Recipes of India as Learnt from an Indian in India

A few months ago I made a few changes to the blog, one of which was to remove the ‘Recipes of the World’ page, a documentation of the cookery courses I did whilst travelling. Well, I’m putting them back online! Here’s the first – Recipes of India – As Learnt in India from an Indian

Vegetable Masala

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 inch of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 3 green beans, chopped (Not sure what type of beans)
• 1/2 a mug of cabbage, chopped
• 1 small potato, diced
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
• Approximately 1 mug of water
• Approximately 1/2 mug of milk

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok (or similar) and fry garlic/ginger for 10 seconds.
2. Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat stirring constantly.
3. Add the tomato and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the spices and fry for 1 minute.
6. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 7-8 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
7. If necessary, add 1/2 tsp flour to thicken the sauce.
8. Add the milk and cook for 1 minute until it looks like a curry!

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 inch of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 small potatoes, diced
• Cauliflower in small pieces (about as much as the potatoes)
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Approximately 1 mug of water
• 1 tbsp milk

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok (or similar) and fry garlic/ginger for 10 seconds.
2. Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat stirring constantly.
3. Add the potato and cauliflower and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the spices and fry for 1 minute.
5. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 7-8 minutes until vegetables are soft and most of the water has evaporated.
6. Add salt to taste then add the milk and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
7. Crush up the curry a little with a spoon to thicken it then sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve!

Paneer Butter Masala

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 inch of ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 small handful of cashew nuts
• 1/4 tsp aniseed seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 10-12 cubes of Paneer cheese (You could use Haloumi or tofu)

Method

1. Heat butter in a wok (or similar) and fry the garlic, ginger and aniseed for 10 seconds.
2. Add the onion and fry for 1 minute on a medium heat stirring constantly.
3. Add the tomato and continue to fry for another minute.
4. Add the cashew nuts and fry for a further 2 minutes.
5. Add the spices and fry for 2 minutes.
6. Now remove from the heat and allow to cool for a 5-10 minutes.
7. Liquidise with a little water until a very smooth mixture is formed the consistancy of a thick soup (At least a couple of minutes)
8. Heat the sunflower oil in a wok and return the blended sauce to the heat for a couple of minutes.
9. In a side pan deep(ish) fry the Paneer until golden brown.
10. Add the fried Paneer to the sauce and voila!!

Coconut Rice

Ingredients

• 1/2 a mug of rice
• 1/2 a mug of freshly grated coconut
• 6 curry leaves
• A small handful of cashew nuts
• A small handful of sultanas
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Boil the rice according to the packet instructions and set aside.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a wok (or similar) and fry the mustard seeds, cumin, onions and curry leaves for 1 minute.
3. Add the cashews and sultanas and continue to fry for a futher 30 seconds.
4. Now add the grated coconut, salt and cooked rice and fry for another minute on a low heat stirring contantly. Done!

Parotta

Ingredients

• 1/2 a mug of water
• 1 tbsp milk
• 8 tbsp plain white flour
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of sugar
• 1/2 an egg (mix it first, don’t ask which half like me.)
• 1 tbsp vegetable/sunflower oil

Method

1. Mix together all the ingredients to form a dough. You may need to add more flour/water to get the mix right.
2. Knead for 5-10 minutes on a floured surface until the texture of the dough is very smooth.
3. Round the dough and place into a bowl containing the oil and leave for 20 minutes. Make sure the top of the dough also has a good covering of oil.
4. Split the dough into 4 pieces and flatten into small (10cm) discs.
5. Next perform the impossible and kind of slap the dough out onto a work surface a few times until it becomes a very thin and rough circle.
6. Cut the dough circle in half and attempt to make a viennese whirl from it, then flatten it with your hands again into a disc of around 15-20cm in diameter.
7. Fry with a little oil in a very hot pan for 10 sconds each side. Watch out because it burns VERY easily!!

The Legendary Masala Chai

Ingredients

• 1/2 a litre of water
• 1/2 a litre of milk
• 1/2 tsp aniseed seeds
• 1/2 tsp cinammon sticks
• 1/2 tsp crushed cardamons
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 2 tsps fresh mint leaves
• Sugar to taste
• 2 tsp fine tea powder (Open up a teabag maybe?)

Method

1. Boil the water and milk together in a pan with the spices (but not the mint yet!)
2. Once boiled add the mint foillowed by the tea and mix for 20-30 seconds.
3. Pour through a tea strainer and serve to be amazed by the awesome flavours!!

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Tags: India, Recipes, Travelling