Aloo Gobi

Ingredients :

1 Tbsp. Oil

1  Cauliflower, cut & separated into florets

4  yukon gold Potatoes, cut into 1/2" - 1" cubes

1  Onion, chopped lengthwise

1 tsp.  Ginger (in the jar)

1 tsp.  Garlic (in the jar)

1/2 c.  Water

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp.  Tumeric

2 tsp.  Cumin Powder

2 tsp.  Coriander Powder

2 tsp.  Red Chilli Powder (Substitute: Ancho Chili powder for a mild flavor - I used Ancho Chili Powder on our cooking group night)

1 tsp.  Garam Masala      
1 Tsp.  Cilantro- Few sprigs for Garnishing.

Method :

Seperate the florets from Cauliflower. Wash & drain.
Cut Potatoes into Chunks.

Heat Oil in a Pan , add Onions & fry till translucent.
Add ginger & garlic -  stir.  Mix in Potatoes and water , cover to cook.

When the Potatoes are half done (about 15 minutes), add the florets,
tumeric & salt. Cover to Cook (another 15 minutes). Open afer a few minutes,
add all the dry powders & mix. (At this point you might need to cook longer if potatoes aren't done.)
Garnish with Cilantro leaves.
Serve hot with Breads, Rice, Rotis or as a side dish.

Submitted by Kathryn C.

Naan Bread

I had this recipe in oz/g and have tried to convert ... hopefully it works. This recipe isn't completely authentic, but it tastes pretty good.

Ingredients:
14oz/397g (3 1/8 Cups) all purpose flour
1/3oz/9g (3 tsp) instant dry yeast
6 fluid oz/180ml (3/4 C) water
2 fluid oz/60 ml clarified butter, plus more as needed (there is a good tutorial for clarifying butter here: http://allrecipes.com/howto/clarifying-butter/detail.aspx)
2 oz/57g (a little less than 1/4 C) plain yogurt
1 egg
1 oz/ 28g (2 heaping Tbs) sugar
1 1/2 tsp /7.50g salt
2 Tbs/ 12 g poppy seeds or black onion seeds

1. Combine flour and yeast. Add the water, butter, yogurt, egg, sugar and salt and mix on low speed for 4 minutes. Dough should be elastic, but still wet.
2. Let rise till doubled, about an hour.
3. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Pre-shape into rounds. Let the dough rest, covered for 15-20 minutes.
4. Gently stretch each piece of dough into a round 7inches in diameter, so that the center is 1/4 inch thick and the border is a little thicker. Pull one edge out to elongate each round slightly, creating a teardrop shape.
5. Place the breads on parchment -lined baking sheets (air-bake sheets work very well), brush them with butter and sprinkle with seeds on top.
6. Bake the naan in a 425 degree oven until golden brown and puffed, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on racks.  If you are baking on a regular baking sheet, you may need to reduce the temperature or turn the bread halfway through baking so that one side of the bread doesn't turn out too dark.

Contributed by Tess Douglas

Mango Lassi

Mango Lassi Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped mango (peeled and stone removed)
4 teaspoons sugar, to taste
A dash of ground cardamom (optional)

Method

Put mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. Can sprinkle with a little cardamom.
The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
Makes about 2 cups.

submitted by Andrea A.

Ela's Gosht Korma

Meatballs or red beef (really you could use anything.
potatoes, cauliflower, etc.)
1 med yellow onion
1 cup plain yogurt
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs crushed garlic
1 Tbs crushed ginger
1 Tbs garam masala
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cinamon stick or pinch of cinamon (stick is tastier!)
1-2 cups water
2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)
1 Tbs ground coriander
fresh cilantro

**Heat oil w cinnamon stick for couple minutes (don’t
burn it!) Add chopped onion, ginger and garlic and saute. Remove cinnamon sticks,
blend rest of cooked stuff in blender, then return to pan and add cinnamon back to pan. (ok
to add water to make it easier to blend.)
Add all other ingredients, making sure to add the yogurt at the
end and SLOWLY/whisk in so it doesn’t curddle.
Also, add the water last to get an appropriate
consistancy.  Simmer for 10 minutes (the longer the
better) and serve over rice or eat w toasted Naan!

Ela's Chicken Tikka Masala

Quick and Easy Tikka Paste:
1 Tbs Coriander
1 Tbs Cumin powder
1/8 Cup (or 1/4 if you like more) ginger/garlic paste
1 tsp red chili powder (more or less for your own preference of heat)
1 Tbs cumin seeds
1/2-1 tsp tumeric powder (for color)
1 tsp garam masala (may add more if you like it spicey- I add 1 Tbs!)
1 T nuts ground or slivered (almonds or cashews) **optional
1 tsp Fenugreck Powder
Salt (to taste)
Lemon juice (about a Tbs)

Make a paste by mixing white wine vinegar with the
dry ingredients.  Heat olive oil, and add paste to pan.
Cook till oil rises to surface. Then add all the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 more minutes on low. (May add bit of water as needed to keep from burning spices.)

1) Take half of this paste and mix it w/ some plain yogurt. Marinate your
meat in this mixture for at least an hour.
2) The other half will be added to the sauce!


Chicken:
Cut into desired sizes of pieces.  After marinating for at least an hour in the tikka paste and yogurt (FYI when marinating meat- you can NOT use the dry spices without making it into a paste first.  if you try this your chicken will not soak in the flavor and you will taste all the spices separate- they won't blend.  Making the paste is essential) , put on skewers and grill on your grill.  You can also use a stone-ware pan and bake it uncovered in your oven.  Set aside.

Tikka Sauce:
1 med onion (yellow is fine)
grn chilies
red or green peppers (just a few slices) **optional
Tikka paste

1 Tbs sugar (only needed if you add the peppers)
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce.


Heat olive oil in pan- enough to fry your onion.
Dice the onion and put in pan. Add a few grn chilies
(to your spicy-delight). You can also add some red or
green peppers, but if you do then also add 1 Tbs sugar
to take away pungency.  Cook till onions are brown.
Add the rest of the Tikka paste.  Add 1 can tomato sauce- then
blend in blender till smooth (about 20 seconds). Return to stove.
Add 1 can diced tomatoes.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat to med and slowly stir in 1/2-1 cup plain
yogurt or cream.  Let cook on med until it tastes
good :)  (about 15 mins). Lastly- add the grilled chicken :)

 Just before serving, add handful of chopped
fresh cilantro, and top dish w/ dollop of plain yogurt!

****Note:  IF YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE ALL THIS TIME THEN HERE'S THE SHORTENED VERSION- although not as authentic and not as tasty, it is still wonderful and is a LOT faster.  Here's what you do:

Make the tikka sauce as directed AND OMIT MAKING THE PASTE.  You will still use the ingredients, but you will not be marinating the meat- so you don't really need to make the paste.
Add the ginger/garlic paste when you fry your onion. when the onion is browned, add ALL the other spices listed in the "Tikka Paste" recipe, and also the rest of the "Tikka Sauce" ingredients, omitting the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Fry the spices till oil rises to the surface (maybe 5 minutes?). Add tomato sauce, blend, then add diced tomatoes and cook the rest for about 15 minutes.  Buy pre-cooked chicken (I use the Costco Rotisserie Chicken they roast over a spit!) and throw it in anytime.

Early American Apply Grunt

Linda Larsen made this YUMMY dessert for us at Book Club a few months ago. We read Miracle At Philadelphia and she had the fun idea to serve a dessert from that time period.

Early American Apple Grunt Instructions:

This version of apple grunt is baked, but in colonial days, it was cooked in a Dutch oven hanging over an open fire.
The name GRUNT presumably came from the sound the pudding made as it bubbled and grunted beneath the biscuit like topping.
If desired, this very same pudding also may be cooked over an open fire.
Just cover it tightly and simmer for 1 hour.

Early American Apple Grunt Ingredients:

4 tb Butter
1/3 c Tightly packed brown sugar
2 c Pared, cored, and sliced
-fresh apples
3/4 c Chopped walnuts
1 Egg
1/2 c Granulated sugar
1/3 c Milk
1/8 ts Salt
1 ts Baking powder
1 c All-purpose flour
Whipped cream or ice
-cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt butter in an 8-inch baking pan.
Remove 2 tablespoons of the butter and place in a mixing bowl.
Add the brown sugar to the pan and stir until dissolved.
Arrange apples over the brown sugar.
Sprinkle with walnuts.
Add eggs, granulated sugar, and milk to the bowl with the 2 tablespoons butter.
Mix in the salt and baking powder, then add the flour, mixing until smooth.
Pour batter over the apples.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Loosen cake from sides of pan with spatula and invert onto a serving platter.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Potato Focaccia

This recipe (and picture) is from a blog called "Kitchen Unplugged": http://gattinamia.blogspot.com. She has a lot of beautiful/ tasty recipes. 

 

Ingredients 2 medium starchy potatoes * (abt 1 pound); 1 cup milk, lukewarm; 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup water; 3 cups high gluten flour; 2 tsps sea salt; spoonfuls of oregano + thyme + sage; 6 Tbps olive oil, plus 2 Tbps for geasing the pan and 1 or 2 Tbps for drizzling over the top; 1 1/2 to 2 tsps coarse sea salt

* if your potatoes are rather moist, after mashed, let them sit in the fridge overnight, uncover.

1. Boil the potatoes until they're cooked, immediately drain, peel, and mash them with fork, being careful to eliminate any lumps. Cool to room temp.
2. Mix the flour, potatoes, 2 tsps fine sea salt, and the chopped herb together, add in dissolved yeast liquid, olive oil, and milk (add 80% first, decide on the rest after the dough forms). Knead until the dough smooth, soft and elastic. Set it in an oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
3. Brush olive oil on a 10.5 x 15.5-inch baking pan (dark coated yields for browner crust) with 2-inch sides. Place the dough (don't knead... so as to save air bubbles inside) in the pan and gently press it out to the edges. With your hands moistened in oil, dimple the top. Cover and let rise until half-doubled. Sprinkle coarse salt and a little more olive oil over the top.
4. At least 30 mins before you plan to bake, preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Bake until the top and the underside are golden, about 25 mins.