Menu created and dinner hosted by J and K
From "Quick and Easy Indian Cooking", by Madhur Jaffrey
Soothing and satisfying, this could be made with peeled, fresh, ripe mangoes or with good canned ones. Drain the canned mangoes before using them.
From "Menus and Memories from Punjab", by Veronica "Rani" Sidhu
This is the most popular Punjabi dessert. Please taste it to ensure that it is sweet enough for you and your family. If not, add more sugar. Use rose flavor or extract, usually found behind the cashier in the Indian grocery store. Don't substitute rose water.
Yield: 10 1/2 cup servings
2) Add the almonds, heavy cream, and sugar and cook and stir over low heat for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rose flavor, if using. Mixture will be slightly runny but will thicken as it cools. If it is not thick enough to your liking, you can always transfer it to a glass bowl and heat it in the microwave for several more minutes. Garnish with reserved nuts.
3) Variation: To make Mango Rice Pudding (Amb Kheer) stir in 1 cup mango puree to the pudding after removing from the heat. Do not use rose flavor.
from "Wondermasala.com"
2) Drain all the water and pressure cook the chana with 3 cups of water. The level of water should be just enough to cover the chole. Add the tea bag and 1 teaspoon of salt. You can also make your own tea bag by adding 3 teaspoons of black tea in a muslin cloth and tie it like a potli.
3) Pressure cook till the chana is cooked and tender. Discard the tea bag and keep the chana aside in a bowl.
4) Heat a wide pan or kadhai on a medium flame, add mustard oil and ghee followed by cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, bay leaf, stir it. Add the onions, saute it till soft and light brown.
5) Now add tomato puree and simmer it for 3 - 4 mins.
6) Spice it up with Wonder Mera Wala Chhole Masala, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and cook for 2 mins for the masalas to blend nicely.
7) Finally add the chana in the pan. Stir it gently. Mash a spoonful of chana to thicken the gravy. Add little water, if it looks dry.
8) Cover the pan and simmer it for for 8-10 mins and it's ready!
9) Garnish the Amritsari Chhole with chopped coriander leaves
From "Menus and Memories from Punjab", by Veronica "Rani" Sidhu
I know that only a tandoor will give me exactly what I want—a bread that is chewy on the bottom, tender in the middle, and charred on the top. But this comes very, very close and you can make it at home! The dough may be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for a day or two. But then it will take longer to warm to room temperature and to rise. Best made on the barbecue grill.
Yield: 8 breads
2) In a large bowl fluff the flour, salt, and baking powder with a fork. Then with a wooden spoon, make a well in the flour. Pour the yeast mixture and yogurt in the center all at once, and begin stirring in one direction from the center out, trying to incorporate all the flour.
3) Oil your hand and begin kneading the dough until elastic—about 5 minutes. The motion is to scrape the dough from the bottom and sides of the bowl and fold it as you turn the bowl with your other hand in one direction. When you are finished, the dough should be in a very smooth ball and leave your hand and the bowl. Remove dough from bowl, wash and dry the bowl, and replace the ball of dough. Roll the dough in some oil or ghee and cover with a cloth. Leave in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 3 hours (depending on room temperature), until the dough is light.
4) With a dough scraper (if you have it), divide the dough in half. Take those halves and divide each into four equal parts. You will have eight balls. Oil your hands with a little oil and roll each ball between your palms until smooth. Flatten the balls in some loose flour and lightly flour a flat surface. With a rolling pin, roll out circles of dough as flat as possible. Put a few of them on a cookie sheet sprayed with oil or on the clean counter or table. Cover with a clean, slightly damp towel(s) and let rest for 5 minutes as you roll out a few more. Then stretch the naan into a teardrop shape about 8 inches wide at the top and 7 inches long.
Three ways to grill the breads:
1) On the barbecue grill: Preheat the grill to 450°F. Put the stretched breads on indirect heat and close the lid for a minute. Open the lid and move them to direct heat until that side is brown and the top bubbly. Repeat with the other side. Remove from heat and brush with ghee or butter. Eat immediately (best) or wrap in a clean tea-towel.
2) On the griddle: Preheat the griddle to medium-high. Place a naan that you have stretched on the griddle. When bubbles form on the top, turn it over. Keep turning until the bread is cooked through and browned in spots. Remove from heat and brush with ghee or butter. Continue with remaining dough circles.
3) In the oven: Remove the racks. Preheat the oven and a baking stone or tiles lining the bottom of the oven to 500°F (will take 30 minutes). Sprinkle the baking stone with coarse cornmeal. Place the naan on the stone (you may have room to bake only two at a time). Place in oven and bake until bottoms are cooked (2 to 3 minutes). Turn over and repeat. Remove from the oven with tongs and wrap in a clean towel. Repeat with the other naans. If the naans have not browned, replace the top rack of the oven, turn on the broiler, turn the naan over and broil on the top shelf for less than a minute to ensure it is browned. Keep warm in a clean towel until all are done. Brush with ghee. Serve immediately.
from "Menus and Memories from Punjab", by Veronica "Rani" Sidhu
Some Punjabi cooks don't use tomato or cumin in a variation of this recipe and they puree the spinach before adding the cheese, but we love it this way, making it taste very different from saag. Add cayenne pepper to taste if you wish a hotter product. Suit yourself!
Note: For an extra challenge, you may make the cheese. Alternately the 7 oz can be purchased from Costco, or from the dairy case of your Indian market (or equivalent), and cut into cubes. Fry the purchased cheese. You can substitute this for the homemade cheese and skip the first step of the recipe below.
Yield 10 Servings (6 CUPS)
1) To make the paneer cheese**: Drain the ricotta in a colander lined with a cloth napkin for several hours in the sink. Cover a counter with a large piece of plastic wrap. Place several layers of folded newspaper on the plastic. On a large enough tea towel or cotton cheese- cloth spread the ricotta 6x9x1 inch and smoothly fold the tea towel or cloth over it so as not to allow the cheese to escape or to make wrinkles in the cheese after pressing. Put several more layers of newspaper on top and then a cutting board on top of that. Put a heavy weight on top of the board (a pot filled with water works well) and press the cheese overnight. Cut the cheese into 1-inch squares. You may use as is, or fry the squares in batches in hot oil until lightly brown on all sides. Remove and drain on paper towels.
2) To make the vegetable: Heat a large wok and add the 3 tablespoons oil. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute until lightly brown. Add the spices and salt and cook for about 1 minute. Add one at a time the chile pepper, fenugreek, tomato, and tomato sauce, stir-frying for a few seconds after each addition. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until the oil rises to the surface, then add the spinach. Saute for 2 or 3 minutes, then lower heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes if using frozen spinach, 15 minutes if using fresh spinach. Stir occasionally, check for moisture, and add 1/2 cup water if needed.
3) Ten minutes before serving add the paneer and garam masala, carefully folding them into the spinach. Cover and cook over the lowest heat. Top each serving with a little melted ghee if desired.
* If using fresh spinach, soak, rinse, drain, remove all tough stems and tear into smaller pieces. Put into a large container in the microwave and heat on high until wilted down enough to add to the sauté pan or wok.
** Paneer, the most common Indian form of cheese, may be made ahead and frozen; so to save time (and oil) I always make two or three times the recipe. Soak about 21/2 cups frozen, fried paneer in warm water and drain before using it in this recipe.
From "Menus and Memories from Punjab", by Veronica "Rani" Sidhu
Yield: 10 cups
For the chicken:
For the sauce:
Garnishes:
2 tablespoons sliced cilantro leaves
Sliced almonds
1) With kitchen scissors, clip the visible fat from the chicken. Cut into even pieces 11/2x 1 V2-inches. Place the chicken in a bowl of cold water mixed with 3 teaspoons salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Mix the yogurt or sour cream, tandoori chicken masala, ginger, and garlic in a large bowl. Add the thoroughly rinsed and drained chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator while preparing the sauce.
2) Make the sauce: Heat a medium saucepan and then melt the ghee. Stir in the cumin seeds and heat for 5 seconds. Add the garam masala, onions, garlic, and ginger and saute until browned. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, fenugreek leaves, if using, almonds, salt, and brown sugar. Saute, stirring for 10 minutes and then remove from heat. Using an immersion hand mixer puree the mixture, or puree the sauce in a blender. Return the pureed sauce to the pot and simmer over a medium flame for 6 minutes until sauce reduces.
3) Preheat the broiler or grill. Broil or grill chicken pieces far enough apart to brown, not stew (you will need to do this in batches). Pour off the juice from the broiler pan into the sauce part way through cooking. Return to the broiler until some brown appears and chicken is just cooked through. Repeat until all the pieces are broiled. Set the chicken aside for 5 minutes and then cut each piece in half.
4) Add the chicken to the reduced sauce and cook and stir for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Blend in the cream at the last minute, cover, and simmer until gently heated through. Taste for seasoning and garnish with cilantro and sliced almonds before serving.
Tandoori Asparagus. (Spicy Grilled Asparagus), from "Ajanta ", By Lachu Moorjani
Yield: 4-6 servings
1.Wash asparagus and let dry. Remove the fibrous, inedible part from the bottom of the asparagus by breaking it off.
2. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large 6- to 8-quart bowl (John recommends a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag instead). Add asparagus and toss gently by hand to coat (John shakes it well in the bag). Marinate for about 2 hours.
3. Grill in a grill basket over 400-450° until tender
