Recipes With a Twist
Indian
Methi Malai Paneer
Aug 26th
Methi Malai Paneer
This one is for mom. While growing up paneer based dishes used to be a staple in our house and I cannot even remember how many different kinds my mom, grandmother and my aunts could make! (I grew up in a large family and shared about 12-13 wonderful years under one roof with my parents, brother, grandparents, aunts and uncles, great grandmother and most adorable cousins.
Few weeks ago we had planned a dinner with our friends and I don’t know from where I started thinking about this indulgent paneer dish my mom used to make. I thought of giving it a try, trying to remember the flavors and ingredients.
The paneer came out very flavorful and fragrant (thanks to Kasoori methi) and I think was very close to what my mom used to make. Next day I called my mom to confirm the recipe and to my surprise I was pretty close- only my version had a little extra step – she never used any onions and I did. I liked the flavor of lightly browned onions. Last week I made it again and wrote down the recipe (I did use onions again!)
You need:
3 tbsp oil (I used Canola)
1 1/2 medium/1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves, I used MDH brand Kasoori Methi)
3/4 + 1/4 cup whipping cream
1 lb paneer (Indian cottage cheese), cubed – for this dish I bought the paneer form an Indian store but you can make the cottage cheese at home as well
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp MDH Kitchen King Masala
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 Water
2 tbsp Maggie Hot n Sweet Chili Sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of Asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a wide wok or Karahi
2. Add Asafoetida, followed by garlic and onions
3. Cook on medium heat until onions are slightly brown, stirring every couple of minutes
4. Add tomatoes, and continue cooking on medium heat until tomatoes are soft and onions and tomatoes mixture start leaving the sides of the wok/karahi leaving oil on the sides.
5. Add salt, turmeric, MDH Kitchen King Masala, Kasoori Methi and saute for couple of seconds.
6. Add 3/4 cup cream and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add water and milk and bring it to boil. Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.
8. Till this point the sauce is almost cooked and is very mild. At this point I took out some for my son and added few cubes of Paneer for him separately. Since he liked his version, I amalso tagging this post as ‘Toddler Friendly’
9. Take out few table spoons of sauce in a cup, Add Maggie Hot n Sweet Chili sauce and mix well. Put it back in the Karahi and mix well. This is optional – only if you like mild hot and sweet flavor. If you don’t have this chili sauce on hand you can also try regular ketchup with 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp red chilies.
10. Add paneer cubes, stir in 1/4 cup cream and simmer on low heat for about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook the paneer as the cubes will start breaking
11. Sprinkle the garam masala and chopped cilantro
Serve hot with Naans or Roti (Indian Flatbreads)
Note: You can adjust water / milk quantities as per your liking. This recipe makes a medium consistency curry –not too dry and not too watery either
Total Preparation Time : Approximately 30 minutes
Chana Biryani
Jun 13th
Chana Biryani
I read a similar recipe years ago and found the combination of chickpeas or chana in a biryani dish very different. Usually a vegetarian biryani is made with assorted diced vegetables and I have never seen one with chickpeas served anywhere (or the places I ever ate at). Over the years I have made chicken biryani countless times (even with different recipes) and trying this one out was I guess on a back burner. Lately, I have been using chickpeas a lot – seems like I have found my long lost love for them as I don’t remember making dishes with chickpeas so much. Since these days I always have boiled chickpeas on hand, last weekend I finally decided to make this biryani for a potluck dinner with my family. In addition to chickpeas I also added potatoes as they go very well together. We ate at our neighborhood lake park, and hot biryani with chickpeas on a cool evening just hit the spot!
You need:
3 cups long grain (basmati) rice
4-5 medium onions, sliced
3 large tomatoes, chopped
3.5 cups boiled chickpeas (chana)
3 medium potatoes, diced
2 bay leaves
3 black cardamom
2 green cardamom
3-4 cloves
1/2 tsp cinamon powder
3 tbsp Canola oil
pinch of Asafoetida powder
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp MDH Meat Masala
2 tbsp MDH Kitchen King
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3-4 tsp salt – or to taste
10 fresh mint leaves
3 tbsp fresh cilantro leaved, chopped
3 tbsp milk
1. Boil 10-12 cups of water in a large pot. Add rice, few mint leaves and some salt. Boil rice until almost done-a rice grain breaks in two when pressed between two fingers. Do not overcook, drain water.
2. Heat oil in a deep pan/karahi. Add Asafoetida powder, bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, garlic and saute for few seconds.
3. Add onions and fry until golden brown(medium heat). Take out about 1/3rd of onions and keep aside.
4. Add tomatoes, all spices, salt and cook on medium heat until tomatoes are mushy and the tomato-onion mixture start to leave oil.
5. Preheat oven to 350 F
Cook chickpeas and potatoes
6. Add potatoes, remaining mint leaves,1/4 cup water, cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add 1 cup water, chickpeas/chana cover and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes. Cook uncovered for couple minutes.
7. Take a large baking dish-9*13″ or larger. Grease its base with oil. Spread a layer of rice. Spread a layer of chickpeas (along with the curry). Sprinkle little fried onions (saved from before)
Chana Biryani prepare layers
8. Alternate layers of rice and chickpeas (number of layers depend on size of the baking dish used). It is up to you whether you want the top layer to be chickpeas or rice. I just had a handful of chickpeas left I spread them on top layer along with some fried onions (saved from before).
9. Spread milk all over the top layer.
10. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for about 18 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with some sliced white onions on side and yogurt.
Serves – 8
Mili-Juli Sabzi (Mixed Vegetable medley with chickpeas)
Jun 5th
Mili Juli Sabzi-mixed vegetables medley
Here is very easy Indian dish that just needs few minutes of preparation and needs very little attention while cooking. Mixed vegetables are traditionally made with several variations using different combinations of vegetables like peas, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, peppers and the list is endless. Basically whatever you have on hand 
. Last time I made it, besides using some of my favorite vegetables, I also added chickpeas (garbanzo beans) to add some protein and increase the nutritional content.
You need:
2 cups chopped carrots
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 cup boiled chickpeas (you can use canned to save time)
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup peas
2-3 tbsp Canola oil
pinch of Asafoetida
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 whole kashmiri mirch (red chilies)
1 tsp Mango powder (Amchoor)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 tsp red pepper
2 tsp salt
3-4 tsp MDH Kitchen King masala
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a wide wok or karahi.
2. Add Asafoetida powder and after couple of seconds add whole kashmiri mirch and cumin seeds.
3. After the seeds splutter add the remaining ingredients and saute on high heat for couple of minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until all vegetables are tender and spices are nicely blended. (You may need to add couple of teaspoons of water if vegetables seem to stick to the wok.
Serves 6
Enjoy this rainbow of vegetables with yogurt or raita with nan or rotis (Indian flatbreads).
Moong Dhuli Dal Khichdi with Mustard Greens and Spinach
Apr 11th
Moong Dhuli Dal Khichdi with Mustard Greens and Spinach
Khichdi is a popular dish all over India specially Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Bengal. It is usually made with rice and lentils (there are several variations using different types of lentils) as a base and vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, peas, sqash, spinach, potatoes, etc. are added in different combinations. Rice and lentils are cooked until very mushy and vegetables usually seem to disappear. It is considered as a very healthy dish – carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins all in one dish and is traditionally offered as early food to babies/ toddlers when they first start solids. Also, it is very easy on little stomachs. My son is 2 years old now and eats a wide variety of dishes but I still make it for him very often. In the recipe below I use plenty of greens-spinach, mustard and broccoli. Now that my son is little big, I make it slightly different from the traditional recipe because I add onions, tomatoes and garlic as well. Although I do stick to the ‘bland’ part and don’t put any spices. O yes, and my son also likes the yellow color. I must add that it is a popular dish among children and adults alike.
You need:
3/4 cup Moong dhuli dal (Yellow Lentils)
3/4 cup uncooked white rice (or 2 cups cooked rice)
3/4 cup Mustard greens (sarson), chopped
1 cup spinach, chopped
4-5 broccoli florets, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large tomato chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp desi ghee-unclarified butter/Canola oil
Pinch of Asafoetida
Heat ghee/oil in a pressure cooker (or a large pot). Add Asafoetida and after few seconds add garlic. Saute for few seconds and add onions. Cook until translucent or slightly browned. Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric and cook until tomatoes are little mushy. Add spinach, mustard greens and broccoli and cook for couple of minutes. Add rice and lentils, about 6 cups of water and pressure cook for about 15 minutes. After the steam vents out, open the cooker, mix well, add more water to adjust consistency. I like it neither too dry nor too runny. Adjust salt, if needed. If you use any big vegetable pieces, use a ladle to mash them-it will be effortless.
If you are not using a pressure cooker, add about 8 cups water and let the ‘khichdi’ simmer on low heat until lentild, rice and vegetables are all mushy.
Serve hot with yogurt and/or pickles. I usually add some additional ‘ghee’/butter to my son’s bowl.
Mint Chicken Biryani
Mar 29th
Mint Chicken Biryani
Biryani is a rice based dish made with meat, and/or vegetables and spices and traditionally cooked on slow heat to let the flavors blend in. There are several different recipes and styles popular all over India and local variants of this dish are not only popular in South Asia but also in Arabia and within various South Asian communities in Western countries. Mint chicken biryani as the name suggests is made with chicken and rice cooked with fresh mint leaves.
I have made this biryani way too many times to remember. However, every time I throw in something extra or omit something. So as you can imagine, I would never remember what worked and what not so much . This time I decided to take notes for the blog and I am glad I did as it turn out great.
You need :
1 lb chicken pieces, I used boneless thigh meat
2 medium to large onions, sliced
Onions,bay leaf,cardamoms,cloves
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
6-7 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 tbsp oil (I use Canola)
2 black cardamoms
1 bay leaf
1 green cardamom
3-4 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
Mint,cilantro,tomatoes
20-30 fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1.5 tbsp MDH Chicken Curry Masala
1.5 tbsp MDH Meat Masala
1 tsp red chili powder (optional)
2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp onion seeds (kalaunji)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cloves powder
spices:MDH Chicken Curry Masala,MDH Meat Masala,Turmeric,Salt,Red Chillies,onion seeds
1/3 cup milk
pinch/few saffron strands
2.5 cups long grain Basmati rice
2-3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
1. Boil 10-12 cups of water in a large pot. Add rice, half of mint leaves and chopped cilantro leaves. Boil rice until almost done-a rice grain breaks in two when pressed between two fingers. Do not over cook, drain water.
2. Heat oil in a deep pan/karahi. Add bay leaf, cardamoms, garlic and saute for few seconds.
3. Add onions and fry until golden brown(medium heat). Take out about 1/3rd of onions and keep aside.
4.Add tomatoes, all spices, salt and tomato sauce and cook on medium heat until tomatoes are mushy and the tomato-onion mixture start to leave oil.
5. Add chicken, remaining mint leaves,1/4 cup water, cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add 1.5 cups water, cover and cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes. Cook for another 5 minutes-uncovered.
6. Preheat oven to 350 F
7. Take a large baking dish-9*13″ or larger. Grease its base with oil. Spread a layer of rice. Dot some rice with food coloring and spread with fingers. Spread a layer of chicken (along with the curry). Sprinkle little fried onions (saved from 3rd step)
Mint Chicken Biryani-Rice layer
8. Alternate layers of rice and chicken (number of layers depend on size of the baking dish used). It is up to you whether you want the top layer to be chicken or rice.
Mint Chicken Biryani-Chicken layer
9. Mix the saffron strands in milk. Spread all over the top layer.
10. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with some sliced white onions on side
Serves – 3-4
Note: Please adjust seasoning/masala according to the ‘hot’ factor you can tolerate. See how you like mint flavor and improvise next time if you want it to be more minty or less. I know my dad won’t mind a few more sprigs!
Karahi Paneer
Mar 3rd
Karahi Paneer
I like MDH Karahi Chicken Masala and use it pretty often when I make a chicken curry dish such as ‘Karahi Chicken’. I used the same masala this time to make a vegetarian dish – Karahi Paneer. Paneer is a form of cottage cheese that is prepared in a number of ways- scrambled, curries, stuffed and so on. It can be very easily made at home and when in a pinch can be bought from almost all Indian stores. Paneer dishes find their way in most North Indian menus.
Karahi Paneer is a mildly spiced yet a flavorful dish with undernotes of onion and coriander seeds (from MDH masala) ,green bell peppers,black cardamom and fenugreek leaves.
You need:
1 lb. Paneer, chopped in medium sized pieces
2 onions, sliced
4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped (more if you like the flavor)
3-4 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp MDH Karahi Chicken Masala (or more if you like spicy)
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ginger paste
2 pieces black cardamom (halved)
1-2 tsp MDH Kasoori Methi (When I buy a pack, I slightly dry roast them in a pan and store them in an airtight container)
salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
1 bay leaf
Heat the cooking oil in a Karahi or deep heavy bottom pat. Add black cardamom and bay leaf and fry for few seconds. Add chopped onions and garlic, reduce heat and fry until golden brown. Add ginger paste and fry for few seconds. Add MDH Karahi Chicken Masala, 1/2 tsp salt and cook for few seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are mushy, spices seem to be nicely blended and the mixture seem to leave oil. Add pepper and cook for few more minutes.
Tomatoes are cooked, peppers added, ready to add water in 5 minutes
Add Add two cups of water and bring it to boil. Add paneer and and cook for about 5 min on high heat and simmer for 5 more minutes. Sprinkle mashed leaves of Kasoori Methi and add the lemon juice. Adjust salt if needed. If needed, add more water to adjust curry (if adding more water, make sure to bring it boil). Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and serve with naan or rice.
Servings: 4-6
Karahi Paneer
This is not a very hot dish however you can increase the ‘hot’ factor by increasing the quantity of the masala.
Sindhi Kadhi (Vegetable medley simmered in tangy lentils curry)
Feb 9th
Sindhi Kadhi with rice
I just came back from a trip to India. I visited my family after four years for a short vacation and to attend my brother’s wedding. Besides being excited to meet my family after such a long time, on my flight from London to New Delhi, I could not stop thinking about this flavorful dish my grandmother used to make when I was little. It used to be a family feast with my cousins, aunts and uncles all dining together to enjoy this Sindhi Kadhi with plain rice and some fried potatoes. I decided to learn it from my grandmother and together she and I spent some time to make it one more time for the family.
You need (Serves 6-8):
1/2 lb Yellow Pigeon Peas (Arhar or Toor daal)
30 gm (or more) Tamarind soaked in 2 cups hot water for 20 minutes
Curry leaves (leaves from 3-4 stems or 20-25 leaves)
Mint leaves (half bunch/20-25 leaves)
Mint,Radish,Green Beans,Okra
4-5 tbsp cooking oil (Canola/vegetable)
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 lb Radish, sliced
1/2 lb Green Beans
1/2 lb Okra (Bhindi)
1/2 lb Tomatoes
2-3 medium Potatoes
salt to taste
Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp or more to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
6 cups water to boil the Pigeon peas
2-4 green chillies
1. Combine the water, lentils (Yellow pigeon peas), turmeric, and salt in a large pot and cook over high heat. Bring the lentils to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook until the lentils are tender and water and lentils are nicely blended together, about 20-30 minutes. Alternately, you can pressure cook the same (5 minutes!).
Strain the boiled lentils
2. Strain the boiled lentils using a fine strainer to prepare a thin smooth soup.
3. Strain the soaked tamarind using the same strainer to extract the pulp. Alternately you can use Tamarind paste as well.
3. Strain the soaked tamarind using the same strainer to extract the pulp. Alternately you can use Tamarind paste as well.
4. Heat oil in a large stock pot and add mustard and fenugreek seeds. Cook for few seconds, after the seeds splutter add radish slices and green beans. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes.
Stir fry Radish and Green Beans
5. Add chopped tomatoes, red chili powder and cook for few minutes until tomatoes are nicely cooked. Add the strained lentils and add more water if needed (This strained lentil mixture should not be thick). Add curry and mint leaves and sliced green chillies. Bring the mixture to boil and add the coarsely chopped potatoes. Continue cooking for 15 minutes or so on medium heat till the potatoes are almost boiled.
Sindhi Kadhi simmering
6. Add tamarind pulp and okra and let it simmer on low heat for another 20 minutes or so until the potatoes and okra are fully done and flavors seem to be nicely blended ( You can tell by a fragrant minty aroma). Adjust water according to preference although my entire family loves it when it is clear soup like consistency (although with chunky vegetables).
Serve with rice. My father does not forget to suggest that to savor the flavors, take less rice and more kadhi
It was a memorable trip and I cherish the time I spent with my grandmother bonding over this recipe in her kitchen.
Sindhi Kadhi served with rice
Achari Paneer-Indian cottage cheese cooked with tangy pickle spices
Jan 6th
Achari Paneer
Here is one for the achar (Indian pickle) lovers. In India achar is a popular condiment thats made with picked fruit and/or vegetable cooked and pickled in a number of spices, vegetables and oils. There are so many different types of such pickles that I can’t even enumerate even if I wanted to.
Since some basic achar spices are used in this dish, it has a deliciously tangy,’achari’ taste that does justice to its name. I made it for the first time last week and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to cook this seemingly ‘exotic’ dish.
You need:
1 lb or 500 gm paneer (Indian cottage cheese), cubed – for this dish I bought the paneer form an Indian store but you can make the cottage cheese at home as well
1 onion, sliced
4 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp nigella seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp turmeric
3 tsp ginger/garlic paste
1 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon black salt (sanchal)
1 tsp MDH Kitchen King Masala OR Curry powder
2 tsp kashmiri mirch (optional)
1 teaspoon all purpose flour (maida)
2 tablespoon oil
8 chopped green chillies (optional, I did not put any to keep the flavor mild)
3 tsp dry mango powder
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
2 tsp achar of your choice (optional, I added some mango pickle)
2 tbsp whipping/fresh cream (optional)
heat the oil in a large pan or karahi (Indian wok) and fry the fennel, fenugreek,black mustard, nigella and cumin seeds until the seeds stop spluttering. After 30 seconds, add onions and green chillies. Stir and fry until golden. 
Add turmeric powder, garlic and ginger pastes and Kitchen King masala/or curry powder. Fry for a minute. Pour in the yogurt, dry mango powder,black salt, all purpose flour, chilli powder, sugar and pickle(if using). Cook until oil separates.
Cook yogurt in spices
Add paneer with about 150 ml water. Allow it to heat through. Stir in cream if using. Serve with naan or roti (Indian flat-breads)
Traditionally, pickle is not added to this dish. However, I thought I needed a little bit more ‘achari’ flavor so I added couple of teaspoons of my favorite pickle. I think this paneer will also make a great filling for wrap and I will try it next time I make this dish.
Karahi Chicken
Dec 28th
Karahi Chicken
We planned a very simple Christmas dinner this year. A mildly spiced chicken curry dish – Karahi Chicken with naans (Indian flat bread) and some steamed vegetables. I used MDH Karahi Chicken Masala
You need:
1 lb Chicken pieces of your choice. I used thigh meat, fat removed
1 large onion, chopped
2 tomatos, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp MDH Karahi Chicken Masala
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ginger paste
2 pieces black cardamom (halved)
1-2 tsp MDH Kasoori Methi (When I buy a pack, I slightly dry roast them in a pan and store them in an airtight container)
salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves (although I did not have any on hand!)
Heat the cooking oil in a Karahi or deep heavy bottom pat. Add black cardamom and fry for few seconds. Add chopped onions and garlic, reduce heat and fry until golden brown. Add ginger paste and fry for few seconds. Add chicken pieces, MDH Karahi Chicken Masala
Servings: 2-3
Lemony Yellow Lentils (Moong Dhuli Dal)
Dec 12th
Lentils are staple in North Indian households. There are several types of lentils and severals ways to cook them. Yellow lentils are low in calories, easy to digest and fast to cook. I served them as a soup to my son and tex-mex style with salsa for me and my husband.
You need:
3 cups water
1 cup split yellow lentils (Moong Dhuli Dal)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
salt to taste
red/black pepper powder to taste (although I did not use any)
1 tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)
For tempering:
1 tablespoon ghee/ or cooking oil (clarified butter)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pinch asafoetida powder (hing powder)
Combine the water, lentils, turmeric, pepper powder and salt in a large pot and cook over high heat; bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook until the lentils are tender and water and lentils are nicely blended together, about 15 -20 minutes. Alternately, you can pressure cook the same (5 minutes!)
Heat the ghee in a medium pan (I usually use little bit more ghee than 1 tbsp for my son’s benefit). Add asafoetida powder, after few seconds add cumin seeds, and let the seeds splutter. Stir the mixture into the lentil mixture. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice.
Serving Suggestion:
1. For my son, with a dollop of sour cream. He did have few bites so I can say it is worth a try again!
2. On bed of rice, pour lentils, 2 tbsp fresh salsa, 1 tsp sour cream. Thats my tex-mex spin on a classic Indian lentil dish. Although you don’t see tortilla chips in the picture, but I am pretty sure I must have had some with this bowl!
