Recipes from our first homecooked Indian meal
on Indian Bells (India), 01/Apr/2010 04:43, 34 days ago
Tomato Paneer2kgtomatoes2kg paneer (probably could’ve been 1.5kg)2 tbsp cooking oil200g chopped onion50g fresh ginger50g garlic 1 tbsp red chili2 tbsp ground coriander2 tbsp salt (or to taste)Ketchup (this seems to be optional)Slice paneer into strips or cubes.Crush garlic and ginger in mixer with a bit of water, until paste.Boil whole tomatoes in a pot for 30 minutes.Remove the skin from tomatoes and mash‘em, then set aside.In a large pot or wok, fry onion in oil till golden on medium heat.Add garlic and ginger paste, and spices. Saute and stir 10 minutes.Add mashed tomatoes. Simmer and stir 10 minutes.Add paneer. Simmer and stir on low heat another 15 minutes.Mix in ketchup if desired. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.Aloo Palak (Potato Spinach)2kg fresh spinach, chopped2.5kg yel low potatoes, peeled and chopped3 tbsp coo king oil2 cups chopped onion10 cloves garlic, pureed in mixer with a bit of water4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped 2 tbsp salt (or to taste)1 tbsp red chili1.5 tbsp ground coriander¼ tbsp turmeric4 whole dried red chilisWash spinach and rinse 3-4 times.Soak chopped potatoes in water 30 minutes.In a large pot or wok, fry dry chilies 2 minutes on medium heat.Add onion and fry in oil till golden.Add garlic, tomatoes and spices. Saute 15 minutes until juice is down.Stir in potato and increase heat to high, cook 5 minutes.Stir in spinach. Cover and simmer (possibly back on medium heat) 30 minutes.Uncover and cook 10 minutes more until water is almost gone.Mutton Curry3kg mutton on the bone, chopped into serving sizes100g garlic, pureed in mixer with a bit of water100g ginger, pureed in mixer with a bit of water1/2kg peeled and chopped tomatoes1/2kg chopped onion3tbsp cooking oil1tbsp tumeric1.5 tbsp ground coriander1/2 tbsp red chilli, or more if desired, up to 1.5 tbsp1/2 tbsp garam masala1.5 tbsp salt, or to tasteStir dry spices with a bit of water to make a paste.In a large pot or wok, fry onion on medium heat in oil till golden.Stir in garlic and ginger and, then stir in spice paste and finally tomatoes.Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often.Add mutton, stir well and cover. Simmer, still on low heat, for one hour.Transfer mutton to pressure cooker and set aside the sauce.Add 1 cup of water and seal the cooker. Cook on medium heat 10-12 minutes until cooker“sneezes” several times.Combine mutton and its original sauce in serving dish.Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and a dash of garam masala.Dhal1/4 kg each red and yellow lentils2 tbsp cooking oil1 chopped onion10-12 cloves of garlic, peeled and whole1/2 tbsp tumeric1/2 tbsp red chilli1 tbsp of salt, or to taste2 tomatoes, choppedSoak lentils in water for 5 minutes. Rinse and repeat 2-3 times until water runs clear.In pressure cooker, fry onion in oil on medium heat till golden.Stir in tomatoes, then add spices and stir vigorously.Stir in lentils.Add 1.5 litres of hot water and stir.Seal the cooker and cook 8-10 minutes.Raita4 cartons of yogurt1.5 cups water2 cucumbers, peeled and grated and drained2 tsp salt, or to taste2 tbsp dry fried cumin*Stir all ingredients together and serve.* Toast whole cumin seeds in skillet without oil, on medium heat until darkened. Transfer to blender and grind.Mint Chutney1 bunch mint, chopped and soaked and rinsed6 fresh green chillis, stems removed1 onion, chopped1/2 tbsp salt, or to tastePut all ingredients in a mixer and puree.Roti2 cups of wheat flour per 10 rotis desiredGradually mix 2-3 handfuls of water with flour in a bowl.Knead the dough with your knuckles until it forms a stiff ball.Divide dough into 10 balls. Roll out flat and flour.Dry-fry in roti pan, then brown both sides on open flame with tongs.Thanks to Richard Johnson for writing up the recipes as we cooked.The views expressed in this weblog are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of VSO.