In India, it was not uncommon for friends or fellow officers in the military services to drop in for drinks after the usual tea time of 4.30 or 5.30 p.m. Drinks, of course, were like a cocktail hour, so one always had the bar or pantry stocked. Then, there was the namkeen (salty snack) that went with it. Invariably, the cocktail hour would extend into dinner time!
Indian hospitality being what it is, it is customary to have your guests stay on for dinner, so it is good to know recipes that can be fixed quickly to expand the food on the table.
This spicy and tangy potato recipe is a quick and easy addition to any meal.
Masala Sukha Allu (Spiced Potatoes)
A spicy and tangy potato recipe is a quick and easy addition to any meal.
Ingredients
- 5 medium potatoes (about 2 pounds )
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 1 tsp fresh finely chopped or grated ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp red chili powder (more or less, to taste)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur, available at Indian grocery stores)
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes and boil them until they are done. Make sure they do not over-boil and split.
- Drain and cool. When cool enough to touch, peel and dice into ¾-inch cubes. You don't have to be precise. Bite-sized bits will do. Set aside.
- Add the chili, turmeric, coriander, and cumin powders in a small bowl. Mix and set aside.
- Heat oil in a wok or skillet on medium heat.
- When the oil is hot add the ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds. Be sure they do not burn.
- Now add the mixed spice powders and stir for 10 seconds.
- Add the cubed potatoes, dry mango powder, and garam masala. Gently stir the potatoes until nicely coated with the masala, about 3 minutes.
- Let cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chopped cilantro and stir it into the potato mixture for 2 minutes. If the potato sabzi looks a little dry, drizzle more oil over it. Potatoes tend to absorb a lot of oil. Do not overdo the oil, as you do not want the potatoes to taste oily.
- Spoon into a serving dish and sprinkle with cilantro chopped for garnish.
- This potato dish goes well as a wrap in a paratha, roti, or tortilla. It also pairs well with any dal (lentil) and is a great addition to any Indian meal.
Notes
I normally use a manual pressure cooker or the Instapot to boil the potatoes as it speeds up the cooking process. Just follow the manual for pressure cooking time.
If the potatoes do break up, don't panic. Just use them to fix my Dosa Allu recipe as that will go well with other meals as well.
Cold nights beg for something warm and comforting. While there are hot cocoas, lattes, and tea, nothing is as warming and filling as a good bowl of soup.
Fall is a good time to fix a pumpkin soup. This is a quick soup that you can fix out of a can without hassling with a fresh pumpkin. It is perfect as a starter for your Thanksgiving meal.
Awaken your taste buds with this creamy, savory pumpkin soup!
Kaddu ka Soup
Awaken your taste buds with this creamy, savory pumpkin soup!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 medium onion (chopped finely, approximately 1 cup)
- 3 cups pureed canned pumpkin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ⅛ tsp clove powder
- 1 tsp salt (or to your taste )
- 4 cups chicken broth (or you can use a combination of broth and water)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
Instructions
- Put all the powdered spices into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed, 3-4 quart pot or saucepan on medium heat.
- Add the bay leaf, onions, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Now add all the spices. Stir for 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree and sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Pour in broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium-low for 5 minutes. Remove from stove and let it sit for 5-10 mins.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- With an immersion rod, blend the soup in the pot, being careful not to splatter yourself. Blend till smooth. If you do not have an immersion rod, then blend in your blender in batches.
- Heat soup before serving.
- Pour into soup bowls or cups and garnish with a drizzle of cream and some chopped parsley or cilantro.
Notes
If you would like fresh pumpkin you will need about 4-5 pounds of pumpkin.
Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, and remove the skin. Cut into even cubes. Use when a recipe calls for adding pumpkin. You will have to cook it a little longer until the pumpkin is soft and easy to blend.
If you want to make it vegan, use olive oil in place of butter and water in place of broth (unless you use vegan vegetable broth). Omit the cream.
My husband calls from his office at the Indian Air Force Headquarters, where he has been transferred. A colleague and his wife are driving in from Chandigarh and have an early morning flight from New Delhi. They have asked to stay with us overnight.
The armed services are a close-knit community, and you help each other whenever needed.
I take stock of dinner. Rosy (our cook) has already fixed the evening’s planned meat curry and sabzi. She will make fresh rotis when we are ready to eat. I decide to add a quick vegetable pilaf. Along with raita, pickles, and kuchumbar (Indian salsa), it would be a good dinner for hungry travelers. I head to the kitchen and call out to Rosy in her living quarters next to the kitchen. Together, we start fixing the pilaf and getting the table set for the two extra guests.
Vegetable Pilaf
A flavorful vegetable pilaf that goes perfectly with curries and lentils.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Basmati rice (washed 4 times and soaked for 20 minutes )
- ¼ cup cooking oil (your choice)
- 2 medium Bay leaves
- 5 pepper corns
- 4 cloves
- 1 black cardamom
- 2 small green cardamoms
- 1 small cinnamon stick (about 1 inch)
- 2 whole Serrano green chilies (stem removed, slit half-way down the middle (optional))
- 2 medium onions (peeled and sliced thin)
- 1 tbsp fresh garlic paste (or you can use ready-made garlic and ginger paste)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger past (or you can use ready-made garlic and ginger paste )
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- dash red chili powder (optional)
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro (pick leaves and a bit of the stem, grind to a paste or chop finely, about ¼ cup)
- 4 medium tomatoes (chopped or pureed coarsely)
- 1 cup mixed peas and carrots (I use a frozen pack )
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- Salt to taste
Garnish
- ½ sliced onion, cashew nuts, and raisins (all optional—or you could sprinkle the pilaf with some chopped cilantro/coriander leaves)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large (6-quart) cooking pot over medium heat.
- Add whole spices and whole green chili. If you slit it midway down the center, it adds more heat to the curry. If you don't want that, just punch it once with a fork so it does not burst in the hot oil. Let it splutter for about 30 seconds, and then add the onions.
- Sauté the onions until they turn opaque and start to brown slightly at the edges. Stir occasionally so that the onions don't burn. About 4 minutes.
- Add ginger paste, garlic paste, and spice powders. Continue to sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
- Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing sticks and burns. Add the chopped tomato and cilantro.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the moisture is absorbed and the oil starts to rise on the edges of the pan. About 10 minutes.
- Add the drained rice and carefully sauté it for about 3 minutes until the rice starts to turn opaque. Make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn!
- Pour in the stock and water, stir, cover, and boil on medium heat. About 10 minutes.
- Add the peas and carrots and gently stir them in.
- Cover and cook on medium-low. When the water starts to evaporate and pits form on the top of the rice, reduce the heat to low. Cook another 5-6 minutes.
- Check a few grains of rice to see if the rice is done by pressing a grain between the thumb and forefinger. If it is still gritty, cover it and cook on low heat for 2 minutes more.
- Turn the heat off and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
- Serve on a rice platter or serving dish and garnish with sauteed onions, cashews, raisins, or chopped fresh cilantro/coriander.
- This makes for a satisfying meal paired with raita. It also goes well with any curried lentil, or vegetarian or non-vegetarian curry, or with any style raita.
Notes
You can finish fixing the rice in the bake. Be sure it is an oven safe pot or transfer to a roaster pan or dish. Heat oven to 200 degrees F and place the pilaf in the oven when pits start to appear on the rice surface. It needs to be covered while baking. You could use a foil cover if your dish does not have one. Bake at 170-180 degrees F for half an hour.
If you are familiar with an Insta Pot or manual pressure cooker you could follow cooking instructions until you add the water (you need half the amount in a pressure cooker). Follow the manual instructions for cooking the rice.
You can also add 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered or a cup of cauliflower flowerets.
Sometimes, I add a teaspoon of store bought korma masala from the Indian grocery store. If you use it, go easy. It packs a punch!
Once the rice starts to boil you can add a tablespoon of kasturi methi or chopped mint.
Bottle Gourd or Opo Squash, also known in India as lauki, ghiya, dudhi, sorakkai, etc., is a summer vegetable that is used in a variety of Indian dishes. It is made into sabzis (sautéed vegetables), and curries, and incorporated into dals. The squash is a savory, healthy vegetable rich in nutrients. It is a good pick-me-up when you are feeling under the weather.
When picking lauki, be sure to check for firmness. If it feels slightly soft or browning, it is over-ripe, and it is best to avoid it for cooking.
This recipe is a Punjabi-style simple lauki sabzi, which I adapted from watching my mother-in-law cook. She would often cook it minus the onions or sometimes minus both the onions and tomatoes.
Since bottle gourd can be quite bland, the spices and tomatoes give it a nice, savory, tangy flavor.
Lauki Sabzi (Bottle Gourd Sautéed in Spices)
A savory, healthy vegetable rich in nutrients—a good pick-me-up when you are feeling under the weather.
Ingredients
- 1 medium lauki (gourd) (approximately 3 cups )
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 whole red chili (optional)
- ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
- 2 tsp ginger, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder or red chili flakes (adjust to your taste)
- 2 medium tomato, diced fine (or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
- 2 tsp ghee or butter
Garnish
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro / coriander leaves
Instructions
To Prepare
- Wash the gourd, cut both ends, and peel the skin.
- Cut it lengthwise into half and then again in half.Remove any seeds. There is no harm if a few remain. Chop the gourd into bite-size cubes.
- Set aside in a bowl of water.
To Cook
- Turn on the stove to medium heat, place a wok, skillet, or frying pan on the stove. Add the oil until heated.
- Add the whole red chili and swirl it around in the oil until it darkens, about 30 seconds. The fumes are pungent, so be careful if you don't want to cough!
- Add the cumin seeds (careful of splutter).
- When slightly brown (about30 seconds), add the chopped ginger. Stir for 30 seconds and add the onions. Sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Now add the turmeric and chili powder. Give it a quick stir, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook till the oil starts to surface, 5-7 minutes. If you are using the tomato paste, it takes about 2 minutes.
- While the tomatoes are cooking, drain the gourd in the bowl of water bowl and set aside.
- Once the oil surfaces on the onion tomato mixture (masala), add the gourd.
- Stir well for about 2-3 minutes until the gourd is nicely coated with the masala. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally for approximately 15 minutes until the gourd is fork tender.
- The gourd should release enough of its own moisture to cook in, but you can add ¼ cup of hot water if it appears to be drying out before it is cooked.
- Uncover and check the lauki to see if it is done and that the oil is surfacing on the sides.
- Now add the 2 teaspoons of ghee. Stir the sabzi. Cover and remove from heat.
- Transfer to a serving dish.
- Garnish with the cilantro and garam masala.
Notes
Lauki sabzi goes well with roti or any other flat bread or as a side to a meal.
This recipe is morphed from Mama’s Biryani recipe. Sometimes, I would serve Vegetarian Biryani instead of Biryani with meat or chicken. This saved me the hassle of fixing two types of pilafs for a lunch or dinner party. I would pair it with channa dal, two different styles of sabzis (Indian sauteed vegetables), a paneer curry, and a non-vegetarian dish. Along with that came the usual array of pickles, raita, and rotis. It made quite a meal!
There is a less elaborate Vegetarian Pilaf, which I shall share as well.
Vegetable Biriyani
An array of exotic spices infuse this layered dish of Basmati rice mixed with chicken, beef, or vegetables to tempt the most fastidious eater.
Ingredients
- 5 cups Basmati rice
- ½ cup oil (plus a little extra, if needed)
- 2 Bay leaves
- 4 cinnamon sticks (or ½ tsp cinnamon powder)
- 1 large black cardamom
- 6 small green cardamoms
- 6 cloves (or ¼ teaspoon clove powder)
- 3 large onions (peeled, cut in half, and sliced thin)
- 2 medium Serrano chilies (washed, remove stem, and slice in half)
- 3 tbsp ginger paste (freshly ground is best, but ready-made is fine, too)
- 2 tbsp garlic paste (freshly ground is best, but ready-made is fine, too)
- ½ cup fresh green coriander ground fine (mainly leaves, but a portion of stem is okay)
- 3 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder (or to your taste—remember this and the green chilies will add heat to the pilaf)
- 6 medium tomatoes (finely chopped or puréed)
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds ground smooth (optional)
- 1 can coconut milk (or the fleshy, white part of 1 fresh coconut ground smooth with the poppy seed)
- 8 cups water (plus a little extra)
- 2 cups peas and diced carrots (you may combine it with other vegetables such as cauliflower, cut into flowerets, or diced beans)
- 2 tbsp mint leaves (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh green coriander leaves
- Salt (to taste)
- 2 limes (juice only)
Garnish
- ½ onion (or use pre-fried store-bought onions to make it easy)
- sautéed cashews (or use cocktail cashews)
- sautéed raisins
Instructions
To Prepare
- Gather all the ingredients before you start.
- Wash and soak the 5 cups of rice for 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Mix coconut milk, ground poppy seed(optional), and 8 cups water.
- Together they should measure 10 cups plus 2 tablespoons of liquid.
- Combine chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves with the juice of 2 limes in a small bowl.
To Cook
- Heat ½ cup of oil in an 8-quart heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat. You may need a tablespoon or two extra as you start to sautée.
- Add the whole Bay leaf cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
- Add cut onions and slit green chilies.
- When half-fried (about 6 minutes), add the ground ginger, garlic, spice powders (including the ground cinnamon and cloves, in case you decided to use them instead of the whole ones), and green coriander paste.
- Fry for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant, then add the chopped and pureed tomatoes. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Now add the drained rice and sauté on medium heat, stirring carefully to not break up the rice grains. About 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the water, coconut milk, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Once the water starts to boil (10-15 minutes), add the vegetables and cook on medium-low until the water is almost evaporated and you see little pits on top of the rice.
- Stir gently. Sprinkle the chopped mint, coriander, and lemon mix over the rice.
- Put on low and cook another 10 minutes until the pits disappear on top and the rice is cooked. You can test by testing a grain between your thumb and forefinger. If it's grainy, let it cook for a little more, but make sure the underside is not getting burnt.
- Fluff with a fork and plate on a rice platter or serving dish.
- Garnish with sauteéd onions, cashews, and raisins.
Notes
You can also finish cooking the rice in the oven. When pits start forming on the rice’s surface, stir carefully. Your pot should be oven-proof. If not, pour the rice into a roaster pan or oven-proof dish large enough to hold the rice. Sprinkle with the chopped mint coriander and lemon juice mix. Bake for half an hour at 200°F. Remove from oven and fluff rice before transferring to a serving platter. Garnish with the sautéed onions, cashews, and raisins.
There are certain spice blends that I fix and keep on hand as I use them frequently. One of them is toasted cumin. This aromatic spice adds a unique flavor to a dish. It is easy to fix and used as a topping in many dishes such as your raitas (yogurt relishes), chaats (street food), dals (lentils), and sabzi( sautéed vegetables). It is also added to some curries, tikkas, and kebabs.
Easy to fix, you can store it for several months.
Bhuna Jeera (Roasted Cumin Powder)
A flavorful topping used in raitas (yogurt relishes),dals (lentils), sabzi (vegetables), it may also added to curries, tikkas, and kebabs.
Ingredients
- ½ cup cumin seeds
Instructions
- Pick and clean your cumin seeds on a light-colored plate, as this shows dirt particles better, making cleaning easier.
- Once cleaned, set aside the cumin seeds.
- Heat your tava (Indian griddle) or a heavy-bottomed skillet on low-medium heat.
- Add the cumin seeds to the dry pan. Toast the seeds, stirring continuously for approximately 2 minutes until fragrant and the seeds are a shade darker.
- Important: Do not over-brown, as this will give the seeds a burnt taste.
- Pour into a bowl and cool completely.
- Place the seeds in a spice or coffee grinder/blender and blend to a fine powder.
- You can also use a pestle and mortar if you don't have a coffee grinder/blender. Grind to a fine powder.
- Store the powder in a clean, dry glass bottle with a tight lid.
Notes
