Paneer Jalfrezi/Cottage cheese in spicy tangy sauce with bell peppers and onion

uite unlike the super-star butter paneer masala which is practically synonymous with Indian cuisine, the jalfrezi is mellow but very much like any Indian curry. It has a burst of flavors, is full of aromatic spices with an exotic taste that is bound to take you by surprise. Cubes of succulent home made cheese are simmered in a fragrant garlic tomato sauce with loads of colorful peppers and freshly ground spices that will make you mop your plate clean and ask for more. Unlike a few other paneer dishes this one is not very rich or laden with butter and cream to make it tasty.

A common dhaba dish all over India ~ dhaba is a Indian equivalent to the American road-side diner. Known for its rustic, simple, basic, inexpensive yet flavorful original dishes and very popular among long distance roadies and truck drivers. Whenever I go to India I make it a point  to take a drive with hubs and kiddo to the nearest dhaba on the national highway just to have some of their dal makhani, kadahi paneer and fresh out of the tandoor (clay oven) those buttery flaky tandoori rotis ~ ahh.

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Kadahi Bhindi (Okra curry)

adahi bhindi or bhindi masala always brings a smile to my face. Why? You ask. Its only bhindi after all. Well you are absolutely right. That is exactly why. Read on.

The story is from the first few days after coming to the US after getting married. Dear hubby, trying to show me around and to take his lady out to wine and dine, offered to take me out for dinner to our local Indian restaurant. I obliged. The menu was like any regular Indian restaurant, the usual paneer and mushroom dishes, biryanis, naans, parathas. He asked me what I wanted and we waited for the waiter to show up. I can't remember exactly what I had... it was some paneer dish I think... but to my utter dismay, hubby ordered bhindi masala... and I went... WHAT! I mean who orders bhindi in a restaurant! Moreover when you are paying fifteen bucks for an entree, wouldn't you rather eat paneer or atleast something more exotic.

Let me explain. Back at home, when okra was in season, mom would always make bhindi masala for lunch or dinner. Every restaurant you went to, had bhindi masala on the menu and we conveniently chose to ignore it... of course. Hence my reaction.

When hubby explained, it actually made sense. I still don't agree with him... but it made sense. During his bachelor days in India, he ate all three meals in restaurants and well... like me he always ate paneer. So much so that he could not longer stand it.

We agreed silently to disagree. Since then he has warmed up to the idea of paneer (thankfully!) and doesn't order bhindi at restaurants anymore (he claims its because I make a killer bhindi masala at home :)

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Corn Fenugreek Pulao

I typically avoid elaborate cooking over weekends and always prefer one pot meals. One pot meals with rice is usually the most convenient. So here is the rice pulao I made this weekend using corn and my all time favorite methi (fenugreek) leaves. It tasted great... simple homey, aromatic and flavorful. The slight bitterness of methi, sweetness from the corn cooked with rice and spices. I know I am going to make it often!

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Kadai paneer with mushrooms

 have already raved about my liking for paneer, so here is yet another very popular paneer recipe. Kadhai paneer is a classic north indian dish. In the recipe, paneer is cooked in a kadhai or wok (hence the name kadhai paneer) with bell peppers in a spicy onion-tomato based sauce with lots of ginger, garlic, cilantro leaves and flavored with kasoori methi. It has a distinct fresh spicy aroma and flavor that compares to nothing else.

This is one of the few non-creamy preparation of paneer easy and quick to make with simple ingredients and is always a crowd pleaser. My hubby likes the combination of paneer and mushrooms very much so I came up with this recipe and it was a big hit :) But using mushrooms is entirely optional. These are great for dinner, lunch, parties or picnics. Can be served with roti or parathas and can also be filled inside sandwich or wraps for a quick fix wholesome meal.

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Malai kofta - healthier version!

alai kofta is an exotic and another classic dish from the northern parts of India.
The cuisine in north India very much reflects the wonderful fusion of Indian, middle eastern and Mughlai styles of cooking and is characterized by its fragrant rich sauces, aromatic spices, saffron, milk and fresh cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, ghee (clarified butter), dry fruits and nuts. 

Malai Kofta is all of the above and more, a delightful vegetarian alternative to meatballs or meat koftas. Malai is hindi for cream and koftas are dumplings made with paneer/Indian cheese, stuffed with nuts and raisins and simmered in a buttery, creamy fragrant sauce. A sinful indulgence and a must have on every Indian restaurant's menu around the world!

I like eating this dish but don't like all the deep frying and cream involved in the recipe. Earlier I used to make it at home often but stopped making it for a long time. My (kofta deprived) hubby used to ask me to make it and I just used to ignore him ;) then one day he was finally able to convince me to make it again but then me being me I tried to make it a little healthier.
So, this 'malai kofta' is sans all the malai and sans the deep frying. I make the koftas in my oven and they turn out very good a big hit without feeling guilty afterwards! Both hubby and I are happy. I now make it almost regularly and he gets to eat his fav malai kofta. For some special occasions I still revert back to the old method, but on a regular basis this one works great. If you like the fried kofta better you can always fry them. But if you are into healthy but tasty eating do try this and you will not be disappointed and see your taste buds falling head over heels in love with this tempting curry!

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Chicken tikka

y brother was here for the weekend and he is the biggest "Chickenaholic" I have ever seen :) He can eat chicken in all its forms for every single meal. Though my husband and I are vegetarians, I make sure to prepare as many chicken dishes for him whenever he visits. It is difficult to make something without tasting it but I take it as a challenge... and my brother (he is a very picky eater) said this is the BEST tikka he has ever eaten... and this came from someone who once thought his pyari sister can never cook anything... hee hee... boy I was so happy! As his birthday is coming up soon, this one is especially for him.

Who is not familiar with the world famous chicken tikka... needs no introduction. I just made it the same way as I make paneer tikka. In place of paneer I used chicken. So here I am giving the recipe for something I have not tasted. Please try it and do let me know how it came out.

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Aloo dum

Aloo dum is my husband's all time favorite dish. He can eat this every day without complaining. Even for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. If I ask him what to make, he will always say, aloo dum and poori! I can not blame him as this is one of the most popular and celebrated recipes in north indian vegetarian cuisine. Every region has its own version, as in Bengal they make alur dom, in Punjab dum wale aloo, in Kashmir kashmiri dahi wale dum aloo and aloo dum in UP and Bihar. These are basically whole baby potatoes simmered in spicy onion, tomato and yogurt based sauce... yumm!!

There are numerous ways to make this, here is my version, again my mom's recipe (bihari aloo dum) modified a little by me. I remember mom making these during winter times with the new teeny-weeny red baby potatoes and they were just out of this world good. Here I don't get those so I just use the regular red baby potatoes. These can also be made using bigger potatoes, just peel and cut them into chunks and use. Also traditionally the recipe calls for deep frying the potatoes but I just shallow fry them using very little oil and they taste just as great, so can be made daily without the guilt. So enjoy the recipe and let me know how it came out.

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