Spinach Pulao

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice – 1 cup
• Clarified butter or ghee – 1 tsp
• Shahi Jeera or Black cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Finely chopped spinach – 2 cups (fresh or frozen)
• Shredded carrots – 1 cup
• Small onion – 1
• Tomato – 1
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp (1″ ginger and 2 to 3 garlic cloves)
• Frozen peas – 1/4 cup
• Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
• Aniseed – 1
• Green cardamom – 2
• Bay leaf – 1
• Chili powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Water – 1 1/2 cups
• Oil

Method of Preparation:

1. Soak basmati rice for 20 minutes and drain it and let it sit for 3 minutes.
2. Heat oil in pan, add fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf.
3. Fry for a minute and add thinly sliced onions and fry till the onions become translucent.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and let it cook for a minute.
5. Now add spinach, carrot and chopped tomato. Cook for 3 minutes at medium heat.
6. Add peas, salt, chili powder and coriander powder and add little water if required. cook for 3 more minutes and turn off the stove.
7. Heat clarified butter or ghee in another pan, add black cumin seeds and let it splutter.
8. Add soaked and drained basmati rice and fry for a couple of minutes at medium heat till the ghee and cumin seeds coat it well. Remove from heat.
9. Add the spinach gravy and rice to rice cooker or pressure cooker and add 1 1/2 cups of water and cook.
10. If you are using pressure cooker, cook for one whistle.
11. Let it cool and once done add fresh cut coriander before serving
12. Serve hot with raitha.

Raitha:

1. .Beat Yogurt

2. Add cumin powder, salt, one green chilly and raita masala

3. Add coriander

Mediterranean Style Mini Pizza

Ingredients

Yields: 6

1 dozen mini pita breads
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 (15-ounce) can white cannellini beans or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 roasted red bell peppers, (I used 2 small peppers)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
3/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, crushed
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1 sprig fresh red creeping thyme (or regular), finely chopped
1 cup arugula, washed and spin-dried
1/2 pound Greek feta cheese or goat cheese, diced
1/4 cup capers, drained
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 Meyer lemons (or regular lemons), freshly squeezed
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, coarsely chopped
1 dozen black olives, sliced
6 marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
2 teaspoons curly parsley
a drizzle chili garlic oil (optional), about 2 tablespoons

---

Directions

For the pita bread: Lightly brush the mini pita bread with olive oil. Place the pieces onto a hot griddle. Cook until you get nice grill marks (about 2 minutes on each side) over medium heat. Remove from the pan. As soon as the bread is ready, drizzle with half the amount of a lemon juice and season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Set aside.
Pickling the shallot: Peel and thinly slice the shallot; mince finely. Place the minced shallot in a bowl, sprinkle with some brown sugar and drizzle with half the amount of a lemon juice. Set aside.
For the cannellini bean and roasted red bell pepper "hummus": In a grinder, combine the cannellini beans, pickled shallot, garlic, thyme, paprika, roasted red bell peppers, remaining lemon juice, red chili flakes and remaining olive oil. Pulse until smooth. (if the spread is to thick, add up to 2 tablespoons of water). Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.
Preheat the oven to "broil" setting.
Assembly time: Spread about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the cannellini bean and roasted red bell pepper "hummus" onto each pita bread. Garnish with some Greek feta cheese, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and marinated artichoke hearts. Place the mini-pizzas on a baking sheet and broil them for about 3 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Garnish with some arugula and curly parsley. Finish with a drizzle of chili garlic oil if you like.
Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Butter Chicken

CHICKEN MAKHANI RECIPE Ingredients:
800 gms chicken
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
salt to taste
1 tblsp lemon juice
For Marinade
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
salt to taste
2 tblsp ginger paste
2 tblsp lemon juice
2 tblsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp mustard oil
2 tblsp butter
For Makhani Gravy
400 gms tomato puree
3 tblsp butter
1 tsp green chillies (chopped)
1/2 tsp kasoori methi
1 cup fresh cream
1 tblsp ginger paste
1 tblsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
1 tblsp garam masala whole
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tblsp sugar/ honey
1 tblsp garlic paste

How to make chicken makhani :

• Skin and clean the chicken.
• Make incisions with a sharp knife on breast and leg pieces.
• Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and leave aside for half an hour.
• Hang the yogurt in a muslin cloth for 15-20 minutes to take off extra water.
• Mix in red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala powder and mustard oil.
• Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and chill in a freezer for 3 to 4 hours.
• Put the chicken onto a skewer and stir fry in a moderately hot tandoor or a preheated oven (200 degrees celsius) for 10-12 minutes or until almost done.
• Baste it with grease and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
• Take off and keep aside.
• Heat up grease in a pan.
• Mix in whole garam masala.
• Let it crackle.
• Then mix in ginger-garlic paste and cut green chillies.
• Stir fry for 2 minutes.
• Mix in tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and one cup of water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Lower heat up and simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for 10 minutes.
• Mix in sugar or honey and powdered kasoori methi.
• Mix in cooked tandoori chicken pieces.
• Simmer (boil slowly at low temperature) for 5 minutes and then mix in fresh cream.
• Serve hot with naan or parantha.

Yummy Green Chutney

1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves (tender stems are ok too if you’re using the food processor)
optional if you have any: 5-10 mint leaves
optional: 1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp curry powder
generous pinch of coarse salt
a few grinds of black pepper
1 tbs lemon juice
a pinch of sugar