Saagwala

A rich creamy spinach curry perfect with naan.  I've been making this with goat, but lamb or beef will both work well.

Ingredients:

1 kg (2.2 lbs) goat, lamb, or beef, trimmed and cubed
4+1 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
6+3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium onions, diced
6 T ghee
1 T coriander, toasted and ground
2 t cumin, toasted and ground
1 1/2 t garam masala
5-6 green chiles (preferably finger hot), thinly sliced
cayenne to taste
stock
2 packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 - 3/4 C cream
4 T cilantro, stems included, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt ghee in a deep pan, then saute the onion until starting to brown.  Add the 6 cloves of chopped garlic (reserving the other 3), the 4 cm of grated ginger (reserving the other 1), and the green chiles.  Saute for a couple of minutes before adding in the spices and 1 t salt, stirring frequently until fragrant.

Add the meat along with enough stock to cover meat, cover, and simmer until tender.  Times will vary considerably depending on the type and cut of meat; goat can take 3 hours or more.  When the meat is tender, remove from the pot and set aside, leaving everything else in the pot.  Add in the spinach and stir to combine.  Using an immersion blender (or removing to a blender), puree until fairly smooth.

Cook the spinach mixture down uncovered until thickened to the desired consistency (or a little thicker to account for the cream), roughly 35 minutes, stirring frequently.  Return the meat along with the cream, cilantro, and the reserved garlic and ginger, and simmer gently until the flavors blend 5-10 minutes.  Adjust the seasoning to taste (this will likely require more salt than you think), and serve with warm naan or rice.

Kheer

An Indian rice pudding with cardamom.  Serve warm or cold (though if you cook it down too much it might be quite firm when cold).

4 C whole milk
1/4 C rice (basmati or jasmine)
scant teaspoon cardamom powder
6 T sugar
pinch of saffron
raisins to garnish
pistachios, chopped to garnish

Soak the rice for an hour in water, then drain off the liquid.  Add the milk and sugar to the rice and bring to a simmer, but pull off a couple of tablespoons of milk while just warm to bloom the saffron. Stir frequently while the mixture simmers.

When the rice mixture is starting to thicken up add the saffron and cardamom and cook for another couple of minutes.  Serve up in individual bowls, garnishing with raisins and pistachios.

Pakoras

The Indian version of battered and fried veggies.  This is only the recipe for the batter, but it can be used on any number of vegetables: thinly sliced sweet potato, cauliflower (YUCK!), onion rings, zucchini, spinach, or whatever else you want to try.

1.5 C gram (chickpea) flour
1/2 C rice flour
pinch asafoetida
1/4 t turmeric
Cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients, adding enough water to make a moderately thin batter.  Keep in mind that you want the batter to be a little salty to season the veggies.  Dredge vegetables in the batter and deep fry at 350 F until golden brown.

Jackfruit Curry

An unusual curry using green jackfruit in place of meat.  Green jackfruit has  a great texture, but very little flavor, so it's cooked with plenty of onion, garlic, and spices.  Note: I was winging it when I made this, so it's more approximate than most for amounts.

2 cans of green jackfruit (it has to be green) roughly 10 oz each when drained
3 T mustard oil
1-1.5 T black mustard seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
1.5 T garlic, chopped
1.5 T ginger, grated
2 t cumin
3 T tomato paste
1/2 C stock (vegetable stock if going vegetarian, otherwise chicken stock)
1/2 t turmeric
ground chile to taste
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high, and add the mustard seeds, onion, garlic, and ginger (if using whole cumin add it as well, otherwise add it with the jackfruit).  Cook until well the onion and garlic is well browned.

Add in the jackfruit, chile, and turmeric and stir fry for a a couple of minutes.  Add the tomato paste and the stock and stir fry for another couple of minutes to combine and cook down to desired consistency.  Add salt to taste.

Butter Chicken

Rich, decadent chicken in a butter and cream sauce with a touch of tomato.  The initial part is a riff on tandoori chicken made without a tandoor and without the food coloring.  There are three methods for the initial cooking; of these grilling is the best, then broiling, then baking if you want to make a large amount without working in batches.  I use some liquid lecithin here just as insurance against breaking, but that's optional.

Tandoori Chicken:

2.5 lbs of skinless boneless chicken, either breasts or thighs
Juice of one lemon
Half an onion, finely chopped
1 green chile (jalapenos and serranos are too grassy; ideally use a finger hot/jwala or a green cayenne), thinly sliced
1 1/2 C plain whole milk yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t garam masala
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 t salt

Mix together everything except the chicken and food processor until smooth.  Cut the chicken into strips and score to allow the marinade to penetrate.  Marinate over night, then remove from the marinade and choose a cooking method:  Grill it over a very high heat until just done; broil it on high; bake it on the highest setting your oven has.  If you have to bake it I'd suggest taking a cooking torch to it if possible to brown the chicken.  Remove from the heat and set aside; this part can be done a day ahead.

Butter Chicken:
1/2 of a 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 1/4 C heavy cream
1/2 C unsalted butter
2 T ghee
3 T flour
2 T kasoori methi (fenugreek) leaves
2 t liquid lecithin
1 1/4 t garam masala
2-4 green chiles (jalapenos and serranos are too grassy; ideally use a finger hot/jwala or a green cayenne), thinly sliced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
pinch of sugar
salt to taste
cayenne to desired heat
1 1/4 t toasted and ground cumin
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Mix together the tomato paste with enough water or chicken broth to make 1 C.  Add in everything else except the butter, ghee, and lecithin.  Melt the butter and ghee in a skillet, then add in the lecithin and stir to combine; add in the flour and make a blond roux.  Add in the tomato mixture and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer for a few minutes, then add in the chicken and let it warm up and blend in flavor, another minute or so.

Saurabh's Dal

A basic lentil dish as made by a guy I worked with.  It's simple, but quite tasty.

1 C urad dal, split and husked
2-3 green chiles, chopped
1/4 t asafoetida
1/2 t whole cumin seeds
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
5 t ghee or vegetable oil
pinch turmeric
salt to taste
3 dried red chiles (optional)

Soak the dal for two hours in 6 C lightly salted water, then add the dried chiles and boil uncovered until the lentils start to break down and take on a creamy consistency (if too much water evaporates put a lid on the pot and reduce the heat).
In a skillet heat the ghee then add the asafoetida; fry this until fragrant, then add cumin.
When the cumin becomes fragrant add the garlic and tumeric, then the green chiles.
Add this to the pot of dal (there will be some hissing and sputtering).
Stir together, heat the dal for a few minutes to combine the flavors, and eat.

Indian chicken alpha

This was just a first attempt at this one, but it turned out well enough for an alpha version to warrant posting. I'll probably end up playing with it, but I doubt I'll make too many changes.

1-2 t black mustard seeds
10 cloves
5 green cardamoms
bay leaf
1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh, trimmed and in bite size pieces.
salt
pepper
1 onion, sliced
8-10 cloves garlic (in two batches)
oil
half cup cream
1.5 T grated ginger
2 C chicken stock
Corn starch to thicken
handful dried chiles
cayenne to desired heat

Crackle mustard, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, and chiles in oil. Saute onion, half of garlic, and ginger. Saute chicken for a few minutes. Add chicken stock, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Make a slurry with corn starch and use to thicken. Add the rest of the garlic and simmer for a minute or two. Kill the heat and add the cream; serve with rice.

Naan

This is the best recipe I've found for making naan, a really good Indian flat bread; eat it as an accompaniment to most types of Indian food. This recipe is also easy to modify, adding things like finely chopped garlic to make garlic naan.  The dough keeps well in the fridge, so I typically cook enough for that meal then just tear off a chunk and cook it when I want more.

1 cup whole milk
2 t suger
2 T yeast
4 cups AP flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
2 T veg oil
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg
butter


Scald the milk with the sugar, then let it cool to room temp
Add the yeast, stirring well.

Let the mixture sit until foamy.

Put the flour in large bowl, add salt, baking powder, oil, yogurt, and egg. Mix thoroughly.

Slowly add the foamy milk mixture.

Knead the dough until smooth, then put in greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth.  Let it rise until approximately two times the original size (about 1 hour).

Punch the dough down, then cut and roll balls; roll each ball flat (you want it fairly thin).

To cook:
The easiest way is just to toast both sides in a cast iron skillet on the stove top on medium-high; I rub butter in the hot skillet before adding the dough.  Cook longer on the first side to get bubbles formed which will give the nice charred spots when you cook the second side.  While the second side cooks, rub butter on the first, and rub butter on the second once you remove it.  Sprinkle with minced garlic for garlic naan.

Alternatively, you can stick a baking stone in an oven pre-heated to 450F (with the rack one step down from the top). When the oven is pre-heated, switch it over to a broiler on high and toss the dough on the baking stone and cook.  Butter both sides when done.

Palak Paneer

 Palak Paneer or as my friends and I called it The Delicious Green Goo.  It's a fairly simple recipe of curried spinach and cheese (paneer), but it is delicious.  Just don't forget the tequila!

Ingredients:

6 T Ghee
5-6+4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 T grated ginger
6-10 dried red chile peppers or to taste
2 small onions, finely chopped
2-3 T ground cumin (start with 2, adjust to taste in last 15 minutes of cooking)
1-2 T ground coriander (start with 1, adjust to taste in last 15 minutes of cooking)
1 t ground turmeric
1 C sour cream
2 lbs fresh baby spinach, rinsed and de-stemmed
8-12 oz paneer (or whole milk ricotta if you can't find paneer)
A little cream if necessary to thin
salt and pepper to taste
2 shots of tequila per cook (see note)

In a large saucepan heat 4 T ghee and saute cumin and coriander until fragrant, then add in the 5-6 cloves garlic, ginger, red chilies, and onion until brown. Add turmeric and sour cream (add more or less to achieve desired creaminess), stir and heat until simmering.

Take a shot of tequila.

Add the spinach, handfuls at a time; I cook while I add, meaning about an hour of cooking, followed by 45 minutes over medium-low heat, half of that covered. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour spinach mixture into a blender or food processor, and blend until the spinach is finely chopped. Pour back into the saucepan, add in the remaining garlic, adjust seasoning, and keep warm over low heat.  You may want to add a little extra ginger as well.   Add a little cream if the mixture seems too dry.

Take a shot of tequila. 

 

In a medium frying pan heat 2 T of ghee over medium heat, and fry cheese until browned; this is easiest if you fry it in slabs then cube it. If you're using ricotta it will seem like the cheese is melting, just leave it, checking periodically to see if it has browned; the cheese will eventually brown. Add cheese to spinach and cook for 10 minutes on low heat.  Serve with fresh naan. 

Note: the first time I made this I wasn't terribly organized and a friend of mine kept coming in to the kitchen yelling "TEQUILA!" and handing out shots. All of this resulted in a longer cooking process and being a little liberal with the spices; it also resulted in the stuff being delicious. The next time I made it there was no tequila involved and I cooked it far faster knowing what I was doing, but it was pretty horrible. The moral is, you can skip the tequila, but take your time and don't be afraid to up the spices if you think it needs it.

Curried Goat

So this can be made with other things than goat (lamb, top round of beef, or even inside round of venison), but honestly I have yet to find anything better than goat, and at least one friend from India claims goat is traditional. So go out there and find someone who sells it (try the middle eastern groceries first I believe something along the lines of Anz is Arabic for goat if you find someone whose English is a little shaky, but I didn't get that from a native speaker). It's cheap and lean, but failing that, lamb is acceptable, though if you want cheaper or just feel like committing Hindu blasphemy go with top round of beef. I shred it first, which is more eater friendly than is typical, but the end result is the same. Serve the stuff with a nice big pile of naan.

Here's a real general version of how I make it, though I tweak it some:

1 kg goat, in large cubes
2 bay leaves
3 black cardamoms
8 green cardamoms
6 t coriander
1 t cumin
2-3 T chopped garlic
2-3 T grated ginger
2/3 C oil
1 C chopped onion
1 t cayenne or other chile powder
4 whole dried chiles
salt, pepper to taste
2/3 C tomatoes, chopped
1/2 t tumeric
2/3 C whole milk yogurt

Late cooking:
a couple cloves chopped garlic
1-2 t ginger

Marinate goat in yogurt and salt for at least an hour.
Heat the oil in a large pot and crackle bay leaves, dried chiles, and cardamoms (I usually lightly crack open the casings of the cardamoms with a mortar and pestle). Toss in the onions and cook until lightly browned, then add ginger and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, then add coriander, turmeric, cumin, and chile powder. Add the goat with the marinade, stir for a minute or two, then add water or stock to cover. Simmer it until approaching tender, then remove the lid to cook down to the desired consistency. Add tomatoes along with late cooking garlic and ginger, and again cook to desired consistency, making sure not to cook to long as you want some of the raw taste of garlic and ginger. One of the modifications that I usually make is pulling the goat pieces out before adding the tomatoes in and shredding them with a pair of forks (into about pulled pork kind of consistency), before adding it back for the final cooking. This may not be authentic, but I think it helps the texture and how moist it is. Eat with Naan.

Double or triple that recipe if you are lucky enough to get yourself a whole bone in leg of goat. Also be prepared to spend some time breaking it down (took me more than half an hour the first time, and I'd already broken down a couple of deer by then).