Tag Archives: ginger

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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Onion Pakora

March 27, 2017Gluten Free, Indian, Veganchickpea flour, chili, garam masala, ginger, onion, pakora, rice flour, turmericAlona

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.

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Aloo Tikki – Indian potato patties

March 14, 2017Gluten Free, Indian, Veganchili, cilantro, cumin, garlic, ginger, potatoes, rice flour, turmericAlona

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).

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Red Kidney Bean Curry

March 8, 2017Gluten Free, Indian, Veganbay leaves, beans, chili, cinnamon, coriander, curry, garam masala, garlic, ginger, onion, tomatoesAlona

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.

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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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Aloo Masala for Masala Dosa

February 9, 2017Gluten Free, Indian, Veganchili, cilantro, curry leaves, dosa, ginger, masala, mustard seeds, potato, turmericAlona

Waking up craving hot and spicy food? Don’t worry! You are in good company together with 1 billion Indians 😉 Masala Dosa is one of the most common dishes in south India and in India in general and people like to eat it for breakfast or as a street food. Masala Dosa is practically a Dosa (thin and crispy crepe made of rice and lentiles – recipe here) filled with Aloo Masala, which is spicy and hot mashed potatoes.

As expected of such a famous and tasty dish it has lots of versions for the Masala itself, but also for the various serving options and side dishes. One of the more famous variations is called Mysore Masala Dosa in which you spread hot red chilli chutney on the dosa prior to filling it with Aloo Masala.

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Cilantro & mint chutney

January 17, 2017Gluten Free, Indian, Veganchilli, chutney, cilantro, ginger, indian, mintAlona

Cilantro and mint chutney (also known as “Hari”) is a spicy, a little sweet and very refreshing chutney, which is for a dip or sauce. Green chutney, which is based on cilantro with or without mint, is one of the most common chutneys in Indian dishes and especially in Chaats. Chaat is a snack based on some fried dough with vegetables, spices and sometimes yogurt which is served with various chutneys.

This chutney can be served with various chaat dishes, spread on a sandwitch or served with some meat or fish.

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Cinnamona

Food blog about Indian cooking and grandma's recipes