Mattar Paneer is a North Indian vegetable dish made with green peas and paneer in a spiced tomato gravy. I had a delicious Mattar Paneer at my friend Pallavi’s home one evening, and asked her for the recipe.
Continue reading Mattar Paneer. Green Peas and Paneer in Tomato Gravy
Okra also called ladies fingers is an interesting vegetable. Growing up my Mom made okra quiet a lot, but I wasn’t always a big fan of this vegetable mainly because I didn’t like the texture of okra. It’s slimy when cut and that’s what turns many people off. But my Mom very often made an okra stir-fry in a well-seasoned old wok that got rid of the sliminess, and to get us kids to eat this very unusual vegetable she would tell us okra is good for the brain, that it makes us smarter, so we ate it slimy or not.
Okra provides about 22% of RDA per 100g of okra (which is about 3/4 cup of okra). RDA is short for Recommended Dietary Allowances that the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences puts out every few years. There is an RDA value attached to each food item. Think about it, 3/4 cup of okra has 22% of a person’s daily-recommended allowance of nutrients – that is pretty high! The many health benefits of okra Continue reading Roasted Pan Sautéed Okra
I was swimming in lemons a few weeks ago – over 275 lemons. I posted a recipe for lemonade syrup that used up almost all of them. Guess what? I got another 100 more lemons just last week! Of course I made more lemonade syrup, but I still have a bunch of lemons sitting in my basket.
So I thought let me make a lemon recipe that I grew up with – lemon rice. Mind you, this recipe doesn’t use a lot of lemon – just three in fact, but it’s a great way to make a lemon flavored main dish. Continue reading Lemon Rice
Rajma is a North Indian kidney-bean curry that is usually eaten with white rice. Rajma is one of those dishes I make when I’ve run out of fresh veggies or don’t feel like cutting a bunch of veggies. It’s quick and easy yet nutritious and delicious all at the same time. If you are like me and always have a few non-perishable goods on hand like a selection of canned beans and tomato sauce, rajma will become one of those go-to meals to make in an instant.
Continue reading Rajma. North Indian Spiced Kidney Beans
This variation of Indian spiced potatoes is my all time favorite. I think that’s because it is what I grew up with. Any time my Mom made potatoes this is what she made. The recipe is very simple in flavoring and goes really well with dhal (spiced lentil soup) and rice, or as a side dish with fish or chicken. Continue reading Turmeric Spiced Potatoes
Cauliflower & Sugar Snap Peas in Curried Coconut Broth with Braised Tofu
makes 4 servings
Continue reading Cauliflower & Sugar Snap Peas in Curried Coconut Broth
Every time I roast mushrooms for a pasta dish or quiche or even as an appetizer it always occurs to me that these gorgeous roasted mushrooms would taste wonderful with some Indian spices. I finally decided one day to make that roasted mushroom curry I’d been thinking about for a long time. I added paneer (pressed curd cheese) to the dish to give it some substance, but you can also use tofu or any meat of your choice instead. Here is the recipe.
Continue reading Roasted Mushrooms, Peppers, Paneer/Tofu Curry
Stuffed peppers are colorful, healthy, and satisfying, and I make them often for dinner. This recipe is a great way to use up leftover rice or quinoa.
Chole, which is a North Indian chickpea dish from the Punjab region made of chickpeas cooked with onions, garlic and spices is one of the most popular dishes among Indians. Most if not all Indian restaurants have chole on their menu, it’s a staple dish in any Indian restaurant here in America. Most commonly chole is served with a side of batura (deep fried fermented flour tortillas) and a side condiment of raw onions which are put on top of chole and eaten together. When I make chole it is always a treat at our home. Here is a recipe for one version of chole the way I usually make it.
My brother-in-law Ranjit is an amazing cook. He made this outstanding South Indian pan sautéed fish one evening when we visited him and my sister in Philadelphia over the summer. The whole family loved it, kids and adults alike. Being vegetarian I didn’t taste it, but what he made looked so good that I wished I did eat fish. Ranjit served the fish with rice and the combination of golden yellow fish and fluffy white basmati rice looked positively gorgeous on the plate. I asked Ranjit to share the recipe, and here it is. Continue reading Ranjit’s South Indian Pan Sautéed Fish
