Paneer Tikka

I love paneer so it goes without saying that paneer tikka is one of my favorite appetizer recipes. It's easy and flavorful and involves paneer (yay!).

This recipe was one of those accidental recipes that came together on a whim. Last weekend my mom threw a party and planned on making paneer tikka. She got lazy and told me, "Marinate the paneer with yogurt, tikka masala and tandoori powder."

I, albeit with a grudge, went into the kitchen to make the marinade and I'm so glad I did. This appetizer turned out to be a success and was loved by everyone of all ages.

Ingredients

1 slab of paneer

Yogurt

Tikka Masala

Tandoori Powder

Directions

Cut the paneer into cubes. Mix the yogurt, tikka masala and tandoori powder to form a marinade. Drench the paneer in the marinade for 2 hours or overnight. Bake in an oven at 350 degrees until the marinade is dry and the paneer is soft.

Samosa Filling

Making Samosa's is long process, but they taste phenomenal from scratch! This is the recipe for the filling that my mom uses--the vegetarian one, at least.

The main players are potatoes, peas, chills and ginger.

The ingredients list is long, but the process is not as tedious as it looks. In fact, I think assembling the samosas is a more annoying step than actually making the filling.

INGREDIENTS

16 medium red potatoes
1 cup green peas
4 green chilis; chopped
2 inch ginger; grated
1/4 cup chopped coriander
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala

EQUIPMENT
1 Medium Bowl for soaking peas
1 Pot for boiling potatoes
1 Frying Pan
1 Mixing utensil

DIRECTIONS
1. Boil potatoes in water until the skin comes off easily. While the potatoes are boiling, soak the peas in a bowl of water. Peel the skin off the potatoes and set aside. Drain the peas and set aside.
2. Chop 4 chilis, grate 2 inches of ginger and chop 1/4 cup of cilantro.
3. Chop the potatoes into cubes; one potato should yield 18-24 cubes.
4. In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds.
5. When the cumin seeds begin to pop, add the grated ginger and the chopped green chilies.
6. Fry the mixture for 1 minute and 30 seconds and mix well.
7. Add peas when slightly browned.
8. Add salt to taste (2 teaspoon). Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric.
9. Add the potatoes and mix well. Make sure the potatoes are evenly coated.
10. Add 1 teaspoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon cumin powder. Mix well making sure the potatoes are evenly coated.
11. Add coriander and mix. Add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala.
12. Cook for 2 minutes. Mash potatoes slightly whilst mixing.

Thai Red Curry

I'm in a Thai phase of life right now. All I want to eat is Thai fried rice and Drunken Noodles (or more sophisticatedly known as, Pad Ki Mao.)

One thing I've never been a fan of is Thai curry. Maybe because they just paled in comparison to the noodle and rice dishes or perhaps its because they were never quite "just right" for me. But, now I'm crazy for them!

Especially red curry. The benefit of making red curry at home is that I can customize the ingredients that go into the curry and make it just to my liking. My cousin has been making a lot of red curry lately (sometimes with shrimp, sometimes with chicken, sometimes with everything) and each time it's been delicious.

Here's a quick and easy recipe for Vegetarian Thai Red Curry. Beware: There aren't a lot of measurements for this--a lot of this is "to taste."

INGREDIENTS

Thai Red Curry Sauce (purchased from your local Asian supermarket)

Basil

Mushrooms

Eggplants

Baby Corn

Directions

Slice and half-pan-fry eggplants, mushroom and baby corn. Set aside. Heat up the thai red curry sauce until it has a liquid curry-like consistency (like soup) and add basil. Add all the vegetables and cook until mushrooms and eggplants are fully cooked.

Note: The reason I didn't put any measurements is because some people like their curry more sauce and less vegetables, and others like it more vegetables less sauce (like myself).

Paneer & Pea Curry

There are very few foods I could image living the rest of my life off of. The exclusive list would consist guacamole, sushi, pizza, cheese and paneer.

Being a type of cheese, paneer doesn't need its own category, but I love it so much that I give it one. Especially when it comes to South Asian cuisine. Paneer could compel me to become a vegetarian (but there's always sushi to pull me right back).

This paneer and pea dish is both easy and a lot of work. It's preparation and composition is very simple and easy, but the recipe calls for fresh homemade paneer--you just can't get away with the slab of grocery store paneer.

That being said, making homemade paneer is time consuming but isn't really difficult.

INGREDIENTS

Home Made Paneer, made from 1 gallon milk

Peas, 3/4 cup peas

1 inch ginger, grated

green chili, 3-4 pieces

1 whole tomato, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

4-5 cashews (optional), grounded

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 stick butter

salt, to taste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. In a skillet, add a little bit of oil and melt the half stick of butter.

2. When the butter is melted--not browned--add the chopped onion and green chills. Fry until the onion is light brown.

3. Add grated ginger. Fry for 3-4 minutes.

4. Add chopped tomato and fry for 5-6 minutes.

5. Add peas and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the peas are half cooked.

6. Add the scrambled homemade paneer. Add turmeric, salt and chili powder. Cook well until all the ingredients are mixed.

7. Add the ground cashew (optional). Mix well.

8. Add heavy cream, mix well. Add garam masala. Mix well.

Homemade Paneer

Homemade paneer is soft and delicate in texture and consistency, and is the foundation to a lot of Indian vegetarian curries and desserts. Pre-packaged paneer blocks suffice for curries, but when it comes to desserts, homemade paneer is the only way to go.

Here is an easy recipe on how to make paneer at home. The entire process takes under half an hour.

INGREDIENTS

1 gallon whole milk

Lemon Juice

DIRECTIONS

Boil a gallon of whole milk in a large heavy pot. When the milk begins to bubble, add some lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time, until the milk separates into a water-like liquid and a chunky white floating residue. Make sure to stir constantly. Switch off the heat and cover the pot for 5 minutes. Empty the pot into a strainer with very small holes (or line your strainer with a cheesecloth) so that the water is removed and the leftover residue--the paneer--is left.

Chole (Chickpea Curry)

Indian Chickpea Curry

Chole is one of my absolute favorite Indian dishes. But I'm really picky on how it's prepared. As with any dish, there are several ways it can be prepared: The chickpeas can either be soft or hard. I, for one, prefer my chole to be softer and not too liquid in consistency.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of Garbanzo Beans, fresh

3 cups water

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric

Salt, to taste

1 large onion, chopped

1 large Tomato, chopped

3 cloves garlic, grated

1/2 inch ginger

2-3 green chili; chopped

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1 teaspoon Coriander Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1 tablespoon Channa Masala

1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

2-3 tablespoons Coriander Leaves

EQUIPMENT

1 Pressure Cooker

1 Bowl

1 Drainer

Cutting Board + Knife

Grater

1 Skillet

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak 2 cups of chickpeas overnight.

2. Wash the chickpeas and strain from water.

3. Place the drained chickpeas to a pressure cooker and add 3 cups water.

4. Add 2 bay leaves, little bit salt, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric.

5. Pressure it for 10-15 minutes, or until the chickpeas are soft.

Meanwhile...

6. Chop onion and tomato, grate 3 cloves of garlic and half inch of ginger and chop 2-3 green chilies. Keep all ingredients separate.

7. In a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and green chilies.

8. When the onion is half cooked (5-6 minutes) add grated garlic. Mix well. Add grated ginger. Mix well.

9. Add turmeric and chili powder; mix well for 2 minutes.

10. Add chopped tomatoes. Mix well. When you cook tomatoes, water will be released. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the water from the tomato juices are fully mixed with the contents of the skillet.

11. Add 1 teaspoon of coriander powder and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder. Mix well.

12. Drain the chickpeas from the pressure cooker. Save the water in a separate container.

13. Add the chickpeas to the skillet and mix well for 5-6 minutes until the chickpeas are evenly mixed with the contents of the skillet.

14. Add all the water from the pressure cooker into the skillet. When the water boils, add 1 tablespoon of channa masala and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala; mix well. (Note: If you don't have channa masala, add amchur powder.)

15. When it is well done, add 2-3 tablespoons chopped green coriander leaves.

*Best served with bathure.

Aloo Gobi

Every time I hear the phrase aloo gobi, I think of the 2002 comedy film Bend It Like Beckham where the feisty Indian mom tells the lead protagonist that every good Indian girl needs to learn to make Aloo Gobi. (And she just might be right, it's a staple dish that's easy to make!)

The one thing I did find is that this recipe is super easy if you do a little prep work before the actual cooking. I made this recipe twice and found that prepping first (as directed below) makes the kitchen a lot less chaotic and I can focus on making sure nothing gets overcooked.

For full disclosure: If you're a proficient cook, you might hate the prepping strategy. My mom, who taught me how to make this, thinks it's not an efficient use of time and hates that the prepping process adds more dishes to be washed. That being said, I definitely prefer prepping and then cooking.

Ingredients

1 cauliflower

4 red potatoes

1/2 cup green peas

1 tomato

1 onion, medium sized

2 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2 bay leaves

Salt, to taste

Vegetable Oil

Equipment

1 Skillet

1 medium bowl

1 knife

1 cutting board

1 strainer

2 plates

1 spatula

Prep

1. Wash all the red potatoes and slice each potato into 4 pieces. Set aside in a microwavable bowl.

2. Wash and cut 1 whole cauliflower. Cut each cauliflower floret in half. Set aside.

3. Clean and chop 1 tomato and 1 onion. Set the chopped onion and tomato aside, separately.

4. Grate ginger and garlic and place in a small bowl.

5. Set aside the coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

Directions

1. Microwave the potato for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet.

2. Add a pinch of salt and a little turmeric to the potatoes (roughly 1/8 teaspoon) and fry them in the skillet for 3-4 minutes in medium heat. Keep potatoes aside.

3. Fry the cauliflower florets with salt and the remainder of the turmeric (you can reuse the skillet and use any residual oil left from frying the potatoes). When half cooked, set cauliflower aside.

4. In the same skillet, add a little bit of oil (if necessary). Add 2 bay leaves and the chopped onion. Fry until light brown.

5. Grate 2 cloves of garlic and the ginger into the skillet. Fry for an additional 1-2 minutes.

6. Add the chopped tomato and salt (to taste). Mix ingredients while cooking.

7. Add coriander, cumin, chili peppers and the green peas to the skillet. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

8. Add cauliflower and mix well. After two minutes, add potatoes and mix well.

9. Mix the contents in the skillet until the potatoes and cauliflowers are well coated with the masala. (Should take 2-3 minutes.)

10. Add garam masala. Mix well. (Note: You add the garam masala last so that the scent lasts.)

11. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Review: Jell-O Flan

I absolutely love flan and was pleasantly surprised a year back that Jell-O sells a boxed version. While it may not be authentic, it tastes delicious and got a stamp of approval from my South American friend. Another added perk: It contains no eggs and is vegan friendly!

With time, this $1 box of Jell-O magic has become my go-to when I need to whip up something in short notice. Because it's so cheap, I often make it as a backup for when I host parties since it's easy enough to make and should it go to waste I won't feel bad over the time, energy and money I wasted making it.

You should be warned: The results aren't creamy or custard-y. It's not close to real authentic flan, but if you want something that tastes good, this is it! You get your money's worth with this product.

Ingredients

1 Box of Jell-O Flan Mix

2 cups of milk

Equipment

1 skillet, wok or pot

1 mixing utensil

1 dish or several small dishes to store flan

Directions

Follow the directions on the box!

Tip: You can replace 2 cups of whole milk with evaporated milk or skim milk. I've tried both and they work just as well. Do not use condensed milk--it leads to a disaster!