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.

Chana Masala

 
Serving Size 5 to 6

Ingredients

For cooking chana:

2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in enough water

1 stick cinnamon

4 black cardamom

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ginger paste

4-5 dried Indian gooseberry

Salt to taste

For chana curry:

1 large onion chopped

3 medium sized tomato, chopped

1 tsp ginger grated
1 tsp garlic grated

4 green chilies, slit

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp fennel powder

2 tsp dry mango powder or 2 tsp dried pomegranate powder

1 tsp red chili powder

2 tsp Badshah (or any other brand) chana masala powder

4 tbsp oil or ghee

Some julienned ginger

¼ cup cilantro leaves

Salt to taste

Cooking chana

Soak the dried chana overnight in water. Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas adding the whole spices, salt, tea bags. Pressure cook for 8-10 minutes until the chickpeas are completely cooked. If you have instant pot, you can cook it for 25 minutes. Wait for the pressure to be released. Strain the chickpeas and keep the stock along with the spices, discard the dried gooseberry.

Directions

In a large pan, heat oil or ghee, add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic paste, saute until brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, cook until the tomatoes are soft. Add the cooked chickpeas and saute for 5-6 minutes. Add all the spices – cumin, coriander, fennel, mango, red chili, garam masala or chana masala. Saute for 2 minutes. Now add the strained stock about 2-3 cups to the pan. You can add more water if the chana looks dry. Let the chana simmer till the curry thickens. Add julienned ginger and green chili to the curry. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with bhatura, puri, naan, or steamed rice.