Tomato Meatball Stew

Tomato meatball stew

(Meatballs in a healthy veg. stew with a tangy-peppery taste that hits the soul!)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4-6 20Min

Ingredients :

1. 1/2kg or 1lb minced meat/chicken
2. 1 tsp garlic-ginger paste
3. salt & pepper to taste
4. 1/2 tsp each of haldi/turmeric pwd, garam masala (all spice) pwd n coriander pwd
5. 1 finely chopped green chili or 1/2 tsp red chili pwd
6. optional 1 tsp vinegar
7. 1 medium onion - finely chopped/ minced
8. 2 large chopped onions
9. 2-3 red dried chilies
10. 1 half-inch cinnamon stick
11. 3 large ripe tomatoes - chopped
12. salt to taste
13. 1/2 tsp pepper pwd
14. 1/2 tsp cumin pwd
15. 1-2 cups cubed potatoes & carrots plus cauliflower florets


Cooking Instructions :

For the meatballs, mix ingredients 1 to 7 above and make 1" meat balls with the mixture - pressing tightly in your palm n then shaping. Set aside. For the stew, fry ingredients 8 to 14 above in 1tbsp oil in a pressure cooker in the order listed, frying well after adding each item. Cook till tomatoes soften, then put in the meatballs and vegetables & add water to just about cover the meatballs. Close and cook for 1 whistle in the pressure cooker or until the meat is cooked. Serve with bread, croutons or rice.

This stew can also work as a base for a gravy of your choice - a tomato and cream based buttery gravy (makhni) or one with coconut milk, etc..

Butter chicken

Butter chicken

(A flavorful dish of boneless chicken cooked in a tomato-based creamy gravy.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
30Min 4 30Min

Ingredients :

750 gms boneless chicken cubes
2 cups tomato paste
1 cup cooking cream
1/4 tsp haldi
1 tsp chili pwd
1 tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 tsp papper pwd
2 tsp dry mango (amchur) pwd
3 tbsp cashew paste
1 tbsp sugar
100 gms butter
1 chopped onion
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
cooking oil

For the masala:
1 pod garlic
1 inch ginger
2 inch cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
4 cardamoms
1 tbsp vinegar
1.5 tsp salt
3-4 tsp chilip pwd
a pinch on red color or few drops
1/2 cup full-cream curd

Cooking Instructions :

Grind the 'masala' ingredients to a smooth paste. Rub lime & salt on the chicken & add to the marinade - leave for 20-30 mins (few hours is better). In a pressure pan, fry onions till pink & add the chicken to it along with the masala. Fry well, tossing gently for 2 mins. Add 1/4 cup water, pressure cook for 1 whistle & simmer for 2 mins. In a pan, melt butter & fry the tomato paste, cashew paste, pepper pwd, cardamom pwd, amchur pwd, haldi & chili pwd till the oil separates. Then stir in only the chicken gravy from the pressure pan & cook for a minute. Add beaten cream 2 tbsp at a time, stirring constantly. Last, add the chicken & simmer for 2 mins. Drizzle some cream or butter on it, garnish with fresh chopped coriander & serve hot with (garlic) naan or rotis.

Paneer Kofta Curry

Paneer Kofta Curry

(A festive medium-spicy creamy gravy with rich stuffed dumplings of cottage cheese/paneer and nuts)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
20Min 4 15Min

Ingredients :
A) For the koftas:
3 medium size potatoes
1 cup finely chopped/ grated paneer
2 bread slices - edges off
1/2 cup crushed mixed dried-fruits & nuts: cashews, almonds & raisins
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar
2 chopped green chilis
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/2 tsp pepper pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
oil to deep fry dumplings

B) For the gravy:
1 medium onion - minced
2 cups tomato puree/paste
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp whole garam masala - some cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, pepper, dried red chilis.
1 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 cup thick cooking cream
2 green chilies chopped
1/4 cup cashewnut pwd (optional)
1 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
1/4 cup grated paneer
2tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste
1 tbsp sugar


Cooking Instructions:

To make the kofta-filling, mix together half cup grated paneer, nuts, raisins, green chilies, cardamom pwd, pepper pwd, cumin pwd, sugar & salt. Add a little water & make 8 equal size balls of this mixture.

To make the koftas, boil, peel & mash the potatoes. Add 1/2 cup paneer, the bread & salt and bind this (with a little water if reqd) into a smooth dough. Make 8 parts of this dough. Greese your palms with a little oil to avoid sticking. Take each part in your palm, flatten it, place a filling ball in it & cover/wrap the filling ball well to form a stuffed dumpling. Heat oil in a deep pan/ kadai & deep-fry koftas to an even brown color on medium heat - Drain & set aside.

To make the gravy, heat oil in a saucepan & crackle whole garam masala in it before frying in the onions. Add garlic-ginger paste & chopped green chilies and fry for 2mins. Add tomato puree - fry well. Then add the powder spices, sugar & salt. Add grated paneer & cashew pwd with a little water & bring to a boil. Simmer for 6 minutes &then add the beaten cream 2 tbps at a time, stirring gently continuously. Add sugar & simmer for 2-3 mins till desired consistency is reached. Immerse koftas in the gravy & take it off the stove - Don't boil them in the gravy. Serve hot.

Parsi Dhansak (Daal Ghosh)

Parsi Dhansak (Daal Ghosh)

(A traditional Parsi dish with Persian & Gujarati influences; A time-consuming preparation of meat cooked with spices, lentils & vegetables)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10Min 5 45 Min

Ingredients :
500 gm chicken skinned and washed and chopped or 500 gms mutton pieces.
2 large onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves chopped (optional)

Daals soaked for 1 hour:
1/4 cup.val dal
1/4 cup masoor dal
1/4 cup moong dal
1 cups tuvar dal

Vegetables (as available):
50 gm orange pumpkin
1 brinjal
1 carrot
1 potato peeled
Methi 1/4 bunch or 6 small bunch of dhansaak methi (if available)

For the Masala:
4 cloves
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 tsp oil
1 inch cinnamon
2 inch piece ginger
3 tbsp tamarind water
6 cloves garlic
3 green chillies
2 tsp dhansaak masala or sambhaar masala
2 tsp dhania-jeera masala
salt and black pepper powder to taste


Cooking Instructions:

Ensure daals have been soaked for 1 hour. Grind the masala items to a fine paste with little water. Chop the vegetables and methi leaves and quartered the potatoes. Pressure cook the dals, vegetables and meat pieces for 15 minutes (put enough water and little to more so that all the ingredients in the cooker are covered). When cooled open the cooker and remove the meat pieces and potatoes pieces from the dals and vegetables. Blend the dals and vegetables.

Heat oil and fry the chopped onions till brown. Add the ground masala and bay leaves fry well. Add chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves. Add salt and turmeric powder and fry for 2 minutes. Add the blended dal to the masalas and allow it to boil. Then add meat and potatoes pieces. Allow it to cook (add more water if necessary). Finally the dal should be little thick. Serve hot with rice or naan.

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian

(An Indo-Chinese recipe for Cauliflower dumplings in a traditional Chinese Manchurian sauce.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
15Min 4 30 Min


Ingredients :

1 small cauliflower clean and broken into big florettes.
1 small bunch spring onoin finely chopped
2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup plain flour
3 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
2 red chillies, dry
3 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. Milk

Cooking Instructions:

Boil the florettes for 2-3mins in plenty of water, to which a tbsp. of milk has been added. Drain well and pat dry on a clean cloth. Make thin batter out of flour and 2 tbsp cornflour, adding 1/4 tsp each of ginger and garlic and red chilli powder and salt to taste. Dip the florettes in the batter one by one and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside.

In the remaining oil, add remaining ginger, garlic and crushed red chili and fry for a minute. Add the salt and spring onions - stir fry for a minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Dissolve 1 tbsp cornflour to 1/4 cup water & gradually add to the gravy, stirring continuously till it boils & then the gravy becomes transparent. Add florettes and soya sauce. Boil for two more minutes and remove.
Serve hot with noodles or rice.

Variations:

- Dry Gobi Manchurian

Dry manchurian can be made by omitting the gravy. Make florettes as above and instead of adding water as above, add fried florettes, spring onions and soya sauce at this stage. Sprinkle 1 tsp cornflour on the florettes and stir-fry for 2mins. Serve piping hot with toothpicks or miniforks and chilligarlic sauce or tomato sauce.

- Mixed Vegetable Manchurian

Same procedure for mixed Veg. Manchurian (with gravy or dry), but instead of using only cauliflower, use finely chopped/minced cooked vegetables like carrots & peas and bind with some cornflour or bread crumbs and make small lumps the size of a pingpong ball. Fry as above and proceed as above.

Daal Makhni Paneer

Daal Makhni Paneer

(A creamy North Indian black lentil gravy with cottage cheese/ paneer influences topped with a generous dollop of butter)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
5 Min 2 15 Min


Ingredients :

1 cup kaali daal/ whole masoor daal - soaked overnight or for 1 hour if you have a pressure cooker.
1/2 kg paneer/ cottage cheese cubes
2 cups fresh cream - beaten
salt to taste
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/ pwd
1/4 tsp ajwain
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 tsp cinnamon pwd
3 garlic cloves - chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tsp amchur/ dried mango pwd
1/2 tsp ginger pwd
1/4 tsp asafoteida
2 tbsp cooking oil/ ghee
2 tbsp butter


Cooking Instructions:

Soak daal in a warm water for 1 hour. Immerse paneer cubes (small 1 cu.cm cubes) in a bowl of water with a pinch of turmeric pwd added to it. Heat ghee/ oil & fry onions till well cooked. Add the garlic & all powder spices & fry well, stirring continuously. Add tomato paste and fry well. Then wash & drain the daal & add it to the spices - stir well, add water to cover daal completely & cover and cook till daal is done (1 whistle on high-flame & simmer for 4 minutes in a pressure cooker). While still simmering, add beaten cream 2 tbsp at a time, stirring continuously & then drain paneer & toss into the curry. Add salt & sugar to taste & top with butter - simmer till desired consistency is reached. Serve hot with rotis or rice - best with piping hot plain/garlic naan.