The New Nation - Internet Edition

500 gms Paneer

2 medium-sized bunches of fresh spinach

1/2 bunch fresh fenugreek leaves

4 tbsps cooking oil

1 large onion chopped fine

1 large tomato diced

2 tsps garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

2 tsps coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp of butter to garnish

Preparation

Cut the paneer into 1" cubes. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and stir-fry the paneer till golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Keep aside.

Add 2 tbsps of oil to the same pan and fry the onions in it till soft.

Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for a minute.

Add the spinach, fenugreek leaves, tomato, coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam masala powders and mix well. Add salt to taste and mix well.

Cook till the spinach and fenugreek leaves are soft and like pulp. Mash well into a rough paste. If you prefer, you can also blend this paste in the food processor to get a smoother consistency.

Add the previously fried paneer cubes to this gravy and mix to coat the pieces.

Aviyal

Ingredients

1 medium Potato cooked and diced 1 pinch Asefetida

3/4 pound Green Beans cut in 1" pieces

1/2 teaspoon Whole black mustard seeds

2 medium Carrots cut in bite-size pieces

1 teaspoon Cumin seeds

1 cup Peas

2 tablespoons Urad dal

2 medium Serrano chiles diced

1 3/4 cups Plain yoghurt

1 cup Coconut grated, fresh not sweetened

2 teaspoons Salt or to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons Vegetable oil

2 tablespoons Cilantro minced

Direction

If potato is not yet cooked and diced, do that first, and let it cool. Then combine beans, carrots, and peas in a small pot with a cup of water. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes till the veggies are tender but still crunchy. Mix the veggies and potatoes in a 3 quart pot. Sprinkle the chiles and coconut over the vegetables.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Put in asefetida, and mustard and cumin seeds. When seeds pop, add the urad dal. Stir and fry till dal turns reddish brown. Empty this over the cooked veggies.

Whisk the yoghurt in a bowl till it's creamy, add the salt and mix again. Pour the yoghurt over the veggies and mix. Heat gently but not to boiling.

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 bunch fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped

1 small green chillies, chopped into small pieces (or one teaspoon chilli powder)

1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces

2 cans diced tomatoes

fresh ginger, peeled and grated

fresh garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seed

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons garam masala

Directions

1Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.

2Add the chopped onion and one teaspoon of cumin seeds to the oil.

3Stir together and cook until onions become creamy, golden, and translucent.

4Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.

5Add chopped chillies (according to taste) Stir tomatoes into onion mixture.

6Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.

7Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few tablespoons of water (ensuring that the mixture doesn't stick to the saucepan).

8Ensure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.

9Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).

10Add two teaspoons of Garam Masala and stir.

11Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry.

12Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

Matar paneer

Ingredients

450gms /1lb shelled Matar (green peas)

250gms / 1/2lb Paneer How to make paneer

2 medium onions (chopped)

6 cloves garlic (crushed)

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 green chilies (chopped)

250gms / 1/2 lb tomatoes (peeled and sliced)

Salt To Taste

1cup curd / plain yogurt

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp coriander seeds

4 bay leaves

2 cups water

1/2 cup ghee / vegetable oil

To Garnish :

Garam masala powder

Chopped coriander leaves

Preparation

Make a paste by grinding together half the onions, the garlic and coriander seeds.

Heat the ghee in a frying pan and cut the paneer into 2.5-cm/1-inch cubes. Fry the paneer to a light brown and remove to drain on a plate.

Add the remaining onion and the ginger to the ghee / oil in a pan and add the bay leaves and fry until the onion is golden brown.

Add the turmeric and the paste mixture and fry until the ghee starts to separate.

Add the paneer and mutter (peas) along with the yoghurt, chilli, tomato and salt. Stir for 5-6 minutes over low heat.

Pour in the water and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Serve the matar paneer sprinkled with garam masala and coriander.

Coleslaw

Ingredients

Cabbage, either green or purple or both

Carrot

Green onion

For the version with mayonnaise:

Mayonnaise

Yellow mustard

Pepper

For the version without mayonnaise:

Rice vinegar or white vinegar

Sugar

Salt and pepper

Method

1 Starting with a head or half a head of cabbage, thinly slice the cabbage until you have approximately 4 cups (not packed) of sliced cabbage. (Using a mandoline helps in this case.) Julienne a half of a carrot. Thinly slice a couple green onions.

1 For the mayo dressing version, add 3 Tbsp mayo, 1/2 teaspoon of yellow mustard and mix in with the cabbage, carrot, and onions. Add pepper to taste.

3 For the non-mayo version, add a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar. Sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.