Tomato Soup

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Based on a memory of a great soup served hot on an Indian Railway journey, I tried to recreate this memory by using very simple ingredients. This delicious and hearty soup can be served as is or embellished with garnishes.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 tsp cumin or jeera seeds
• 4 cloves roasted garlic. Can sub plain. Spiced Roasted Garlic recipe
• 1 inch piece of ginger cut in slices
• 1 carrot cut in slices
• 4 Roma tomatoes cut in cubes
• 1/2 green pepper cut in half
• 1 tsp red chilli flakes
• 2 tsps ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• salt

Instructions

1. Heat the butter and add the cumin seeds
2.  Next add the garlic & ginger.
3.  Then add the carrot followed by the Roma tomatoes
4.  Give everything a good stir and add the green pepper
5.  Add 1 tsp red chilli flakes and 1 of the 2 tsps of black pepper
6.  Add water
7.  If using a traditional stock pot, cover and cook for 30 mins, stirring occasionally
8.  If using a pressure cooker, cook till first whistle
9.  Cool the mixture
10.  Drain and reserve the liquid
11.  Removing and discarding the green pepper, grind the rest of the softened veggies
12.  Bring the ground veggies and the liquid back to a boil
13.  Add salt to taste and another tsp of ground pepper
14.  Serve as is or with any garnish of your choice.

Easy to prepare Taco spice

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For years I've used the package spice, but its so easy to make your own and this one is customized by me to have maximum flavor. This will yield about 10 tsps and I will use this to flavor 2 pounds of meat. Feel free to multiply the quantities and store it in a glass bottle for use with any Mexican dishes.

Mix together
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
 2 tsps cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cocoa powder

Spiced Roasted Garlic

 A week ago my husband picked up a 3 lb bag of peeled garlic. Now who doesn’t love garlic that’s already been peeled for you? View video


NOBODY! However as much as I tried to use it, I didn’t quite need so much. Before I just threw our money away, I decided to roast the entire batch so I would have the smoky delicious little bundles on hand whenever I needed to throw it into a hummus, flavor a roast or spice up a butter. 

After I washed and cleaned them, I weighed the garlic again and I had about 2 lbs  – still a lot of roasted garlic but I have a big heart and I’ve already packed it in bottles to share with my friends.

Ingredients

2 lbs cleaned garlic cloves
1 red onion sliced
Kosher or coarse salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric or haldi
1/2 tsp kasuri methi leaves
1/2-3/4 cup canola oil

In a roasting pan mix all the ingredients together and roast in a preheated oven for 1 – 2 hours. The cooking time really varies on the quantity you’re roasting, the oven and the surface area of the pan so watch it till it’s nice and golden brown. Remove the pan frequently and stir so you’re moving all the brown bits around and flipping the cloves as they turn a dark golden brown. Because I’m going to bottle them, I try to be very gentle with the cloves as I’m mixing so they stay whole. View video

Paneer Tikka Masala

Click here for my step by step video

Tikka Masala is a very popular Indian dish and we're not the only country claiming it's origin. Pakistan believes that they invented it and Britain proclaims that it is their National dish. While they fight it out, let's learn how to make it.

While the ingredients are very similar to Paneer Makhani, there are some distinct differences. To me Tikka Masala is a more intense and robust sauce. Everywhere I've enjoyed this dish, it is served tossed with green peppers(capsicum) and onions.


400 gms paneer cut in cubes
Tandoori ready made spice blend and salt.
1 green pepper, deseeded and cut in cubes
1 small onion quartered

For the gravy
1 medium red onion halved and sliced
5 cloves
1 inch stick cinnamon
2 green cardamoms seeds removed.
3 green chilies
8 garlic cloves roughly minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger roughly minced
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric (haldi)
2 tsps garam masala powder
1 tsp cumin powder (jeera)
2 tsps tomato purée
2-3 Roma tomatoes boiled, skin removed and chopped
1/4 cup chopped coriander
2 tbsps heavy cream

Marinating the paneer in the dry Tandoori spice and add some salt. Skewer the paneer and add to the BBQ for a few minutes (you can fry as an option). While the BBQ is on and hot also skewer the green peppers and onions and BBQ them for a few minutes till slightly smoky and charred. Leave aside to cool.

In a saute pan add some oil and when hot add the onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute till the onions are golden brown. Add sugar and continue to cook. Then add all the spice powders, followed by the tomato puree. Pre boil your tomatoes so they have had a chance to cool and once chopped, add them to the pan. Cover and let the gravy cook for a few minutes. Add salt to taste. Reserving a few tablespoons in the pan, add the mixture to a blender and blend. Return to the pan and turn the heat on. I reserve a bit of the gravy because I like the silky softness of the gravy to have some texture, this is a personal preference.

When the gravy starts to bubble, it’s time to add the paneer and mix. Cover and cook for about 5 – 7 mins till the chicken is well done. If the gravy is to thick, add a little water. Add the green pepper and onion cubes and mix. Finish with the cream and chopped coriander.