Lamb Bhuna

“Bhuna” is the Hindi and Urdu word “to grill.” Therefore, this latest dish of mine, “Lamb Bhuna,” literally means “grilled lamb.” However, there is more than the name implies in a “Bhuna” dish.  A bhuna dish involves three important steps: first, the meat is marinated to season and cover it with flavor; second, spices are lightly fried and the meat is slow-cooked to absorb the flavor of these spices and the rest of the ingredients, and last, but not least, the meat is “bhuna hua,” or grilled, in order to lock the flavor in. By this I mean, the meat absorbs all of the liquid from the slow-cooking and becomes lightly grilled, or fried, while cooking in the pan.  In this dish, I believe the marinade as well as the slow cooking in the fried spices is the key. Even if not for this dish, a good marinade and slow cooking can really make a dish delicious. This Lamb Bhuna dish was also unique because of the rich flavors from the spices, particularly the mustard seeds, anise stars, and fennel which I do not always cook with. The ultimate result of this dish was chunks of lamb so tender, they practically melt in your mouth. Even my mum, who is not a fan of lamb, enjoyed this dish because of the rich flavor. She already requested that I make this dish again sometime soon! I hope you too like this dish so much that you desire to make it again. Thank you, everyone, and enjoy 🙂

Tender, boneless pieces of lamb leg, marinated over night and slow-cooked with tomatoes, green chilies, and fried spices

Ingredients

2 pounds lamb, preferably lamb shoulder, cut into chunks.

1 medium onion, cut for blending

6 garlic cloves

1 inch piece of ginger

1 small green chili pepper (more or less, depending on how spicy you want the dish)

5 tablespoons plain yogurt

4 Roma tomatoes, diced

Spices (ground up, except the cinnamon stick)

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 anise stars

5 cardamon cloves

Salt, to taste

1 cinammon stick

Optional fresh coriander leaves, onion, ginger, and green chilies for garnish

Recipe

Prepare the marinade.

1. Blend the onions, garlic, ginger, and green chili with a little water to form a paste.
2. Mix the paste with the yogurt.
3. With a fork, poke holes in the chunks of lamb. Cover the lamb chunks with the blended paste and allow to marinade for at least two hours, or preferably overnight for even more flavor.

Slow cook the lamb to absorb the flavor.

4. Heat the oil in a pan for about 3 minutes above a medium flame.
5. Add all the spices, including the cinnamon stick, and fry for about 3 minutes.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes to the spices. Mix the tomatoes and spices and cook for about 10 minutes, mashing up the tomatoes to form a paste.
7. Mix the lamb in and cover the pan.
8. Lower the flame and slow cook for about 1 hour.

Grill the lamb to lock in flavor.

9. Uncover the pan and raise the flame. Continue to stir and fry the lamb chunks around until most of the liquid is absorbed by the meat, about 5-10 minutes. Note: Since lamb is a fatty piece of meat, there may be a lot of liquid given off. You can choose to leave this liquid or drain the dish, depending on how saucy you want it.

Garnish the dish.

10. Optionally, garnish with fresh coriander, more green chilies, onions, and ginger.

Grinding up the spices 

Frying the spices (Step 5)

Adding the tomatoes (Step 6)

Mixing the tomatoes and spices together (Step 6)

Slow cooking the dish (Step 8)

Lamb Bhuna, garnished 🙂

Chicken Phali

I very fondly remember my undergraduate days from a few years ago. The freedom, the friends, the independence, the studying, the fun! But also, the lack of home cooking. This lack of homemade food made me feel homesick, but it also was one of the driving forces which inspired me to learn how to cook for myself and was the foundation for the development of the love and passion for cooking which I have today. In addition, my own family members would supply me with some homemade meals. My friends’ moms would even cook for us on occasion. One friend became like a brother to me in many ways. His mom, whom I affectionately refer to as “Hassan Aunty” had home cooking which really was extraordinary.  One of her signature dishes which she would prepare for us was Lamb Phali, a delicious blend of tender, bone-in lamb and cluster beans with onions and spice. This posting today is for a similar dish, Chicken Phali, and is inspired by my dear Hassan Aunty. My recipe is similar to her phali recipe which she graciously shared with me, but not exactly like hers as I add a few of my own little twists on it :).  While my phali will never be quite like my Hassan Aunty’s, I still enjoy this recipe as did my family and hope you will too. This dish is very distinctive because it is one of the few dishes which I use carom (ajwain) seeds. As always, I welcome all comments, suggestions, feedback, and questions. Thank you for the support, everyone, and enjoy 🙂

Green cluster beans and chicken simmered with onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and spices 

Ingredients

4 cups of cluster beans or green beans, chopped into approximately ½ inch pieces

2 pounds chicken (any cut, with or without the bone)

¼ cup of oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, minced

Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Juice of half a lemon, about 1.5 tablespoons

Spices

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground red chili

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Salt, to taste

Recipe

1. Heat the oil in the a pan above a medium flame for about 3 minutes
2. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and caramelize for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chicken, tomato, and the spices to the pan and mix everything together. Cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes above a low flame, stirring occasionally.
4. Mix in the green beans to the pan with the chicken. Cover the pan and cook for another about 30 minutes or until the green beans become tender and there is little to no liquid left in the pan.
5. Drizzle the lemon juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Dopiaza (Two Onion) Chicken

After taking a break from posting for a few months this summer, it is with great pleasure that I am back to cooking and eager to share some more of my home-cooked recipes! Big thank you to all who continued to support and follow me despite my lack of postings this summer. Over the summer, I cooked a few different dishes which I am eager to share. This first posting is for the onion-lovers out there, and it is called Dopiaza Chicken. “Dopiaza” literally means “two onions” in the Indian and Pakistani languages. This has become a favorite curry dish of mine because I really do love the flavors which onions bring to food. In this dish, I especially like the texture of this dish from the two different ways in which the onions in this dish were prepared: one onion was blended into a paste which comprises the curry sauce, and the other onion was simply fried and mixed into the curry. I also used a whole chicken for this dish. In the past, I would go to the halal butcher and select my pieces of chicken, but over the summer I was practicing skinning and cutting up a whole chicken for myself, which I did here. While this freshness cannot be beat, I liked doing this because of the variety of chicken chunks in the dish: some white meat (which my mum likes) and some dark meat (which my dad likes). I also left some meat on the bone and took some meat off the bone prior to cooking for even more variety in the chunks of chicken. I hope you like my recipe for Dopiaza Chicken as much as I did. Please stay tuned for more recipes as I pursue my love of cooking and teaching others how to cook homemade dishes for themselves. As always, I welcome and appreciate all feedback, comments, and suggestions. Cook with patience..cook with love. Thank you, and enjoy 🙂

Chicken curry with a “dopiaza”–two onion– twist: one onion liquified in the sauce and one onion diced and fried and added at the end

Ingredients

1 medium or large whole chicken, skinned and cut into pieces for curry (or about 2 pounds of chicken chunks, either breast, thigh, or drumstick, with or without bone)

1/2 cup of oil

2 large onions, one cut into chunks for blending and the other diced for frying

1 medium tomato cut into chunks

6 garlic cloves

1 inch piece of ginger

2 tablespoons whole milk yogurt

¼ cup water

Juice of half a lemon

Spices:

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 green cardamom pods

1 inch cinnamon stick

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground garam masala

Recipe

1. In a blender or food processor, liquefy the chunked onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato.
2. Heat ¼ cup of oil in a pan above a medium flame for about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the blended mixture and simmer for about 3 minutes or until it caramelizes a bit.
4. Add the chicken, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon stick, salt, and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken and brown it in the mixture for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the yogurt and water. Lower the flame and cover the pan. Simmer for about a half hour above a low flame stirring occasionally.
7. In a separate frying pan, heat the remaining ¼ cup oil above a medium flame for about 3 minutes. Add the diced onion and fry for about 10 minutes.
8. After about a half hour, add the fried onion and garam masala to the pan with the chicken and sauce. Simmer for another 10 minutes above the low flame.
9. Finally, add more salt and pepper to taste, lemon juice, as well as fresh coriander for garnish.

Karahi Paneer

A “karahi” refers to a deep frying pan, originating in Pakistani and Indian cuisine. Similar to a wok, a karahi can be used to prepare many kinds of tasty dishes, but perhaps one of the most common and famous dishes which a karahi is used is for (as the name conveniently implies) is karahi chicken or karahi lamb. Rich, spicy, full of different garnishing, and of course prepared in a karahi, or a similar-style frying pan, karahi chicken and karahi lamb is one of my favorite meat dishes. In honor of my vegetarian kid sister, I tried my hand at making karahi paneer (Indian cheese). It was very extremely tasty and relatively simple to make, and I highly recommend it for all the paneer-lovers and vegetarians out there. On a side note, if you are vegan, you can even substitute the paneer for tofu. Thank you, everyone, and enjoy 🙂

Tender cubes of paneer (Indian cheese) cooked in a karahi (frying pan) with onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, green chillies, and spices 

 Ingredients

2 cups paneer, preferably fresh, or if frozen, thawed out

1/2 cup oil

1 medium onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 inch knob of skinless ginger

3 medium-sized tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon lemon juice (about the juice of half a medium sized lemon)

Spices:

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground garam masala

Salt to taste

Recipe

1. Place the fresh paneer in boiled water (if paneer is frozen, allow it to thaw before putting in the boiling water). Allow to sit in the water for about 30 minutes to soften the paneer.
2. Heat the oil in a pan for about 3-5 minutes above a medium flame.
3. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and fry until caramelized, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and allow them to cook and release their juices for another 5-7 minutes.
5. Turn the flame a bit higher and add the paneer cubes, stirring it for about 5 minutes.
6. Mix in the lemon juice, coriander, cumin seeds, turmeric, garam masala, and salt.
7. Lower the flame, cover the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the green chillies and allow them to soften in the mixture for about 5 minutes.
9. Garnish with fresh coriander and lemon.

Tip

1. Fresh paneer is really best in my opinion. Many Indo-Pak grocery stores sell fresh paneer. You could also make your own paneer (recipe coming soon) or if you have to, buy frozen paneer, but allow it to thaw before putting it in the boiling water and/or cooking with it.

Punjabi Dum Aloo

I remember when I was younger, I was skinny as a stick, and I wanted to bulk up. As a result, I remember eating a lot potatoes, and this actually did the trick as I eventually did gain more weight. In order to accomplish this, when I was younger, my mum would make me mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and potatoes au gratin. I also remember my Punjabi granny would make me all kinds of different desi style potatoes, and one that particularly stands out is Punjabi Dum Aloo. Thus, for people, especially guys out there, looking to bulk up quickly, potatoes can be an excellent way of doing so. I also realize that not everyone out there wants to bulk up or gain weight, so for the majority of others out there, potatoes in healthy moderation are a very versatile vegetable, easy to cook with, readily available for an affordable price, and of course, full of nutrients. If you are a potato lover, try my own recipe for Punjabi Dum Aloo. The flavors on this recipe are very unique. It is kind of like a cross between makhani (Punjabi butter) sauce and my grandma’s curry sauce, sweetened up a bit due to the adding of sugar, savory from the cashews, with a tad spiciness from the chili powder. Thank you everyone, and enjoy 🙂

Tender baby potatoes simmered in a creamy tomato, onion, cashew, and spiced sauce 

Ingredients 

12 baby potatoes, washed, and with the skin still on

½ cup of oil

1 medium onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch knob of ginger, minced

1 medium tomato

12 cashews

¼ cup of cream

About 1 cup of water for the gravy

Water for boiling the potatoes

Whole Spices:

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

5 green cardamom pods

Ground Spices:

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon sugar (optional)

¼ teaspoon chili powder (optional, more or less to taste)

Salt, to taste

¼ teaspoon garam masala

Recipe

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil and allow the potatoes to cook for about 30 minutes or until they are soft enough to be easily poked through with a fork.
2. Allow the potatoes to cool for a few minutes, and then carefully peel them with your hands. If they are still hot, peel them while holding them under cool running water.
3. In a frying pan, or a karahi/wok, heat the oil above a medium flame for about 3 minutes with the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pod.
4. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and lightly fry until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomato and cashews and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Turn off the flame, remove the cinnamon stick, and transfer this mixture to a blender or food processor and blend into a liquid.
7. Pour the contents of the blender back into the frying pan and turn the flame on low.
8. Mix in the dried fenugreek, turmeric, ground coriander, chilli powder, sugar, black pepper, and salt.
9. Add the cream, potatoes, and 1 cup of water.
10. Bring to a boil above a low flame, carefully mixing and covering the potatoes with the sauce.
11. Once the gravy boils, add the garam masala and cook for another 2 minutes.
12. Optionally, garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and green chilies.

Tips

1. Save time by peeling the baby potatoes after boiling them.
2. If you do not have baby potatoes, regular sized potatoes chopped into chunks could also be used.

Saag Paneer Khumbi

Saag Paneer, or spinach with Indian cheese, is a staple Punjabi dish. Creamy spinach mixed together with tender paneer cubes, this dish is ideal for a vegetarian and even better for a spinach-lover. I remember this dish very fondly from my childhood. I would always ask for saag paneer, but I would always just eat the paneer cubes and leave the spinach. However, as I got older and my tastes broadened, I began to enjoy the creamy spinach as well. I also began to enjoy some other variations on traditional saag paneer such as adding different veggies. Here, I added mushrooms for added taste and flavor, making this iron and protein-rich dish known as Saag Paneer Khumbi. For those vegans out there, you could also substitute the paneer cubes for tofu cubes. If you are a spinach lover, also check out my Punjabi sarson da saag recipe. Thank you, everyone, and enjoy 😀

Tasty and healthy combination of creamy spinach, soft paneer (Indian cheese), and tender mushrooms

Ingredients

3 bundles fresh spinach, washed and de-stemmed

2 cups paneer, preferably fresh, or if frozen, thawed out

1 cup of button mushrooms, cut into slices from the stem up (either fresh or canned)

1/3 cup oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch knob ginger, minced

1 small tomato, diced

1 tablespoon whole milk yogurt

3/4 cup heavy cream

Water for boiling

Spices:

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground garam masala

Ground black pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

Recipe

1. Place the fresh paneer in boiled water (if paneer is frozen, allow it to thaw before putting in the boiling water). Allow to sit in the water for about 30 minutes to soften the paneer.
2. If you are using fresh mushrooms, chop them and place them in another bowl or pot of boiled water (separate boiled water from the paneer). Also allow them to sit for about 30 minutes. If you are using canned mushrooms, ignore this step.
3. Place the spinach leaves in a large pot of boiling water to soften them. Boil the spinach leaves until they shrink, about 4 to 5 minutes. You may have to do it in stages depending on the size of your pot. Place the boiled spinach leaves to a colander and allow them to drain of water and cool while you complete the next steps.
4.  While the spinach leaves are boiling, in a separate karahi, or wok-type pan, heat the oil and butter for about 3-5 minutes above a medium flame.
5.  Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and lightly fry for about 3-5 minutes.
6.  Add the tomato and cook for another 5 minutes.
7.  Turn the flame off. Carefully transfer the onions, garlic, ginger, and tomato mixture to a blender or food processor and make it into a paste.
8.  Pour this paste back into the pan.
9.  Transfer the drained and cooled spinach leaves to the blender or food processor and puree. Be careful that you do not over-blend the spinach leaves and turn them into spinach juice.
10.  Pour the pureed spinach leaves to the pan with the onion, garlic, and ginger paste. Turn the flame on low and mix the spinach and the paste together.
11.  Mix in the yogurt, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, and salt.
12.  Add the paneer cubes and fresh (after softened in the boiled water) or canned mushrooms.
13.  Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes above a low flame.
14.  Mix in the cream and garam masala and cook for another 2 minutes.

Tips

1. The amount of spinach may seem like a lot, but it really shrinks when it cooks. 3 bundles is actually less than you may think.
2. Be careful to *puree* the spinach and not to liquefy it and make spinach juice 🙂
3. Unless your pot is big enough, you may have to boil the spinach in stages or at least add the leaves as the spinach cooks and shrinks.
4. Fresh paneer is really best in my opinion. Many Indo-Pak grocery stores sell fresh paneer. You could also make your own paneer (recipe coming soon) or if you have to, buy frozen paneer, but allow it to thaw before putting it in the boiling water and/or cooking with it.
5. You can alter the “paneer to mushroom” ratio as you please. I like paneer more, so I add more paneer than mushrooms. However, you can add as much or as little of either as you please.

Chicken Biryani

Biryani is a colorful, aromatic, and tasty rice dish served with a combination of spices, marinated meat, and fresh vegetables. Like many other dishes, there are so many variations to biryani, ranging from differing the meat, changing around the spices and veggies, making it in the oven or on the stovetop, and one of my favorites, adding some fresh hard-boiled eggs (also great for vegetarians or anyone looking for a protein boost) for additional flavor. When it comes to biryani, I really believe Hyderabadis and Bengalis make it the very best; there is really nothing comparable to a hot and fresh Hydro or Bengali biryani served with cool, fresh raita and chapatti. I have been trying different methods to create a chicken biryani that I am satisfied with for some time now. I even asked my Hyderabadi friend to ask his mom for her recipe for making biryani. Here is a recipe for chicken biryani I made for my family. It is a variation on my Hydro friend’s mom’s, with my own alterations. I was pretty satisfied with the way it turned out and I received pretty positive feedback from family so I wanted to share it on here. The recipe may be a bit long, but it is worth it in the end. As usual, feedback and suggestions welcome as I work to perfect my homemade biryani dish. Thank you, everyone, and enjoy 🙂

Long-grain basmati rice, flavored up with many different spices, and cooked with fresh chicken thighs and drumsticks marinated for a day

Ingredients 

2 pounds of bone-in, skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks

Marinade Process:

3 tablespoons whole milk yogurt

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Half-Cook Rice Process:

2 cups of rice

2 cups of water

1 bay leaf

1 star of anise

5 black peppercorns

3 cloves

3 green cardamom pods

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

1.5 inch cinnamon stick

Biryani Process:

¼ cup oil

1 medium onion, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, minced

1 medium tomato, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon milk

About ¼ cup water

2 pinches of orange food color

Fresh chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves for garnish

Spices for Biryani Process:

1 bay leaf

1 star of anise

5 black peppercorns

3 cloves

3 green cardamom pods

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground garam masala

Recipe

1. Poke holes in the chicken and season it with some salt and black pepper to taste. Marinate it for an hour (or preferably overnight if possible) in yogurt, garlic paste, and ginger paste.
2. Half-cook the rice (2 cups rice in 2 cups of water) in a pot with the star of anise, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds.
3. In a separate deep pan above a medium flame, heat the oil with star of anise, bay leaf, cloves, black peppercorns, and cumin seeds (the same kinds of spices you added to the rice).
4. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and fry until caramelized about 5-7 minutes.
5. Mix in the tomato and mash it up for about 5 minutes until a paste starts to form.
6. Add the yogurt, turmeric, coriander, and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Add the chicken and cook it until it is half-cooked, about 10 minutes above a medium flame (see picture below).
8. Make the flame low. In the same pan with the chicken add half of the half-cooked rice, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix everything together and cover the rice with the chicken gravy. Add a little bit of water (about ¼ cup) to the bottom of the pan.
9. Then, add the remaining half-cooked rice in a single layer above the chicken-rice mixture. Optionally, add two pinches (about ¼ teaspoon) of orange food color to the top of the white rice layer (see picture below).
10. Cover the pan and cook above a low flame about 25 minutes. Do the mix the top and bottom layer yet. Open the pan occasionally to ensure the bottom layer of chicken-rice mixture is not burning. If it is, add a bit more water.
11. Mix the chicken-rice layer and the white rice layer. Add 1 more tablespoon of butter and the garam masala and cook another 3 minutes (see picture below).
12. Turn off the flame. Top with some fresh coriander and mint leaves and cover the pan and let sit for another 10 minutes to seal in the spice aroma.

Step 7: Half-cooking the chicken 

Step 9: Second layer of rice with a bay leaf and orange food dye for some more color

Step 11: Mixing the two layers, just before the mint and coriander leaves were added

Fish Keema

Every now and then, I like to take a unique twist on a more traditional recipe. That is exactly what I had in mind when I prepared fish keema. Keema, or minced meat, is a favorite dish of mine and my family. Simple, tasty, and filling, usually, I make the delicious and traditional lamb keema and add some different vegetables, including peas, potatoes, and other fresh ones to it. Occasionally, I will also cook chicken, beef, and even goat keema. The type of meat and added veggie ingredients to keema are essentially limitless, so for the very first time, I decided to try my hand at making fish keema. This idea for fish keema came to me from another foodie blogger which I have started following, so credit goes to her for this general idea. However, this recipe is my own, the one which I use to make my other keema dishes. I strongly recommend trying this dish, especially if you are a pescetarian or are looking for an alternative to meat one day. I used fresh, freshwater, boneless, skinless whitefish, but the type of fish you use is also very flexible. Some other ideas include tilapia, cod, haddock, or even salmon, as long as the portion of the fish you use is boneless and skin removed. I know I will be making this simple, light yet filling, and tasty dish again very soon, especially for my non-meat eating friends and family, and I hope you will too. Thank you, everyone, and enjoy 🙂

Ingredients 

1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless whitefish, preferably fresh, but if frozen, thawed out

¼ cup of oil

1 medium onion, minced

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch piece of skinless ginger, minced

1 small tomato, diced

1 tablespoon whole milk yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice (juice of about half a small lemon)

Green chili and a few fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Spices:

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground garam masala

Salt, to taste

Recipe 

1. Heat the oil in a pan above a medium flame for about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and lightly fry until caramelized for about 5 minutes above the medium flame
3. Mix in the turmeric, coriander, pepper, and salt.
4. Add the tomato and cook until the tomato liquefies, about minutes.
5. Mix in the yogurt and chunks of fish.
6. Stir the mixture and begin to mince the chunks of fish.
7. Cover the pan and cook above a medium flame for about 20 minutes or until the fish turns white and the liquid evaporates. Stir occasionally and continue to mince the fish into very small pieces.
8. Mix in the garam masala and lemon juice and cook another 2 minutes.
9. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and green chilies.

Tips

1. You can use just about any white fish, including whitefish like I used, tilapia, cod, haddock, or even salmon, as long as the portion of the fish you use is boneless and skin removed.
2. If the fish has bones, you can boil it first, and then remove the fish from the bone before adding it in Step 5.

Salan Chicken Granny Style

This is the chicken which reminds me most of my paternal side of the family. This is my dadima’s (granny’s) salan chicken, or chicken curry, a family recipe, the recipe she taught me which she learned from her own mother. As a child, I remember many Sunday dinners eating this along with buttered rice, homemade chapatis, and fresh salad. It is such a tasty dish, and the chicken need not even marinate beforehand. The key is patience and slow-cooking the chicken above a low flame. While my own attempts to make granny’s chicken salan are close, none will ever beat the real thing. Recipes should not be secret, so I am glad to share this family recipe of mine. This post is in honor of my dadima for the unconditional love and care she has provided my family. Thank you and enjoy 🙂

Ingredients

2 pounds bone in, skinless chicken thighs and/or drumsticks

1/4 cup of oil

1 teaspoon butter or ghee

1 medium onion, diced

1 small tomato, diced

8 garlic cloves

1 inch piece of ginger

2 tablespoons whole milk yogurt

Spices:

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground garam masala

Recipe

1. In a blender or food processor, liquify the onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a pan above a medium flame for about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the blended mixture and simmer for about 7 minutes or until it caramelizes a bit.
4. Add the turmeric, ground coriander, salt, and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken and brown it in the mixture for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the yogurt and water. Lower the flame and cover the pan. Simmer for about an hour above a low flame stirring occasionally.
7. Add the garam masala and cook another 2 minutes.

Baigan Bharta (Roasted Eggplant)

If you are an eggplant lover or vegetarian, try baigan bharta. Baigan (eggplant) bharta (mash) is a smoky, rich, and smooth Punjabi comfort food, ideal as a side dish or as a vegetarian meal served with bread and rice. My favorite part of this dish is the smoky flavor which you can get by roasting the eggplants. This is just one of many, but probably my favorite, method of preparing Punjabi, or any kind of, eggplant. Thank you, everyone 🙂

Ingredients

2 medium sized eggplants

Bowl of cool water to set the eggplants in after roasting them

½ cup oil

1 medium onion, minced

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, minced

1 medium tomato, diced

½ tablespoon ghee or butter, more or less to taste

1 cup of frozen peas

Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

Spices:

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

¼ teaspoon garam masala

Salt, to taste

Recipe

1. Smoke the eggplants by roasting them over a medium gas flame until the skin is blackened and charred and the inside becomes soft and mushy (about 15-20 minutes for a medium sized eggplant, rotating the eggplants with tongs occasionally). Be careful during this step and even lower the flame if you need to as the eggplants can catch on fire especially as they get more and more charred at the end. Have a bowl of water to put the eggplants in in case this happens. When the eggplants are roasted and smoked, after about 15-20 minutes, set them in the bowl of water to cool.
2. Heat the oil in a pan above a medium flame for about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and fry until caramelized about 5-7 minutes.
4. While frying, the onions, garlic, and ginger, step aside and peel the charred skin off of the eggplants. This may be a challenge, but do the best you can to remove the skin and leave only the pulp of the eggplant. Get rid of the stem, and chop the skinless eggplant pulp into pieces.
5. Mix in the ground coriander, dried fenugreek leaves, and salt to the pan with frying onions, garlic, and ginger.
6. Add the tomato and start mashing it up with a fork. Then add the eggplant pulps and continue mashing with the fork.
7. Add the butter and simmer above a medium flame for about 10 minutes or until the consistency thickens.
8. Add the peas and garam masala and cook another 2 minutes.
9. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves.

Tip 

1. If you do not want to roast the eggplant over the flame first, simply peel it and chop it and place it in during step 6.