Category Archives: Indian

Hariyali aloo – Cilantro & mint potato curry

Can be made vegan, Gluten Free, Indian, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Continue reading Hariyali aloo – Cilantro & mint potato curry →

Paneer Makhani – Paneer Butter Masala

Can be made vegan, Gluten Free, Indian, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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).

Continue reading Paneer Makhani – Paneer Butter Masala →

Gulab Jamun

Indian, Sweet, , , , , ,

The most well known dessert of Indian cuisine is called Gulab Jamun. The word “Gulab” means rose water while “Jamun” is some Indian fruit that has a shape similar to the Gulab Jamun balls. But why rose water? the sugar syrup in which the balls or soaked includes rose water and gives the Gulab Jamuns their unique flavor.

Like many other Indian desserts Gulab Jamun is based mainly on milk. Milk?! yep, apparently there is a tedious procedure in which you place milk in a pot and cook it while stirring for eternity and a little more and at the end the milk suddenly solidifies and turns into a dough. This weird but tasty dough is called Khoya (or Khoa) and it’s a great base for various sweets. In India you can buy Khoya in any supermarket and maybe you can find it in Indian grocery shops outside of India. However, if you can’t buy it you can make it at home, but in my opinion this is only for brave cooks since you really have to keep stirring milk for a very long time.

Sounds complicated? don’t worry! There is a simple and fun alternative 🙂 A very common and quick version for Gulab Jamun is one that is based on “milk powder”. This product is practically milk that is dried and than processed to a powder. You can buy it in Indian grocery shops but it can also be founds in other ethnic kitchens (Arab, Russian and more) so it is pretty easy to come across. Although the Khoya version is the best version for Gulab Jamun the powder milk version is really good – the balls turn out a little more dense and smoother outside and they require longer soaking time in the sugar syrup.

In both versions the end result is very sweet, soft with roses and cardamon aroma. This is a great desert that you eat in small doses and it fits beautifully with a cup of tea or black coffee. Think of Baklava but Indian and special.

Continue reading Gulab Jamun →

Onion Pakora

Gluten Free, Indian, Vegan, , , , , , ,

Fried, hot and crunchy is probably enough to make anyone happy, even someone who is vegan + non-gluten. Just be careful not to prepare that when you’re alone at home since you might end up eating too much and being completely full for the coming two days…

Onion Pakora (also known as Onion Bhaji) is an onion patty with chickpea flour and spices that is deep fried and served with various chutneys as an appetizer. In general, Pakoras are made of one or two main ingredients like onion, capsicum, eggplant, potato, spinach, paneer, cauliflower, chili etc. which is dipped in a chickpea flour and spices mixture and then deep fried.

Continue reading Onion Pakora →

Lemon rice

Gluten Free, Indian, Vegan, , , , , , , ,

Despite my apparent liking of spicy and hot food I usually don’t like to change anything in rice – white rice is just perfect as it is and there is really nothing better to accompany and tone down my adventurous kitchen experiments. However, rice is one of the main players in Indian cuisine and a lot of times it appears not just as a side dish but as the main course.

Rice as main course has endless amount of versions – rice with varying spices, Biryani and many more. The most common rice dish in south India is lemon rice full of crunchy surprises.

Continue reading Lemon rice →

Paneer Cheese

Gluten Free, Indian, , , ,

Am I really suggesting to make cheese at home?! Apparently it is much more simple than it sounds. Paneer, the most common cheese in Indian cuisine is prepared from only two ingredients. Paneer comes in two versions – firm Paneer and soft Paneer. The soft Paneer is less known outside of India but it is very common in Indian cooking both in spicy dishes, patties and even in deserts. This soft version is actually identical to Ricotta cheese… yep, making Ricotta cheese at home is easy peasy!

In many places you can find fresh Paneer cheese (usually the firm version) in any supermarket. In Israel that is not the case and the only option I found is to buy frozen and somewhat depressing Paneer cubes in the few Indian grocery shops here. But no worries! making Paneer at home is such a simple process that doesn’t require and special skills or dishes and is so satisfying 🙂 You can also make a large amount and freeze for a two-three months.

The Paneer cubes can be added to any dish with/without gravy, to a stir fry or even grilled on skewers. It has a neutral milky taste and a fun bite-able texture.

Continue reading Paneer Cheese →

Aloo Tikki – Indian potato patties

Gluten Free, Indian, Vegan, , , , , , ,

Everyone have their own weird internet hobbies. Mine is viewing funny videos in YouTube of Indian grandmas making all kinds of weird and intriguing dishes. Those videos are usually in Hindi or some other Indian language and it took me quite some time to be able to understand the recipe without understanding the language.

Lately I’ve encountered somethings called “Ragda Patties”, which is a Chaat dish based on potato patties covered with a full-of-spices chickpeas curry, topped with yogurt, fresh tomatoes, onion, more spices and chutneys. A magnificent feast indeed. This dish will definitely be unraveled one day but in the meantime I decide to start with something less ambitious – the potato patties (= Aloo Tikki).

Continue reading Aloo Tikki – Indian potato patties →

Red Kidney Bean Curry

Gluten Free, Indian, Vegan, , , , , , , , , ,

I really like beans in general and especially red kidney bean, which has a deep and rich flavor that improves with longer cooking time. Red kidney beans pair really well with meat but can also be served as the focus of the main course. The following dish is called “Rajma Masala” or simply “Red Kidney Bean Curry”. “Rajma” means red kidney bean in Hindi and “Masala” is the general name for a spice mixture which is either dry or wet. In this case the Masala is wet and based on onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and lots of spices. Once the Masala is ready the cooked red kidney bean is added and they are cooked together.

This curry can be served simply with white rice or as an exotic side dish. There are lots of versions for Rajma Masala out there, this version celebrates ginger, cinnamon and the hotness of red chili.

Continue reading Red Kidney Bean Curry →

Baked chickpeas snack

Gluten Free, Indian, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Who doesn’t like beer? Dark and cold beer is definitely one of my favorites, especially when served with some crunchy and spicy snack. Baked chickpeas are the ultimate party snack, they require minimal prep time using simple ingredients you always have in your pantry and they tend to get lots of praise from surprise guests.

I make those chickpeas in two different versions, both based on cooked chickpeas mixed with olive oil and spices. The first version is pretty simple and consist of everyday spices that you can find in almost every kitchen. The second versions is the Indian version which is a bit more sophisticated. They are both great and pretty similar to one another, the Indian version is hotter and has a hint of Garam Masala.

Continue reading Baked chickpeas snack →

Paalaada – Indian pancake

Gluten Free, Indian, Sweet, , ,

The lovely smell of cardamon immediately reminds me of Indian food. Cardamon is one of my favorite spices, it has strong smell and flavor while somehow it is also delicate and a little sweet.

Paalaada is a thin and soft pancake that is usually served unsweetened accompanying curry dishes. It originates in the Islamic community of Tamil Nadu (country in south India) and is based on white rice, coconut and egg. Traditionally the rice is being soaked and grinded with fresh coconut and then mixed with the other ingredients. However there is a lazier option in which you use rice flour and store bought coconut milk. This option is just as good so no need to trouble yourselves with soaking rice. In this post I present the sweet version for this pancake (Mutta Paalaada) with sugar and cardamon. In the unsweetened and more common version the sugar and cardamon are removed and replaced with a pinch of salt.

Continue reading Paalaada – Indian pancake →