Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spicy Spinach Curry

Many a times when I have had palak paneer, in a restaurant or elsewhere, I couldn't help noticing the difference in the shades of green this dish comes in. Cooking the dish for an extra few minutes can slowly deepen it's colour. Some like to cook the palak minimally to retain it's colour while some overcook it to make it a lot darker (unknowingly so). Some add milk or cream which makes the colour lighter while others prefer to just go by water. Though I like all the different shades (because I love palak paneer), I invariably tend to overcook the dish, probably because in the back of my mind I like the colour to ripen from a rich emerald to a deep olive green.

Ingredients :
2 bunches palak
1" piece ginger
3 tbsp oil or ghee
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
3 medium onions
2 tsp ginger garlic paste (or crushed garlic and ginger)
1 large tomato
1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
200g paneer, chopped into 1" cubes
Water
Salt


Method :
Wash palak (discard the stems) and boil with ginger in half a cup of water for a few minutes. Allow to cool. Drain the water out but reserve it.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat oil/ ghee. When it's hot, add cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, sauté chopped onions. Add crushed garlic and ginger or their paste and sauté till the onions turn brownish. Now add the powders and roast for a couple of minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté for  4 to 5 minutes till tomatoes are cooked. Allow to cool.

Transfer half of this into a blender. Add the boiled palak also into the blender. Blend into a smooth paste. Transfer this back to the earlier deep bottomed pan. Mix the blended paste with the rest of the sautéed onion mixture. Add the reserved water and bring to a boil. Add enough water to get a gravy like consistency. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of milk or cream. Add salt and bring to a boil. Now add the paneer cubes. You can fry paneer before adding. I did not fry. Cook for a few minutes.

Tastes best with rotis / chapatis.

Gudgud Alambe Songa / Mushrooms in Tangy-Spicy sauce

Rainy season has a beauty of it's own. Rains have a certain magic to them which makes you want to watch them and just watch them, while you listen to their sound of music. One of my favourite things about rain, apart from the refreshing smell of the soil, is these delectable mushrooms that take shape in the beginning of rainy season. These are called thunder mushrooms or gud gud alambe, are round in shape, and need to be peeled individually - a tedious task that is done by almost everyone in the family together at the dining table, amidst jokes and laughter. 

My favourite dish made with these mushrooms is Alambe Songa - a spicy dish (and I love it extra-spicy), slightly sour and very delicious. Typically, potatoes are also added, but I prefer it without them, as I love the unique taste and  flavour these alambes offer - something we relish only a few weeks in an entire year. So let's keep the potatoes at bay and enjoy a field day with the taste of thunder!

Ingredients:

3 cups peeled round mushrooms

3 cups finely chopped onions

3 to 4 tsp red chilly powder (adjust according to your spice level)

1 tamarind lump (gooseberry sized)

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup hot water and keep aside.

In a deep-bottomed pan, heat 3 to 4 tbsp oil (or more). Sauté onions for 8 to 10 minutes till they turn brownish. Add chilli powder and roast on medium low heat for 5 to 6 minutes. 

Squeeze out all the water from the tamarind, add the water to the onions and roast well, till the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile add 1/2 cup water to the mushrooms and bring to a boil. Add boiled mushrooms along with water to the pan. Add salt to taste, cover and cook for a few minutes.

I like it best with boiled rice (ukde sheeth) or bread. And a glass of water to help me out!!

Prawn Recheado / Rechard

So what did I do with the rechado paste I posted about earlier? Made some delicious, succulent Prawn Rechado. Very easy to make. First of all make the rechado paste. Marinate the prawns with it and stir fry. See, easy-peasy. I told you.

Ingredients:

23 to 25 large prawns [I kept the tail on of a few of them]

Rechado (rechard) paste

1 to 2 tbsp oil

1 to 2 tbsp water

1 tbsp coriander leaves

Salt

Method:

Marinate prawns in the paste. Refrigerate for a few hours [I kept it overnight .]

In a large pan, heat oil. Add marinated prawns along with all the paste. Sprinkle water. Cook covered till the prawns are completely cooked. Keep stirring to avoid the masala from sticking to the pan. Adjust salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.

 The Goan Rechado masala is a little sweeter, so add extra sugar if needed. I did not want to make it too sweet so I stuck to the 3tsp sugar I added while making the paste. 

Hope you enjoy this Goan delicacy as much as I do :)!

Raja Phanna Upkari / Mackerel In Spicy-Tangy Sauce

Raja Phanna Upkari is a super-spicy, delightfully tangy Konkani dish made with very few ingredients. "Raja" here refers to mackerel and somehow for me, this fish is irreplaceable. Ofcourse, you can make this dish with prawns or tilapia or any other type of fish, but I always found mackerels winning hands down on this one.

Ingredients:

5 to 6 medium mackerels, cleaned and cut

2 cups onions finely chopped

5 to 6 tsp chilli powder

1 goose-berry sized tamarind

Salt

Method:

In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup hot water and soak tamarind in it.

In a deep-bottomed pan, heat oil. Add chopped onion and roast for about 10 minutes till they become brownish. Add chilli powder and roast on medium-low heat for 7 to 8 minutes.

Squeeze tamarind in the water as much as possible. Add the water into the pan. Pour some more water on the tamarind, squeeze out the juice completely and add the water to the pan. Discard the tamarind.

 Add a cup or two of water and bring to a boil. Add mackerels. Add more water if needed and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Simmer and cook till the fish is completely cooked, about 5 to 10 minutes.

People also make this dish by grinding roasted chillies with tamarind. At my mom's place it's usually made with chilli powder. Either ways, the kick the chillies lend are a great accompaniment to rice along with milder fish curries. Love the combo! Fish fry anyone?

Kurle Alle Piyava Ghashi / Crabs in Spicy Onion-Ginger Coconut Curry

Eating crabs can be a messy affair. That's why it's best eaten at home, when nobody is watching! Seriously, I get so involved with this dish that I have to be reminded that there is nothing more left that is edible.

Alle Piyava Ghashi is a konkani delicacy where the crab is cooked along with chopped onion and ginger and you get a delicious aftertaste of these ingredients. This is how crab is usually prepared at Amma's place. My mom cleaned and cut the crab for me and made most of this dish while I happily clicked pictures.

Ingredients:
5 medium crabs
2 cups grated coconut
7 to 8 roasted red chillies
1 goose-berry sized tamarind
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tbsp chopped ginger
Salt
1 tsp oil

Method:
Grind coconut, red chillies and tamarind with enough water to get a smooth paste.
In a large deep-bottomed pan, add cleaned and cut crabs, onion, ginger and the ground paste. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add more water if needed. Cook till the crabs are completely cooked - about 10 minutes. Adjust salt, drizzle oil. Cover and keep aside for sometime.

Like all seafood curries, this tastes better after a few hours or next day. I like it best with boiled rice, fried fish and a phanna upkari. Now what is that? More in the next post :).

Egg Curry / Poached Eggs in Spicy Coconut Gravy

If you haven't tried cooking eggs directly in the curry, then you should. It's easy, saves time and also turns out quite tasty since the eggs absorb the spices in the gravy. Here's another poached egg curry recipe which is much easier. This one, (similar to this recipe) takes a bit of time because of the roasting and grinding of spices, but tastes fantastic! I have used a couple of spices here which may not be available in your pantry. One is star anise and the other is khus khus. If you don't have these, don't worry, just add an extra clove or a bigger piece of cinnamon. But I would urge you to buy these. Star anise lends a great flavour to your pulao or biryanis, so you can always use them there. Khus khus (poppy seeds) give a unique flavour to this dish. I will soon post another recipe using this spice.

Ingredients:
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp khus khus
3 to 4 cloves
2 cardamom
1" cinammon stick
1 star anise
6 to 7 red chillies (I used byadgi / kumte mirsang)
3 to 4 curry leaves
2 medium onions
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
About 1 cup thick coconut milk
6 to 8 eggs
Salt
Oil
Water

Method:
In a small pan, heat 2 tsp oil. Roast corainder seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, khus khus, red chilies and curry leaves on a low flame. Transfer to a blender.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Sauté onions till brownish. Transfer half the roasted onions into the blender. Blend with roasted spices, 1/4 cup coconut milk and some water. Grind into a smooth paste, adding more water if required.

In the deep bottomed pan with the rest of the roasted onions, add ginger garlic paste and roast. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder and roast for a couple of minutes. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk and bring to a light boil. Add the ground paste, 1 cup water and salt and bring to a boil. The gravy should be slightly salty.

Now it's time to add the eggs. Break eggs one by one and pour into the gravy. The eggs should be placed beside each other like you see in the picture. Don't mix. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Check once in between to make sure there is enough gravy, but don't mix. Flip the eggs and cook for a couple more minutes. Adjust salt and mix gently.

Make sure the eggs are completely cooked. You can cut the cooked eggs into half if you wish. Also, for a richer colour you can mix 1/2 tsp kasmiri chilly powder with some water and drizzle on the dish.

Kori Ghashi / Kori Rotti / Mangalore Chicken Curry

There are certain words which make a Mangalorean's ears perk up. "Gheeroast" and "Kori Rotti" are a couple of them. Ask any non-vegetarian Mangalorean what his favourite food is and kori rotti will probably feature in his top 5. 

Kori rotti essentially means chicken curry on rice rotis. The "Rottis" are thin crispy sheets made of rice which soak up the curry and turn deliciously soggy. Half the fun of having this curry is with the rottis - they are definitely a great accompaniment.

Previously I used to get rottis from India but I was elated to find them in an Indian store here in Sunnyvale. This is what rottis look like -

For the chicken curry recipe, I resorted to the internet and saw it featured on several websites. I read through the recipes and adjusted the spices as I was cooking. 

Ingredients:

1 large onion

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1” cinnamon

4 to 5  cloves

3 to 4 cardamom

12 to 15 mild red chillies (byadgi / kumte mirsang)

2 tsp chopped ginger

4 to 5 chopped garlic

2 tbsp grated coconut

1/4 tsp haldi powder

1 marble-sized tamarind

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

Approx 1 kg chicken, skinned and chopped

Oil 

Salt to taste

6 to 8 curry leaves

[ I used coconut milk from a can which is very thick. If you are using homemade coconut milk you may have to adjust it accordingly]

Method:

In a large deep bottomed pan, heat oil and sauté onions till they turn brownish. Remove half of the roasted onions and transfer to a blender. Keep the large pan aside.

In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Roast coriander seeds, jeera, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, red chillies, ginger, garlic and coconut on a low flame till they are lightly roasted and you get a nice aroma. Transfer this to the blender and grind along with the previously roasted 1/2 onion, haldi powder, tamarind, 1/4 cup coconut milk. Add about a cup of water little by little as you blend into a smooth paste - make sure the paste is smooth.

In the large pan (which already has 1/2 the roasted onions), pour this paste. Add chicken pieces and salt and mix well. Add 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup water and cook covered for about 40 minutes or till chicken is completely cooked. Add more water if required, adjust salt and cook for a few more minutes.

Season with curry leaves.

To serve, place the rottis on a plate, pour curry all over it, wait for a few seconds till the rottis get soggy and enjoy!

Gobi Masala

Today was one of those days when I had no idea what to cook for dinner till an hour before dinner. I'm sure a lot of you experience this. I opened the fridge half hoping to find a box of yummy Chinese food miraculously appearing out of nowehere but that wasn't to be. Instead I saw a cauliflower looking straight into my eyes, as if to remind me that it needs to be given attention to too. I first thought of doing the usually upkari with it, then thought of trying out gobi gheeroast  but was sure hubby and kiddo would find it too spicy. So I cut down the chillies, added some onions, garlic etc and made this simple gobi masala. It was already time for dinner by the time I finished, so I had less than a minute to click some decent pictures. I'm so not excited about clicking pictures of food at night. So these pics were taken half heartedly, with just a few seconds of work on it. Hopefully I'll be able to replace them with better pictures some day.

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
4 to 5 mild red chillies (I used byadgi / kumte mirsang)
6 to 8 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp tamarind
2 medium onions
1 tsp chopped garlic
5 to 6 garlic cloves
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato ketchup


Method :

Heat 1 tsp oil and roast jeera, coriander seeds and red chillies. Switch the gas off, add 2 to 3 curry leaves and haldi powder and mix. Allow to cool. Grind with tamarind and about 1/2 cup water to get a smooth paste. Add more water if needed.
Sprinkle about 1/2 cup water on the cauliflower florets and microwave for 3 minutes (mix once in between). Drain all the water.

In a large pan, heat oil + ghee. Sauté onions, garlic and ginger till onions turn brownish. Add green chillies and remaining curry leaves and roast. To this add the cauliflower florets and roast for a minute. Add the ground paste and salt to taste and mix well. Drizzle tomato ketchup and mix. Add more ketchup if the dish turns out too spicy. Cook for a couple of minutes. [Do not overcook, or else the cauliflower will lose it's crunchiness]. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with chapati and curds.

Pindi Chana / Chole

I just love the colour of pindi chana. The deep dark colour that disguises the otherwise off-white garbanzo beans makes the dish even more appealing. An aunt suggested adding a tea bag while cooking the garbanzo beans for the darker colour. It indeed makes a difference. I went about with the rest of the dish just like I prepare chole, except that I did not add too much water for the gravy.

I used MDH chana masala powder for this dish. It contains dry mango and pomogrante seeds powder which give a nice tangy taste. If chana masala powder is not available you could replace with pomogranate seeds powder and  dry mango powder. If either of the two are not available I guess you could add some tamarind paste.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups chickpeas/ garbanzo beans / kabuli chana
1 or 2 tea bags*
2 bayleaves
1” stick cinnamon
3 to 4 cloves
2 large onions
2 tsp chopped ginger
1 or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½  to 1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp jeera powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp chana masala powder
1 large tomato
Corainder leaves for garnish

[*Be careful if you are using tea bags with staples]

Method:

Soak garbanzo beans completely in water for 6 to 8 hours (overnight).
Place tea bags on the chana and cook with enough water in a pressure cooker till completely cooked. Mix well.

Meanwhile, in a deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Add cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaves. Sauté onions till brownish. Add chopped ginger and green chillies and sauté. To this add the powders, some salt and roast well for a couple of minutes. Add tomato and roast till completely cooked.

Now add the cooked garbanzo beans along with the water used for cooking. Mix well and cook covered on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring in between. Add more water if required. Add salt and mix.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Relish with puris, batura or chapatis.

Mushroom Ghee Roast

It's funny how things you haven't been too fond of make you crave for them when you are far away. It first happened when I moved to Bangalore after marriage. Along with all the memories of Mangalore that would come rushing in, gheeroast would make it's absence felt. Which was very surprising, because though I did have it a few times in restaurants, I was never a big fan of it. And then one day my uncle who was visiting Bangalore brought some chicken gheeroast with him from Anupama (Abhiman), a famous restaurant in Mangalore and probably one of the best ghee-roast producing 'factories'. And I craved for more.  I went in search of restaurants in Bangalore which served gheeroast. Seriously, who does that? Lots of Mangaloreans far away from Mangalore do. Because there are some very delicious Mangalorean dishes which you cannot find everywhere.
Anyway, my search for ghee roast in B'lore did get some positive results. However, far away in this land, though you find an Indian restaurant in practically every street, Mangalorean dishes are a rarity.

Ghee roast is all about ghee and chillies. In restaurants if you look closely at this dish you will find it lying in a bed of ghee. Making this at home has the advantage of reducing the ghee or using substitutes like oil, though it's ghee that gives all the flavour.
The chillies typically used are a variety called byadgi chillies, or kumte mirsang in konkani. I got mine from an Indian store close by. These chillies are not too spicy and they lend a deep colour to the dish.

This recipe is from my aunt, Nandini Pachi, who guessed the ingredients after tasting ghee roast in several restaurants. Adjust the chillies according to your taste. However, the beauty of this dish is in the spice level so if you don't like things too spicy, you may want to stay away from it!

Ingredients :
12 to 14 mushrooms (227g / 8oz)
15 to 18 byadgi chilles (kumte mirsang) [ I used 15]
1 tsp coriander seeds
6 to 8 curry leaves
1/2 tsp haldi powder
1 large tamarind piece (goose berry sized)
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 to 6 tbsp (or more) ghee
Salt to taste

Method:
Chop mushrooms into quarters.
Roast red chillies with a few drops of oil. Remove.
In the same pan, dry roast coriander seeds on low for a few minutes. Switch the gas off, immediately add 1/4 tsp haldi powder and curry leaves and roast. Allow to cool.
Grind the above with roasted chillies, tamarind, garlic and salt with cold water (approx 1/2 cup), to get a smooth paste.

In  a large pan, heat ghee. Add 1/4tsp haldi powder and roast for a few seconds. Add mushrooms and salt to taste and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Now add the ground paste and roast for a couple of minutes. Add about 1/2 cup water [You can wash the mixer with a little water and add]. Cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes till water evaporates [keep stirring].

Relish with naan or chapatis. 

Paneer Capsicum Masala Chilly

It's such a joy to bring together different ingredients without having to follow any rules. I mean, why can Indian spices not join hands with Chinese sauces and give us the best of both worlds? Indo-Chinese cuisine - something I totally relish, has given us an insight into how dishes can be tweaked to suit the palates of the consumers. So when it comes to whipping out dishes in one's own kitchen and bringing together different cultures, the choices are innumerable. 

This recipe is my take on 'Paneer Chilly', a famous Indo-Chinese dish which I have made more 'Indian' by adding Indian spices. I have chosen not to fry the paneer, and to throw in a little more vigour into the dish, have added red bell peppers. I'm so in love with the deep red colour of these peppers, the subtle sweetness they offer and the beautiful contrast they provide with the paneer.

I like this dish to be very spicy so do adjust the spice level according to your taste. If the dish turns out too spicy, add some tomato ketchup or lemon juice.

Ingredients :

2 large onions

2 tsp ginger gralic paste

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 medium tomato

1 large red capsicum 

1 medium green capsicum

1 tsp soy sauce

1 to 2 tsp red chilli sauce (I used Ching's)

2 tsp vinegar

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp kasuri methi (optional)

400g paneer, chopped into cubes

Salt

Coriander leaves or / and spring onion greens for garnish

Method :

Heat oil. Sauté chopped onions till they turn brownish. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies and sauté for a few minutes. To this add the powders and roast. Add diced tomato and bell peppers and cook covered for 4 to 5 minutes or till they are cooked (keep stirring every minute).

Now add the sauces and vinegar and mix well. Cook for a minute. Add paneer, salt to taste (remember, the sauces have some salt in them) and kasoori methi and mix gently so as not to break the paneer.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

You can have this as a side dish with Chapati and curd. Or if you are like me and enjoy things spicy, eat it as it is!

Paneer Mushroom Masala - and about some masalas.

All of us have a tried and tested recipe that we fall back on during those days when we don't have time to think when we cook. This curry is one such which I usually make with either paneer or mushrooms, sometimes eggs, sometimes mixed vegetables. Today as I was deciding between paneer and mushrooms, I wondered how a dish with both of these would taste. My son loves paneer, my husband loves mushrooms and I love both. So there you go. Best of both worlds. Why not?

Before I move on to the recipe, I just thought I'd share a small tip with you. You may have seen a variety of masala powders in the market. And if you are a vegetarian, you may not have given even a second look to some of them. I mean, why would you want to buy meat masala powder when you don't eat meat at all, right? Well, maybe not. These powders are made of a variety of fragrant spices which can add a great deal of flavour to your vegetarian dishes. Yes, to your vegetarian dishes!

I got this tip from my mum-in-law who once added some mutton masala powder to some veg curry she was making. For once I was taken aback when I saw 'mutton' written on the packet (she is a staunch vegetarian) but hey, there's no mutton in there. She also introduced me to Kitchen King masala which I make a point to have in the pantry always.

The taste and spice levels of all these masala powders, ofcourse, vary. So be careful if you are adding any extra chilli powder. You can probably add salt as you roast the masala powders, check the spice level and adjust accordingly.

If you don't have any of these fancy masala powders, just add some chilli powder, coriander powder and jeera powder to taste.

Ingredients:
250g paneer
12 to 14 mushrooms
2 large onions
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 medium tomato
1” cinnamon
2 cloves
1 or 2 bay leaves
¼ tsp haldi
1 tbsp meat curry masala  /mutton masala powder/ tandoori masala / pork vindaloo masala/ kitchen king masala etc. or a combination of these.
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
1/4 cup milk
Approx 1 cup water
Corainder leaves
1 tsp ghee (optional)
Oil

Method :
Dice onions and tomatoes. Chop mushrooms into thin slices. Chop paneer into smaller cubes.

In a large deep-bottomed pan, heat oil. Saute onion. Add ginger garlic paste and roast till onions turn brownish (you can cover the pan to quicken the process). Add tomatoes and saute till completely cooked.  Allow to cool.
Transfer to a blender and grind into a smooth paste (without water).

In the same pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Add cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves. With the heat on low, add the ground paste and mix. Turn the heat to medium, add the powders and  roast for a few minutes. Check the spice level and adjust accordingly.
Pour milk and water, mix well and bring to a boil. Add the chopped mushrooms and salt and cook covered for 4 to 5 minutes. Add ghee for some extra flavour [I did not add]. Add paneer pieces and cook for another couple of minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with naan, chapatis or rice. Drool. Enjoy the bite of the mushrooms and the softness of the paneer.

Paneer Achari by Him!

My dear husband made Paneer Achari for me last night. It was definitely yummy! He referred to the Mushroom Achari recipe and made some changes - he added some garam masala and mint leaves. It was a welcome addition (and definitely a welcome change from the routine), and the dish was happily lapped up by a beaming me!

Methi Malai Mutter

Methi malai mutter figures in my husband's list of most favourite dishes. So when my cousin, Aruna, gave me this recipe I tried it immediately. I have made it several times after that with some minor changes here and there. What I liked best about the recipe is that there's no 'malai' to be added, and the milk gives a creamy texture.

Ingredients:
2 medium onions

4 to 5 garlic cloves

3 to 4 green chillies

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1 pinch of nutmeg powder (optional)

1 tsp cumin/ jeera powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 bunch (about 2 cups) methi leaves
1 cup coriander leaves
2 tsp maida
2 cups milk (room temp)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp lime juice (see note)
Salt to taste
Oil

Method :
Roughly chop onions, garlic and green chillies. Wash and coarsely chop methi leaves and coriander leaves.
Heat oil. Saute onion, garlic and green chillies for a few minutes till onion turns brownish. Allow to cool. Transfer to a blender. Add all the powders and blend into a smooth paste (without water).
In the same pan, heat 1/2 tsp oil and saute methi leaves and coriander leaves for 3 to 4 minutes. Add it to the above paste and blend for 6 to 8 seconds.

[In the original recipe, you roast all the above mentioned ingredients together and blend them together into a smooth paste. However, I like to see little specks of methi and coriander leaves in the curry so I roast them separately and pulse them with the onion paste. If you don't like the taste of tiny methi leaves, blend together into a smooth paste].

Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep-bottomed pan. Add maida and stir till oil and maida mix well, making sure no lumps form. When the mixture changes colour slightly, add the ground paste and roast for a minute. Add milk little by little and mix. [Add 1/4 cup milk at a time, mixing well with each addition]. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes till the mixture boils, keep stirring so that the paste doesn't stick to the bottom.

Add green peas and cook for a few minutes. Add salt to taste, sugar (to remove bitterness of methi) and juice of lemon. [ Note - I actually hesitate to use lemon juice because I'm scared it'll curdle the milk. I mentioned it here since it's included in the original recipe].

Add cubes of fried paneer if desired. Goes well with chapati, tandoori roti, naan or jeera rice.  

Sending this to bookmarked recipes.

Spicy Sukha Aloo

Potatoes are not exactly my favourite when they peek out of dishes that include some of my favourites. For example (and some Konkanis may agree) potatoes in alambe songa (mushrooms in spicy sauce) can be every annoying, atleast for me it is. I do not particulary like potatoes in any shrimp or chicken dishes, except maybe vindaloo. That said, I can be crazy about potatoes when they are the prime and only vegetable in the dish. Like batate songa (potatoes in spicy sauce), mashed potatoes, fries, aloo dum and sukha aloo.

Sukha aloo is very easy to make and is a good solution for a quick side dish. In this dish, spices get together and form a thin, aromatic, spicy-tangy crust over the potatoes, making them a pleasure to eat. The ingredient list is quite long but before you know it, they will do their job. Even if you skip a couple of them (except potatoes ofcourse), the rest will bring the act together.

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp jeera / cumin seeds

1/4 tsp coriander seeds (optional)

1/4 tsp urad dal (optional)

1/2 tsp chopped ginger

2 green chillies, finely chopped

6 to 8 curry leaves (optional)

1 tsp hing powder

1/2 tsp haldi / turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp jeera powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp juice of lemon

2 tsp chopped coriander leaves

2 tsp kasoori methi (optional)

Oil

Salt

Method:

Wash and peel potaotes. [I like to keep the skin on of 2 or 3 potatoes]. Chop them into 1/2 to 1" chunks. Boil till they are 90% boiled [I used a microwave]. Drain completely.

In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add coriander seeds, urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. When they splutter, add ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and hing powder and roast for a minute. Bring the flame to low. Add all the powders and roast for 10 to 15 seconds. [ Make sure the flame is on low, do not over-roast. The powders will get burnt].

Add boiled potatoes, 1 tsp ghee/ oil and roast gently till all the potatoes are coated with the masala. Add salt to taste. Cover and let cook for about 5 to 10 minutes till the potatoes are cooked completely, stirring every 2 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice on top and mix well.

Note : If the dish turns out too spicy, drizzle some more lemon juice. If you need more spice, sprinkle garam masala.

Garnish with coriander leaves or /and kasoori methi. We like it best with chapati and curd.