Catfish Curry

Ingredients:

1 lb catfish cut into 1 inch steaks
3 green chilies
1/2 tsps Turmeric
1/2 tsps Red chili powder
1/2 tsps Salt
Oil
1 yellow/red onion, chopped
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 red bellpepper cut into thin slices (you can also green or yellow bellpeppers)
1 cup tomato, chopped
Cilantro

Method:
Rub the catfish pieces with turmeric and salt. Let stand 30 min. Heat oil in large, deep frying pan on medium. Add the diced onion, garlic and the green chilies, and sauté for a few minutes till the onion softens and turns pink. Add the catfish, tomatoes and the red pepper slices and stir. Add the salt and chili powder. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and let simmer for another few minutes. Serve hot with rice/ roti.

Chaler Payesh(Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:
Sweet smelling Rice (Gobindobhog chaal): 100gms
Milk: 4 cups
Sugar: 150gms
Ghee: 1 teaspoon
Cashew nuts: 10gms,
Raisins: 10gms
Green cardamoms: 3 to 4
Bay leaf: 2


Method:
· Boil the milk in very low flame, and let it condense till it become almost ¾ its original volume.
· Meanwhile, add ghee to rice and mix well.
· Drop in the rice when the milk is ready, and now cook on high flame, stirring often.
· As the rice gets cooked add sugar, green cardamom, bay leaf.
· Keep on flame till the sugar melts.
· Throw in the cashew nuts and raisins.
· Garnish with raisins and cashew nuts or any other dry fruits of your choice.

Options:
· If you dont get Gobindobog, then work out with good quality Basmati rice
· The more you condense the milk, the better it tastes.
· Also, instead of sugar you can add jaggery or gur.
· To add a touch of color and flavor saffron is a good choice too.

Ingredients:

q 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
q 1 tablespoon butter
q 1 large onion, grated
q 1 tablespoon grated ginger
q 2 cloves garlic, smashed
q 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
q 3 cardamom pods, pounded to split open (don’t let the seeds get away)
q 1 whole cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
q 1 chicken breast, chopped into blocks
q 3 tomatoes
q 2 bunches of spinach
q 2 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro
q 2 red chilies, split
q Salt to taste

Method:
q Partially boil the spinach and blend into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
q Put oil and butter in a large pan on low – medium heat
q Once melted, add onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon. Stir and let them simmer gently.
q Add the chicken.
q Let cook for a few minutes before adding the tomatoes, water, spinach and cilantro. Stir well and salt.
q Add the green chilies. Stir well and simmer covered for 1/2 an hour, till the spinach starts sticking to the sides of the pan.
q It’s a yummy dish and even those who hate spinach will love it!!

Cholar dal

Cholar Dal
1 cup Cholar Dal
1tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of salt
i tsp sugar
2 tbs of ghee
1 tsp of cumin seeds /mustard seeds also can be used
1 tbsp sliced coconut
I tsp oil

Soak the dal in water for at least 15 minutes.
dd oil in a kadai and fry the cumin seeds and bayleaf along with the dal. Transfer the seeds and the dal to a pressure cooker. Add 3 cups of water.
Add turmeric powder and salt, sugar.
Cover and cook at medium heat till 3 whistles.
Let the pressure subside and then open the cover.
Before serving add ghee and sprinkle on top with the coconut slices.
Serve hot with white rice.

Apple pecan cake

I found this recipe at a site but modified it a bit for convenience.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (75 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans
1 pound (454 grams) apples (red delicious or fuji apples)
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cup (195 grams) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup (50 grams) raisins


Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray with a non stick cooking spray, an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan and then line with parchment paper or wax paper.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack and then coarsely chop.

Peel, core, and coarsely chop the apples. Toss with 1 - 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract and beat until fully incorporated. Fold in the chopped nuts, raisins, and chopped apples. If the batter is thick, stir in the milk.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in preheated oven for about 35 - 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Aloo Posto(potatoes and poppy seed)

This recipe reminds me so much of Ma! Miss you Ma!

Ingredients:
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
Poppy seeds (posto)5-6 tbsp posto bata(poppy seed paste)
Green Chillies – 2/3
Cumin seeds-3/4 tsp loosely packed
Salt
Turmeric Powder
Sugar - 1/2 tsp or none according to taste
Oil - for Cooking
Mustard Oil- a dashto sprinkle on the top


Method:
Grind the posto/poppy seeds to a fine powder. I use the coffee grinder which can be used to dry grind only. So afterwards I mix it with water to make a paste. The consistency of the paste should not be too watery. If you are wet grinding make a paste at one go.
Cut the potato in cubes.Chop or slit the green chillies.
Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and fry till they start sputtering.
Add the potato cubes in the oil with a pinch of turmeric powder.
Saute the potato lightly till they develop a golden tinge.
Then add the poppy seeds paste.
Add little water (around 3/4 cup), adequate salt, and the chopped green chillies.
You can sprinkle very little sugar if you want.Cover and cook on low heat till the paste has uniformly coated the potatoes and the potatoes are well-done. I usually wait till the gravy has dried up.
At this point you can add about 1 tsp of mustard oil and stir well before you remove from heat. Srtve hot with rive and papad!

Paneer Bhurji

This a recipe I tried today itself and surprisingly even my husband who is not too fond of paneer finished off the whole helping and asked for more!

So here you go:

Ingredients:
300g fresh paneer, crumbled coarsely with hand
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
Pinch of asafeotida (hing) powder

Method:

1. Heat the oil, add the onion and green chilli and fry until soft.
2. Add the cumin seeds and fry until browned and fragrant.
3. Add the pepper, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and asafeotida (hing) powder and stir fry till a wonderful aroma leaves the pan.
4. Next add the grated ginger, sugar and chopped tomato.
5. Now add the paneer and salt and keep stirring on medium heat till panner and other ingredients are well-cooked.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.
7. Serve hot with rice or Indian flat breads like roti, chapati or naan.