Category Archives: Can be made vegan

Hariyali aloo – Cilantro & mint potato curry

August 20, 2017Can be made vegan, Gluten Free, Indianbay leaf, cardamon, chili, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, garam masala, garlic, ginger, lemon, mint, onion, potatoAlona

Cilantro. Either you love it or you hate it. I’m from the loving side and I tend to add some fresh cilantro leaves to just any type of food. Sadly, in the Israeli kitchen cilantro is kind of left out and parsley gets all the fame. The Thai cooking trend saved the situation a bit but still it is one of the most underrated greens.

In Indian cooking its quite the opposite, both cilantro leaves and coriander seeds are central to lots of dishes and spice mixes. This curry is called in Hindi “Hariyali Aloo” which practically means green potato. This curry is based on lots of cilantro and mint which are blended together with spices and cooked with potato cubes. The potato cubes in this recipe can be replaced with paneer cubes or chicken breast pieces.

The end result is slightly sour and has a special taste. It is served with rice or some Indian bread and is a great side-dish in a Thali.

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Paneer Makhani – Paneer Butter Masala

April 26, 2017Can be made vegan, Gluten Free, Indianbutter, cardamon, cashew, chicken, chili, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry, fenugreek, garam masala, garlic, ginger, kasoori methi, onion, paneer, tomato puree, yogurtAlona

One of the dishes that drawn me to Indian food is the curry. Rich and creamy curry, full of spices and little sweet that is cooked with paneer cheese or chicken – this dish is definitely high on my most loved foods list. However, for years I tried over and over to recreate those restaurant style curry dishes and failed miserably. Something in the texture and spice balance just didn’t work.

Lately something clicked and I suddenly got it right! The curry magic started happening in my very own kitchen 🙂 Apparently the amount of cashews plays a big role, the quality of the blander is also critical and surprisingly the curry is better with bought tomato puree instead of fresh tomatoes.

This recipe is for a curry dish called “Panir Makhani” or “Paneer Butter Masala” and it is practically a reach, buttery, spicy and sweet sauce to which you add paneer cubes or chicken pieces (or even tofu – details below). It is served with white rice or Indian bread like Nan or Roti. In the original version you’ll find much more butter but after some trial and error I arrived at the conclusion that it is completely unnecessary and it is tastier when you just add more cashew nuts (or almonds).

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Spices Curry

February 27, 2017Can be made vegan, Gluten Free, Indianchicken, cilantro, cumin, curry, garam masala, garlic, ginger, potato, turmeric, white pepperAlona

The first curry I ever made is still the one I make the most, mainly because its super delicious and easy to prepare, no fancy ingredients involved. The curry isn’t really photogenic, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste. I call it “Spices Curry” since it is based only on ground spices. I’m not sure it can be considered as a traditional Indian curry but it is definitely in the right direction.

We love this curry in its non-kosher non-vegetarian version but there are vegan/kosher options here, see details below.

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Japanese curry

February 13, 2017Can be made vegan, Gluten Free, Uncategorizedchicken, curry, japanese, tofuAlona

This post is more of a recommendation than a recipe. Japanese Curry (karē raisu) is one of the most loved and common dishes in Japan. For some reason this dish didn’t become as famous as Sushi in the west but in Japan it is just as common. Surprisingly, Karē raisu is a new dish in the Japanese cuisine as it has arrived to Japan with the British at the end of the 19th century. The Japanese really liked the idea of a curry, changed the spices and adjusted it to their taste and packed everything in neat little cubes that can be kept forever in the pantry. With those brownish cubes you can easily make THE signature dish of tasty, fast and comforting home cooking.

There are lots of brands for Japanese Curry, I like S&B Golden Curry the best. You can find it in any Asian supermarket in the US or in Europe as well as in various eastern countries such as Thailand, Taiwan, Korea and obviously Japan. You can also buy this online.

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Cecily’s spice cake

February 2, 2017Can be made vegan, Gluten Free, Grandma Recipes, Sweetallspice, apple puree, cake, cinnamon, cloves, dessert, olive oil, pound cake, walnutsAlona

As the first post in the grandma’s recipes category of this blog I had no choice but choosing the legendary spice cake, a recipe my grandma got from her fried Cecily. I first encountered this cake when my parents visited me during my university days. Immediately this cake became a great success, my roommate got addicted to it and everyone always ask me for a recipe. Since then I prepared it dozens of times. Something about the spice mix, the nutty and buttery topping, quick preparation and simple ingredients just make this recipe the number one cake recipe you always come back to.

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Cinnamona

Food blog about Indian cooking and grandma's recipes