Jaahaan’s mom, Mrs. Kaur is visiting from Delhi for a few weeks. I don’t know why she would visit Syracuse in January with all this snow when the weather in Delhi is balmy and wonderful. I’d been hearing stories about her mom’s obsession with PNC, so I asked for a cooking lesson and Mrs. Kaur gratefully obliged. When I arrived at Jaahaan’s apartment Mrs. Kaur  already had all the spices set out, the vegetables diced, and was ready to go. It was like entering into the Indian version of Everyday Italian with Giada. Pretty much a dream come true.

This is all Mrs. Kaur has to work with. One saucepan, one skillet and a rice cooker. And I learned that the basic ingredients in any Indian dish are tomatoes, onions, maybe some ginger garlic paste, and some spices. Really the most essential spice is a garam masala mix. Just goes to show that Indian cooking isn’t hard. All you need is a pot, some vegetables, and a spice mix and you are cooking like a true Desi lady. Most of the ingredients used can be found in the International isle at Wegmans. Some of the more obscure items, like amchoor powder, can be found at Kashmir Grocery on Erie Boulevard.

PANEER CURRY

1/4 cup onion paste* |||| 1 teaspoon garlic ginger paste |||| 3/4 cup tomato puree |||| 1 teaspoon salt |||| 1/2 teaspoon turmeric |||| 1 teaspoon garam masala |||| 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder |||| 1 teaspoon chili powder |||| 1/2 cup diced green pepper |||| 1/2 cup diced onion |||| 1 1/2 cups milk |||| 1 package fried paneer

*To make the onion paste: mix diced onions in a blender or a food processor until an onion paste forms. Then briefly saute the paste in a skillet with some oil until the paste turns light brown. The onion paste will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

1. Heat vegetable oil in the bottom of a medium-sized pot. Add the onion paste and garlic ginger paste and saute for about 2 minutes.

2. Then add the tomato puree and spices. Allow the mixture to cook for another 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the milk, green peppers, onions, paneer, and 1 /2 cup of water to the spiced tomato puree mixture.  Allow the mixture to boil until the curry thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

POTATOES with MUSTARD SEEDS

1 teaspoon mustard seeds |||| 2 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and diced |||| 1 small onion, cut into thin strips |||| 1 teaspoon garlic ginger paste |||| 1/4 cup tomato puree |||| 1 teaspoon salt |||| 1/2 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango powder) |||| 1/2 teaspoon turmeric |||| 2 teaspoons garam masala |||| 1 teaspoon dhania powder (coriander seed) |||| 1 teaspoon chili powder

1. Heat a few teaspoons of vegetable oil in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Beware! The mustard seeds will pop. Stand back so you don’t shoot your eye out. Allow the seeds to cook for about 30 seconds before adding the onions.

2. Once the onions start to turn brown add the tomato puree and the spices. Allow the onions to cook with the spices for another 3-4 minutes.

3. Then add potatoes and 1 cup of water to the skillet. Allow the mixture to cook until the water is totally evaporated.

Econ homework and a plate of Indian food for dinner.

This kitty only speaks Hindi.

MASALA SMASHED POTATOES

1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped |||| 1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped |||| 1 can diced tomatoes |||| 2 tablespoons Shahi Paneer Masala spice mix |||| 4 red potatoes

1. Saute onion and green pepper until tender. Then add the tomatoes and spice mix to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the mixture thickens.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes, diced into large chunks with skins still on. Boil the potatoes until they are soft and tender.

3. Combine the curry mixture into the potatoes and smash them together. Add a little bit of milk or chicken broth to make the potatoes more creamy.

Standin around in my kitchen, making expletives out of the letters on the fridge, everyone ate the paneer chunks out of my leftover curry. (Paneer is cheese cubes that function like tofu in many Indian dishes.) This was Indian cuisine at its finest - cold leftovers eaten straight out of the pan with Tostitos chips. I’ll call it college Indian.

Any how, now I have just the leftover tomato/onion/green pep mix. Oh, and this curry was super spicy because I had a ditsy moment and added waaaay too much of the spice mix. In order to dull the intense spiciness I was planning on adding roasted potatoes to the leftovers, but the smashed potatoes ended up being a great last minute call. The recipe posted here is sort of a guess at how to make these mashed potatoes when they aren’t leftovers.

But that’s the thing about Indian, once you get familiar with the spices, its so easy to make. And I think its kind of healthy. Although a lot of dishes contain butter or cream, most are packed with veggies. This recipe is just too easy and delicious to pass up. If you can’t make it out to the Indian store for the masala mix, just substitute with curry powder from the grocery store.

ROASTED GARLIC and BACON SMASHED POTATOES

1/2 head of roasted garlic |||| 4 slices of bacon, chopped |||| 5 red potatoes |||| 1/4 cup sour cream |||| 1/4 cup milk |||| 2 tablespoons butter |||| salt and pepper to taste

1. Directions for roasted garlic here.  

2. Boil potatoes.

3. Fry bacon.

4. Smash everything together.

Okay, so this isn’t the most creative recipe ever. But damn, these potatoes are fine.

1 package of 60 wonton (or eggroll) wraps |||| 1 pound of ground chicken |||| 1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped |||| 1/4 cup green onion, chopped |||| 2 cloves of garlic, chopped |||| 2 teaspoons ginger powder |||| 3/4 cup vegetable oil |||| 1 egg |||| salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the chicken, water chestnuts, green onion, garlic, ginger powder and salt and pepper in a large bowl.

2. Scramble the egg in a small bowl. To assemble the wontons, lay one wonton wrapper in front of you and place a teaspoon sized amount of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper with the egg. Fold the wonton wrapper in half lengthwise. Press firmly to seal the edges. Then fold the wonton wrapper over once more. Wet the corners with egg and seal. The finished product should look like a nurse’s cap. (Alternative method: place a teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Twist and seal. The finished product should look like a the top of a lollipop.)

3. Heat oil in a large skillet with high sides. If you have a thermometer, the oil should be about 360 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil by adding a few drops of water. When the water pops, the oil is hot enough. Add the wontons in small batches. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, until wontons are golden brown.

4. Serve the wontons with cornflower soup and rice. Or just dip them in some soy sauce.

OMG I LOVE CHIX WONTONS! These little guys are so crispy, and meaty, and greasy. They are so good because they are so not good for you. CHIX WONTONS are good for a special treat but don’t go eatin them every night for dinner (even though you might want to). The veggie packed cornflower soup is a good balance and rounds out a good DIY Chinese meal. If you want to make this recipe a little healthier, you can boil the wontons in water instead of frying them in oil. But in my humble opinion, the friedness is what really makes these wontons worth making.

It takes awhile to assemble the wontons so make sure that you plan at least 20 minutes for prep time. If you have any left over wonton wrappers, cut them into strips and fry them in the oil. The wonton chips are great on top of the cornflower soup.

I think these CHIX WONTONS have some healing powers. Neil went and broke is clavicle when he got hit by a car on his bike. Then Dana, Jeff and I fed him some CHIX WONTONS and I could tell that busted clavicle was on its way to recovery. As soon as that killer mohawk returns I will know that the CHIX WONTONS served their purpose. Heal on, wontons!

1 can condensed tomato soup |||| 1 can creamed corn |||| 2 1/2 cups skim milk |||| 1/4 cup green onions, chopped |||| 1/4 cup roasted red peppers from a jar |||| 1 garlic clove, minced |||| pinch of curry powder |||| pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Mix together tomato soup, creamed corn, milk, curry powder and red pepper flakes in a large pot.

2. In a small pan, saute the green onions, red peppers, and garlic for about 5 minutes or until onions are browned.

3. Combine the onion/pepper mixture into soup mixture. Heat thoroughly but do not let the soup boil.

This recipe happened on accident but it was a good accident. So quick and delicious, this soup is made for Tuesday nights. Makes me want to get under a blanket, read the newspaper and pet my cat….waaait, I don’t  have a cat! I think the soup is making me delirious its so good.

ANOTHER LOCAL RECIPE FROM AMY!!!

6 stripes of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces |||| 5 large potatoes, diced |||| 2 large white onions, chopped |||| 2 garlic cloves, minced |||| 1 cup sour cream |||| 1 carrot, chopped |||| 1 stalk celery, diced |||| 6 cups of water

1. Fry bacon in the bottom of a large pot. Add garlic, onion, carrot, and celery. Let it fry until everything is looking toasty. Then throw in a slab of butter (I like extra flavor!)

2. Take off heat and add in water. Toss in the potatoes and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let cook for a good 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. At this point add in salt, pepper or herbs you have available. I threw in lovage, which has a celery taste and adds a nice green.

3. After twenty minutes, take a ladle of the broth and put it int oa bowl on the side. Add the sour cream to the broth and mix well. Then add the sour cream mixture back into the big pot of soup. Mix thoroughly. Once the soup has a nice white broth, it is ready to eat!

This recipe is simple, fast, and again, I am only using ingredient available to me right now in upstate New York. If you have access to salt, pepper and any other herbs to throw in, I would go for it! Most ingredients were either bought from the co-op or from the regional farmer’s market where you can get great prices on quality products!

2 1/2 cups of green split peas |||| 1 medium sized onion, chopped |||| 1 teaspoon garlic, minced |||| 1 teaspoon curry powder |||| 1 teaspoon salt |||| 2 tablespoons soy sauce |||| 8 cups water |||| 1 large potato, diced |||| 3 stalks of celery, chopped |||| 2 large carrots, chopped

1. Saute onion, garlic, curry powder and salt in a skillet until onions are tender.

2. In a large pot combine sauted mixture with water, peas, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

3.  Add potato, celery, and carrots and cook for 30 more minutes.

Click here for more . . .

This is a vegetarian recipe (my roommate likes it with organic veggies) but it would also be good with some chunks of ham mixed in. You could add ham to the recipe, or maybe just spinkle some bacon on top. With or without ham, this soup is delicious!

I wish I had the price calculations for this soup because its very cheap. Most of the ingredients come from the pantry but, the peas, potatoes, celery and carrots only cost a few bucks. This recipe isn’t a very quick meal, but its worth the wait. The clean-up is very easy and the recipe makes enough for left-overs. Perfect for a mid-week dinner.

General Tso’s Chicken

1 pound green beans |||| 1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoons corn starch |||| 4 garlic cloves, minced |||| 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated |||| 2 teaspoons paprika |||| 3 tablespoons brown sugar |||| 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons soy sauce |||| 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes |||| 1 tablespoon sesame seeds |||| 2 egg whites|||| 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced |||| 2 tablespoons vegetable oil |||| salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1/2 cup cold water. Add garlic, ginger, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Add the green beans and evenly coat with sauce.

2. In another bowl, whisk egg whites and 3 tablespoons corn starch. Add about a teaspoon each of salt, pepper and paprika. Add the chicken and coat evenly with corn starch mixture.

3. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add chicken to skillet. Once chicken begins to turn brown, add 2 more tablespoons of soy sauce and sesame seeds. Then add the snow peas mixture. Cook until chicken is cooked through, green beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Fried Rice

2 cups white or brown rice |||| 1/4 cup green onion, chopped |||| 1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped |||| 2 eggs |||| 3 tablespoons vegetable oil |||| 1 teaspoon salt |||| 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Cook rice according to the directions on the package

2. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil. Toss in the green onion and green pepper. Cook until tender. Add the cooked rice, salt, and soy sauce. Heat until rice is golden and toasted looking.

3. Hallow a center in the middle of the rice. Break eggs into the hollow. Scramble until semi-cooked, then stir into the rice mixture. Continuously mix the rice until the egg is cooked thoroughly.

Click here for tips and reviews . . .

This recipe tastes exactly like your standard Chinese take out, but way less greasy. I tried to keep the oil at a minimum, but some is necessary for cooking the chicken. Even though I used frozen green beans, this Chinese is tastes fresher than usual.

If you want it more spicy, add some extra red pepper flakes and paprika. Just add a little, then taste it so you don’t end up adding too much and ruining it.

There was one major problem with this recipe though. When I added the chicken to the skillet, the excess egg white and cornstarch mixture instantly cooked to the bottom of the pan. First, its a huge mess to clean-up and second, the mixture will burn to the bottom of the pan before the chicken is cooked though. So I transfered the chicken to a separate skillet, dirty-ing another dish and making things more complicated. There was minimal stickage on the second try (because everything had stuck to the first pan!) To fix this problem, I guess I would use less eggwhite/cornstarch mixture and try to get all the excess off before adding it the the skillet. Even though I made a big mess, it was totally worth it.

Good tip for burnt pans – add a few tablespoons of baking soda and some water to the pan. Cook it over low heat until the baking soda starts to bubble. Let the pan soak in the baking soda overnight and it will come off in a jiff the next morning.

I didn’t calculate the cost for this recipe because I had most of the ingredients in the pantry. I bought the chicken for $6, the green beans were $1.20 and the corn starch was $1.68. The recipe makes about 4 servings so this is definitely cheaper than ordering take-out.

(This is the first contribution from Amy, a good friend of mine and now a locavore!)

4 beet stalks |||| 1 large carrot |||| 2 cloves of garlic |||| 1/2 of a red onion |||| few slabs o’ butter |||| dollop of honey

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut stalks off the beets; put the greens aside but do not throw away. Wash the beets and put in oven safe baking pan, sprinkling a nice portion of water over the beets. Put foil over the pan and toss in the oven. Set timer for 30 minutes.

2. Wait about 20 minutes until starting the next steps. Mince garlic and chop onion to your preference. Chop carrot into thin slices. In a pan melt butter, throw in garlic, onion, and carrot. Flame is high; let this stir-fry until carrots are browned. Wash the beet greens (that you set aside before) and begin to tear away into bite sized pieces, throwing into the stir-fry pan. If needed, add more butter. Set the flame to a lower setting and let the greens mix and cook into everything in the pan.

3. Take the beets out of the oven (they are ready when you can easily slide a knife though the heart of a beet). Run each beet under cool water, the skins should slide right off. Chop the beets into quarters, then add to the stir-fry pan. Grab your dollop of honey and toss in the pan, now raising the flame. Let all the ingredients mix well and when they look evenly combined, turn off the heat and enjoy!

To read Amy’s tips and review, click here…

This recipe was made from all locally grown vegetables available in Upstate New York in the month of October. Since becoming a ‘locavore,’ I have gotten quite creative in the kitchen. This meal was filling, tasty, and easy on the wallet. Find any of the local ingredients at the local farmers market, co-op or grow on your own! Also, because I am strictly eating only things grown within 100 miles of Syracuse, I am confined to use butter instead of olive oil and a few other things. Feel free to put this over brown rice, add different veggies (ginger would be great!) or use olive oil instead of butter.

The total cooking time for this recipe was 35 minutes. This recipe is only for one, but it can be easily doubled, tripled or whatevered to satisfy more mouths.