?

• Soak almonds in hot water for 30-45 minutes and peel the skin off.
• Grind all ingredients listed below 'To grind' into a very fine paste by adding 1/2 cup of water. 
• Heat oil in a big pan/kadai, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle. 

• Add the ground paste, salt and milk and bring it to a boil. 
• Add the chopped methi leaves and mutter, reduce heat to low, cover the pan and let cook for about 25-30 minutes with occasional stirring to prevent burning.

• Add the grated ginger towards the end of cooking time and mix it in. 
• At the end of the cook time, milk would have thickened, methi & mutter would have cooked soft.

• Switch off, serve warm with hot makki rotis for a delicious meal. 

Notes: 

• I start with milk and let the methi & mutter cook in milk so the flavors are completely absorbed and milk turns thick & creamy.
• If using frozen green peas thaw them to room temperature, if using fresh green peas parboil them in hot water for about 5-7 minutes.
• I add grated ginger towards the end to retain the fresh gingery smell in the curry as this does gravy not have any other overpowering spices. 
• Grind the masala into a really smooth paste which helps the curry become creamier. 
• You can follow the authentic way of making this by replacing milk with 2 Tblsp of heavy cream and add the cream after methi & mutter are cooked.. 
• It is important to cook on low heat so that the leaves cook completely, raw onion smell goes away and milk turns thicker. 

Makki Roti & some typical Punjabi fare in a typical South Indian kitchen

..America re-elects President Obama for a second term..

My introductions and exposure to Punjabi food is through the various dhabhas I have been to in my life. A particular one on the highway between Delhi & Agra visited about 6 years back still is at the top slot. I don't remember the exact location, our car broke down and the driver told us to go ahead and have lunch in the dhabha while he got the tire fixed and got the car ready to go. Things happen for a reason and I believe it was my destiny to eat a completely awesome Punjabi khana that day. The naans, paneer, chaas, salad and everything was absolutely lip smacking. Having been outside India for over a decade, I feel that the Indian restaurants here are far from authentic, they are adaptive yes but not authentic. When some of my American friends ask me to recommend an Indian restaurant or a dish in Indian restaurant, I tell them to try it out themselves and decide and also tell give a fair warning that the sambar served in a South Indian restaurant here is not necessarily how I would make it at home :-)

I am in love with the naans, rotis and paranthas that are so everyday in Punjabi cuisine and make them often at home. A true blue Punjabi may flinch at some of my adaptations and short cuts and almost nonexistent use of butter or cream in my cooking but that is just the cook's creative license I use to suit my family's palate and needs.

Also for all of us romantic Indians growing up with a Bollywood backdrop, there are umpteen number of movies to make us feel at home with the Punjabi, Gujarati & Rajasthani delicacies without breaking a sweat. I learnt that Sarsoan ka saag is made with the mustard greens as I watched Simran make a very reluctant journey back to her ancestral home through the cheery yellow mustard fields in DDLJ, realized the Gujarati soft corner for Dhoklas with green chutney as Rancho the idiot/scientist teaches little but important life lessons to lady love Pia by pouring the green chutney over her fiancee's expensive shoes, got to know that the Rajasthani people ate soft, warm rotis for breakfast by watching the bubbly Pallavi tell a graceful Dai Jaa as a hopelessly smitten Viren looks on with his mouth open (not at the rotis but at the equally delicious Pallavi :-)). Go back a little bit to Hrishikesh Mukharjee's times and you have the tall, lanky handsome Beeru asking for 'basan ke roti itne mote mote (ultra thick basan rotis) with baingan ka Bhurta from his mausi in the classic romance Abhimaan. If any or all of the above seem like complete non sense gibber, just watch these movies and you will appreciate the power of Bollywood :-). 

I made a couple of Punjabi favorites over the weekend and we enjoyed it very much. As I said already, if you are from the land of Punjab and have eaten these dishes made by a mom, aunt, grand mom and such others, just give me the benefit of doubt. Though they may not sound authentic, they taste heavenly. So go ahead and give my version a try that it truly deserves.

Corn as the grain is referred to in North America or Maize as it is called in many European countries and former colonies influenced by British English is known in Punjab as Makai or Makki and the flour is made from corn kernels. While corn itself is gluten free, the store bought corn flour or corn meal may have added wheat flour to help the use in baking recipes. I use corn flour purchased at Indian stores which states on the label that it does not have wheat flour. Wheat flour as many of you know has gluten which lends that unmistakable binding texture to the dough. Since corn flour by itself does not have gluten and hence does not form into perfectly round rotis like those with wheat flour, some people use wheat flour in part to make makki rotis. I personally prefer the unadultrated makki ki roti and hence follow a couple of additional steps to get good, unbroken rotis, look out for these tips in the Notes section below.

What do you need to make Makki rotis? 

Makes about 10 medium sized rotis

2 cups makki flour or corn flour

1 cup grated white radish

1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)

1/4 cup water (approximate, based on the water from the radish)

How do you make Makki rotis?

• Wash, peel and grate white radish to get a cup of gratings, I prefer to use the small holes of my grater, you can choose what works for you. 
• In a wide bowl, pour corn flour, salt and grated radish. Add hot water on top so it wets the flour, cover the bowl and keep aside for 5 minutes. 

• Take the cover off, gently bring together the flour, radish, salt and water and knead into a dough. The dough should come together in a single mass without crumbling bits of corn flour. 
• Take an aluminium foil, place it on a flat surface and spread a couple drops of water with your fingers. 
• Take a big lemon sized ball of the corn dough and place it in the center of the foil and pat it with your forefingers into a thick roti.
• Heat a flat griddle on medium heat, invert the aluminium foil on top of the hot griddle (with roti side down) and let it cook for a minute. 

• Gently peel the aluminium foil and continue to cook the roti for another minute or two before flipping it over and cooking on the other side. 

• The roti takes longer to cook than the traditional wheat roti and should be cooked until you see big golden spots on both surfaces without letting them turn black. 

• Finish up all the dough similarly, enjoy the hot makki roti with a dollop of ghee or butter. I served it with a typical Punjabi side dish but not the usual combination, will be back with that recipe later this week.

Notes: 

• Use fine corn flour in this recipe, corn meal does not bind into a ball at all. 
• Addition of white radish is optional but that gives it a really Punjabi flavor and also helps bind the dough together. 
• I have heard that expert cooks pat the makki roti beween their palms but since I am no expert, I conveniently cheated and used the same method I use for my South Indian akki rotti - pat it on a foil and turn it over the hot griddle. This works like a charm and you can tell unsuspecting friends that you have been making makki rotis in your kitchen forever :-)
• It is important to wet the surface of the foil before you start to pat the dough so the foil peels off easily on the griddle.