Category: Curry

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Curry Main Dish

Fish curry

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I love to travel for many reasons. It helps me see new places, learn new things, appreciate the beauty around us and it broadens my horizons. One aspect of traveling I love the most is trying new foods, cuisines. I love going to the markets and explore the local produce and try authentic recipes of the place.

Last year I visited Odisha, a eastern coastal state of India. Odisha is a beautiful place, its the land of Lord Jagannath who is Lord Krishna, resides in the temple with his brother Balaram and sister Subhadra. When you visit Jagannath Puri or Puri as its widely known, you get to taste the famous Bhog, an offering thats made to Jagannath. This Bhog is called Chhappan Bhog, chhappan means 56, because it has 56 delectable dishes. Different types of rice like Kanika, daals like Dalma, pitha and sweets made from milk are cooked in traditional recipes in earthen pots

One of the dishes is Besara, besara is a mustard paste which what the curry is named after. Its not super rich and extremely flavorful. For the bhog this is made with lots of vegetables like plantain, Taro, different types of gourds. However you will also find fish curry made with this mustard sauce. You can see generous use of mustard not only in Oriya cuisine but also in the neighboring state of West Bengal.

Today I am taking you with me on a culinary travel to Odisha, India with Morey’s seafood. I am making salmon with Besara curry. I got this Salmon from Morey’s seafood, when I looked at the seasoning, I thought it will pair perfectly with this Indian style curry. The marinade has jalapeno, garlic , paprika along with mustard, flavors from a Indian kitchen.

Here is a video of how to make this curry step by step , for a vegetarian version he same paste and method can be used to make a delish mushroom curry, Chatu Besara, often Oyster mushrooms are used.

This blog post is done in collaboration with Morey’s seafood. I love using their products as all their seafood, not only does it taste good but Morey’s has also led the charge in commitment to responsible, sustainable practices. Check out their website to learn more.

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Machha Besara – Odisha style Salmon Curry

Machha Besara is a fish curry from Odisha. This mustard based curry is delicious and super easy to make. It goes with any type of fish and taste amazing served with piping hot rice

Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian, odisha
Keyword besara, fish curry, mustard fish curry

Ingredients

Marinate the fish

  • 1 pack of Morey’s steakhouse salmon You can use any other fish, see notes for marination
  • 1 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp mustard oil

Masala Paste

  • 1 Tbsp Black mustard seeds
  • 1 Tbsp Yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds
  • 6-7 garlic cloves
  • 3-4 dry red chilies

Tadka and other

  • 1/2 Cup Mustard Oil Please see notes
  • 1 tsp Panch phodan Please see notes
  • 1 onion chopped finely
  • 1 tomato chopped in medium sized pieces
  • 1 piece of dry mango or 1 tsp amchoor powder
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 green chilies slit
  • Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

  1. Marinate the fish & potatoes with turmeric and mustard powder

Make the masala Paste

  1. Soak all the ingredients in warm water for 20-30 mins and grind to a fine paste

Fry the fish

  1. Heat mustard oil in a pan and fry the fish for about 2 mins on either side

  2. Take it out on a plate

Make Tadka and Gravy

  1. In the same pan, add panch phoran, sauté for a min
  2. Add onions and sauté till golden brown
  3. Add the mustard paste and sauté for 2-3 mins
  4. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté for a min
  5. Add hot water( to get the consistency you want) and cook on medium flame

  6. Add dry mango or Ambula and a pinch of sugar

  7. Add water as needed to get the right curry consistency
  8. Add slit green chilies

  9. Add fried fish and cook for another 2 mins

Garnish

  1. Drizzle with more mustard oil if you like and garnish with chopped cilantro

Recipe Notes

  1. Make sure you heat the mustard oil to a smoking point, let it cool completely. When you are ready to cook, heat it again to desired temperature
  2. Soaking and draining the mustard seeds helps remove the bitterness 
  3. I have used Salmon but this curry can be made with any fish 
  4. Ambula is raw mango thats dried in the sun, it  adds a unique tanginess to the curry. 
Categories
Curry Daal Gluten-free Healthy foods Indian Lentils Low carb Maharashtrian Protein salad Vegan Vegetarian

Pendpala- a dry masoor daal curry

Daal or lentils are an integral part of the Indian cuisine. Its used in many forms, with skin, without skin, powdered, roasted, raw and so much more. In parts of India where the water is scarce, not enough fresh vegetables, you will see a predominant part of region’s cuisine. If you visit Rajasthan, the western state of India, you will see so many dishes that made with Chick pea flour, like Gatte ki kadhi, Kachori etc.

Hearty Solapuri meal

Solapur, the town I come from is situated in the middle of state Maharashtra. There are no rivers or water bodies near Solapur and the summers are brutal. All of this means that the cuisine relies on shelf stable ingredients more than the fresh vegetables or fish. You will see use of Jowar and Bajra more than the wheat and rice. Jowar and Bajra and drought tolerant and need much less water than growing wheat or rice.

Millets like Jowar or Sorghum and Bajra or pearl Millet are excellent source of nutrients. They provide lots of essential nutrients not only to the human beings but it’s also gentle on the soil

Typically farmer, or those who do lot of physical labor, and come from neighboring villages for work, often pack a hearty lunch of Jowar Bhakri, peanut chutney and some dry subji. The subji is dry which prevents it from getting soiled in the hot weather of solapur. Often times it has lentils or chickpea flour

One such preparation is Pendpala. I don’t know how the name came about but I can guarantee you, it’s plain delicious. Full of protein, it’s is a a great compliment to the bhakri and completes the meal

I love that all of the ingredients needed to make this are shelf stable and easily available.

What makes it absolutely delicious is the Kala Tikhat, a special spice mix from Solapur. It’s a combination of many whole spices, along with onion and garlic. I will share that recipe soon. It’s made a few times a year and can be used in many recipes.

I learnt this from Anusaya. Anusaya is help at home but she is much more than that. She is family. She has been coming to our house for the last 45 years. I have rarely seen even family members as loyal as she is 🙂

Kala Tikhat

Some people call it Daal Kanda, which translates to Lentil Onion, and some also make it with toor daal. I make the Pendpala with Masoor daal and serve it with sorghum bhakri, peanut chutney, Green Tomato chutney and raw onion. A complete, balanced, wholesome, protein packed, gluten-free vegan meal 🙂

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Masoor Pendpala Solapur style

Spicy, delicious lip smacking daal recipe, easy to make

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword daal, lentils, vegan, vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Split masoor daal
  • 1 Onion Chopped
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 2 Tbsp Oil
  • 1 Tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 4 Tbsp Roasted peanut powder
  • 1 Tbsp Chopped cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp Kala Tikhat
  • 1/2 Tsp Red chili powder optional

Instructions

Prep

  1. Soak the daal for 20-30 mins

  2. Drain the water

Cook

  1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add turmeric, and chopped onion and garlic.

  2. Cook the onions and garlic till soft, ensure that its not too burnt

  3. Add the drained daal, salt and stir to mix

  4. Cover and cook till the daal is soft on low-medium flame . We dont want it to be mushy. It should be cooked but hold its shape. It takes about 8-10 mins

  5. Add kala tikhat and red chili to taste

  6. Add peanut powder , cilantro and mix well

  7. Serve with Bhakri

Categories
Chicken Curry Indian

Lighter butter chicken or pulled chicken in curry sauce

We as a family love chicken. It provides a great source of protein and can be cooked in many ways. Any who knows anything about the indian food knows one dish for sure, ‘Butter chicken or Chicken tikka masala’. My kids love CTM  as well. However the standard recipe for the sauce for CTM or BC is loaded with cream.  I saw this recipe Sharmishta posted and took inspiration to make a lighter version of CTM.

Often times when you make chicken breast it tends to dry out and then it is no fun to eat. The steps in this recipe ensure that you have a moist chicken.

For CTM, the chicken is grilled and made into Tikka and then added to the sauce, here we will try to bring in some of those flavors using another shortcut.

I am learning Spanish and I am obsessed with it. So to practice while I am cooking, just for fun, I have listed some ingredients in Spanish.

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Ingredients

For the chicken stock:
1 lb Boneless Chicken breast piece flattened with a kitchen pallet
1 onion cubed
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/2″ pc of ginger
Few cilantro stems
Whole garam masala (cloves , cinnamon, cardamom and star anise)

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For the sauce:
2-3 Onions chopped finely
1/2 Tomato puree
1 tspn ginger garlic paste
Salt acc to taste
1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander seeds powder
1 tsp Kasoori Methi
Garam masala pwd
2-3 tbspn cream
2 bay leaves
1-2 tspn Tandoori Masala
Ghee
Oil

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1 few drops of liquid smoke ( optional)

For the tempering
1 tbspn ghee
1 tspn finely chopped garlic
1 Whole red chilli

Method

First boil water in a large pan and add the ingredients listed under stock. Once the water becomes flavorful add the chicken pieces and bring it to a boil. Turn the gas off and let the chicken sit in it for 5 mins. Then remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and shred it.

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Also strain the stock and keep aside.
Mix some tandoori masala to the shredded chicken and sauté in little ghee for a minute or two and keep aside. Sauteing in the ghee with the masala imparts a flavor close to grilling it in a tandoor

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Now heat oil in a pan and add the bay leaf and onions. Fry till it starts turning golden brown and add the ginger garlic paste and tomato puree. Add the dry spices  along with 1 tsp tandoor masala and sauté till you see oil leaving the masala.

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If you feel the masala becoming too dry you can add the stock little at a time.

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Now add the shredded chicken to the masala and sauté well. Once the masala coats the chicken well add the remaining stock and let it cook.

 

Once the stock reduces add the cream garam masala and Kasoori methi. Adjust the seasonings. Add the liquid smoke if using.

Now in a separate pan heat ghee and sauté dry red chilli and chopped garlic and pour over the chicken masala. Cover and let it stand for a minute or two so that all the flavors are absorbed.
You can serve this with naan , roti , Paratha or roomali roti.

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I made chicken salad sandwiches and wraps with the left overs and it was fun. My co workers loved it too. In fact, we are now going to make this together at my house in summer.

Categories
Curry Healthy foods Low GI Maharashtrian Vegetable curries/daal Vegetarian

Simple Buttermilk Spinach curry

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As you learn more and more about Indian cuisine, you will notice that not only every region has its own cuisine and delicacies but also different food is made at different occasions.t is believed that different food bring in different qualities to your body and mind.For e.g. whenever there is a religious occasion, typically food is cooked without onion and garlic.

Yesterday was one such special day, it is believed that Lord Vishnu the creator goes to sleep on this day. A lot of Indians keep a fast on this day.

Today I decided to make a meal which had no onion or garlic. My kids love Indian food, so decided to make their favorites.

This particular curry is very typical of a brahmin household. In brahmin cuisine, you will see heavy usage of milk products along with ginger and Cumin. This recipe can be made with any of the greens except Fenugreek, I feel that it tastes way too bitter.

Ingredients

2 cups of cleaned washed and chopped Spinach leaves

1/4 cup raw peanuts

2 tbsp Chana daal

1 cup Buttermilk ( If you don’t have buttermilk you can use Yogurt blended with some water)

2 tsp Besan ( Chick pea flour)

1 green chili, split in two pieces

1 clove of Garlic ( optional)

1 pinch of Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Jeera ( Cumin Seeds)

1 pinch of Sugar

Salt to taste

Oil or Ghee for tempering

Method

Soak the peanuts and Chana daal in water for 30-40 mins. Add some salt and set aside.

In a pressure cooker add some water. In a steel pot add the chopped spinach with 2 tbsp of water and the bowl with soaked peanuts and daal.

Pressure cook for 2 whistles.

When the cooker is cooled down, take out the spinach and mash with a ladle or your hand.


Mix in the cooked Peanuts and Chana Daal.


In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk with the chickpea flour, sugar and salt. Make sure there are no lumps of chickpea flour. Add water if needed to make a mixture that is like a thin smoothie.

Add this mixture to the spinach mixture.
Now you can make it two ways. You can make Tadka ( tempering) in a pot and add the spinach mixture and cook. Or, cook the spinach mixture and then temper it later. Both work great.

First method:

Heat oil or ghee in a sauce pan. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and saute for 10 sec. Add green chilies, and chopped garlic( if using). If you add garlic, leave out the Asafoetida.

Saute till the Garlic is a little browned.


Add the Spinach mixture and cook on a really low flame, stirring frequently. Cooking on a low flame ensure that the buttermilk does not curdle and allows the Chickpea flour to cook completely.

 

Here is the second method:

Cook the spinach mixture in a pot.

bhaji without phodni

Make the tempering in a ladle. I use the iron one. I love it since it has a long handle and does not get hot, and it helps me get some extra iron in my diet.

phodni

Add the tempering ( oil mixture) to the cooked Spinach mixture

bhaji with Phodni

Add chopped cilantro and serve.

If you want to serve it with rice, you can make it a bit thinner. If you want to serve it with Roti/bread, you can make it a bit thicker.

I love eating it even on its own. It tastes great hot or cold.

Tonight I served it with whole wheat roti( Indian bread), sautéd Tondli and home made cultured butter.

Categories
Curry Tamil Uncategorized

Kozhi Korma – a delicious curry with southern indian flavors

 

 

Kozhi Korma

Kozhi Korma 1

When I came to the US of A, I barely knew how to cook. I still remember my first attempt at making a ‘Capsicum- Potato’ stir-fry, it was a disaster. I underestimated how big the bell peppers were and created more of a mess than a stir-fry. I used to call my Mom practically every day to ask for recipes, and call to India would cost $1.2. I think I used to spend just as much money on phone calls for making dinner as I spent for groceries.   Internet was not available so the only source was cook books and of course, Call Mom.

Fast forward a few years, internet came along and so did Facebook. I sometimes wonder how we lived our lives before the internet was around. I love being able to learn about  different cultures, their traditions and rituals, and naturally along with that their cuisines.  I love sharing what I have learnt and along the way learn a few things from people who are generous enough to share their knowledge. I am learning how to bake, how to take good pictures and so much more.

One such source is a Facebook group I am part of, it is all about honest to goodness food. Many talented chef are part of that group and share some amazing tried and tested recipes. One such recipe is ‘Kozhi Korma’, my co food lover Harjeet shared it.

Kozhi Korma 2

It is amazingly easy to make but very very yummy. It uses very basic ingredients that you would have in your pantry and comes together very quickly. I like the fact that it comes together in less than 30 mins.

Ingredients

1 lB chicken ( I prefer using boneless since my family likes it that way)

3 Tablespoon Oil
2 Teaspoon Ginger chopped
3 Teaspoon Garlic chopped
3 Tablespoons Coconut milk
2 Teaspoons Green chili chopped
2 Teaspoons Chopped coriander
10 Curry leaves
4 Tablespoons Onions chopped
4 Tablespoons Tomatoes chopped
1 Teaspoon Aniseed
1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds
1″ Cinnamon
5 Cloves
Salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Turmeric
3 Teaspoons Coriander power
2 Teaspoons Red chili powder
2 Teaspoons Tamarind pulp
1 Teaspoon Curry powder

Kozhi Korma Ingredients 1


Method


Heat oil in a Lagan add mustard seeds,cinnamon,clove & curry leaves
Add onion and sauté for them for a while.  

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Now add chicken along with  chopped ginger, garlic, green chili & stir fry for a while. Add all dry spices and sauté them for a while,add some water and cook till chicken is little tender.

 Kozhi Korma 4

Add chopped tomatoes and add coconut milk. Add tamarind pulp and check for seasoning.Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with steamed rice.

Kozhi Korma 3

Categories
Chicken Curry Maharashtrian Masala (Spice Mix)

Kolhapuri chicken- A fiery treat

Kolhapuri chicken rassa- a fiery treat that you can not stop eating.

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I like to eat it with Jowar Bhakri, raw onion and raw methi & white butter ( makhhan).
Recipe:
2 chicken breast- chopped
1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp lime juice
4 tbsp Kolhapuri masala
2 tbsp Bedgi chili powder.
Oil
1 medium onion chopped


Method
Mix ginger garlic paste, salt and lime juice with chicken and keep aside for at least an hour.

Take oil in the pan. Saute finely chopped onions till they are brown.

Add the red chili powder. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 30 sec. Add the masala paste and saute more. Add salt to taste.
Add hot water to get the consistency you desire. Cover and cook for a few mins.
This actually works better with the mutton but since my husband prefers chicken, I make it more often

 

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Categories
Curry Indian Vegetable curries/daal

Lauki majedar

I try to eat and cook only what is in season, so I only shop at the farmers market for my fruits and vegetables. You will always find some kind of squash in season. Most of the summer and almost through the fall season, you will get opo squash in the market. It is  easy to clean and very nutritious, so I try to include that in our diet as  I can, be it in the form of a salad, curry, Soup, Parantha( Indian flat bread) or even dessert. Although it is very good for you, it can be very bland testing and needs some dressing up.

Typically you will find Lauki made with some sort of lentil, or in a form of a kofta. This recipe is none of that, it is very simple and easy to make.  I also like the fact that it does not have onion or garlic and hence can be a nice addition to a dinner plate with  other curries with onion, garlic.

For last night’s dinner I made egg curry which had onion and garlic, so I made the lauki majedar to compliment it.

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Ingredients

1 lauki ( squash)

1 tbsp Panch Phoran

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 inch ginger

1 green chili

1 roma tomato

Cilantro for garnish

Oil

1/2 tsp ghee ( optional)

 

Method

Peel and chop the squash in fine dice. Chop tomatoes in small pieces. Chop ginger in fine pieces. Chop green chilies in fine pieces as well.

Heat oil. Add panch phoran, turmeric saute for 10 secs. Make sure that the panch phoran does not burn otherwise the methi might start tasting bitter.

Add ginger and green chilies, saute for 10 secs.

Add the chopped tomatoes and saute for 20 secs.

Add chopped squash and mix well. Add salt to taste and cover. Cook on low flame until cooked.

Add the ghee if using.

Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Categories
Curry Indian Maharashtrian

Indian Egg curry- poached eggs in coconut curry

Yesterday was one of those days when I had very few things in the fridge and yet I was hoping to make something yummy for dinner, then I thought about Egg curry. Egg curry is a very common Indian dish. Most of the ingredients are available at home and egg curry can be very handy on one of those days when you don’t know what to make. It can be eaten with rice or wheat roti( Indian bread). Sometimes I like to eat egg curry with a crusty bread for breakfast as well, with a cup of tea it is perfect nutritious way to start the day.

Typically egg curry is made with boiled eggs in a tomato-onion gravy. Although I like the taste of that curry, I find that the eggs and curry don’t blend well.   I prefer to make it almost like poached eggs. The eggs get cooked in a nice coconutty curry to perfection. This recipe does not have tomatoes and gets its tartness from tamarind. This egg curry reminds me of the the Tunisian recipe ‘Shakshuka’,  Eggs cooked in tomato based sauce, so try this Indian Shakshuka, it is very easy to make.

Last night’s dinner was a simple egg curry, Opp squash with panch Phoran & whole wheat rotis.

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Ingredients

For the Masala paste


1/2 cup Fresh grated coconut
4 dry red chilies
1 big clove of garlic
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp jeera
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp turmeric

Oil
1 small onion chopped fine
3/4 cup coconut milk( optional)
4-5 eggs

 

Method

Grind all the ingredients for the paste fine using water.
Heat oil and sauté onion till nice and brown.

Add masala paste and sauté it for a min

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Add water to make a thin curry It should be thinner than what you would like the final product to be.
Add salt and mix well.

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Make small wells in the curry and crack eggs gently in the curry.
Cover and cook on low flame. After a couple of min open the lid and spoon some curry over the eggs without disturbing them.

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Add coconut milk if you want richer curry.
Keep cooking until the yolk is set. Garnish with chopped cilantro & serve with Roti or Rice

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Categories
Asian Curry Fusion

Pumpkin shrimp curry with a touch of Harissa

It all started when I made Harissa,  fresh red chilies from the market called for it. Along with using the Harissa as a condiment, I was looking for different ways to use Harissa in the cooking. So when I saw nice pumpkin in the market, I decide to make a dish that uses both the pumpkin and the Harissa. So here I present Pumpkin shrimp curry with a touch of Harissa.

I had seen a recipe for a pumpkin curry and my recipe is inspired by that. The squash/pumpkin makes the dish very creamy without adding a lot of fat. The spice from Harissa, sweetness from squash/pumpkin, tang from the lime juice…it is a perfect balance of all flavors.

Sorry I did not take a lot of pictures when I made it for dinner, but I will try to write all the steps in detail so it will be easy to follow.

Pumpkin Shrimp curry with a touch of Harissa

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Ingredients

1lb shrimps cleaned

1/2 onion chopped fine

1 roma tomato chopped fine

2 cloves of garlic chopped fine

1/2 inch ginger chopped fine

1 squash/pumpkin

1/2 tsp curry powder ( I make my own at home)

1/2 tsp Harissa Paste

2 cups of chicken broth( you can also use veg broth or plain water)

1/2 can of coconut milk

Chopped cilantro

lime zest

1 tsp lime juice

Fried onions ( I usually make a large batch and keep in the fridge since I use it in many dishes)

Method

Clean the butternut squash. Chop 1/2 of the squash/pumpkin in small cubes. Arrange them on a baking sheet, drizzle some oil and salt and bake in a 350F oven for 10 mins.

Take the rest of the squash/pumpkin and cook it in the pressure cooker till soft. Once cooled make puree in the blender.

Take shrimps and marinate with a bit of salt, lime juice and harissa paste, keep aside for 10-15 mins.

In a wok, heat oil.

Add onions and ginger and saute on a low-medium heat. You dont want them to burn.

Add tomato and garlic and saute a little longer. Once the tomatoes are soft, add the pumpkin puree and saute for 10 mins till the pumpkin is brown.

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Add curry powder and saute for 30 secs. Now add the stock, coconut milk and simmer on low for 15-20 mins.

Add the roasted squash/pumpkin, shrimps and continue heating till the roasted squash/pumpkin is heated through.

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Add lime juice. Taste for salt and add if needed.

Garnish with lime zest, cilantro and fried onions and serve with cooked brown rice.

Note:

I think this can be easily made without shrimps. You can substitute tofu or add more squash/pumpkin to make a vegetarian version of this dish.

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