Tandoori Chicken – Spiced Oven Roasted Chicken

3 lbs roasting chicken, cut up

1 large onion

1 tsp fresh ginger root

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp. cayenne

2 tsp garam masala

1/3 cup plain yogurt

2 tsp. salt

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp butter melted

Wash and dry chicken well with paper towel. Prick pieces all over to allow spices to penetrate.

Mince together onion ginger and garlic. Add cayenne, garam masala, yogurt, salt and tomato paste.

In mixing bowl, combine chicken and spice mixture, cover and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Before roasting, add corn starch and butter to chicken.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Arrange chicken pieces in roasting pan, side by side, but not touching. Roast in hot oven for 20 minutes. Baste occasionally with marinade until chicken pieces are golden brown. Cooking time is approximately 35-40 minutes.

Vegtable Koftas – Curried Zuchinni Balls

Koftas:

2 cups zuchinni, coarsely grated

1/2 cup pea flour

1 tsp garam masala

oil for deep frying

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl and mix into smooth batter. Heat oil in wok. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter into hot oil, a few at a time, and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain and set aside.

Sauce for Koftas:

2 medium onions, minced

2 tbsp clarified butter

1/2 cup tomatoes, cubed

1 tsp garlic, crushed

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 tsp salt or to taste

3 1/2 cups water 1 tbsp fresh  cilantro, chopped for garnishing

In saucepan, fry onion in butter until translucent. Add next 6 ingredients and cook until butter separates from sauce. Add water* and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Add zuchinni balls and garnish with cilantro.

*Zuchinni balls absorb a lot of liquid so adjust about of liquid as needed.

Serve with plain paranthas or rice pilaf.

Spinach with Indian Cottage Cheese – Palak Paneer

This one is by request – my Mother keeps trying to steal my Indian cookbook – actually everyone in my family does, and so I am posting this recipe (and a few others) for them.

Ingredients

4 cups spinach, finely chopped

1 cup split green peas

3 cups water

3 tbsp butter

1 med. onion finely chopped

1 tsp garlic, crushed

2 tbsp whole wheat flour (or thickener of your choice)

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt or to taste

2 cups paneer, cubed OR 2 cups tofu lightly covered in flour & pepper mixture and pan fried

Wash spinach in several changes of water. Discard tough stems and chop finely.

Wash peas, checking thoroughly for foreign objects. In saucepan, combine peas and water, bringing to boild. Reduce heat to simmer. Partially cover and cook for 10 minutes or until peas are half cooked.

Add spinach and continue cooking until peas and spinach are fully cook, about 10 minutes.

In saucepan fry onion in butter until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic, frying for a few more seconds. Add flour and cook for another couple of minutes.

Combine peas and spinach mixture, paneer, cayenne pepper and salt.

Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until smooth in consistency.

Serve hot with rice or Chapatties

Indian Butter Chicken

(Serves Four)

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp ginger grated
• 1 tsp green chili peppers finely chopped *
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp commercial curry powder
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tsp salt to taste
• 1 cup whipping cream or half and half
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped **

*(green chilies can be found in Mexican food isle usually in a little can, I always use them because they add something special to the mix.)
** (I usually just use cilantro, as I’m not sure how to find coriander and if it’s just a British Indian thing to call cilantro by another name or not… so I use cilantro and turns out tasty either way)
***I usually double the sauce mixture for this recipe as people tend to like more sauce on their rice and for dipping.

Start by cutting the chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside. In a saucepan fry up the onions till golden brown. Add garlic, ginger, chilies, paprika and curry powder. Fry for a few seconds and then add tomato sauce, salt and chicken, slowly bringing it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. A whipping cream and stir and simmer it until the chicken is tender, garnish with coriander. ***
(This is really nice if served with rice or naan or something. If you want it spicier add a pinch of cayenne pepper for spice. Though butter chicken need not be spicy.)

Alu Gobi – Potato Cauliflower Dish

(Serves 5)
• 1 small cauliflower
• 5-10 medium potatoes
• 1 cup of green peas
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 tsp fresh ginger finely chopped
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste *
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 1 ¼ tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tsp sugar**
• 2 tbsp water
• 1tsp fresh coriander finely chopped ***

* (the cayenne pepper is what makes it spicy so if you don’t like it too spicy, be careful with this one.)
** (if the mixture is too spicy you can add a bit more sugar to de-spice it.)
***(again coriander may mean cilantro which is actually what I always use.)

Start by preparing your veggies, have them cooked before you start, and set them aside. Sauté the onion in butter and add ginger, cayenne pepper, turmeric, garam masala, salt and sugar. Add in the veggie and stir for a few minutes. Add the water and cover and cook over low heat for a minute or two. Garnish with coriander.

Garam Masala Spice Mixture

Mix these spices together to make a garam masala mixture, though buying it from the store is much easier.

Combine:

- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin
-1 tsp black cardamom seeds or ground cardamom
-1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
-½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
-1 tsp mace