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This recipe is a perfect one for summer - it uses yellow summer squash which is always in abundance and ends up tasting very light.  It takes very little time to cook, and there's not really very much prep. The hardest part is getting the spices together, but overall there's not that much chopping or cooking. It was meant to be sort of a one-off recipe, but as soon as we tasted how well it turned out, I started writing it down to keep from forgetting it. Ingredients 1 tsp whole fennel 4 cloves 1 tsp whole coriander 4 green cardamom pods, lightly smashed 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicy) 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 onion, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp cumin seeds 1 heaping tsp black mustard seeds 2 medium yellow squash cut into thin circles or half circles 1 can coconut milk 1/3 c. chicken broth (i.e. one muffin tin cube's worth, optional) 1 chicken breast cut into thin pieces ...

It's not every day that I post a130 yr old recipe! I found this one from 1885 for Mulligatawny Soup while perusing a site that houses vintage cookbooks and recipes. I am calling it a stew because I overdid it on the rice, and it's kind of nice that way. Scale back the rice if you want it to be soupy and/or are planning to have leftovers, as it will thicken considerably as it sits. Boiling a whole chicken will make more chicken stock than you need for the recipe, which is great if you want to make extra to freeze. Served with parathas (frozen section at Indian grocery). 1 whole chicken, cut into breast and legs 1 package beef or veal stew bones 6-8 c. water 2 Tbsp. oil aromatics* 2 red onions, diced 3 Tbsp. curry powder** 1 Tbsp. tomato paste 2 Tbsp. butter 3/4 c. basmati rice 1/2 c. frozen peas (optional) 1/2 lemon * if you are making a large batch of chicken stock, use aromatics such as yellow onion (including the peel), celery, bay leaves, etc... **you c...

What to do when you have some leftover long grain rice and you want some spice? Fried rice, Indian style. You can make it vegetarian, or add some meat or shrimp (leftovers work great). You could also mix in some peas or cooked lentils at the end. 3-4 c. leftover long-grain rice 1 jalapeno, sliced 2 tsp. whole cumin seeds 2 tsp. black mustard seeds  2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. ginger, minced 3 green onions, sliced 1 Tbsp. turmeric 1 tsp. black pepper 1 chicken boullion cube 1/2 c. boiling water 1 Tbsp. tamarind sauce 1 c. cooked meat chunks (optional) 1 tomato, diced 2 eggs  handful of cilantro, chopped salt to taste oil for cooking Heat a large nonstick pan, adding a generous amount of oil. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and heat until they begin to sizzle and pop. Add the ginger, garlic, jalapenos and the white part of the green onions and fry until lightly brown. Add the turmeric and black pepper and toss to combine. Break up the rice so it ...

I was looking at all of the beautiful winter squash at the farmer's market but at the same time I had a craving for Indian food. Looking around online, this recipe was the most appealing, since it has both a lot of veggies and some protein sources. I personally like it a bit spicy to clear out the sinuses in winter. I have altered the recipe for this from the one here a little bit. That website calls this a North Indian recipe -I honestly have no idea. If you're feeling ambitious, you could make breads to go along with it, but I personally liked it quite a bit served on basmati rice cooked with a single star anise pod. Ingredients: 1 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp butter 1 large onion, in thin slices 1/2 large butternut squash, skinned 3/4 c. red lentils 3-4 c. water or broth 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 3/4 c. greens (spinach/arugala/etc.) Juice of 1 lemon 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro 2 Tsbp. chopped mint Spice mixture (best if you use whole and grind them) 1/...

I'm posting this as an add-on to Alex's Kushari recipe--it's really good on top of kushari, but it's also a great side dish in general. This is for a dry style chickpea with Indian spices. It is also dirt cheap! Chana masala on top of kushari. 1 can of chickpeas 3 Tbsp cooking oil 1 Tbsp black mustard seeds 2 tsp whole cumin seeds 2 tsp minced ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced OR 1/4 tsp hing powder 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste  Optional: chopped cilantro I recommend doing this in a non-stick pan. Don't allow the spices to burn, or they will taste bitter. Start by draining the chickpeas so that they have time to dry on the outside. You can pat them dry further with paper towels. Heat the oil until very hot. Add the black mustard and cumin seeds until they begin to pop, stirring occasionally. Add in the hot pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic (or hing) and allow them to sizzle, but take care not ...

This was inspired by a dish served at a local Indian restaurant, and then based on techniques from this very different curry. I'm still developing it, but it turned out so well I thought I'd post the version I made tonight. Ingredients 1/2 onion, minced 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (optional) 3 cloves garlic 1.5" segment of ginger root, peeled 1 tsp. cumin seeds 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper 4 cardamom pods 1/4 c. blanched, peeled almonds 1/4 c. roasted, unsalted cashews 1/2 c. water  1 can coconut milk  1 large pinch saffron, soaked in 1/4 c. warm water 1 cauliflower, cut into small flourets 2 chicken breasts, cut into thin pieces Smoosh the garlic and ginger root together - I did this in a mortar and pestle, you could probably achieve a similar effect with enough mincing with a knife. Blend the almonds, cashews and water in a food processor until it makes a smooth liquid. In a mix of 1...

I just made this salad up, but it turned out so well as an accompaniment to Indian food that I thought I should post it. It's quick and easy to make, and for those who don't like American cucumbers, you can often get the "burpless" smaller varieties at Middle Eastern and Indian grocery stores. Ingredients 1 large cucumber, skinned and cut into thick slices (halved depending on cucumber size) 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp black peppercorns 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 2 Tbsp warm water 1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro Grind cumin seeds and black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle. Pour in vinegar, water, sugar, and mix. Pour over cucumber slices, and garnish with cilantro.

I synthesized this from a couple of recipes. It turned out pretty well, and we could use some more Indian recipes on the blog. Ingredients 1/2 pound paneer or tofu 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1.5-2" squares 1.5 Tbsp coriander seeds 2 dried red chilies 4-6 cloves garlic, minced 4-6 medium tomatoes (depending on desired sauciness), peeled by immersing in hot water 1/4" slice of fresh ginger, skinned 1/2 tsp turmeric 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 Tbsp chopped fenugreek or celery leaves Salt Preparation Fry coriander seeds and chili peppers in about 2 Tbsp oil until the seeds start to brown slightly, then add garlic and cook until golden brown, taking care not to burn the coriander seeds. Combine the stuff in the pan, the tomatoes, and the ginger in a food processor or blender. Puree well. Fry the paneer in oil until browned. In the same pan, fry the bell pepper, taking care not to overcook them since they'll be cooked more later. Drain on a paper towel. In the same pan, if...

I got this recipe from my friend Christine, who got it in turn from one of her students. I've adapted it a bit, and she adapted it herself so it's probably a bit different from the original at this point. I make no claims of authenticity, just deliciousness. Ingredients Chicken Tikka: 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-2” cubes 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp turmeric ¼ tsp cayeanne ¼ tsp garam masala ¼ tsp fresh ginger 1 clove garlic 1 Tbl plain yogurt Optional: 1 tsp aamchu (dried mango) powder) Other ingredients: 1 large onion, diced 2 Tbl chopped mint (optional) 1 (8oz) can tomato puree (or 3-4 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, then pureed) ¼ tsp fresh ginger 1 clove garlic 2 Serrano chilis, sedded, and minced (or just one, this can be spicy) ¼ tsp turmeric ½ tsp cayeanne 1 tsp garam masala 1 c. cream Cilantro (for garnish) Steps: 1. Mix Chicken Tikka ingredients, and marinate chicken at least one hour 2. Bake Chicken Tikkas at 375 for 30 minutes. Alternately, if you don’t want t...

I have (minimally) adapted this from here. It can be made either as more of a soup, or a stewy pasty thing to eat with rice (and might I suggest Lillian's cumin rice ).If you're interested in more information on chana dal than you could ever have wanted, see here. This is supposed to use the "kabuli" style of chana dal, but I'm guessing you'll be lucky enough to find ANY form of chana dal, let alone have a choice between 'desi' and 'kabuli.' Ingredients: 2 cups of Chana Dal 4 cups water 1 small onion (minced) 3 or so tomatoes, minced finely or pureed (I was pureeing tomatoes for palak paneer anyway) 1 tsp. of cumin seeds 1 tbsp. of fresh ginger (minced) 1 tbsp. of garlic (minced) 1/2 tsp. of turmeric powder 1 tbsp. of coriander Powder 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper (or more - this gave it a relatively mild spiciness). I also think it would be good with jalapenos) Salt (to taste) 1 tbsp. of fresh lemon Juice or Fresh Lime Juice (I used lemon) Prepar...

This combination of dishes makes a nice meal and great leftovers. I like to use paneer when I can get it easily, but the recipe works well with firm tofu or even chicken (though then I guess it's a different dish). These recipes are based around Manjula's Kitchen , though I altered them a little to avoid hard-to-find ingredients. Check out the videos if you want step-by-step instructions or more recipe ideas. My most recent attempt. I didn't have cilantro to add to the aloo gobi, but it's still delicious without it. Palak Paneer 1 1/2-2 c. paneer, cubed (or extra-firm tofu, cubed and patted dry) 1 box frozen spinach, thawed, drained well, and chopped 2-3 plum tomatoes, pureed, or 1/2 can tomato puree 2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp. salt 2 tsp. whole cumin seed 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1/4 tsp. cayenne 3 Tbsp. flour 1/4 c. water + more water 1/2 c. heavy cream or half and half 2 Tbsp. butter oil for frying tomato slices for garnish Fry the paneer or ...

This recipe is based primarily on what I had around and what I sort of made up as I went along, but I think it turned out well enough to be worth keeping around. Chicken is either really expensive these days, or the places I went by today were adding a stiff foreigner tax, so I decided to go vegetarian. This recipe is very off the cuff, and I'm sure it could be improved in a lot of ways - I look forward to hearing how everyone else adds to it. Yogurt Curry Cauliflower 2 small heads cauliflower Several onions(depending on size) A couple carrots A very small amount of fresh minced cilantro(equivalent to 1tsp or slightly more) A small amount of green bell pepper might be good as well A rather lot of yogurt(maybe total 1c?) - I think the more, the better. Use plain yogurt, obviously. Spice mix(measurements super imprecise): 2tsp if not more whole cumin, roasted and then lightly ground in mortar and pestle. This should be one of the primary flavors. 3 cloves garlic 2tsp curry powder 1ts...

Doing some research for the weed science class I'm TA-ing, I stumbled across a wonderful food blog ( Mahanandi ) of the cuisine of southern India, specifically a recipe that uses amaranth leaves ( right here ). Amaranth is considered a weed in the US, but the grains and greens are used worldwide in cooking. The recipe is for 'chana dal', which are similar to chick-peas, but much smaller and faster-cooking. I found them at the co-op, but I've also seen them at the large grocery store here. Soak them overnight for best results. Also, you could use spinach instead of amaranth, but the amaranth is so good that you should try to find it (I got mine at the Chinese grocery) or collect it from the garden yourself. I think I like it more than spinach, and from now on I will harvest the weedy volunteers in my garden. You should do your best to follow the recipe on the original site--I had to make a bunch of substitutions, but it still turned out really well and even looked just l...