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I just wanted to share that my partner managed to make restaurant-style chilli paneer the other day and I almost wept with joy. loving love that stuff.
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Aug 24, 2016 18:56
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| # ¿ Apr 30, 2024 18:14 |
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I went to an Indian cooking class last week and we made some delicious veggie dishes. We also made up our own garam masala, which was fun - we did it after tasting the whole spices and using that knowledge to build a flavour profile, which I thought was a really good way to demonstrate exactly what the individual spices bring to a dish. We also made paneer, which I had heard was easy but my god I didn't realise it was that easy! I have recipes for muttar paneer, okra in kadhi (a sauce based on chickpea flour), potatoes and methi and stuffed aubergines. Would anyone be interested in me posting these? I'd never had fresh methi before and it's an interesting thing, a bit like lamb's lettuce but more peppery. The aubergines were stuffed with a ground peanut and coconut thing that was really tasty and that I'd never come across before either.
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Oct 11, 2016 18:35
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Something else I found interesting is that these all involve a lot of fresh coriander, and usually I am very sensitive to that. It didn't bother me in any of these dishes, however, making me think that something much change when it's cooked. Spice Monkey Chili Paste - this is good because chillies can vary wildly in their heat, and this way you control the heat using the amount of paste rather than relying on x number of chillies. Purée some green chillies. Heat a few tablespooons of oil until mustard seeds pop and crackle in it. Drop in some cumin seeds and turn the heat down. Let them crackle for a little bit. Pour the oil over the puréed chillis and add salt to taste. Muttar Paneer Paneer Paneer is a very simple form of cheese made by acidifying milk. It’s a simple way of preserving milk and forms the basis of savoury and sweet dishes. To make about 500g, bring 3 litres of full fat milk to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low and cool for 2-3 minutes. Pour in freshly squeezed lemon juice a tablespoon at a time. Stir continuously. After just a few seconds curds and whey will form. Strain through a cloth and hang for an hour. The cheese will be firm and ready to cook with, and you can use the whey to boil rice or make kadhi with. Muttar Paneer This Indian restaurant favourite is a classic Northern Indian dish Serves 4-6 Olive or sunflower oil for shallow frying 500g paneer, cut into 2cm chunks 3 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon grated or crushed garlic 1 teaspoon grated fresh, peeled ginger 1-2 teaspoons Spice Monkey Chili Paste 1 ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon tomato puree 1 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaf 250g frozen peas Garnish - 2 tablespoons coriander leaves Place a large pan for shallow frying on a medium heat. When hot, add the paneer in batches. Move them around with a slotted spoon to make sure the chunks do not stick together. Fry until a reddish gold all over. Remove and drain on kitchen towel. Take a medium sized pot and heat the 3 tablespoons of oil. When hot add the onions. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes until they start to turn translucent. Add the cumin seeds and continue to cook for 2 minutes until golden and soft. Add the garlic, ginger and chilies. Stir and reduce the heat. Mix well for 5 minutes. Add a splash of boiling water if the ingredients stick. Spoon in the tomato puree, stir and then add the salt. Stir and then remove from the heat. When cool blend to a fine paste. Return the paste to the pot and add the garam masala, fenugreek leaves and turmeric powder. Stir for 2 minutes combining them into the paste. Pour in 300ml cool water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 4 minutes. Tip in the paneer chunks and mix well into the sauce. Add the peas and cook for a further 2 minutes and then garnish before serving. Okra in Tangy Curd Sauce (Kadhi). Gram flour (chick pea flour) is a stock item in the Indian kitchen and very versatile too. Kadhi is a dish made of yoghurt and chickpea flour very popular in Maharashtra. Lightly spiced, it can be drunk like a soup or savoury drink or, as in this case, made into a sauce for a vegetable dish. Kadhi Mix gram flour and yoghurt until it reaches your desired consistency. For this recipe it should be a little thicker than double cream/like thin yoghurt. Serves 4 5 tablespoons vegetable oil Pinch asafoetida ½ teaspoon mustard seeds 2-4 green chillies, sliced and deseeded 6 curry leaves – ripped 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon coriander powder ½ teaspoon cumin powder 400g fresh whole okra – tops cut off and slit lengthways 400g of plain yogurt with 2 tablespoon of gram flour whipped into it. Salt/sugar to taste ½ teaspoon garam masala 40g fresh coriander, leaves and stems roughly chopped Heat the oil in a saucepan/wok on a medium heat. When hot add the asafoetida, then pop the mustard seeds in the oil. Drop in the chillies and blister their skins in the hot oil. Add the curry leaves and mix well. Spoon in the garlic/ginger and stir and fry until the pungent smell of garlic has disappeared. Add the powdered spices and mix together. Tip in the okra slices and mix well. Cooked covered until they have wilted, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and pour in the kadhi mix. Mix well. Rinse out the yoghurt pot/mixture bowl with 200ml water and add that. Bring the pan to a simmer, mix in the garam masala then reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Taste. Add a little sugar if the sauce is very tangy. Check for salt and chilli heat then mix in the coriander and serve. Potato and Methi Methi or fenugreek is a very popular loved herb and spice in Indian cooking. It is believed to be a flavour enhancer as well as having numerous health benefits. The leaves of this plant are used fresh and dry (Kasoori Methi) as are its seeds. Serves 4 80 ml oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 tablespoon coriander powder 1 tablespoon green chilli paste - more if needed! ½ -1 teaspoon salt 600g potatoes, skin on, washed and chopped into bite size pieces 1 bunch fenugreek (~150g) - wash and use leaves only (or use pea shoots.) 2 tablespoons kasoori methi Garnish - small handful of leaves and stem, roughly chopped Heat the oil. Add mustard seeds and pop. Spoon in the cumin seeds and brown for a few seconds. Add the garlic/ginger paste and cook until the sting of garlic has gone. Add the chilli paste, turmeric and coriander powders, and salt and mix well. Pour in the potatoes and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook on a low heat for up to 15 minutes until potatoes are ¾ cooked, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for a few minutes until potatoes are practically done. Fold in the fresh fenugreek leaves and sprinkle over with the dried. Mix well and check for seasoning before serving. Garnish with the fresh coriander. Stuffed Aubergines Stuffed vegetables are a typical characteristic of Indian cooking and aubergines are a particular favourite. There are many varieties – purple, striped, white and even green. Buy aubergines that are about 3 inches long by 2 inches in diameter (8cm x 5cm). Serves 4 4 tablespoons sunflower oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 8 aubergines, cross-cut lengthways from bulbous top to 2cm short of the stem 100ml warm water For the stuffing 120g fresh, grated coconut (or use desiccated) 60g coriander, finely chopped 2 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste 1 teaspoons garam masala 1-2 teaspoons hot chili powder 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 3 tablespoons peanut - roasted and ground to a coarse powder 3 tablespoons coriander powder - roasted in a wok until a few shades darker ½ teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon/2 medium tomatoes chopped and puréed Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing together well. It should feel sticky. Taste and adjust for seasoning, heat and spice, remembering the mixture has to permeate the inside of the aubergine. Pack this mixture into the slits in the aubergines, squeezing them tight to lock the mixture in. Set a wok or large non-stick pan on a medium heat. Spoon in the mustard seeds and allow to sizzle and pop. Arrange the aubergines in the pan and sprinkle over any remaining stuffing. Cover and reduce the heat to a low medium. Cook for 10 minutes carefully turning to ensure each side is cooked and then pour in the water. Swirl the pan gently to the mix the water into any stuffing sticking to the base of the pan to crate a gravy. Continue to rotate and cook covered until soft.
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Oct 11, 2016 20:37
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Mustard seeds are good to have in, you may as well just go and get some.
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Sep 7, 2017 09:32
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Pollyanna posted:So I tried making chicken saag again, without the spicy soup takeout as a base this time - and the ground spices I used are kinda...grainy? Did I use too many spices? I went to an Indian cookery class and a great tip for adjustable spice was to get some oil nice and hot, pop mustard seeds in it, and add finely chopped green chilli (they should be basically a paste). Turn the heat off and let the chillis fry in the residual heat. You can then add this to your food if you like it spicier, whereas others eating can have the less spiced version. But yes, use some fresh green chilli for sure. Remember that the earlier you add it in cooking, the milder it will be by the end.
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Jan 21, 2018 15:09
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TychoCelchuuu posted:Here's a secret: there's not an objective hotness scale that all the Indian restaurants share with each other but hide from the public. They're all just making it up. Here in the UK at least I'd say vindaloo and phaal are pretty well guaranteed to be uncomfortably hot for most people. They seem to be made for people to order when they want to prove how hard they are.
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Feb 3, 2019 19:24
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| # ¿ Apr 30, 2024 18:14 |
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ProSlayer posted:I've gotten to the point where I have most of the spices and can make recipes that I find online. What I'm struggling with now is understanding how each spice contributes to a dish, and why some recipes of the same food have more of one spice or different spices versus another. I went on an Indian cookery course and one of the first things was to taste spices individually so you understand what they're like. You miss the lemony bite that coriander seeds have if you're only ever throwing them into a curry, or the complexity of cardamom's perfume. Take a little nibble of your ingredients and really think about what you can sense. It really goes a long way to helping with the understanding you're trying to develop! You can also make up different tarkas and put them into the same batch of, say, daal and try them side-by-side to see what tastes different.
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Mar 31, 2019 19:40
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