Indian Cooking Lesson

Indian Cooking Lesson

Serves 4

Menu

Chole

Kerala Curry Prawns

Vegetable Fried Rice

Aloo Do Pyaza

Puri

Chole

½ Kg Chickpeas/Garbonzo Beans

1 ½ large onions

Vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

½ teaspoon tumeric

½ teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 medium tomatoes

1 tablespoon Punjab chole masala powder (“Badshah” or “Everest” brand)

¼ cup sliced fresh cilantro

Chickpeas:

Soak chickpeas overnight in water with a touch of salt.

Boil chickpeas in water until soft.

Sauce:

Sautee chopped onion in vegetable oil until brown and soft on low heat

Add ginger garlic paste, tumeric powder, red chili powder, and salt

When mixed, add sliced tomatoes and Punjabi chole masala powder

Sautee until mixed

Blend mixture in cuisinart.

Final Product:

Add blended sauce to pressure cooker on stove. Add chickpeas into sauce (including the water they were boiled in) and add a bit of water to thin the mixture (too much water will make it runny). Cook mixture in pressure cooker for ½ hour.

Served with fresh puri and curd.

Kerala Curry Prawns

1 pound shelled, de-veined raw prawns

1 chopped onion

1 teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon ginger garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2-3 stems fresh curry leaves

Pinch tumeric

Vegetable oil

Blend onion, chili powder, ginger garlic, salt, pepper, curry leaves and tumeric in a cuisinart and stir into raw prawns in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for ½ hour to marinate.

Sautee prawn/sauce mixture in vegetable oil for a few minutes, then cover and let simmer on low heat until mixture is dry and crisp (15-20 minutes).

Vegetable Fried Rice

2 carrots

15 string beans

½ cup fresh peas

1 onion

4 cloves

½ cinnamon stick

1 fresh green chilis

Salt

Vegetable oil

1 Teaspoon Ghee

2 large bay leaves

White Rice

Soak peeled carrots and beans in water for a few minutes. Slice lengthwise and set aside.

Soak white rice in water.

Sautee on low:

Vegetable oil, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves.

Add onion (cut long and thin).

Add green chili, sliced down the middle.

Add ghee, salt, and ginger garlic.

Add vegetables (carrots, beans, peas) and continue to sautee until slightly soft.

Add white rice and stir until water is evaporated.

Add 2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice and a tablespoon of salt (mixture should taste overly salty as salt will be absorbed during cooking). Stir and then cover and let simmer until rice is cooked. (3 pressure releases in a pressure cooker).

Aloo Do Pyaza

4 potatoes (or 4 boneless chicken thighs for non-veg)

1 green bell pepper (capsicum)

1 onion chopped

2 fresh green chilis

10 cloves of fresh garlic

2 dried red chilis

2 teaspoons of kasuri methi powder

½ cup cashews

1 sliced tomato

1 cup milk

½ teaspoon coriander powder

Pinch of tumeric powder

Pinch of garam masala

Pinch of red chili powder

Salt

Pepper

Vegetable oil

Fresh ginger

Boil potatoes (or chicken) until mostly soft, set aside.

Soak cashews in water.

Slice all vegetables in round, large pieces.

Blend soaked cashews in cuisinart, set aside.

Sautee on low:

Garlic, green chilis (sliced open down the middle), slice of fresh ginger, red chilis, kasuri methi, and onion.

Add green pepper.

Add splash of milk for texture.

Add a splash of vegetable oil, then coriander powder, tumeric powder, pepper, red chili powder, salt, and garam masala.

Add potatoes and cashew paste.

Add milk as needed to give texture.

Cover and let simmer until potatoes are soft (5-10 minutes).

Add sliced tomato, stir.

Let simmer for 2 more minutes.

Puri

Wheat Flour

Vegetable oil

Salt

Water

Mix with hands:

Wheat flour, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and water (starting with one cup and adding as needed to create standard texture dough).

Roll dough into 1.5-2 inch diameter balls. Flatten with rolling pin.

Drop flattened dough into 2 inches of heated vegetable oil. Leave for a 10-20 seconds until puffed and cooked.