Saag Paneer

Serves 4

Ingredients for Spinach Puree

1 pound or 9 oz fresh Spinach (preferably baby spinach)

1 green chili chopped

2 medium garlic cloves chopped

½ inch ginger chopped

½ tsp salt

3 cups of hot water
3 cups of ice cold water

Preparing Masala:

1 cup onions chopped

1 cup tomatoes chopped

4 medium garlic clove grated

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

2 green cardamom

2 cloves

¼ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chili powder

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala powder or Madras Curry Powder (Rajah Brand)

250 gms paneer or 9 oz paneer

1- 2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp oil or butter

Salt to taste

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp kasoori methi crushed (fenugreek leaves)

Directions:

Rinse the spinach leaves thoroughly. If the stems are soft, keep it otherwise remove the stems. Boil 3 cups of water add about ½ tsp of salt. Turn off the flame. Add spinach and let it soak for 2 minutes. Remove the spinach leaves and add to the ice-cold water. Leave it for 2 minutes. Add the spinach leaves, ginger, garlic, green chili to a blender or food processor and coarse puree. Heat oil or butter in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, green cardamom, cloves and let it splutter. Add chopped onions, saute till golden brown. Add garlic and saute for a few seconds. Now add chopped tomatoes, salt and saute till it is soft. Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala or madras curry powder. Keep stirring till it leaves oil. Add spinach puree and mix well. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes. Add salt, kasoori methi, sugar and let it stir for a minute. Add paneer to the gravy and mix well. Finally add some cream to give it a smooth texture. Simmer for a minute. Serve with naan or pulao.

Vegetable Biryani

Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5 cups of uncooked basmati rice

3 cups of water

Salt to taste

1 tbsp ghee

Ingredients for Biryani Masala

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ cup green peas (frozen or fresh)

1 large onion thinly sliced

1 cup carrot thinly sliced

1 cup cauliflower chopped

½ cup potato diced

½ cup mushroom diced

½ packet of Bombay Biryani Masala (MDH brand). Use more if you like spicy.

2 tbsp yogurt

3-4 tbsp ghee or oil

Pinch of saffron

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp cashews

2 tbsp raisins

How to make rice:

Wash rice thoroughly in running water, let it soak for 20 minutes. Boil 3 cups of water add salt and ghee. Add the soaked rice, let it cook until it absorbs water completely. It should take roughly 12-15 minutes.

How to make biryani masala:

Soak saffron strands in warm milk, put it aside. Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds, let it splutter. Add cashews, saute for a couple of seconds. Now add onions and saute until golden brown. Remove onions and cashews. Now add some more ghee or oil to the pan. Add potato, cauliflower, and carrots. Sprinkle some salt. Cover and cook partially on medium flame. Add frozen peas, mushrooms, and raisins. Cover and cook until the vegetables are fully cooked. Add the onions, cashews, and raisins to the mixture. Mix yogurt in the biryani masala powder and make a smooth paste. Add this paste to the vegetables, mix it well and stir for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame. Take the cooked biryani masala vegetables and mix it with the rice. Add saffron milk to the rice, mix it well. Serve vegetable biryani with raita.

Corn Saag (Corn Spinach)

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 pound spinach (preferably baby spinach)
1 1/4 cup frozen corn
1 large onion chopped
1 1/2 large tomato chopped
1 tbsp ginger grated
1 tbsp garlic grated
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 whole red chilies
1 bay leaf
2 black cardamoms
2 cloves
1 green cardamom
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk or half and half
2 tbsp of oil or ghee

For making spinach puree:
Wash spinach thoroughly in water. Add 3 cups of water in a pot and boil the spinach for about 8 to 10 minutes on a medium flame. Let it cool down. Remove water from the spinach, and grind it finely.

For cooking corn:
Take about 1 1/4 cup of frozen corn and boil for about 6-8 minutes until it is soft. Remove water from corn. Fresh corn can also be used instead of the frozen corn. In that case, there is no need to boil it.


For the curry:
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, whole red chili, bay leaf, black cardamoms, cloves, and green cardamom. Let it crackle. Add chopped onions, saute until it is translucent. Add ginger and garlic, saute for a few seconds. Add all the spices - coriander, red chili powder, garam masala powder. Add a little water (about 2 tbsp) so the spices don't burn. Add chopped tomatoes and salt, cover and cook until tomato is soft and pulpy and leaves oil from the sides. Now add the spinach puree to the masala, let it simmer for 3-4 minutes on a medium flame. Add corn, let it cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add kasoori methi, sugar and let it simmer for a few seconds. Add coconut milk and simmer for a minute. Serve with roti, naan, or rice.

Aloo Gobhi Curry (Potato and Cauliflower)

Serving Size 4

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of chopped gobhi (cauliflower)

1.5 cups of diced aloo (potato)

3 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin

Pinch of asafetida

1 bay leaf

1 black cardamom (optional)

2 green cardamom

2 cloves

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

½ tsp red chili powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

2 cups of water for cooking

1 tsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves), crushed

¼ cup coriander leaves for garnishing

Grind to paste:

1 large onion chopped

1 large tomato chopped

½ inch ginger

2 to 3 small to medium garlic cloves

Directions:

Remove the gobhi/cauliflower florets. Wash them in running water. Peel and dice the potatoes. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, asafetida, bay leaves, black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves. Add the paste to the pan. Let it cook for a couple of minutes, then add all the spices – turmeric, red chili, coriander, garam masala. Fry till the oil leaves the side of the pan. Add the chopped cauliflower and potatoes, mix it well. Add salt, and a little water, cover and cook till it is half cooked. Add the remaining water and let it simmer until cooked. Add the crushed kasoori methi (fenugreek) leaves and let it simmer for a minute. Now mix the cilantro leaves and turn off the heat. Serve with Naan, roti, or rice.