Tandoori Chicken

This is an Indian recipe for chicken that makes your hands glow nuclear orange. It is an easy dish to prepare especially when you have a party or you need something spicy and versatile. Yogurt, one of the main ingredient is mildly acidic and is a great tenderizer in this dish.
Ingredients:
20 chicken drumsticks or any cuts of chicken meat
2 pips minced garlic
1 box tandoori paste (easily bought from Indian grocery stores)
½ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Washed and pat dried the drumsticks. Mix the rest of ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add the drumsticks to marinate for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator.
3. BBQ on the grill on both sides until meat is no longer pink. Serve with rice or salad.
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Kheer

Kheer is Indian for rice pudding and is quite similar to the western rice pudding. It is a traditional Indian dessert made with rice, sugar and cream. It is often flavored with cardamon and other delicate spices. This creamy rice pudding makes a great dessert served either warm or chilled.
Ingredients:
½ cup Basmati rice
4¼ cups of milk
4 cardamons, crushed
4 Tbsp. sugar
some chopped nuts for garnishing
some raisins (optional)
Method:
1. Wash and drain rice well. Bring milk, rice and spices to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer until rice becomes soft and translucent like porridge. Stir occasionally to prevent rice sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add more water or milk if mixture is too dry.
2. Add sugar and raisins (if used). Stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove cardamons before serving. Serve warm and sprinkle chopped nuts on top.
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Indian Flatbread with Potato/Aloo Naan

Naan is a popular leavened flat bread that is served by itself or with any curry sauce. The word, "Aloo" is potato and Aloo Naan is basically bread stuffed with potatoes and spices. It is easy to make at home and you can freeze them for up to a month.
Ingredients:
(Adapted by manjulaskitchen.com)
Potato Filling:
3 medium potatoes, peeled
1 chopped green pepper, seeds removed
1 tsp. cumin powder
½ tsp. mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp. garam masala
½ tsp. chili powder
½ cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2½ Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
¼ tsp. baking soda
¾ cups lukewarm water
Others
¼ cup flour for rolling and dusting
2 tsp. ghee or clarified butter
some oil
a baking or pizza stone for baking
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 500°F with the baking stone on the middle shelf.
2. Add two tablespoon of lukewarm water into a small bowl and sprinkle dry yeast on top. Let it sit undisturbed for about two minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast. Set aside until the mixture becomes frothy. Note: If it does not bubble after five minutes, the yeast is no good as the water is either too hot or too cold. Discard and do it again.
3. In a mixing bowl add sugar, salt, and baking soda to the flour and stir to mix well. Add oil and yogurt and mix to a crumbly dough (the mixture tends to be sticky). Add in the prepared yeast and water (only as needed to form the dough)
4. Knead the dough with your fingers until smooth in texture. Cover with a warm towel and keep in a warm place for 3-4 hours. The dough should double in size and volume.
5. Cut potatoes in halves and steamed them until they are tender and cooked. Remove and let it cool in a bowl. Once potatoes have cooled down, mash it to a fine texture without lumps. Add the rest of the fillings ingredients and season to taste.
6. Gently dust the rolling pin and counter top. Knead the dough for about two minutes and divide the dough into six portions. Divide the fillings into six smaller portions.
7. Roll the dough into a circle and place the potato filling ball in the center. Pull the edges of the dough to wrap the potato filling, pinching the edges to seal. Do the same to the rest of the dough and fillings. Set aside for about 3-4 minutes. Lightly dust one ball and roll it flat to a 5-inch circle. Do the same for the rest of the balls.
8. Turn oven to a high broil. Before putting the bread into the oven, oil the palms of your hands and flip naan between your palms to oil both sides of the bread. Place naan on the baking stone (2-3 at a time depending on the size of the baking stone) Bake for 2-3 minutes until the naan is puffy and golden in color. Remove and brush with ghee or clarified butter. Let the oven heat for another 3 minutes before baking the rest of the bread.
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Cook's Note: Be sure to check the expiration date on the yeast packet as dead yeast will not activate or bubble. The temperature of the water is also important for the yeast to activate. It should be lukewarm (between 110°-115°F), when tested with a thermometer. The water should be just warm to touch, like the temperature you would prepare a baby bottle.

Samosas

A samosa is a deep fried conical shaped turnover filled with potatoes, (peas) and spices. It is a Northern India specialty and is popular as an apertizer or an afternoon snack. Samosas are typically served with freshly made mint sauce and a sweet tamarind-date sauce. It really brings out the full flavor of this wonderful snack. Enjoy!
Ingredients: (Makes about 12)
Adapted and inspired by Manjula'skitchen)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. soji or semolina flour
2 Tbsp. oil
pinch of salt
½ cup lukewarm water
Oil for deep frying (about 48 fl. oz)
Fillings:
4 medium sized red potatoes
½ red onion, minced
½ cup peas
3 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. red chili powder
2 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. Amchur powder (dehydrated mango powder)
2 green chilies, chopped and seeds removed
Method:
1. Peel and pre-cooked potatoes until just tender but firm. Chop into small pieces.
2. In a mixing bowl, add flour, soji, oil and salt and mix well until it resembles fine crumbs. Add in water and knead to form a smooth dough for about 8-10 minutes. Leave in bowl to sit for about 20 minutes.
3. Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. sauté onion and chilies until soft for about 2 minutes, followed by the rest of the spices. Fry until fragrant, add peas and potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

4. Roll dough into a log and divide into six equal portions. Take a portion of the dough and roll into a 5-inch round and cut into half. Take a piece of the half circle and gently moisten with some water around the edges. Take the two corners and shape into a cone. Use your fingers to pinch to seal the edges. Hold the cone between your thumb and fingers (like holding an ice cream cone) and stuff the inside with samosa filling. Pinch and seal the top openings to close the edges and make sure no fillings is poking through the dough. Do the same to the rest of the dough.

5. Heat oil in deep frying pan on high until bubbling, reduce to medium heat. Using a ladle slowly drop 2-3 samosas into the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.Tips: The oil is hot enough when you insert a dry chopstick and it is bubbling at the chopstick tip. It should register between 350 and 375 F. Always add enough oil to submerge the food to be deep-fried, making sure there is enough space at the top of the pot or wok for the oil level to rise when the food is dropped in.

Cook's note: You can freeze uncooked samosas for at least a week. Simply heat oil and fry them.

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Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny is an Indian-inspired curry flavoured soup, which literally means "pepper water" in Tamil. This is my version of a hearty soup, Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
½ fennel bulb, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
¼ cup butter
1¾ tsp. curry powder (2 Tbsp. for spicy)
5 cups chicken broth
1 apple, cored and diced
¼ cup barley, or ¼ cup white rice (rinse with water and drain)
1 bay leaf
pinch of thyme, tarragon
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper
Method:
1. In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onions until soft, add in carrots, celery, fennel and fry for about 5 minutes. Add in curry powder, bay leaf, thyme, tarragon, dried spices, barley or rice, chicken and stock. Stir to and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for about ½ hour.
2. Add in apples and continue to simmer for another 20-25 minutes until rice or barley is cooked. Serve warm.
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Fried Spinach with Potatoes/Aloo Palak

Aloo Palak is basically spinach fried with potatoes and spices. The word, Aloo means potatoes and Palak is spinach. It is a classic Indian dish that is healthy, easy and inexpensive to prepare as a side dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb spinach, fresh or frozen
2 medium or 1 large red potato, peeled and cubed
1 red onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. curry powder
2 small tomato, finely chopped
1 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. cumin powder or 1 tsp. cumin seeds
juice of 1 small fresh lime or lemon
1½ Tbsp. olive oil, ghee, or butter
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. If you are using frozen spinach, thaw them ahead of time. Tear fresh spinach into large pieces and wash them to remove dirt completely.
2. In a pan, heat oil on medium and fry cumin and curry powder until fragrant. Add garlic and onions and stir to cook until the onions starts to caramelized. Add potatoes, tumeric and fry until the spices coat the potatoes and until it starts to brown on all sides. Add the chopped tomatoes, and cook for another 5 minutes at medium heat.
3. Toss in the spinach, give it a quick stir and cover to cook further until the potatoes are cooked and the spinach has wilted and not overcooked. Increase heat and toss the mixture until water has evaporates and spinach starts to stick to the pan. Remove from heat, cover the pan and let the heat settle inside the pan. Serve with a drizzle of lime or lemon juice on top. Serve with rice or flat bread.
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Mango Chutney

This pickle is a full of flavor and is great with almost any dish. I love it with plain rice or toast. The ones that you normally buy at the Indian stores are a bit salty for my taste. I prefer to make them whenever mangoes are in season. They keep well in refrigerator and also wonderful to give as gifts.

Ingredients:
2 green unripe mangoes, (peeled, and diced in small cubes)
4 Tbsp. Agave Nectar (or brown sugar)
½ tsp. salt
½ cup brown rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. raisins
Spices A:
3 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 red chilles
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. fennel
1 tsp. coriander
½ tsp. turmeric powder
1 Tbsp. oil
Spices B:
2 cloves
1 small piece cinnamon stick
2 star anise
2 cardamon pods, lightly crushed
Method:
1. Blend Spices A till fine. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and fry spices till fragrant on medium heat. Add Spices B and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add vinegar, sugar, mangoes, and raisin. Cover and simmer on low for about 1/2 hour until the mangoes are soft. Season to taste. When cool, keep in refrigerator for about 2 weeks.
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