LENTILS
Red Lentils with Fragrant Spiced Butter Seasoning - Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
1 cup Indian lentils
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp. ginger paste
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1/2 cup onion -- finely chopped
2 cloves garlic -- finely sliced
2 medium bay leaves
1 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons cilantro -- minced
lime juice, salt to taste
Method:
1.Boil some lentils with salt, turmeric and ginger until they are a smooth puree.
2.Heat ghee in pan or pot over a low heat. When hot add cumin seeds.
Fry until they darken slightly - do not let them burn; if they do throw away
and start again, burnt cuminseeds can't be rescued!
3.Immediately add on onions, garlic and bay leaves and fry gently for about 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
4.Stir in cayenne pepper, lime juice and cilantro. Pour over lentils and serve.
VEGETABLES
Mutter Aloo - (Peas & Potatoes Curry) Serves 6 to 8
This goes very well with Indian flatbreads like puris, chapaties and paranthas.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup ghee
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves
1 tablespoon scraped, finely chopped fresh ginger root.or 1 tsp of our ginger paste
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic or 1 tsp of our garlic paste
2 cups fresh green peas or frozen peas other veggies like cauliflower may also be used
3 large potatoes boiled, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin.
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground hot red pepper
3 medium sized, firm, ripe tomatoes, washed and coarsely chopped.
Method:
1.In a heavy saucepan, heat the ghee on high heat. Add onions and then stir in the ginger and garlic. Lower the heat to moderate. Stirring constantly, fry to onions for 7 to 8 minutes, until they are soft and golden brown. Watch carefully for signs of burning and regulate the heat accordingly.
2.Add the cumin, turmeric and red pepper, and stir in the tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of the fresh cilantro/coriander. Still stiring, cook briskly for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid in the pan evaporates and the mixture is thick enough to draw away from the sides and bottom of the pan in a dense mass.
3.Drop in the peas and potatoes and salt and turn with the spoon until they are properly coated with the tomato mixture. Stir in the water, bring to a boil over high heat, cover tightly, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the peas and potatoes are tender but still hold their shape.
Taste for seasoning and serve at once, sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of coriander and the garam masala.
RICE
Rice with Ghee, Nuts and Seasonings
Ingredients:
1 cups Basmati rice
1 medium sized onion, sliced finely
4 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
1 inch cinnamon
1 clove
1 cardamom
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp.chopped cashew nuts
3 green chilies, minced
1/2 tsp. ginger paste
1/2 tsp. garlic paste
Salt to taste
2 tsp. chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Method
1. Heat the ghee in a pot and add the cinnamon, cloves, cashew nuts, cumin and cardamom.
Fry for 10 seconds and add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry for another 10 seconds and then add the green chilies and onion. Fry till the onions turn light brown.
2. Add the rice and salt to taste. Let the rice fry for about 5-6 minutes and get coated
with the ghee mixture.
3. Add 4 cups of water cook in the microwave till the rice is completely done. You can also cook it on the stovetop, by keeping it covered on a low flame.
Serve hot with a curry, dal, raita or yogurt, Indian pickles, Indian chutney (we carry some ready made chutneys in our store) and a salad.
