Cabbage Kofta Curry

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

For Kofta (cabbage and potato dumplings)

• Cabbage - 1 cups (shredded)
• Potatoes - 1 medium sized (boiled and mashed)
• Bread Crumbs - 1/2 cup (I used Japanese panko)
• Salt as per your taste
• Mango powder - 1 pinch
• Green chilies - 2 (finely chopped)
• Coriander - 1/4 cup, finally chopped
• Ginger - 1 tbsp (shredded or paste)
• Cooking oil - for deep frying the dumplings

* You can deep fry or shallow fry the dumplings. I prefer shallow fry to avoid the calories. 

For the gravy:

• Onions - 1 medium sized (chopped)
• Ginger/Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Tomato Puree - 1 1/2 cup
• Dried Fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) - 1 tbspn
• Chili powder - 1/2 tspn
• Milk (or fresh cream)  - 1 cup 
• Water - 1 cup
• Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
• Green Chillies - 2 (finely chopped)

Directions:

Kofta (Cabbage and Potato dumplings)

• Add about 1/2 tsp of salt to the shredded cabbage and keep aside for about 15 minutes. The salt makes the cabbage loose water.

• Now squeeze out all the extra water from the cabbage and add mashed potatoes and bread crumbs. 

• Add all the other ingredients and mix well and make it into soft dough. 

• Now make small balls out of this. I was able to make approximately 15 small balls out of it. 

• Heat oil in a pan and place these balls in it. Fry them over medium heat and turn them around a few times in order to fry evenly till they turn golden brown in color.

• Your dumplings are ready. Transfer them to a plate and keep aside and allow them to cool completely. Use a kitchen paper/paper towel to soak the extra oil.  It is important to cool down the dumplings completely before adding gravy or they may break when hot gravy is added. 

Gravy

• Heat oil and add onions and ginger garlic paste and saute them over medium heat till the onions turn light brown. Here, it is important to take care that you do not over fry the onions. If you fry them too much, they will taste bitter when pureed along with the tomatoes. 

(See the last picture above. This is when I stopped frying the onions and transferred them to the blender)

• In the blender, to the fried onions, add tomatoes, dried fenugreek leaves, chilli powder and a little water and blend till the ingredients form a thick puree. 

• Heat oil in the pan and add this puree to it and saute till the oil separates.

• At this point, add the milk (or cream) and water and mix well. Add salt to taste. 

• Boil for about 5-7 minutes and add garam masala. The gravy is now ready.
• Place the koftas in a bowl and pour this gravy over it.
• Garnish with coriander and green chilies. Your cabbage kofta curry is ready.
• Serve hot with nan or  tortillas.  

Aloo Gobhi (Cauliflower and Potato Stir Fry)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

This dish can be made using onions and tomatoes as well but I prefer this "ginger only" version. It is equally delicious and can be quickly prepared. 

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower - 1 medium sized cut into pieces.
• Potatoes - 2 peeled and cut into cubes
• Ginger - 2 tbspn (shredded)
• Cumin Seeds: 1 tspn
• Coriander Seeds: 1 tspn
• Cooking oil: 2 tbspn
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
• Ketchup: 3 tbspn
• Green Chillies - 2
• Lemon Juice: 2 tbspn
• Water: 1/4 of a cup
• Coriander for garnishing

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and coriander seeds and stir till they turn slightly brown. (about a minute)

• Add shredded ginger and stir on medium heat till the ginger turns slightly golden.

• Add turmeric and salt and stir well for a minute.

• Add the cauliflower and potatoes and stir the contents well so that the cauliflower and potatoes are evenly coated with turmeric. Continue to stir for about 2 minutes.

• Add ketchup and stir for another minute.

• Add water, put on the lid, reduce the flame and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or till the cauliflower and potatoes are tender. 

• Remove the lid and keep stirring till all the water (if remaining) evaporates.
• Add garam masala, chopped chilies and lemon juice.
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot with nan or chappatis. 

Remarks:

• You can make this without ketchup too. I add ketchup because it gives the vegetable a tangy taste.
• When you put on the lid and let it simmer, make sure that you keep it for just the right time so that the cauliflower retains its crunchy texture. If too tender, it will not turn out to be as delicious. However, you are free to experiment with it and make it to suit your taste.
• When adding cumin seeds and coriander seeds, make sure they don't burn or turn black. 
• I prefer the dry one so I make sure no water remains in this dish. If you prefer a slight watery texture, you can keep retain some water. 

Balti Masala Chicken

Preparation time:10 minutes
Cooking time: 40-45 minutes
Serves:2

Looking at the list of ingredients  this may sound like a complicated recipe but once you have the masala paste ready, you can easily go through the other steps. You can make the balti masala paste and store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. This paste can be used for other recipes as well. I plan to make chicken kebabs using this paste. (use it for marinating the kebabs)

Ingredients:

For the balti masala paste


Dry masala:

• Coriander seeds: 2 tbspn
• Cumin seeds:1 tbspn
• Fennel seeds 1 tspn
• Mustard seeds: 1/2 tspn
• Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 tspn
• Ground cardomon: 1/2 tspn
• Bay leaves: 2
• Cloves: 2
• Curry leaves: 2-3

Other Ingredients

• Vegetable oil: 2 tbspns
• Crushed Carlic: 2
• Finely grated ginger: 1 tbspn
• Chilli powder: 1/2 tspn
• Ground turmeric: 1/2 tbspn
• Vinegar: Less than 1/4 cup

For the "Masala Chicken"

• Ghee/Butter: 1 tbspn
• Cooking oil: 1tbspn
• Boneless chicken (breasts): 450 g
• Onion: 1 (diced)
• Masala paste: 2 tbspn
• Garam masala: 1 tspn
• Salt: according to your taste
• Canned tomatoes: 1/4 can
• Capsicum: 2 medium sized (cut into thin long pieces)
• Chopped fresh coriander: 1 tbsoon
• Lemon juice for taste

Directions:

For making balti masala paste

• Put all the ingredients of dry masala in a frying pan and roast over medium flame for about 3-4 minutes.
• Remove and set aside to cool. 
• In a pan, head oil over medium heat, add ginger and garlic and cook till golden. 
• Add turmeric and chilli powder and stir for another minute and then set aside to cool.
• Add the roasted dry masala and blend in a mixture adding vinegar simultaneously to make a thick paste.

For making 'balti masala chicken"

• Heat oil and butter together in a pan over medium heat. 
• Add chicken breasts and cook, turning several times for 10 minutes or until they are evenly brown

• Add the diced onions and fry till onions turn golden in color.

• Add salt and masala paste and cook for another few minutes

• Add canned tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. 

• Add little water and put on the lid and keep on low flame for about 20 minutes, or till chicken is tender.
• Add Capsicum and coriander and put on the lid again for about 5 minutes. The idea here is to slightly cook the capsicum but retain its crispy texture.

• Stir in the garam masala and lemon juice
• Serve hot with nan or tortillas

Remarks:

• I added a little bit of sugar (about 1/2 tbspn) to give it a little sweet taste. All in my family love that taste but of course, it is totally up to you to add it or not. 
• I do not have the step by step pics for making the balti masala paste this time but hope to add those later, when I make it once again. 
• You can also just roast and grind the dry masala and keep it in a jar. Add ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric whenever you want to make the chicken.

Chocolate Pudding

Preparation time - 5 minutes
Cooking time - 5-7 minutes (refrigerate for at least 1.5 - 2 hours once ready)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Chocolate: 50 g
• Milk: 200 ml
• Fresh cream: 200 ml
• Eggs (yolks): 2
• Sugar: 40 g
• Chocolate and nuts for decoration

Directions

1. Grate the chocolate and keep aside.
2. Mix the milk and cream and heat it slightly. Do not boil. 
3. Add the grated chocolate to this and stir till the chocolate dissolves completely. 
4. In a bowl, beat two egg yolks and add sugar and mix.
5. Add 3 to this and mix well. Make sure you do not create any bubbles while doing this.
6. In a pressure cooker, pour one cup of water and place a streamer inside. Basically any vessel with holes would do. The idea is to steam the mixture. 
7. Pour the mix into small cups or bowls and place them inside the cooker. Cover with a kitchen paper and put on the lid.
8. Once the pressure is built inside, lower the flame to minimum and keep for 4 minutes. Put off the flame and keep till the lid opens automatically.
9. Your pudding is ready. Put it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
10. Decorate with grated chocolate and nuts and serve. I used almond chocolate and nuts.