Lentils with Sweet Potatoes

Urad Dal with Sweet Potatoes

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup kalai dal (urad dal)*

1 sweet potato or 1/4 pumpkin, peeled, diced and soaked in water

6-8 plum tomatoes, cut in half

2 Tbsp. extra light olive oil

½ tsp. shah jeera or cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

2 tsp. ginger paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp. ghee or melted butter

2–3 green chilies, left whole

Directions:

1. Wash lentils until water runs clear.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and star anise.
3. When cumin starts to sizzle, add sweet potatoes and tomatoes and stir.
4. Add lentils and ginger paste and cook until lentils are tender.
5. Blend with an immersion blender and adjust salt to taste.
6. Garnish with ghee and whole green chilies.
7. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed rice or tortillas.

* The urad dal may be replaced with channa or toor dal.

Fried Cabbage with Shrimp

Bandha Kopi Chingri Mach

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cabbage, shredded

18-20 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

6-8 baby potatoes, cut in eighths

3 Tbsp. extra light olive oil

½ tsp. shah jeera or cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise
1 tsp. Kashmiri mirch or chili powder

2 tsp. ginger paste

1 tsp. garlic paste

2 medium onions, sliced

6-8 plum tomatoes, cut in half

Salt to taste

1 tsp. Ghee or melted Butter
½ tsp. Bengali garam masala (ground cinnamon, cardamom and cloves)

2 – 3 green chilies, left whole

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat and fry shrimp until pink.
2. Remove shrimp and set aside.
3. Heat oil in same pan and add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick & star anise.
4. When cumin starts to sizzle, brown the sliced onions.
5. Add cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, ginger & garlic pastes, chili powder and salt.
6. Stir well, cover & cook cabbage over medium heat until it turns golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes.
7. Adjust salt to taste and return fried shrimp to pan.
8. Cook for 5 more minutes, garnish with ghee, garam masala and whole green chilies.
9. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with steamed rice or tortillas.

Minty Ground Chicken Curry

Minty Chicken Keema Curry

 

 

 

 

Servings: 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

  Cooking time: 20 minutes

  Ingredients

1 lb. ground chicken

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

3 Tbsp. mint-cilantro chutney (used for pani poori)

2 + 2 Tbsp. cooking oil

8-10 curry leaves

1 tsp. garam masala powder (see note below)

Salt to taste

2 Tbsp. crisply fried onions

2 heaped tsp. garlic paste

1½ tsp. ginger paste

¼ tsp. black mustard seeds

1 star anise

1 stick cinnamon

4 green chilies, sliced

Method

1. Marinate chicken for 30 minutes in salt, yogurt, mint-cilantro chutney, crushed fried onions, garlic and ginger pastes and 2 Tbsp. oil.
2. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, chilies, star anise, cinnamon and curry leaves.
3. As soon as mustard seeds sizzle, add chicken along with marinade and stir thoroughly.
4. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
5. Add peas, cook 2 minutes, sprinkle with garam masala & transfer to serving dish.

Serve with steamed rice, roti or paratha.

Note:

• Mint-cilantro chutney (a.k.a. pudina chutney) may be prepared at home or purchased from an Indian grocery store.
• Garam masala in Bengali households comprises 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms and 3 cloves that are roasted and ground to a fine powder.

Baby Potatoes in Poppy Seed Sauce

Alu Posto

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. white poppy seeds (posto)

1 cup water

3 Tbsp. extra light olive oil

½ tsp. nigella seeds (kalo jeera/kalonji)

1 lb. baby potatoes, cut in half

2 tsp. ginger paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp.ghee or melted butter

2-3 green chilies, left whole

Directions:

1.   Boil potatoes for 15 minutes, drain, peel and quarter each half segment.

2.   Boil a cup of water in microwave, pour over poppy seeds in a bowl. Set aside to cool and soften.

3.   Puree the poppy seeds, water, some salt and a green chili until it reaches the consistency of a thick     sauce.

4.   Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add nigella seeds.

5.   When the seeds begin to sizzle, add potatoes, ginger paste and salt.

6.   Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.

7.   Add pureed poppy seeds and stir until well combined.

8.   Cook for 5 minutes until the sauce reduces and just coats the potatoes.

9.   Garnish with ghee & whole green chilies and transfer to a serving dish.

Note:

• The potatoes can be replaced with several other vegetables, such as eggplant, cauliflower, potatoes, zucchini, ridge gourd (jhinge), sweet potatoes, or pumpkin, etc.