Shredded Carrot Subzi

This is a vegan entree made from shredded carrots. It's fat-free, and can be made very quickly. I love it when I yearn for simple food, and I hope you like it too!

Ingredients:

1 lb baby carrots, shredded
asafoetida (pinch)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
8-10 curry leaves
4-5 green chilli peppers, cut in small pieces
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
non-stick cooking spray (PAM or other)
cilantro / grated coconut for garnishing

Method:

Spray non-stick cooking spray on a pan, and add asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chilli peppers. Wait for mustard seeds to start crackling, then add the grated/shredded carrots. Stir fry on medium heat until carrots are just cooked. Then add sugar and salt as per taste. That's it... this yummy vegan dish is ready to eat. Garnish with cut cilantro and/or grated coconut as needed.

Dahi-e-Khumb

Dahi means Yogurt. Khumb means mushrooms. This is an entree made with mushrooms in a yogurt-based gravy. It's low/zero fat and requires no oil for cooking.

Ingredients:

16oz Mushrooms (the regular kind)
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp rice flour
2 cups fat-free yogurt
a pinch of turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
water
non-stick cooking spray (PAM or others)
10 green chilli peppers cut into fine pieces
spring onion greens for garnishing

Method:

Cut up the mushrooms into small pieces (slices if you will), and start frying them in a pan using non-stick cooking spray (PAM or other similar). (Note: The mushrooms need to be dry.) The mushrooms will start drainin moisture and will eventually start turning brown. As that happens, add the garlic paste and fry a few more mins. Then add the rice flour and continue frying.
Add yogurt and turmeric, mix it up well and continue stirring until yogurt cooks well. Then add 1-2 cups of water and garam masala, and salt to taste. Make sure all ingredients have mixed well and cook until done. Garnish with spring onion greens, if desired.
(Note: for variation, feel free to add tofu or paneer to the dish in accompaniment to the mushrooms. Also can add deghi mirch powder to give it a reddish/orange color.)
Serves 4-6 people.

Dilkhush Kesar-Elachi Shrikhand

"Shrikhand" is a delighful dessert made from yogurt minus all it's water, and sugar plus some sour cream. It's typically consumed as an accompaniment to rotis/chapatis (I.e. Indian tortillas). Kesar means saffron, Elaichi means cardamom and Dilkhush means "something that makes your heart happy!".

Ingredients:

1 16oz jar Laban Yogurt (this is the yogurt you get in Middle-Eastern stores)
1.5 cups sugar
1 8oz jar Sour Cream
Saffron (kesar) - 10 strands
2 tsp skimmed milk
10-15 pods ground cardamom (elaichi)
Muslin cloth (or any other 1' x 2' piece of cotton cloth)

Method:

Fold the cloth into two, and pour laban yogurt entirely on it. Then tie up the yogurt and hang from a height, with a pan below to collect dripping water.
Tie for at least 4 hours. Throw away the collected water. Open up the tied yogurt and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add sugar and sour cream to it. Also, heat up the skimmed milk and add saffron strands to it -- set aside for 10 mins. Then add the skimmed milk + saffron to the yogurt too. Finally, add the ground cardamom and mix everything up really well.
That's it. The Kesar-Elaichi Shrikhand is ready!! You can also add chaaroli, almonds and other slivered nuts to it, if desired.

Lajawab Garam Masala Dal

"Dal" is typically a thickish version of lentil soup (something you get at Middle-Eastern eateries). "Garam Masala" is a ground powder of a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cardamom and a couple of other spices. "Lajawab" just means exceptional! :-)

Ingredients:

1 cup tuvar/toor dal (yellow lentils)
1 tsp garam masala (Badshah or Everest)
1 yellow onion medium, cut in fine pieces
1 medium tomato, cut in small pieces
4-5 long Red chilli peppers
Ginger paste (pinch)
Garlic paste (1 tsp)
Salt to taste
Sugar (pinch)
Asafoetida (pinch)
Turmeric (pinch)
Cilantro for garnishing

Method:

Wash the dal well and boil it in a pressure cooker until cooked well.
In a pot, add 1 tsp oil (or ghee / clarified butter). When heated, add asafoetida and red chilli peppers. Fry until brown. Then add ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala and onions and fry until onions are transluscent to slight brown. Once onions are done, add tomato and cook until oil/ghee separates.
Whisk cooked dal until paste. Then, add dal, turmeric, sugar and salt and continue until it boils. Make sure you stir well so that it doesnt stick to the bottom of the pot. Finally, add cut cilantro for garnishing.

Teekha Kaala Chicken Masala

Teekha = Spicy, Kaala = Black. This is a dryish chicken gravy made mostly from a paste of sauteed onions; that's how it gets its blackish color. The spice comes from plenty of red chilli (cayenne) peppers and peppercorn seeds.

Ingredients:

Roughly 3 lbs whole chicken, cut in pieces, skin removed
4 red onions, medium sized
1 tablespoon grated coconut
5 coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 white onion large
40-50 peppercorn seeds
5 cloves
5 cinnamon pieces (abt 1/2 inch wide
ground cardamom (abt 5-10 cardamom pods
10-15 medium red chilli peppers
2 cups yogurt
Deghi Mirch powder (MDH or some other)
Oil (vegetable or canola)
Garlic paste (of 4-5 garlic cloves, or about 1 1/2 tsp of paste)
Ginger paste (abt 1/2 tsp of paste)
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
Cilantro for garnishing

Method:

Clean the chicken and coat it with salt, deghi mirch (use judgement) and yogurt. Set aside. Cut the red onion into large pieces. In a pan, take 4-5 tablespoons of oil and add the red onions, coconut, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red pepper, cloves, pepper seeds, cinnamon and cardamom as the oil starts sputtering. Fry everything well till onions are brownish in color. Grind everything in a grinder with tamarind paste, and water as required until a fine paste is obtained. N
ext, cut the white onion very fine. Again, take 9-10 tablespoons of oils in the same pan and fry the white onion until transluscent. Then, add ginger and garlic paste and fry a couple more minutes. Then, add the chicken and fry until chicken is partially cooked. Add the onion/coconut paste and cook on medium-to-low heat. Add water if mixture gets dry. Finally, add salt for taste. Add food coloring if desired. Add cut cilantro for garnishing as needed.
Serves 6-8 people