baingan bartha

baingan bartha
adapted from Sinfully Spicy and my mom

I've been wanting to make this recipe for awhile so when my parents were visiting from Austin last weekend, my mom and I made this together (actually it was more her making and me supervising!).  Aside from doubling the recipe, we followed this recipe mostly except mom added 1/2 tsp hardar (tumeric) and 3 tbsp dhanajeeru (ground cumin) for a gujurati flair :)  On the side, mom prepared vegetable pulao (recipe to come later) and chili paratha.  As always served with gunda pickle and greek yogurt. 

Serves 4-6 people.

paneer jalfrezi

This recipe is fantastic!  I do not prepare many dishes with paneer but after trying out this one from the Sinfully Spicy blog, I think I'm hooked!  I followed the recipe exactly, although it was a bit spicy I would not change a thing.  Try it out and let me know what you think! 

paneer jalfrezi

straight from sinfully spicy

Ingredients  (Serves 2):

3 tbsp canola/olive/sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 large onion, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1" fresh gingershoot, minced
2 Thai green chilies, chopped
2 medium roma tomatoes, quartered & sliced
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1.5 tbsp red chili flakes (adjust to tolerance)
1 cup sliced bell peppers (use any colored peppers of choice)
7 oz / (200gm) paneer (Indian cheese), sliced into 2” batons
Salt to taste
½ tsp garam masala
1.5 tbsp white vinegar / fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp sugar
Chopped Cilantro for garnish
 Method:

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or pan /wok/kadhai on high. Once smoking, add cumin & coriander seeds and fry for 30 seconds or so till they crackle.
 

Next, add the minced ginger & garlic along with green chilies and cook for another 30 seconds till you smell the aroma.
Reduce heat to medium and add sliced onions next to the pan and fry till soft and translucent. About 2-3 minutes.
Add sliced tomatoes, turmeric powder & red chili flakes to the pan next and fry for 5-7 minutes till tomatoes begin to sweat & soften but do not turn mushy. You will see oil separating on sides of the pan. Stir frequently to prevent tomatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the sliced peppers next, stir and fry them for 5-8 minutes so that they cook slightly but still hold their shape & are crunchy.
 

Add the paneer next along with salt, increase heat to high and cook for 2-3 minutes with gentle tossing so as not to break the cheese.
 

Remove from heat, sprinkle the garam masala, sugar & top up with vinegar. Combine well. Garnish with chopped cilantro & serve with steamed rice or Indian breads.  (VegOutGirl note: I served with plain quinoa and greek yogurt)

mugh daal + quinoa (curried moong dal)

To this day, one of my favorite indian comfort meals is this recipe.  I can eat it any time of day or any time of year.  The combination of amazing spices and pure protein heartiness makes it an A+ in my book :)  I've added a few things to my mom's original recipe like extra onions and garlic. 

mugh daal
adapted from my mom

ingredients:
1.5 cups of dried green moong dal (available at indian grocery stores), rinsed and soaked for 8 hours
1 small onion, finely diced
3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 inch piece of ginger, finely minced
2 tsp vegetable oil
1.25 tsp mustard seeds
1.5 tsp dhanajeeru (cumin)
1 tsp marchu (red chili powder)
1.5 tsp hardar (tumeric)
1 tsp garam masalo
pinch of hing (asoefetida)
1 tsp salt

In a medium sized sauce pot, add 2 tsp oil and mustard seeds on medium heat. Once fragrant, add the hing, onions, garlic and ginger.  Saute for 1 minute.   Add all spices except for salt.  Mix well and then add the soaked moong daal with enough water to cover the daal.  Place on medium high heat and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Add salt and let simmer until the moong has reached desired texture. Continue adding water for a more soupy dish.

quinoa
Rinse 1 cup of quinoa thoroughly until all debris has been discarded.  Place on high heat with 2.5 cups of water.  Once it begins to boil, place on low heat and add cover.  Cook for 15 minutes and turn off heat.  Let sit for a few minutes and serve with mugh daal.

A, had this recipe with his favorite gunda pickle and a side of greek yogurt.

new york city

Over the weekend, A and I jetted off to NYC to enjoy some great food and great company.  This city is truly magical and we were happy to enjoy the city during the holiday time.  We landed late Thursday night, so Friday we ended up walking around Herald Square and Times Square area armed with a Dunkin Donuts coffee + munchkins.  We did some of our Christmas shopping for family (and myself!).

Later than evening, we met up with some of A's classmates at a holiday party which continued at Yama Sushi.  Our group of 10 indulged in 2 sushi boats plus 2 platters of sashimi!

On Saturday, I met up with my bff Megz and her bf Sumeet at Petite Albeile in Union Square for brunch.  Afterwards we walked around the Greenmarket and enjoyed some fresh hot apple cider.  We walked towards Soho for some boutique shopping and then ended the afternoon at Harney & Sons for some hot chai tea.

Our friends K&K mentioned trying out Tamarind for excellent indian food, so our friends Megz and Sumeet joined us for a late dinner.  To start, we had a tomato onion biscuit with cilantro chutney and the Raj-Kachori.  For entrees, we ordered a variety of dishes including: Daal Makhani, Vegetable Jalfrezi.  For the carnivores, we ordered the Sea Bass Curry and Murgh Kohlapuri.  On the side we were served basmati rice, cucumber raita and garlic naan.  This meal was fantastic!  I would definitely recommend it and hope to visit again!

After dinner we headed to the Standard Hotel -Biergarten to meet some college friends as well as A's current classmates.  This place felt like we were in a large tent in Germany during Oktoberfest!

On Sunday morning we headed to Brooklyn to meet A's cousins for brunch at Melt.  I had a great black bean breakfast burrito.  It tasted similar to my favorite burritos in Texas too!  After full tummys we headed back to the city to walk around Bryant Park and Rockerfellar Plaza.  Our last stop was Crumb's to indulge in a Red Velvet Cupcake and Pecan Pie Cupcake.  So.Freaking.Delicious.

checking fball scores!

Very fun weekend in NYC during Christmas time.  I already of a list of things I want to see or do during our next trip!

kicchadi, gujarati comfort food

We used to eat this every Sunday evening when we were growing up.  It's the perfect comfort food for really anytime you're feeling under the weather and need something hot and soothing.  I prefer to eat kicchadi with a bowl of steamy kadhi but A, prefers just yogurt.


kicchadi

learned from my mom 

3/4 cup of plain white rice, rinse/soak for 30 minutes

1/4 cup split green lentils, rinse/soak for 30 minutes

1/2 onion, diced

1 inch piece of ginger

1 eggplant, chopped

handful spinach

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp jeeru (cumin seed)

1/2 tsp rai (mustard seed)

pinch hing (asofetida)

3 tsp dhanajeeru (cumin powder)

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp marchu (red chili powder)

1/4 tsp hardar (tumeric)

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 cups water

Rinse rice and green lentils thoroughly and soak for 30 minutes.  On medium heat in a pressure cooker, add oil and once sizzling add rai.  Wait 15 seconds and then add jeeru and hing.  Once fragrant, add onion and ginger to spice mixture.  Once the onion is translucent add the eggplant and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add remainder of spices and pour in the rice/lentil mixture.  Add 2 cups of water and handful of spinach.  Taste the liquid to check for spices.  If you like it spicier add more garam masala or marchu.  Set pressure cooker top with whistle and let it cook for 10 minutes on medium high heat.  Turn the heat off and let sit idle for 10 minutes to release all of the pressure in the cooker.  Serve with plain yogurt and gunda pickle.

Serves 2

lentil & sweet potato soup

lentil & sweet potato soup
adapted from Carrots'N'Cake

I was originally planning to make sweet potato gnocchi but since A and I are feeling a bit under the weather (after a crazy weekend!) I opted to make this hearty soup instead.  My only changes to the recipe were using 4 fresh roma tomatoes instead of canned, increasing to 3/4 cup lentils, added 2 cups more water for a soupier consistency and 2 tsp of indian red chili powder (for extra heat!).  I paired this with a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread. 

Serves 2-3

spicy chana masala with naan

spicy chana masala (chole) with naan
learned from my mom

2 cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tomatoes, finely diced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
dash asofeotida (hing)
1 tsp red chili powder (marchu)
3 tbsp cumin powder (dhanajeeru)
1 tsp tumeric (hardar)
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp chhole powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
cilantro, finely chopped

In a large sauce pan, add oil and saute mustard seeds until fragrant.  Add onions, ginger and garlic until translucent then add tomatoes. Saute for 1-2 minutes.  Then add spices and salt, and saute for a few minutes until you see tiny bubbles forming on the pan.  Add garbanzo beans, 2 cups of water, tomato paste and 1 tsp paprika to sauce pan. Place on medium high heat and simmer, uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the water has evaporated and sauce has thickened.  Taste for seasoning, add lemon juice if necessary.

Sprinkle the top with cilantro.  Serve with naan and homemade yogurt.

Serves 3-4 people.

Homemade Yogurt

Homemade Yogurt
inspired by my mom

1/2 gallon 2% milk
4 tbsp yogurt culture  (contains live and active cultures)

Place the container of milk into a large sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat until bubbles appear.  Remove from heat and let cool for 25-30 minutes.  Stir the yogurt culture into the milk and thoroughly blend with a hand blender.  Pour into a steel container and place into the oven for about 5-6 hours.  Remember to turn on the oven light to create a warm environment for the cultures to multiply!  Once the yogurt has firmed up placed into the fridge and enjoy!