Cook It Up With Saanams

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Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped Half inch ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• Half tsp chilli powder
• Half tsp garam masala
• 1 tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 tin of chick peas, 400-500gms, drained and rinsed
• 1.5 tbsp of sunflower oil
• 1 cup water
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil and when hot add the chopped onion. Fry on a high heat until it is translucent.
2. Then add the ginger and garlic and fry until the whole mixture starts turning brown.
3. Add all the masala powders, bar the garam masala. Fry for five minutes on high and then add half a cup of water. The masala mixture will bubble up. Let it cook until the water dries up.
4. Then add the chopped tomato and fry for five minutes until the tomatoes disintegrate. When they do, lower the flame and simmer for 5 minutes until you can see the oil coming out from the sides of the mixture. It may not come through little holes in the mixture because of its thickness. When the oil shows up, add the rinsed chick peas.
5. Give it a good stir, add the remaining water, the garam masala powder and simmer until you can see oil appearing on the surface of the gravy and the mixture starts smelling of chick peas rather than pungent masalas.
6. Add salt to taste.

Chana Masala

Ingrediants:

• 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
• 2 cups thinly sliced celery (3 1/2 medium stalks)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
• 1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 bottle (12 oz) teriyaki baste and glaze
• 2 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
• 3 cups chow mein noodles

Method:

1. In nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is cooked through and no pink remains. Stir in celery and bell pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender; drain.
2. Stir water chestnuts and teriyaki glaze into beef mixture. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot and bubbly. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in coleslaw mix. Serve over noodles.

Ground Beef Chow Mein

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram of Chicken (cut into pieces)
• 3 large Tomatoes (finely sliced)
• 4 medium Onions (peeled & finely sliced)
• 6 Green Chillies (Hari Mirch) (more or less may be used depending on taste preference.)
• 1 ½ tsp. Fennel Seeds (Sounf)
• 1 ½ tsp. Mustard Seeds (Rai)
• 1 ½ tsp. Cumin Seeds (Sufaid Zeera)
• 1 ½ tsp. Nigella Seeds (Kalonji)
• Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch) (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• ¼ tsp. Turmeric Powder (Pisi Haldi)
• 1 tbsp. Ginger Paste (Pisi Adrak)
• 1 tbsp. Garlic Paste (Pisa Lehsan)
• 250 grams of Plain Yogurt
• Lemon Juice (of 1 large lemon)
• 2 tbsp. of Cooking Oil

Method
1. Heat oil in a heavy based pan on medium heat. Add onions and fry (stirring occasionally) until golden brown. Add tomatoes and saute until they are well soft.
2. Add in the chicken pieces, plain yogurt , ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix and cover pot and let it cook on low heat until the chicken is half done.
3. Seperately put a frying pan on stove on medium heat and roast the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and nigella seeds in a dry pan. (Do not use oil.) Roast these seeds until the cumin turns brown.
4. Take 2 teaspoons of this roasted mixture and set it aside. Grind the rest of it in a grinder to a fine powder. Then add the turmeric powder to this grinded powder and make it into a thick paste by adding the lemon juice. Now stuff this paste into the green chillies and set them aside.
5. Add the remaining paste to the chicken and sprinkle the roasted mixture over the chicken and further cook the chicken until it is well done. Then add the stuffed chillies to the chicken and cook on very low heat for another 5 minutes.

Achari Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 cups   whole wheat flour

• 1/2 cup  moong daal

• 1/2 cup channa daal

• 1 cup minced meat

• 3 cardamoms crushed

• 6 peppercorns

• 4 cloves

• 1/2 tsp cummin seeds

• ½ tsp Garam masala

• 2-3  Finely cut green chillies

• Oil for frying

• salt to taste

Instructions
1. Soak the daals overnight.
2. Drain and grind to make a paste.
3. Rub a little ghee into the flour and salt. Gradually mix in enough water to make stiff dough.
5. Grind the cloves, peppercorns, cardamoms and cummin seeds.
6. Heat a teaspoon of ghee and fry the daal paste, ground masala and salt. Then fry minced meat adding a bit of salt, garam masala and green chillies to it.
7. Knead the flour dough and divide into balls. Flatten and put in a portion of daal and minced meat filling.
8. Close up and roll out into thick round puris.
9. Deep fry in oil till it bgins to turn golden.
Note: Serve with any kind of chutney

Kachoris

Ingredients
1 liter of milk (or 2 cups of powder milk dissolved in 12 cups of water)
4 tbs. sugar
5-6 green cardamom (Chhoti Ilaichi) seeds
¼ cup chopped pistachios (Pistay)
½ cup chopped coconut (Narial)-dried
½ cup chopped almond (Badam)
¼ cup raisins (Kishmish)
¼ cup chopped dried dates (Chhuwaray)
1 hand full of vermicelli (sewayyan)
1 tsp. Kewra essence

Instructions
1. Wash the dry fruit and soak in a little milk for 3-4 hours.
2. In a pot add milk, sugar and ilaichi seeds and simmer on low heat until it starts to thicken.
3. Add the vermicelli and keep cooking till it softens.
4. Add the presoaked dry fruit and cook for 5 minutes and just before removing from heat add the kewra essence.
5, Can be served hot or chilled.

Ingredients
6 cups maida (white flour)
6 tsp. milk powder
200 grm. oil or margarine
1 cup evaporated milk
6 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
3 tsp. yeast

Instructions
1. Mix all the ingredients and knead into a dough.
2. Cover with a damp cloth and leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
3. Then divide it evenly into 12 parts.
4. Roll out into flat chapati which is as thick as a pizza crust. You may roll out the dough round or length wise. (it’s optional to sprinkle kalonji or till (sesame) on it)
5. Bake in oven at 350* F (that’s Gas Mark #4) till light brown.

Note: Can also be frozen after baking for later use.

Naan

Ingredients
2 cups milk powder
1 egg
1 tsp. oil
1 tbs. white flour (maida)
½ tbs. semolina (suji)
2 tsp baking powder
oil for deep frying

Syrup:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
4-5 green cardamom (Chhoti Ilaichi)
Few drops of Kewra essence

Instructions
1. First make the syrup by dissolving sugar in water.
2. Add the illicit seeds and cook till it starts to boil.
3. Remove from heat and keep syrup aside.
4. Mix together the rest of the ingredients into a dough and make into small balls (makes about 32-36) and deep fry until brown.
5. Add to the syrup and serve.

Gulab Jamun

Ingredients

1 lb. tender lamb, cut into cubes
1 stick cinnamon
23 cloves
12 cardammom
4 green chillies, chopped
2 large onions, cut into cubes
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp dhania (coriander)powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1 cup curd (yoghurt)
1 pod garlic
1″ piece ginger
4 tbsp ghee/oil
23 tsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Powder 1/2 the cinamon stick, 1 clove and 1 cardommom.
2. Mix with some salt and rub this on the lamb.
3. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Pressure cook the lamb til soft.
5. Drain and set aside.
6. In 1 tbsp ghee, fry the green chillies,1/2 a
7. sliced onion, poppy seeds, ginger and garlic.
8. When the onion turns translucent, remove, drain and blend to a smooth paste with the curd and remaining cinamon, clove and cardammom.
9. Heat the remaining ghee and saute the onion cubes.
10. When the onion turns translucent, add the blended paste and fry till the oil starts leaving the sides of the masala.
11. Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry for another couple of minutes.
12. Add the chilli powder, sugar, dhania, cumin and turmeric powders and fry for another 30 secs.
12. Remove from heat and mix in the cooked lamb and salt to taste.
13. Add some water if the dish is too dry and heat through.
14. If the meat was not fully cooked before, it should in this step.
15. To do this, sprinkle some water and cook covered on a low flame till the lamb is soft and has absorbed most of the masala.
16. Serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Ingredients

Boneless chicken, cut into 3″ strips 1/2 kg
Chilli garlic sauce 2 tbsp
Hot sauce 2 tbsp
Garlic paste 2 tsp
Bread crumbs 3 1/2 cups
Paprika powder 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Batter

White flour 1 cup
Milk 1/2 litre
Water 1 cup
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix chilli garlic sauce, hot sauce, garlic paste and salt.
2. Mix well and marinate the chicken in this mixture for 45 minutes.
3. Separately, mix the bread crumbs and paprika powder.
4. Now prepare a thick batter by combining flour, milk, salt and water.
5. Dip the chicken fingers in the prepared batter, then roll in bread crumbs.
6. Fry on low heat till they turn golden brown and crisp.
7. Serve hot with chilli sauce, ketchup or chutney.

Ingredients
450g rohu or any other firm white fish fillets
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 level tsp cumin seeds
1/2 level tsp mustard seeds
1 garlic clove,skinned
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 tsp ajowan (carum)
3-4 green chilli
1/2 level tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp. Red chili powder
Salt to taste
8-10 green -cardamoms
4 black cardamoms (bari Iliachi)
6 cloves
10 pieces of black pepper
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
8-10 dried plumb (allo bahara)
Oil or ghee
6 pieces green chillies
2 tbs. Coriander leave
2-3 tbs of Yellow food color

Instructions
1.Wash the fish and pat dry. Cut into 1 inch pieces. In a blender grind  the garlic ginger and chillies to a fine paste. Mix the paste with salt, chilli powder and ajowan. Smear the fish pieces with spice paste. Set aside for at least 2 hours
2. In the meantime heat the oil in a shallow frying pan, add the cumin and mustard seeds;they should pop and splutter at once. Add the chopped onions and , stirring frequently, fry them to a rich golden colour.Add the chopped tomatoes, still stirring frequently, fry the onions for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp. Add a little water, if necessary, to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottomof the pan. Keep frying until the oil begins to separate.
3. Add the fish and stir well to coat it with the tomato mixture.Reduec the heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes until the fish is tender.
Sprinkle with finely chopped coriander.Keep warm.   4.Soak the rice in water for half an hour.In another pan boil the rice with 2-3 tsp. of salt and plenty of water .when the rice are 3\4 cooked drain the water. Add 1/4 cup oil or butter and fluf with a fork to prevent the rice to stick each other. Keep rice to one side.
5. In a large pan place 2 inch layer of rice at the bottom, then a layer of fish mixture and dried plums on top,repeating this until the fish and rice have been used up. sprinkle the coriander and mint leaves over the top layer of the rice Pour 1/2 cup water and seeds of cardamom over the rice. Do not stir. Mix the food colour with a little water and sprinkle over the rice.  
6. cover with a tight fitting lid and allow to cook for 20 minutes until the rice are cooked. 
7. once the dish is cooked, leave it covered for a few minutes. then remove the lid, fluff up the rice with a fork.
8. Serve hot with Raita.