How can we prepare milk cream  for curries?can we use 25% reduced milk instead of milk cream? – asked by Ms. Sridevi

Answer by Kuntal :  First of all we have to understand that the characteristic of milk and cream are quite different . The milk fat which you notice on the top of the milk after the hot milk has cooled down is the cream which again goes through the process of homogenization to obtain smooth cream. This type of cream you find in dairy shops or in supermarkets. Reduced milk is the process of evaporation of water (milk contains 70-80% water) and when reduced completely produces mawa/ khoya.

As you can see that milk and cream properties are not the same, it is not advisable to substitute the cream with reduced milk.

As far as obtaining milk cream for curries are concerned, you can try the following.

Remove the top layer of milk (often referred to as malai in Indian home), churn slowly in a blender with 1-2tbsp of ice chilled water for 5-10seconds until you obtain a smooth white liquid.

Tags: murgh, dhokla, paneer, dosa, balti, chettinad, gosht, chana, vindaloo, chicken

There are so many variants of the paneer ball recipe available on net and in the cookbooks. I presume that you wanted to learn the paneer or cheese balls starters served during the social gatherings. I hope you have read the blog on making paneer.

Listed are the steps to ensure that you get well rounded and soft paneer balls even when you try at home.

1) The very first essential would be to obtain a soft paneer without any pressing, which means that the coagulated milk solid is collected in a muslin cloth and hung from a height for 1 hr to drain the whey. Please refer to the blog on paneer making for complete recipe.

2) Once you have removed the paneer from the cloth, crumble them into small pieces and knead with your palm like you would do for rasagulla (please refer to the blog on rasagulla)

3) Add fine grated boiled potato which will act as a binding agent. Potato also helps to keep the paneer ball soft when it is deep fried.

4) Add the seasoning and flavouring to the paneer dough mixture and divide it into equal portion. Shape them round and deep fry on medium hot oil. Serve immediately with the chutney or sauce of your choice.

Tags: chicken, kebab, roti, lentil, indian food, indian curry, tandoor, naan, dosa, desi

While classifying Handi cooking through the annals of Indian culinary preparation has been the recent endeavour, the cooking vessels in ancient India were mostly Handi-like made from either clay or copper. The pots are typically round thick bottomed which tapers towards the mouth to capture the steam throughout the cooking process. The process is a bit lengthy because it dwells upon the principle of slow cooking to fully develop the flavor and aroma. While  the recipe of “handi dal” vary from place to place, as tracing this recipe through the culinary journey of past years does not yield much information, the widely acceptable lentils for Handi cooking are Arhar Dal, also known as Tur dal or yellow lentil and Whole urad dal, also known as Black lentil. We will try to recreate the recipe which is a close version of what most of the restaurants do while leaving the choice of lentil to you as per your convenience. Please remember that cooking Urad dal will take longer because it contains skin for this recipe and also because it releases its creaminess through slow cooking process as evident in Dal makhni.

Ingredients:
1 cup Yellow lentil (tur/ arhar dal)
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp chopped onion
½ tsp turmeric powder
3 green chili, chopped
¼ cup chopped tomato
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp ghee/ white butter

Method:
Pick the lentils, wash in running water and keep soaked for 30minutes. This allows the lentil to hydrate and cook evenly. Place the washed lentil in handi with salt, turmeric and water (approximately 4 ½ cup), bring to boil, reduce the heat and remove the scum which surfaces on top.

Heat oil in pan, sauté until light brown, add chopped ginger and garlic and keep cooking until all the ingredients are of the same colour (light brown). Then add green chili, stir for a minute.
Add tomatoes and continue cooking until tomatoes are reduced to a pulp. Transfer the mixture to the lentil and stir. Continue cooking until lentils are cooked and of medium thick consistency.

Just before serving, stir in the ghee/ white butter and chopped coriander. Serve hot from the handi either with Indian bread or as an accompaniment for rice.

Bon Appetit !

- Kuntal

Tags: curries, naan, roti, chettinad, dal, paneer, handi, kebab, kulfi, tandoor

In India, Cumin is known in as “Jeera or Jira”. The use of cumin is very common in Indian and Pakistani foods. Black cumin seed (also called black seed) should not be confused with the herb, cumin. It is know as Shahi jeera and is the essential spice for so many aromatic preparation.

It is an herbaceous annual plant, with a slender branched stem 20-30 cm tall. The leaves are 5-10 cm long. Cumin seeds are similar to fennel and anise seeds in appearance, but are smaller and darker in colour. Cultivation of cumin requires a long, hot summer of 3-4 months, with daytime temperatures around 30°C (86°F); it is drought tolerant, and is mostly grown in Mediterranean climates. It is grown from seed, sown in spring, and needs fertile, well-drained soil.

Today, cumin is identified with Indian, Tex-Mex, Cuban and Northern Mexican cuisine. It is used as an ingredient of curry powder. Cumin can be found in some Dutch cheeses like Leyden cheese, and in some traditional bread from France.

A few of cumin’s medicinal uses include treating asthma, tumors, colic, fever, and snakebite.
Additionally it also acts as a stimulant as well as a great herb for digestive disorders and even as a antiseptic of sorts. The seeds themselves are rich in iron and are thought to help stimulate the secretion of enzymes from the pancreas which can help absorb nutrients into the system. It has also been shown to boost the power of the liver’s ability to detoxify the human body.

I wish to recreate a simple recipe which is being used in India for centuries and is the real cold drink with all the goodness to fight the extreme summers of the sub-continent.

Jeera Pani
2 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted until fragrant
570 ml water
15 grams fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon rock salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method
Put water in a saucepan and bring it to boil. Remove from heat and allow cooling slightly.
Crush cumin lightly to release flavor, add to the water alongwith mint, salt, sugar and lemon juice. To have a smooth drink, you can also strain the water but for additional character, I like to serve with all the ingredients. If you wish to spice up the drink, you can also add finely chopped green chili. Chill and serve.

- Kuntal.

Tags: dosa, lentil, karahi, handi, kebab, gosht, roti, desi, idli, indian food

One surprising aspect of coriander plant is that almost every part of it is edible and full of flavour. While their usage will vary from cuisine to cuisine but it has found acceptance in almost all the kitchen including the much reluctant French chefs,  The leaves have got different name across the globe like “Dhania” in India, “cilantro” in US, “coriander” in UK, “Chinese parsley” in China and so on, but one thing has not changed; the taste and the aroma which reminds of the citrus overtones.

The leaves have actually found their role in Vietnamese kitchen, Indian kitchen, Mexican salsa and guacamole etc. Chopped coriander leaves are also used as a garnish on cooked dishes such as Dal (Indian lentil preparation) and many curries. As heat diminishes their flavour quickly, coriander leaves are often used raw or added to the dish right before serving.

The dried fruits of the plant are known as coriander seeds which can be either used whole, preferably roasted or powdered. They are used extensively in staple curries found in Indian home. It is also a key spice in hot spice powder.

Modern therapeutics recommend coriander fruits as adjuvant in: anorexia, dyspepsia, intestinal worms, dysfunctions of the mammal glands and abdominal pains.

Coriander chutney (helps in salivation and is good digestive)

1 big handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
3 green chilies, roughly chopped (remove seeds to avoid extra heat)
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped (optional)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp lime/ lemon juice
1 tsp brown sugar (use plain as alternative)

Method:

Place all the ingredients but salt and sugar in a blender along with 4-5 tbsp of water and blend until the mixture become a coarse paste. Alternatively, use a pestle and mortar. Add seasoning and taste. This chutney can be stored in an airtight, non-metallic container for up to four days in the refrigerator.

Aromatically yours,

Kuntal Kumar.

Tags: desi, roti, bhatura, karahi, naan, bhatura, tandoori, chana, handi, chicken

Question : When making curry and adding coconut milk, should you heat the milk till it separates?

Kuntal Answers….

While some of the recipes require to cook the coconut milk longer along with the paste which act as a natural emulsifier for the milk and does not allow it to separate easily. It is quite common to see the fat from the coconut milk flowing on top of Thai curries and soups. In the Indian cuisine especially in the South India cuisine, most of the curries are thin; hence thick coconut milk is preferred. Reduce the heat to low after adding the milk and stir for a while to form an emulsion with the rest of the ingredients, allow the curry to simmer only to avoid the distasteful split which develops if one cooks on a high heat after the coconut milk is added.

Seasonal vegetable in coconut milk
Ingredients:

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into an inch
• 12-15 broad beans stringed, halved and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup green peas, shelled
• 1/4 flower cauliflower cut into medium florets
• 2 medium carrot peeled and diced into an inch
• 100 gm red pumpkin, peeled and diced into an inch
• 1 ½ cup freshly scraped coconut flesh, (white part only)
• 2 tbsp tamarind  pulp
• 3 tbsp groundnut  oil (olive oil optional)
• 4 red chilies whole
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 8-10 garlic cloves,  peeled
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• salt  to taste
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp black gram split
• 8-10 curry leaves

Method:
1.Add warm water to one cup of scraped coconut and extract the first pressing using a muslin cloth. Next blend the contents of the muslin with half a cup of water until smooth and strain again using the same muslin/ cheesecloth. Keep aside. Dissolve tamarind pulp in half cup of water.

2.Heat a little oil and sauté 2 whole red chillies, cumin, coriander, garlic and the remaining half cup of scraped coconut until aromatic. Grind into a fine paste using little water.

3.Simmer the vegetables in the thin coconut milk adding the hard vegetables first in descending order with turmeric powder, tamarind extract and salt until three-fourth done. Add the ground masala and cook for 10 minutes.

4.Heat a little oil separately and add the remaining red chillies broken into two, mustard seeds and Black gram split. Add curry leaves and add this to the vegetables.

5.Continue cooking the vegetables till done. Then add the thick coconut milk and simmer for two to three minutes. Serve hot with boiled rice.

Bon Appetit !

Tags: handi, dal, bhatura, dosa, tikka masala, gosht, paneer, balti, kulfi, curries

Indian Cuisine – The Nutritional aspects by Kuntal Kumar

Traditionally India has never been so conscious about the nutritional breakdown but with general awareness level going up, most of the Indian dishes are coming under nutritional scrutiny. There has been effort by the Indian chefs to provide even the calorific breakdown of the Indian dishes in some of the restaurants. The meals have become not only light but also far more adaptable keeping in mind the preference of the diners who demand no less than the customized preparations of the dishes they order.

The western concept of segmenting the food as three main macronutrients as carbohydrate, protein and fat have ever present in the Indian meal known as Thali without much realization or analysis.

Indian Thali

India has a long tradition of regional “Thalis” which is like a combo platter (made of either, silver, stainless steel or iron) with small bowls which contain small amounts of various local dishes. Let’s do a close evaluation of an Indian Thali and see how it performs vis-s-vis western approach.

Carbohydrate- Most of the Indian Thalis comprises of Indian bread such as rotis, chapati, poori etc. and rice preparation like steamed rice, lemon rice, jeera (cumin) rice etc. and the meal is centered around them.

Protein- You may find around two to three preparation along with dal (Indian lentil preparation) which provides the bulk of vegetable protein. Some of the thalis may also contain meat or fish as well.

Fat: Some of the vegetables also contain fat apart from the cooking medium used for various delicacies for the Thali. Most of the Indian sweets also contain good amount of fat.

Besides, adequate fiber, vitamins and minerals are also present; hence tomorrow we can be sure of the nutritional balance of the Indian meal provided they are prepared in a healthy manner.

Tags: kebab, lentil, tikka masala, bhatura, vindaloo, balti, gosht, kulfi, dal, dosa

Some of the herbs and spices are almost synonymous with Indian cuisine and ginger is one of them and much so for the medicinal properties it exhibits. There has been a long tradition to the use of ginger which is well amplified by the practitioners of Ayurveda where it was used as a mild cure for flatulence, nausea and vomiting. Ayurvedic “trikatu” powder where dried ginger is used to strengthen the digestive tract.

Right from the eponymous curries to morning non caffeine tea, ginger is in vogue everywhere either in young, mature or dry form. Ginger and garlic paste finds its way into most of the North Indian curries and so is the chopped and julienned ginger. Ginger lemon and honey drink is a very good morning refresher and supposed to fight diabetes if taken early morning besides fighting cold and flu symptoms. Secondly it also helps getting rid of the empty stomach bed tea habit which is damaging to the intestinal lining.

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Tags: lentil, vindaloo, chana, curries, idli, kebab, naan, desi, bhatura, paneer