Chicken Korma, from Gael

Chicken Korma, from Gael

From All Recipes.com. Seems complicated, but really is not. Made several times with homemade naan.

"In this mild Northern Indian dish, chicken is simmered in a creamy fragrant sauce with onion, garlic, ginger and cashews. Serve over basmati or sticky rice. Add more chili or cayenne for more heat."
Ingredients
1/4 cup cashew halves
1/4 cup boiling water
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 large onion, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - diced (I mixed breasts with thighs.)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon cornstarch, mixed with equal parts water

Directions
Place cashews in a small bowl, and pour the boiling water over nuts. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Place garlic and ginger in food processor and blend until smooth; set aside.

Heat oil in wok over medium heat. Cook the bay leaves in hot oil for 30 seconds. Stir in onion, and cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in garlic/ginger paste, and season with coriander, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder. (Or any mix of curry-like spices.)

Stir in chicken, and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, place the cashews, along with the water in which they were soaked, and the cream and yogurt into food processor. Process until smooth.

Stir the cashew mixture into the chicken and onions. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.

Meera Sodha’s Naan, from Gael

Meera Sodha’s Naan, from Gael

From an Indian-British cookbook author, published the New York Times. Tasty and easy, but note that rising takes at least an hour. Made several times, including on 8-12-17 to go with homemade chicken korma.

4 cups all-purpose flour, or 500 grams
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola, plus a teaspoon more
4 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt
1 packet of active dried yeast, or 7 grams
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 level teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole milk, warmed

Put the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle, and add two tablespoons of the oil to it, along with the yogurt, yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder. Use your fingers to combine the ingredients until they resemble crumbs, and then add the warm milk in splashes, mixing until it comes together into a dough.

Put the dough on a clean, well-floured cutting board. It will be very sticky. Flour your hands, and knead the dough for five minutes or so, then scrape off your hands and knead it again, making it into a round ball. Rub a teaspoon of oil over the exterior of the dough, and place it in a clean mixing bowl.

Cover with a dish towel, and place in a warm spot to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.

Using a knife, divide the dough into 12 pieces. Take each piece, roll it into a ball and flatten it between your palms. Dust the dough with flour, and roll each piece out into an oval of about 5 by 8 inches.

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and allow it to get hot. (No need to oil.) When it is, cook one naan in it for 30 to 40 seconds on one side, or until it begins to bubble, then use a spatula to flip it over to cook the other side for about the same amount of time, checking regularly to make sure that it does not burn. (First naan takes a while as pan isn't hot enough.) Flip the naan one more time, and press on it lightly with your spatula for 10 to 15 seconds, then remove to a warm platter. Repeat with the rest of the dough. (Keep the finished naan in a low oven, or wrap in foil until ready to serve.)

Saag Paneer (Indian spinach cheese dish), from Gael

Saag Paneer (Indian spinach cheese dish), from Gael

from The Best of America's Test Kitchen, 2009

This is Rob's favorite Indian dish, and it's healthy, too. It sounds hard when you realize you have to MAKE YOUR OWN CHEESE to begin the recipe, but that is super simple and then you get bragging rights! Just remember to buy cheesecloth.

First, make the cheese:
3 quarts whole milk (can use low-fat but NOT skim)

2 1/4 t salt

5 T white vinegar

Put a colander in the sink and line it with triple layers of cheesecloth (just keep folding the cheesecloth over).

Bring milk and salt to a boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat (the bottom of your pan may scorch, mine did, but the brown layer did not mix in with the milk).

Stir in vinegar, reduce heat to low, cook until milk curdles, about 30 seconds.

Pour milk mixture through cheesecloth and let curds drain for 10 minutes.

Pull edges of cheesecloth up to form a pouch and twist pouch to drain water. A LOT of water will come out, you may want to keep going back and draining it. Place the taut, twisted cheese pouch between two large plates and press down the top plate with a heavy Dutch oven or similar weight. Wait 30 minutes. Unwrap cheese, slice into cubes. If you're not using cheese at once, it can stay refrigerated in airtight container for a day. Congrats! You just made cheese!

SPICES AND SPINACH
1 t garam masala

1/2 t ground cumin

1/4 t cinnamon

pinch cayenne pepper

2 t vegetable oil

1 c minced onion (about one onion)

salt

3 minced garlic cloves

1 1/2 t minced or grated fresh ginger

20 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed in a towel to drain

1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped fine

3 c water

2 T unsalted butter

pepper

Combine the garam masala, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne in small bowl.

Heat oil in large skillet till shimmering. Toast spices 10 minutes in oil. Stir in onion and 1/2 t salt and cook 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger, cook 30 seconds. Stir in spinach, tomato, 2 c of the water. Cover and cook until the tomatoes start to break down, about 7 minutes.

Separate the spinach mixture into thirds in the pan (so you can estimate how much a third is). Put one-third of mix into your blender along with 2 T butter (not melted, but I chopped it up) and remaining 1 c water. Puree about 15 seconds or until smooth. Pour puree back in pan and simmer until mixture is no longer watery, about 7 minutes.

Gently fold in the cheese cubes, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with white rice and naan bread.

First made this for Rob on April 10, 2009 because he always orders this at Indian restaurants. He loved it and it really wasn't hard, just had a lot of steps to follow. Rob says, "Delicious, satisfying, tasty and healthy!"

Naan (Indian bread), from Gael

Naan (Indian bread), from Gael

Rob and I love Indian bread, and you can rip off pieces and dip them in the various sauces of Indian food. So good. You can also add garlic, spinach, cheese, onion, or whatever you want, but plain is awesome by itself.

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. (I left out the garlic)

Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball (I made mine about twice this size). Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat. (Note: I just made mine in a small frying pan.) At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

This makes a LOT of naan...enough for 6 people, probably. This recipe came from allrecipes.com. I first made it on April 10, 2009, to go with the Saag Paneer, but I have made similar naan recipes before. It's easier than regular bread, and people can't believe you made it yourself! Doesn't take the long raising time of regular bread, either.