what's best than some hot & spicy indian food when the outside weather is cold and miserable...
Dal Korma
Korma sauce: ½ tsp cumin seeds, 2 or 3 whole peppercorns, a few curry leaves (fresh or dry), 2 sticks cinnamon, 3 cloves, 4 cardamom pods, 1 onion, 2 tbs fresh grated ginger, 1 large clove of garlic, 50g fresh coriander, 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp sugar, a few green chilies (depending how spicy you like), ¼ tsp turmeric, 2 tomatoes,2 tbsp oil and 2/3 cup coconut milk.
Heat the oil in a sauce pan. Add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods and cook for about 2 minutes over medium heat until seeds begin to pop. Stir in onion and cook for about 10 minutes until golden and soft. Add ginger and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add turmeric and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil (there may not be much liquid, add some water or broth if necessary) and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and transfer to a food processor. Process until smooth. Return to the pan and add the coconut milk. Then simply add boiled lentils to the sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Chicken Tikka Masala
The complete recipe is already available on this blog (tag: indian)
Palak Paneer
750g spinash (fresh or frozen),3 tbsp oil,
1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 onion,
1 medium size piece of fresh ginger, 1½ tbsp chopped garlic,
1 to 3 green chillies (depending how spicy), 2 tsp ground coriander,
250g paneer cheese (or "koti juusto" in Finland), 1 tsp garam masala,
6 tbsp milk, or 4 tbsp creme fraiche and 1-2 tsp lemon juice.
Blanch the spinach in hot water for three minutes or until wilted. Drain
into a colander and run cold water over it until cool. In a food
processor or blender, blend to a smooth paste and set aside. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the cumin and fry for about
30 seconds, until fragrant, then add the onion and fry over a low heat
for about six minutes, until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and chillies
and cook for a further minute. Add the ground coriander and salt to taste. Cook for another 30 seconds
then add the spinach and a splash of water if necessary. The mixture
should be loose but not watery. Bring to a boil and then simmer for
three minutes. Add the paneer cubes, garam masala and milk or cream. Stir and cook for a
few minutes or until the spinach is nice and creamy. Stir in the lemon
juice to taste.
... and voila! A little indian feast homemade.
(served with Rieska, finnish flat bread)
