I begining to believe that my recent craving for Indian food is single handedly keeping my local Indian restaurant in business. I'd like to try to make a dish at home; of course, I'd like to mix up a few things. Please forgive my horrid spelling!

I'd like recipes and advice on how to make the following:

1. Veggie balls containing mashed lentils. I'm not sure what other veggies to use, or how to make them.

2. Shai Korma (sp?) I know it has yogurt and nuts, but I'm not sure what else. I'm assuming that I have to use goat yogurt, but could I subsitute regualr (cow) yogurt? (sacrilige, I know, sorry!) needed.

3. Paneer (sp?) I know this is cubed goat cheese. Any ideas on where I can buy it?

4. Jasmine rice. Should I just buy a box of jasmine rice, or use white rice and do someting to it, or what? Also, should I boil or steam it?

5. Garlic nann. This is my favorite part of the meal. Please send in all recipes for it. :) Nann in Shai Korma (sp?) sauce (doing Homer Simpson impression ::drools:: )

Thank You for any help!

Cheryl

I can help with the paneer! It's actually a form of cottage cheese, and is really really easy to make :) I have travelled in India and was shown how to make it by a local man, so I assume this recipe is authentic :)

All you need to do is heat up some milk (semi-skim or full fat, fat-free won't work - ideally goat of course, but cow's does work) until it starts to boil. Whip it off the heat and add some lemon juice, and then return to the heat and stir continuously until the milk curdles - you want to have white lumps in a clear yellow liquid, so keep adding juice until this happens, how much you need depends on the acidity of your lemon so this bit is trial and error. Keep stirring and simmering for a few minutes, the longer you simmer the harder the paneer will be. 4-5 minutes seems to work well.
Strain the mixture through a cheese cloth (or muslin or similar) and leave to cool slightly. When it is cool enough to handle, gather up the ends of the cloth and squeeze and wring into a ball to get rid of more liquid and compress the cheese. Finally, lay the cheese out on a plate or board, and squash another board or plate on top. Put a heavy weight on top and leave for an hour to let it cool and let any remaining liquid drain away. And that's it!

I got so carried away with the paneer (saag paneer is my favourite Indian vegetable dish) that I forgot to tell you about the others LOL!

Jasmine rice is a particular variety, so you have to buy it specially, you can't just 'make' it out of white rice. You can either steam it, or cook it in a measured amount of water - two cups water to one cup rice works well. If you want to boil it, make sure you measure the proportions out accurately, cover the pan and then just simmer until dry - if you measured then when all the water has gone the rice should be perfect :)
Jasmine is actually a Thai long grain rice, and is often considered to be the king of all rice. If you get an 'old crop' rice it will come out with a similar texture to basmati when cooked. 'New crop' jasmine will cook to a mash-like consistency, a bit like a risotto or pudding rice. A nice variation on jasmine rice is to cook it in diluted coconut milk and a bit of sugar :)

There are as many recipes for korma as there are Indian cooks, but here is one that I like - I'm not going to give quantites because you can vary them to your own personal taste. This just makes the sauce, you can add veggies or chicken if you like. If using chicken, marinate it in the spices before adding it to the fried onion for extra flavour.
Fry finely chopped onion in cooking oil, or ghee for authenticity. Add salt, turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander seeds, ginger and garlic and stir well to blend. Add yoghurt, plus water to achieve the desired sauce consistency, and stir well for 5 minutes. Add dessicated coconut, ground pepper, chopped coriander leaf and mint, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
That is the basic recipe, but feel free to add a bit of cumin, chilli, curry/bay leaves or nuts of your choice (cashews are particularly good, or roasted almonds) to spice things up. If you prefer, you can use clove, cinnamon, cardamom and shajeera in place of the pre-mixed garam masala powder too.

Naan bread recipe - once again just the basic bread recipe, so add garlic, coriander, yoghurt, sultanas etc as the fancy takes you :)
Combine 1 kg flour, 1 tbsp dry yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp salt, 200 ml milk, 200 ml water and 2 tbsp butter or margarine into a dough by kneading, cover and leave to rise for about 2 hours. Pull chunks off the dough of the size required and flatten on a board and then place batches in a very hot oven for about a minute, or until golden and fluffy. They can be reheated if made in advance by sprinkling with water and then either placed under a grill for a minute on each side, or wrapped in foil and heated in an oven.

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Oooh! One of my favorite subjects! I get cravings for Indian food all the time, and I'm lucky to have so many Indian restaurants to choose from here!

My favorite cookbook, which covers India and much of Asia and the eastern Mediterranean, is this:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0394748670/qid=1053536012/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/102-2830049-6330508?v=glance&s=books

It has naan, recipes for many types of Asian rice, and the paneer, korma, you name it! It is vegetarian, so if you aren't she has other books that include recipes with meat. I also pull this book out when my cupboards are looking bare, because I always seem to have lentils, rice, flour and spices!

I'm getting hungry just talking about it! Anyway, good luck finding recipes. I like to go to www.epicurious.com to look for specific recipes, too.

HTH!

euphrasyne, i'll post in detail in the evening. my books are at home.

I'm going to be watching this thread carefullly!

My hubby LOVES Indian food! It is ok, for me, but he gets this glazed over look in his eyes when he's eaten good spicy Indian food! LOL He's calls it his "Indian High"! LOL

Anyway, if ya'll have some vegetarian dishes (besides those already listed) I'd MUCH appreciate it! Hubby is not vegan, just vegitarian.

I really want to surprise him with an Indian meal when he gets home from work one day this summer! (I actually cook in the summer :) LOL)

I wish my link would be clickable. Darn it :rolleyes: Look for Ashy's vegetarian website. Great food. Sorry to make it difficult.
Daneille

I'm typing out the recipes. in the meantime, you ca check out the recipes in the links below. feel free to ask away any questions. :)

http://www.indiandelicacies.com/

a great site for a huge collection of recipe site.
http://www.thingsindian.com/cookery.htm

The best ever books i've found for authentic indian cooking - suited for american kitchen are the following two. why they say, suited for american kitchen is because they tell where to buy and what its called here..

The indian vegetarian (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0028622855/qid=1053646925/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_3/002-7223759-9886449?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
This is truly wonderful and only vegetarian. highly recommend :rockerdude:

classic indian cooking (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0688037216/qid=1053646962/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_2/002-7223759-9886449?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)
this is another one i got from library. perfect book! i went in a vegetarian mode when i bought my books, so i got the veggie collection of the same author. which is

classic indian vegetarian cooking by same author. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0688049958/ref=pd_sim_books_2/002-7223759-9886449?v=glance&s=books)

From the author of "The Indian vegetarian". I like her style of writing. so here we go in her own words.

color=darkred]Grilled Leavened bread with nigella seeds. - Kalonjivale Tandoori Naan

This familiar bread made with leavened all-purpose flour is an integral part of Indian restaurant style cuisine. The lure of freshly baked naan catches people like spiders in its fragrant web.

When i was growing up, naan was never baked at home, even by people who had tandoors (special ovens). Today, however, I am able to reproduce almost authentic naan at home, though they lack the smoky flavour of the coals of the tandoor.

Nigella seeds are called Kalonji in Indian stores. Or you can also ask for "Karunjeeragam" if the store seems south indian.
Naan is incomparably marvelous with curries, lentils and beans, vegetable side dishes, barbecued foods, or just by itself. I have, on occasion, used it as a pizza crust.

1 tablesppoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (about 130 F)
1 large egg (optional)
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1/2 cup warm milk (about 130 F)
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature, plus 1 additional tablespoon if making dough by hand
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour for coating
1/2 cup water for brushing
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
2 tablespoons melted regular or clarified butter for brushing

To make the dough, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and set aside until frothy, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix the egg, yogurt and milk together and set aside. (Do not worry if the milk curdles.) Add some extra yogurt if you are not using the egg.

Place the flour and butter in a food processor fitted with metal S-blade and process until mixed.(Do not use blender) With the motor running, pour the yeast mixture through the feed tube, followed by the egg mixture and process until the flour gathers into a ball and the sides of the work bowl look clean. (If the dough seems too sticky, add some more flour through the feed tube.) Remove to a large bowl, cover, and place in a warm draft-free spot until it doubles in volume, 2 to 3 horus. (If the dough is made by hand, oil your hand with butter to prevent the dough from sticking to them.)

Divide the dough into 16 round balls. Keep covered to prevent them from drying out. Working with each ball separately, press it into a flat disk, then coat completely in flour from the bowl. Roll each disk into a 5 to 6 inch circle, then pull from one side to make a triangle. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and finish rolling all the other naans. (The naan can be made in round shapes also.)

Preheat the broiler. Brush the top of each naan with water and sprinkle and press some nigella seeds into it. Place the coookie sheets ,one sheet at a time, 3 to 4 inches below the broiler heat until brown spots appear on the top and looks done, about 1 minute. (You may have to reposition each naan, depending on the heat distribution of the broiler) Turn each naan over and cook the bottoms slightly. Remove to a platter, brush lightly with the butter, and serve hot.

Naan can be made ahead of time, stacked one on top of another, and covered with aluminium foil, or be cooked lightly on one sidfe, then cooled and stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 days (or frozen for 2 to 3 months). To reheat, place on cookie sheets in a single layer and place under the broiler until heated though. (They can be heated individually in a regular toaster also.) Reheating naan in a microwave oven makes them chewy.

Makes 16 Naan

Garlic Naan: Mince 3 to 5 cloves of garlic in the food processor , then proceed with the recipe. Substitute slivers of garlic (as many as you like) for the nigella seeds.

Ginger-sesame naan: Mince a one and half inch piece of peeled fresh ginger in the food processor, then proceed with the recipe. Substitute sesame seeds for the nigella seeds.

Scallion and mint naan: Mince 3 to 4 whole scallions and 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves int he food processor, then proceed with the recipe. After the naan are baked, brush lightly with melted butter or clarified butter and sprinkle some ground dried mint leaves on tops.

Fenugreek naan: Mince 1 cup loosely packed fresh fenugreek leaves in the food processor, then proceed with the recipe. After the naan are baked, brush lightly with melted butter or clarified butter and sprinkle some ground dried fenugreek leaves on top.

Clarified butter can be bought in indian grocery stores. Its called 'Ghee'. It has wonderful smell :)

1. Veggie balls containing mashed lentils. I'm not sure what other veggies to use, or how to make them.

I have no clue about this recipe. :D I've made veggie balls curry kinds and i've made mashed lentils. IF you can ask the recipe's Indian name, then i can try looking for it. Is that kofta curry by any chance?


2. Shai Korma (sp?) I know it has yogurt and nuts, but I'm not sure what else. I'm assuming that I have to use goat yogurt, but could I subsitute regualr (cow) yogurt? (sacrilige, I know, sorry!) needed.

I've never made this, but have eaten this. This recipe seems decent.
http://www.cooksrecipes.com/lamb/shahi_korma_recipe.html You can probably use chicken broth instead of beef broth. Goes well with naan or roti (indian flat bread) or basmati rice. Sure, you can use cow's yogurt. we always use that at home. Goat's milk or yogurt or cheese is not as widely used as its normally thought to be. But its very very healthy.
A friend of mine, a greta cook, makes absolutely divine 'shahi paneer'. The recipe is pretty simple. I can ask her if you want that.


3. Paneer (sp?) I know this is cubed goat cheese. Any ideas on where I can buy it?
Paneer is made from cow's milk or goat's milk. Mostly its cow's milk, but again, the goat's milk cheese is the tastier of the two. You can buy that in any indian grocery store. IF there's a indian restaturant nearby, then there might be a grocery store too... you can check in pakistani or srilankan stores as well. what were you planning to make with paneer?


4. Jasmine rice. Should I just buy a box of jasmine rice, or use white rice and do someting to it, or what? Also, should I boil or steam it?

You can get basmati rice from indian grocery stores. They have a wonderful flavor and aroma to it. You have to smell it while cooking to really feel it :) Jasmine rice might not be a good idea unless you go for south indian cooking or making lentil gravy. but yes, in case you dont get this, long grian rice would make a good substitute.

Feel free to ask away any questions. I love cooking and scouring for recipes, and yes, i have a huge collection of recipes at home.

1. Veggie balls containing mashed lentils. I'm not sure what other veggies to use, or how to make them.

3. Paneer (sp?) I know this is cubed goat cheese. Any ideas on where I can buy it?

4. Jasmine rice. Should I just buy a box of jasmine rice, or use white rice and do someting to it, or what? Also, should I boil or steam it?



You have got some excellent suggestions and there is not too much I can add to this but here are some of my recipes:

1. If you are talking about the "Dal Vada", Dal meaning lentils and Vada meaning balls, here is how I make them, I boil Moong Dal (you can use any form of yellow lentil actully), with a little bit of salt and very little water. I then mix it with cumin, corriander, fenugreek, and more salt if needed and also chilli pepper. The quantities are kind of trial and error(at least in my recipes :) ). Then put in the blender and blend it a little but don't make it into a pulp. Then make the balls dip it into chick pea flour batter and deep fry.

3. KT gave an excellent recipe, I have also made paneer with 1/2 gallon whole milk and 1/8 gallon buttermilk, this seems to make the paneer a little less tart.

4. The Jasmine rice is actually a product from Thailand, it is available in Indian grocery stores. I love the aroma of this and is our staple everyday rice.

Hope I did not confuse you too much. :oops:

Have fun trying out the recipes

Take care

OK, I've been busy, so I'm just getting around to actually cooking. I made the Dal Vada as per charlyee's insturctions. YUM! I think I need to work on it a little more to get the quantities right, but it turned out really good. I think I'm going to try and make the paneer next.

Cheryl

I know this wasn't on your list, but I'm telling you you've *got* to make tandoori salmon!! Following is the lazy woman's adaptation of the recipe from Julie Sahni's "Savoring India," a cookbook which I highly recommend btw.
1. Cut the fish into fillet-size (?) pieces.
2. Liberally rub with tandoori paste out of a jar (I am too lazy to make it myself)
3. Now rub yogurt or sour cream on top of that.
4. Brush with oil and put in the broiler, 5" from the heat, for approx. 7 minutes.
I did this last night as an experiment. After the meal, my husband and I *both* got our eyes glazed over on Indian Food High. The cookbook lists all the ingredients to make the tandoori past, btw, if you prefer to do it from scratch.