Red Lentils Soup with Fenugreek and Garlic in 15 mins!

One of the quickest soups with tons of flavour. I boiled a cup of red lentils in water with a teaspoon of turmeric powder. Whilst this was boiling, I finely chopped half an onion, four cloves of garlic and a little piece of ginger. Heated a small pan with a tbsp of oil and a tsp of roasted cumin seeds, added the chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Once these were light golden in colour, added a tbsp of tomato paste as well as a large table spoon of water to cool down the cooking.

Add a couple of tablespoons of dried fenugreek leaves, salt and pepper directly into the boiling lentils along with a tsp of garam masala. Stir in the onion mixture as soon as that is ready; cover and let the soup cook for about 5 minutes or until the lentils are done. For a thicker texture, using a potato masher, lightly mash the lentils.

I like my lentil soup with a couple of tablespoons of greek yogurt but my husband prefers a large knob of butter on top. (as shown in picture).

Simple and delicious and I have lots left over for tomorrow when I will turn this soup into something else! What you say? Lets wait and see what tomorrow brings 😉 Lentils are amazing and can be transformed into a number of things. I love leftover lentils as I can use them in so many different ways. They are even delicious in a toasted sandwich!

Samosas and ketchup

Home made Samosas with spicy ketchup

There’s something so addictive about samosas, specially freshly fried home made samosas drizzled with imli chutney and ketchup. Finger licking delicious and spicy, followed by a sweet cup of chai.

I made some Vegetarian samosas (Potatoes and peas) as well as Lamb with Peas.

For some reason, my food pictures were not coming out very clear so I decided to so some research on taking food pictures, and hope these are a lot clearer now.

Marinated Paneer (Tikka Style)

 

Paneer Tikka

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:-
1 packet of store bought Paneer (375g) – cut into 1.5inch cubes
1 cup of thick yogurt (drain the water by keeping the yogurt in a sieve for a little while)
1 tbsp Tandoori masala
1 tsp garam masala
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp Kasoori Methi / Dried Fenugreek leaves (roughly crush them by hand, to separate the thick dried stem bits, if any!)
Red chilli powder (optional and to taste)
2 Finely chopped Green chillis / or green chilli paste (see recipe under spice mixes)
1 tbsp ginger paste 
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 green peppers, cubed into 1.5 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, cubed to match the size of the peppers and paneer

Method:-

1.  First prepare the marinate, by combining all the spices into the yogurt, then add the lemon juice and olive oil.

2. Blend the marinate together and pour into a large zip lock bag.

3. First add the Paneer to the marinate, mix together and then add the peppers and the onions to the bag too.

4. Zip up the bag and place in fridge for at least over night, but preferably for 24 hours.

5. Pour the contents of the bag into a large bowl, roughly mix together using your hands, but be very careful as the paneer will be very delicate and all plumped up by the marinate.

6. Either use a skewer and grill the vegetables on a BBQ or on an indoor grill.

7. I could not find any bamboo skewers at home when I made these, so I used a non-stick griddle pan that I lightly sprayed with oil and cooked them for a couple of minutes on each side, and browned the peppers and onions without letting them lose their crunch.

Paneer Tikka

Serve with a spicy mint chutney, or coriander chutney or even tamarind chutney.

Variation for kids –  I made a toasted sandwich out of these and used a Ranch dressing for my 7 year old and he adored the sandwich!

Spinach and Yellow Lentils

 One of my cheating recipes, that always tricks those who don’t like to eat Spinach or those who don’t like lentils.
Always a favourite!

Spinach with Yellow Toor Dal

Ingredients:-
1 packet of frozen Concentrate Spinach Masala (see recipe)
2 cups of Toor Daal Lentils (Yellow Lentils)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp Turmeric powder
Salt, pepper and chilli to taste
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds

Method:-
1. Wash the lentils and put them in a large pot to boil, with enough water to cover them by 2 inches
2. Add the turmeric to this, but do not add salt.
3. Bring the lentils to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let them cook until they are nice and soft.
4. Open a packet of the Concentrated Spinach Masala and add to the Dal.
5. In a small frying pan, heat the oil, add the cumin and cook these till they start sizzling. I sometimes add a tbsp of tomato paste to this too as I like a tomatoey taste in my lentils.
6. Add the salt, garam masala and pepper to the dal, and let this cook for another 10 mins just for everything to come together.
7. Alternatively, pour the dal into an ovenproof dish and let this cook in the oven for 10-15 mins at 275F.

Concentrated Spinach Masala

I make a large batch of concentrated Spinach, and pack them into small food bags – one ladle / karchi of Spinach masala in each.  Whenever I feel like adding a bit of spinach to a dish, I just take one little food bag out and pop it in.  I am writing up some of my spinach masala dishes on the blog, to show how simple it becomes to make delicious dishes once you have this concentrate ready at hand.

Even when you have guests coming, it can liven up a plain dish in no time, and everyone would think you had been slaving over the stove all day 😉

I should have taken a picture when I made the concentrate, but it completely slipped my mind. I have taken a picture of one of the little food bags full of Spinach masala instead, which shows the quantity in each bag.

Packet of Frozen Spinach Masala

Ingredients:-
Spinach – 5 frozen blocks of chopped spinach or 3 cans of chopped spinach
1 large bunch of fresh spinach – finely chopped
4 medium onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp tomato puree/ paste
3 cups crushed tomatoes (I use the tins or if using fresh, use 4 cups crushed fresh tomatoes)
4-6 green chillies, finely chopped (to taste)
1 tsp Deghi Mirch powder (Red pepper powder – not paprika!)
1 tbsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste – use very small amount as once the Spinach condenses, the salt might get stronger
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp Meat Curry masala (I used MDH)
3 tbsp oil
1/4-1/2 cup of Butter
1 tbsp cumin seeds

Method

1. If using frozen spinach blocks, let these defrost in a bowl for a couple of hours before cooking. Do not drain the water out.
2. Take a large pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. Once they start sizzling, add the onions and the green chillies, if you are using them.
3. Once the onions are light golden/ caramelised lightly, add the ginger paste and continue cooking.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, keep stirring and cooking as you add the remaining ingredients. Let the tomatoes blend in with the tomatoes, before adding the tomato paste.
5. It should look like a thick paste, now reduce the heat to low and add the canned or frozen spinach.
6. Mix it all in quite rigorously and add the spices.
7. Increase the heat to a medium and cook until the spinach starts to bubble on the sides.
8. Reduce the heat, cover and leave this to cook for at least 2 hours on very low heat.
9. Alternatively, you can put the pot in the oven (if its oven proof!) and let this cook on 250F for 3-4 hours.
10. I like to use the Slow cooker / Crockpot, and I leave this to cook on low heat over night.
11. If cooking in the pot, make sure you check it every 20-30 mins to check its not sticking at the bottom.
12. The purpose is to dry out the entire moisture, and this spinach will go really dark green in colour and thicken up a lot.
13. Once the moisture has dried out, add the butter. You will notice the spinach has come away from the pot by this time.
14. Let this masala cool down, and freeze in small sandwich size freezer bags. Individual portions go a very long way with this.

Simple Potatoes with Fenugreek leaves

Extremely simple recipe but tastes delicious, every time!

Simple Potatoes with fenugreek leaves

Perfect with Rice and some plain yogurt raita.

Ingredients:-
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium sized onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp tomato puree/ paste
1 tsp garam masala
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 Green chilli, finely chopped (according to taste/ optional) OR
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce (it tastes wonderful with these potatoes!)
1.5 heaped tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp Kasoori Methi / Dried Fenugreek leaves
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp Mango powder / Amchoor (optional,  or replace with 1/4 tsp of lemon juice)

Method:-
1. Heat the oil in a pan, and add the cumin seeds. Once these start sizzling, add the chopped onions and the green chilli if using it. Cook the onions until they are translucent in colour and lightly caramelised.

2. Add the spices and seasonings at this point, but not the fenugreek leaves.

3. Stir in the tomato paste and 1/2 a cup of water. Stir and add in another cup of water. Let this cook for a minute or two before adding in the fenugreek leaves, followed by the potatoes.

4. Add more water, about 1/2 an inch above the potatoes, cover the pot and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are medium soft.

5. If you are using the Tabasco, add the Tabasco once the potatoes are done.

Perfect as a Side dish or a Main dish.
Can garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Cabbage and Peas

This is one of my Mum’s recipes, and whilst it wasn’t my favourite dish as a kid, it seems to have grown on me over the years. 

Combination:-
This is a lovely side dish, and is also perfect for a light summer lunch with some freshly made Chapattis, Salad and Raita

Leftovers:-
1. In a Panini with some chopped onions
2. Blitz it in a food processor and make ‘Missi’ rotis for breakfast
3. Turn it into a Veg Biryani made with leftovers (will post recipe if you want)

Ingredients:-
SERVES 4 – 8

1 small – medium size cabbage (not Savoy or any of the fancy ones)
2-3 cups frozen peas (according to taste, as I like a lot of peas)
3 medium onions, finely chopped
2-4 green chillies, finely chopped (according to taste)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste / purée
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp veg masala
1 tbsp salt (to taste)
1 tbsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp turmeric powder / haldi
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp cumin / coriander mix powder
1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped or 1/2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves (optional – to garnish)
2-3 tbsp cooking oil (sunflower / canola/ odourless vegetable)

Method:-

1. Chop the cabbage into half an inch squares. The tougher bits need to be chopped slightly thinner as they will take much longer to cook than the thinner part of the leaves.
2. In a large pot, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. Cook for 30 seconds, and add the fresh ginger and green chillies (if using).
3. Let these cook for about 1 minute and add the finely chopped onions. Keep an eye on these, as they might stick to the bottom, so stir them from time to time. If they are too sticky, just sprinkle a few drops of water and keep stirring them.
4. These should take about 5 minutes to turn to a very light golden colour and at this point, turn the heat down and add the tomatoes and the paste.
5. Stir these into the onion mix, and add the dried spices including the dried fenugreek leaves. Add about 1/2 cup of water to this mix. Cover and let these cook for about 5 minutes on low heat.
6. I like to use a potato masher, halfway through the cooking process to lightly crush the chopped tomatoes, to help them blend in together.
7. Add the frozen peas and the chopped cabbage. Mix these in carefully. It will look quite bulky, but the cabbage will reduce a lot as it cooks.
8. Sprinkle half a cup of water and cover the pot. Let the steam cook the cabbage and peas for the next 20 minutes.
9. Stir the cabbage at 5 minute intervals to make sure it is not sticking at the bottom. If it is, just sprinkle a little bit of water. 
10. Serve hot and garnish with the fresh coriander.  

Chunky Eggplant with Tomatoes & Onions

This is one of my favourites. I love the chunkiness of this dish and you will want to make this again and again!

Chunky Eggplant

Perfect combinations:- 

Home made Chapatti /Roti or Naan bread and an Onion salad 

Leftovers:- 
The eggplant tastes even nicer the following day with any form of bread ! 

Cooking time: 1 hour 

Ingredients:- 

SERVES 4-6 

1 large chunky Eggplant – wash and cut into cubes, with the skin on 
3 medium size onions – cut into chunks, similar size as the eggplant 
5 cups chopped tomatoes 
2 green chillies, finely chopped (optional) 
Salt and black pepper to taste 
2 tbsp Garam masala 
1 tsp turmeric powder 
Cooking oil 
1 tbsp cumin seeds 
1 tbsp coriander seeds – lightly crushed in mortar and pestle or use 1 tbsp coriander powder if you don’t have the seeds 

Method:- 

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. Spread the eggplant on a large baking sheet / tray and lightly spray with a bit of cooking oil.  Just to lightly coat the skin and bake these in the oven for about 20 mins, until the outer skin gets slightly crispy and light brown.   
3. In a cooking pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the cumin seeds and the coriander seeds.  As soon as they start sizzling add the green chillies and cook for 30 seconds before stirring in the chopped onions. 
4. Let the onions cook until golden brown and add the tomatoes at this stage, along with all the other spices. Cook until the tomatoes soften slightly, about 5 minutes and if it starts to stick at the bottom, add in about a couple of tbsp of water. 
5. Add the roasted eggplant and lower the heat to the lowest possible. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and if it starts sticking at the bottom, add 1/2 cup water. 
6. Serve hot with some fresh Chapattis, Rotis or Naan breads.

Potatoes with Peas (Aloo Peas)

An all time favourite dish, loved by everyone and is always a hit with the kids. This is a very comforting dish, and that reminds us of our parents and grandparents.  I have tried to keep it simple, just the way my Mum does, but you would need to stir in a bit of motherly love for it to have that taste.

Mum style Potatoes with Peas

Perfect combination: Has got to be with Cumin rice, Raita and a Cucumber/ Onion salad (and spicy mango pickle!!)
However, it will taste just as nice with boiled rice, a chapatti or a naan.

Leftovers? a vegetable pulao, or for breakfast in the morning with some buttered toast. For the experienced cook, put this through the blender and make some lovely ‘Missi roti’ (I will post the recipe if you want me to)

Time 20 mins (plus time to parboil the potatoes)

Ingredients:-

SERVES 4-6

Potatoes – 6 medium size potatoes (see pic); parboiled 75%  
Onions – 2 medium size cooking onions; chopped finely
Cumin & Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp each
Oil – 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1.5 tsp
Dried Fenugreek Leaves – 1 tbsp
Cold masala or Veg garam masala – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
Tomato Paste or Puree – 1/2 cup (or 2 cups freshly chopped plum tomatoes)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Green chillies or red chilli powder – to taste
A Jug of fresh cold water

Method:-

1. Parboil the potatoes upto 75% cooked point, and drain the water. I check them with a fork, to see if it can be comfortably inserted in the potato, and then turn off the heat.  Drain the water and rinse them in cold water to stop them from cooking any more. Peel and cut into 1 inch cubes. If there are some mashed up ones, thats ok, they help make thicken the gravy.
2. In a non stick pot, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. Crush the coriander seeds lightly to break them up in a mortar and pestel; add to the pot along with the chopped onions. Cook until golden brown in colour
3.  Add all the dried spices onto the onion mix and stir. It will feel a little bit sticky, so pour in about a 1/4 cup of water and keep stirring. It is important to add the water to these spices before they start turning black and burning, and this also helps keep that ‘burnt masala smell’ out of the kitchen!
4. Add the tomato paste at this point, or the fresh tomatoes and stir this in. If using the paste, add another cup of water to the mix and you will find it is beginning to look like a thick curry paste now (see pic).
5. Stir in the frozen peas and the potatoes, and pour in enough water to just cover the vegetables. Mix it well, making sure not to break the potatoes too much.
6. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes. At this point, I like to add some chopped fresh coriander (if I have any) or even a teaspoon of Chaat masala to this, for that little added flavour.
7. Serve hot with some rice, raita and salad for a wholesome comforting meal.

Alternative serving options and variations:-

1. This works really well as a side dish for a buffet style dinner if you have company
2. You can add some lightly fried / sauted julienned fresh ginger to this, specially in the winter, it gives it an added ‘warmth’.
3. If you like it spicy, add some chopped green chillies to the onion mix or add red chilli powder to taste.
4. My mum’s idea of stirring in love to this dish, is by adding a heaped tablespoon of clarified butter / ghee right at the end once its cooked ….believe me when I say, that it transforms the dish 😉