Methi Chaman

Last year, I found a Kashmiri dish called Methi Chaman while looking for a novel recipe consisting fenugreek (methi) leaves. I have tried it several times, and even experimented with different ingredients.

The authentic recipe calls for the use of paneer, which could be substituted with chicken, cauliflower or any other ingredient that is mild in flavor. If you cannot find fenugreek leaves, use Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves), which you could easily find at Indian grocery stores. When using Kasuri Methi, use only a couple of pinches because of its strong flavor. Add a hint of chilli powder if you like your dishes spicy. Another thing I learned is the use of milk to soak fried paneer and keep it soft.

Methi Chaman

Kalonji Aloo

On a flight from Delhi to Chicago, I had Kalonji Aloo with Roti for breakfast. It was the first time I had heard about the dish – apparently common in Delhi and the Punjab. It had a unique taste due to Kalonji seeds. Other names for that ingredient are Onion seeds or Nigella seeds. They are small, black, shaped like sesame (til) seeds, easily found in Indian grocery stores. They impart a strong flavor to the dish, so be careful of overuse.

Kalonji/Onion/Nigella seeds

 

Ingredients

3 large baking potatoes chopped into medium-sized cubes
1-2 large tomatoes chopped
3 tsp oil
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 tsp kalonji (onion seeds)
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (adjust as per taste)
Salt
1 cup of water
Chopped coriander leaves as garnish

Method

Add the oil to the saucepan on a low flame and let it heat up slightly. Fry the fenugreek seeds in the oil for a few seconds. Add onion seeds and fennel seeds and fry for a few seconds. Keep your smellivision on so that you can sense the unique smell. Add the tomatoes and turn up the heat to medium. Add the turmeric powder and the red chilli powder. After the tomatoes soften, add the potatoes and the water. Mix all the ingredients, turn down the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Let the potatoes cook for about 15-20 mins. Add salt. If the potatoes are not fully cooked, cover and cook some more. Add more water if necessary. Garnish with coriander leaves.

An alternative method is to boil the potatoes beforehand and use tomato puree for a thicker gravy.

Stir-fried Green Beans with Lemon Rind

Back when I was a teen in India, I watched a cooking show on TV and committed an unusual recipe to memory. The recipe called for the use of lemon rind with green beans and other usual Indian curry ingredients. Several years later, I experimented with the recipe and found it to be full of flavors I wasn’t used to in Indian food. Being unsure of the origin of the recipe, I googled it and found that there are similar recipes (minus the Indian spices) in English and Southern cooking. Well, I guess an Indian chef probably customized that recipe for the Indian palette.

Ingredients

1 lb of green beans
1/2 lemon or lime thinly sliced
1 tomato diced
1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp  red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
3 tsp Canola oil
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a pan and add ginger. Add the tomato and lemon rind. After the tomato softens, add the rest of the spices and mix. Add the green beans and stir. Add the water, cover the pan, turn down the heat to low, and let the beans cook for about 10 mins. Add salt and stir and let it cook for a couple more mins. Garnish with coriander leaves.

This entree goes best with rice, but you can also have it with chappatis.

Cabbage & Carrot Usli

Our version of Cabbage & Carrot Usli is like one of those Rachel Ray’s 30-minute meals except in Indian ishtyle. If you don’t want to spend the time cutting cabbage or grating carrot, we have a simple solution for you: buy a bag of coleslaw mix from the grocery store.

Ingredients

1 bag of coleslaw mix
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 Thai Hot Chillies or a couple of Serrano peppers or according to taste
1/2 tsp of turmeric
A pinch of asafoetida (heeng)
1 tbsp diced ginger
1/2 cup diced onions
Salt according to taste
3 tsp of oil

For garnish

Grated coconut (optional)
1/4 cup coriander leaves

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds. As the mustard seeds start popping, add the curry leaves, chilli peppers and onions, and saute until the onions become translucent. Add turmeric, ginger and asafoetida followed by the coleslaw mix. Saute until the vegetables become soft.

Garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves. Serve with chapatis or rice.

Welcome to the AMKA Recipe Exchange!

Hello AMKA members…

With this first post, I would like to welcome AMKA members to the Web 2.0 age. It’s been long overdue! We have exchanged recipes via e-mail with each other. Here’s our chance to share the wealth from our kitchens with the whole world!! Let me know if you wish to be a contributor on a regular basis by e-mailing amkaonli at amkaonline.com. No, it’s not a typo. The first part of the e-mail address is really amkaonli.

Guidelines:

1. Please contribute original recipes or modified versions of classic recipes.
2. Recipes need not belong to Konkani cuisine.
3. Try to submit recipes with pictures or videos.

Let’s have some fun!