Chicken Tikka Masala

Prep time: 15 mins & overnight to marinate

Cook time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

2lbs boneless chicken thights

1/2 cup tandoori marinade

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp ginger

2 medium cloves garlic

1 medium onion, approx 1 cup

1 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cayenne powder

1/2 tsp crushed fennel seed

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/3 cups chicken broth

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced

2/3 cup heavy cream (or coconut milk)

1 tsp kosher salt, to taste

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

2-4 tbsp cool butter (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

The day before you are planning to make this dish, mix the chicken with the pepper and tandoori marinade.  Let marinate overnight.

Heat the vegetable oil in a 4-qt pan. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and stir over high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sliced chilies.  Add the garam masala, cayenne and fennel seed.  Scrape the mixture into a blender.; add tomato paste and chicken broth. Blend until very smooth.

Pour mixture back into the pan, and cream and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until reduced to about 2 cups.  

Meanwhile grill the chicken breasts until just done.  Let cool, then slice into strips or cubes. Add the chicken to the sauce in the pan.

Cut the butter into chucks and whisk into sauce till blended.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding more garam masala if desired. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with basmati rice.

Lentils with cream and butter

This is a very typical Punjabi dish containing a lot of cream and butter.   Don't let the calories put you off- this wonderfully warming dish is very nutritious and high in protein.  If you want a healthier version use oil instead of butter. 

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

6 cloves garlic

1 tsp green cardamon pods, approx 8 pods

1 tsp cloves

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp cumin seeds

5oz black lentils (urad dal)

2oz red kidney beans

4oz cream

3 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/8 tsp salt, or more to taste

Chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Using a pestle and mortar, roughly crush together the garlic, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon and cumin seeds.  Tie up this mixture in a 3 inch square piece of muslin cloth 'bouquet garni' and place in a large pan with the black lentils and red kidney beans.  Add enough water to cover the pulses and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 1 hour, adding more water if necessary.

When the pulses are cooked and the mixture has thickened, remove the 'bouquet garni' and discard. Add the cream, butter or oil, chili powder and salt.  Sprinkle with a little chopped fresh coriander and serve.

Chicken Tikka Masala

As a late anniversary gift to ourselves, Tom and I decided to hire Alyssa of Culinary Craftwork to teach us how to cook some of our favorite Indian recipes. Alyssa is a knowledgeable and gifted chef and we had a great time learning to cook Indian food "like the pros".  All the Indian dishes that follow are Alyssa's creations. We were surprised at how simple the recipes were because the food was absolutely delicious.  Garlic and onion are crucial to all of these recipes and we learned that even when you think you the onions are golden, they need to cook just a little more. 

Prep time:  15 mins + overnight to marinate

Cook time:  30 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ lb boneless chicken thighs

½ cup tandoori marinade

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 plump clove garlic, minced

½ cup finely chopped onions

1 ½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp cayenne powder

½ tsp crushed fennel seed

½ (6-oz can) tomato paste

1 1/3 cups chicken broth

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced

½ cup heavy cream (or coconut milk)

1 tsp kosher salt, to taste

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

2-4 tbsp cool butter (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

The day before you are planning to make this dish, mix the chicken with the pepper and tandoori marinade.  Let marinate overnight.  

Heat the vegetable oil in a 4-qt pan.  Add the onion, ginger, garlic and stir over high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the sliced chilies.  Add the garam masala, cayenne and fennel seed. Scrape the mixture into a blender; add tomato paste and chicken broth.  Blend until very smooth.

Pour mixture back into the pan, add cream and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until reduced to about 2 cups.

Meanwhile grill the chicken breasts until just-done.  Let cool, then slice into strips or cubes.  Add the chicken to the sauce in the pan.

Cut the butter into chucks and whisk into sauce till blended.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding more garam masala if desired.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Serve with basmati rice.

Saag Paneer

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time:

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 green chilies, sliced

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp turmeric

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground coriander seed

1 ½ lb fresh spinach or 2 packages frozen spinach

14 oz package paneer, cubed

¾ cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

 Put the ginger, garlic, green chilies and onion into the container of an electric blender or food processor along with ¼ - ½ cup of water.  Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a large, wide nonstick pan over a medium flame.  Put in all the pieces of paneer and fry them until golden brown on all sides.  Remove to a plate and sprinkle them with salt and ¼ tsp garam masala.

Add the onion paste to the hot oil in the pan and fry it, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until golden.  Now add the turmeric, ground coriander and garam masala.  Put in the spinach, cover the pan and cook gently for 15 minutes.

Add the paneer and cream.  Continue cooking on low heat for 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and additional garam masala if desired.

Bengan Bhartha

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour, 10 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb whole eggplant

2 plump cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion finely chopped

1 to 3 green chilies, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp cayenne

½ tsp paprika

1 cup tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

¼ cup heavy cream (optional)

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

1 cup chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Rub the eggplants with a bit of oil.  Prick them with a small, sharp knife and place them on a baking sheet.  Roast the eggplants until softened, about 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, peel and mash.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and cook the onion, stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and green chilies; mix in the spices and salt.  Stir for about 1 minute.

Add the tomato and chopped cilantro and cook, stirring, until all tomato juices evaporate, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Mix in the mashed eggplant and the peas.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.  Mix in the cream (if using) and cook one minute.  Transfer the eggplant to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Roti (Indian Flat Bread)

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Makes: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil or ghee

2 cups chapatti flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/3 cups warm water

½ tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt.  Make a well in the center.  Add the warm water and mix in with your hands to form a soft, pliable dough.  Continue to knead until the dough has a ‘satiny’ texture.  Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.  Let rest for at least 15 minutes.

Break off small pieces of dough and roll them into balls.  Drip the balls in flour and roll out to a uniform thickness.

Heat an iron griddle over moderately high heat.  Test with a droplet of water to make sure that the surface is hot enough.  The water should dance around.  Transfer the rolled dough to the griddle and cook until air bubbles appear.

Flip the roti over and cook on the other side, pressing down with a spatula.  The dough should puff up (it will deflate again).  Cook until light brown spots appear.  Brush with melted ghee and transfer to a plate or bowl covered with foil.  Continue rolling out and cooking the rotis.  Stack as they are cooked.

Whole-Grain Naan

There are few things better in life than good naan, and this is especially true when it is warm, fresh, and straight from your oven.  This stuff doesn't last long in my house!

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 10 mins

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
2 tbsp (1 ounce) butter or ghee, melted
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk or whey (from the drained yogurt, below)
3/4 cup (6 ounces) plain whole-milk yogurt
1 large egg

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the butter or ghee, milk or whey, yogurt, and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring to form a shaggy mass of dough. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it until it's smooth and shiny. Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it's doubled in bulk. At this point, the dough may be refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours, for extra flavor and ease of rolling.

Divide the dough into six pieces, and hand-stretch or roll each piece into a thin oval shape. Pull on the front edge of the oval to elongate and create the tear shape. Let the pieces rest, uncovered, while you heat a griddle on high heat. 

Transfer the naan to the griddle. Grill for approximately 2 to 3 minutes on one side, until the bread puffs and begins to look set around the edges. Flip over and finish cooking. Serve warm!

Tandoori Naan Chicken Sandwiches with Herbed Yogurt Sauce

My sister-in-law prepared these sandwiches for us when we up north, and we fell in love with the idea. Originally from Sunset, I've slightly modified the recipe to include the herbed yogurt sauce.  The refreshing mint compliments the spicy tang of the chicken, which is all wrapped in delicious naan.  You can't go wrong! 

Prep time: 35 min

Cook time: 15 min

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1½ cup Greek yogurt

1 tbsp each minced ginger and garlic and ground coriander and cumin

½ tsp cayenne

¼ tsp turmeric

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb chicken tenders, patted dry

4 medium plain or garlic-flavored naan breads, about 4 oz each

2 tbsp butter

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

½ cup thinly slivered red onion

4 oz feta cheese, sliced

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Salt and ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk together yogurt, seasonings and oil in a medium bowl.  Add chicken and stir to coat.  Let marinate 20 minutes.

Preheat broiler.  Spread chicken out on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until cooked through, 8 minutes.  (We use the BBQ and grill the chicken directly on the grates, but either method works well).  Meanwhile continue with recipe.

Dab naan with a little butter on each side, spread on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven on rack below chicken.  Cook until toasted and crisped, about 8 minutes.  If you are using a BBQ, oil the grates with cooking spray or olive oil and place naan directly on the grill.  Cook until the naan starts to puff up and is slightly brown, 2-3 minutes per side.

Cut naan in half crosswise and build sandwiches with naan, yogurt sauce, chicken, tomatoes, onion, feta, mint and cilantro.  Cut each in half if large.

Herbed yogurt sauce:

Place 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup mint and 1/4 cup cilantro into a food processor and process until smooth.  Season with salt and paper to taste.  Refrigerate if not using immediately.

Aloo Gobhi

I got this recipe from the Farmer's Market at work and made it with fresh veggies. Traditional Aloo Gobhi has a touch of spice.  You can either cook it hot and spicy or plain and simple if you don't like spicy food. 

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 large cauliflower, cut into small cubes

4 large potatoes, cut into small cubes

1 tsp fresh mashed ginger

1/2 tsp cumin seed

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup green peas

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the cumin seeds for about 2 minutes.  When it turns brown, mix in potatoes.  Brown slightly, then add cauliflower.  Add turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the mashed ginger. Stir until liquid comes out of the cauliflower and potatoes.  Add cumin and coriander powder.  Lower to medium heat, cover and cook 25-30 minutes, stirring, but don't overcook.  Add peas after 10 minutes.  Accompany it with plain white rice and yellow lentil soup.