Whole Moong Dal Khichdi

Khichdi is a mixture of rice and pulses cooked together. It is traditionally served with raita, papad, kadhi (yogurt soup), pickle[d vegetable]s or even just ghee or yogurt. This variation uses whole green moong dal and is first cooked in a pressure cooker until the dal is soft.

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup
Whole moong dal - 1 cup
Tomatoes, quartered - 2
Onion, finely chopped - 1 large
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Oil/ghee - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Cooking time: 30 min
Servings: 6-8

Method:
Mix the rice and dal with the tomato pieces in 6 cups of water and cook in a pressure cooker for 6-7 whistles (about 30 minutes). In the meantime, heat the oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds. When they start spluttering, add the onions and stir to coat with oil. After a minute, add the ginger-garlic paste and mix well. Cook until the onions start turning golden brown. Add the garam masala and mix well. After a minute or so, add 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Cook until the oil separates to the sides. Add more water (totaling up to 2 cups) and transfer to the cooker. Add more water if required (up to 2 cups, depending on how much liquid you'd like to have in the resulting khichdi). Cover the cooker and steam without the weight for 10 min or until you smell the aroma of the masalas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (optional) and serve hot.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Idli Upma

Ingredients:
Idlis (leftover from last night?) - 7-8
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Peanuts or cashews (optional) - 1/2 cup
Green chillies, chopped - 2-3
Curry leaves - 4-5
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Coriander leaves, chopped - 2-3 strands
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Servings: 2
Time (cook+prep): <10 min

Method:
Manually break the idlis into small pieces, almost close to a powder. Heat oil and add asafoetida, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they start spluttering, add green chillies and peanuts/cashews and fry for a couple of minutes. Add turmeric and idli and mix well. Add salt and mix thoroughly. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Source: Based on this recipe.

Mixed Vegetable Khalsa

Ingredients:
Ginger - 2" piece
Coriander seeds, roasted in some oil - 2 tbsp (can replace with 2 tsp of coriander powder)
Coriander leaves - a handful
Black pepper - 20-30 corns
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tbsp
Potatoes, diced - 4 med
Carrots, diced - 4 med
Tomatoes, diced - 4 med
Cauliflower, diced - 1 med
Peas - 100 g
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Grind the first five ingredients with a small amount of water to make a thick paste. Set aside.

In a wok, season hot oil with cumin seeds, when they start to splutter add the tomatoes. Cook until lumpy. Now add the chopped vegetables with turmeric and salt and add enough water to cover. Cook covered on medium flame. When the vegetables are almost cooked and the water is almost gone, mash lightly (or blend lightly with a handheld blender) and add the ground paste. Cook on a low flame for 5 min. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: A professor at The Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science and Commerce.

Chicken Mughlai

Introduction: A mild and extremely flavourful dish brought to India by the Mughals, who decided to cook things in nut pastes. Goes great with boiled white rice or chapatis. This recipe is based on the book by Shehzad Husain and Rafi Fernandez that I got from Bryan a while ago. The ingredients and proportions were tweaked on-the-go during our Skype cooking session. The book claims this is a low-fat recipe, but it's too delicious to be that.

Ingredients:
Chicken, boneless, diced - 400 g
Onions, quartered - 2 medium
Tomato purée - 2 tbsp (or use two tomatoes and some juice from a can)
Cashews, unsalted - 125 g (about 1 cup?)
Garam masala - 1.5 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp (or spicier, if you like)
Lemon juice - 1/8 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1.5 tsp
Yogurt, plain, low-fat - 125 g (about 1/2 cup?)
Vegetable oil (ghee, if available, but then the dish won't be low-fat) - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves, chopped - 5-6 strands
Sultanas (golden raisins) - a generous handful
Button mushrooms, quartered - 2-2.5 cups

Cooking time: 30-45 min
Servings: 4-5

Method:
Making the cashew nut paste:
Place the onions in a blender with half a cup of water and blend well. Add the tomato purée or paste and blend. Add the garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, lemon juice, turmeric, salt and yogurt and blend. Slowly add the cashews and blend into a slightly coarse paste, adding water *in small amounts* if necessary. NOTE: You may want to pour out/reserve half of the blended paste to make room for the cashews. You can then slowly add the reserved portion to make the paste -- this way you can control the amount of water added.

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the paste for a few minutes on medium heat, stirring continuously to make sure it doesn't burn (a tiny bit of burnt cashew paste is OK -- gives it a rich golden brown look). Reserve 1 tbsp of coriander leaves for garnish, and add the rest to the paste. Add the raisins and chicken and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the mushrooms and pour slightly more than a cup of water (or enough to cover the mushrooms at least partially) and mix well. Cook covered on a low flame for 10 min. Cook longer if the chicken isn't cooked through or the sauce isn't thick enough. Garnish with the reserved coriander leaves and serve hot.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: "Indian: Deliciously Authentic Dishes" by Shehzad Husain & Rafi Fernandez

Baghaara Bhaat (Fried Rice)

Ingredients:
Basmati (I used regular) rice, soaked for 30 min and drained - 2 cups
Cardamom seeds - 6 (or 1 tsp cardamom powder)
Cloves - 6
Cinnamon - 2" piece
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 4
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 6
Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tb
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tb
Ghee or vegetable oil - 3 tb
Salt - to taste

Time (cook+prep): 20-25 min
Servings: 4-5

Method:
Heat oil in a wok and fry the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Add the ginger-garlic paste, curry leaves, mint leaves and green chillies. Fry for a couple of minutes and add 2 cups of water and salt. Add the rice when the water starts to boil. Mix well on a high flame until half cooked, then reduce the flame and cook covered until done, stirring once towards the end to avoid burning the bottom. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Murgh Saagwala (Chicken in Spinach)

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts, diced - 2
Spinach, frozen (thaw a bit, but without additional water) - 3/4 kg
Onions, sliced thick - 2
Tomatoes (diced if fresh, whole if canned) - 4-5 small
Ginger-garlic paste - 1.5 tbsp
Garam masala - 1.5 tbsp
Turmeric (optional) - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Cloves - 4
Cardamom seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaves - 1-2
Heavy cream - 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

Time (prep+cook): about 40 min
Servings: 2-3

Method:
Heat the oil. Add cloves, bay leaves and cardamom and fry for a couple of minutes to release the aroma of the spices. Add the ginger-garlic paste, mix well and add the onions. Stir fry until the onions are golden brown. Add the tomato pieces (if using canned tomatoes, add as little juice as possible). Cook for 5-10 minutes. Mix in salt, garam masala and turmeric (optional). Cook until the oil separates to the sides. Add the chicken and cook on a medium flame until the pieces are cooked through (up to 15 min). Now add the thawed spinach, mix well and cook covered on a low flame for 10 min. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer for about five minutes. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Inspired by this recipe.

Matar (Green Peas) Pulao

Ingredients:
Rice (optionally, basmati), washed and drained - 2 cups
Frozen green peas - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Cloves - 4
Black peppercorns - 8-10
Cardamom seeds - 10-12
Cinnamon sticks - 2x3" pieces
Garlic, finely chopped - 4 cloves
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Time (cook+prep): 20-25 min
Servings: 3-4

Method:
Cook the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and pepper in hot oil for a few minutes. Add the garlic and fry until golden brown. Mix in the peas, stir and cook covered for a few minutes. Add the drained rice and stir well to coat with oil. After a couple of minutes, stir in the water and add salt. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 15-20 min (or until the rice absorbs the water) on a medium flame. Enjoy with a side dish (dal, etc.) or papad/pickle/raita.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan