Sanket's kitchen

Punjabi dum aloo

Ingredients:

3 tbsp oil
10 baby potatoes
2 medium red onion - finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes - finely chopped
1 inch ginger
4 garlic pods
10-12 cashews (soak in water for 30 minutes)
1-1/2 tbsp salt
2 black cardamom
2 green cardamom
1 dry whole red chili
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp honey
½ tbsp lemon juice
2 cups water
1 tbsp coriander leaves for garnishing

Recipe: 

1. Rinse the baby potatoes and wipe them dry. Peel them, wash and rinse again, and soak in water (to avoid darkening of potato surface).

2. Grind the soaked cashew to make a smooth paste.

3. Make a paste of ginger and garlic.

4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker on high heat. When oil is hot add cumin seeds. Once seeds start to sizzle, add chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Turn heat to medium and fry onions for about 10 minutes or so until the onions start to caramelize. Now add tomatoes and fry for about 4-5 minutes. Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala and curry powder. Fry for about 2-3 minutes (at this point oil starts to separate from curry). Now add cashew paste and about 1/2 cup water. Fry for 2 more minutes and then turn off the heat. Let it cool down a bit and then grind it in a food processor to make a smooth paste (our curry).

5.  Heat 1 tbsp oil on a medium heat in the same cooker. Add black & green cardamom, dry whole red chili, and cinnamon. Once oil becomes fragrant with these spices, add the curry paste to it. Fry till the oil separates (takes about 5 minutes).

6. Add fennel powder, salt, approx 1-1/2 cups of water and potatoes to curry. Cook for 2 whistles in the pressure cooker. Now turn off the heat.

7. Let it cool down a bit, open the lid, and mix everything well. If there is excess water, heat again (without lid) to bring curry to desired consistency. Now add honey, mix well again and garnish with chopped coriander.

Serve hot with Indian bread or steamed basmati rice.

Enjoy! 

Jeera rice

Ingredients -

Basmati rice - 1 cup
Salt - 1/2 tbsp
Water - 2 cups
Ghee (clarified butter) - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
asafetida - 1 tsp
Cloves - 2
Green cardamom - 2

Recipe - 

Step 1: Cooking rice - Clean rice with water for 3 times. Soak in water for at least half hour. Discard water used for soaking and replace with 2 cups of fresh water. Put rice and water in a cooking pot. Add salt to it, and turn on the heat to medium. Close the lid and let it cook for about 20 minutes.

Step 2: Tempering - Heat ghee in a sautee pan. Once heated, add cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds start to become black (about 2 minutes), add asafetida, cloves and green cardamom. After 30 seconds, add the tempering to rice and cook as per instruction in step 1.

Jeera rice taste well with any curry or dal recipe.

Enjoy!

Garlicky moong dal/lentil curry

Ingredients:

Moong dal - 1 cup (soak for 2 - 4 hours)
Water - 1 cup
salt - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - freshly squeezed - about 1 tsp

For tempering:
Ghee (clarified butter) - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Green chili - 1/2 chopped
Dry red chili - 1/2 crushed (optional)
Garlic - 3 pods - finely chopped
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (mainly for color)

For garnishing:
Coriander - 1 tbsp chopped


Recipe:

Step 1. Wash and clean moong dal. Soak it for 2 - 4 hours. Drain the water used for soaking and add 1 cup of fresh water and salt. Put it into a cooking pot. Turn on the heat to medium flame. Cover the lid and let it cook for about 25 minutes.

Step 2. Tempering - Meanwhile heat ghee on a medium high in a small sautee pan. Once ghee is hot, add muster seeds. Once seeds start to splutter, add chopped green chili and chopped dry red chili. After 30 seconds, add chopped garlic. After 30 seconds (garlic will become fragrant), add turmeric and red chili powder and pour it over the moong dal in cooking pot. Mix well and cook daal for total of about 25 minutes (as per step 1).

Garnish with chopped coriander.

Serve with Paratha or Jeera rice!

Enjoy!

Notes:
1. Dry red chili can be substituted with chili flakes.
2. Discard seeds from green and red chili to cut down hotness.